Hunters Reminded of Later Start for Early Fall Goose Season

PIERRE, S.D.--South Dakota waterfowl hunters are reminded that they need to wait a week longer this year before they get their first shot at Canada geese.

The early fall goose hunting season opens on Sept. 8 this year. The later start allows that season to end on Sept. 28 and the regular goose season to start on Sept. 29.

“This year hunters will enjoy the convenience of having no lag time between one goose season and another,” said Dave Wicks, a regional law enforcement specialist for the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department who is based in Watertown. “Hunters accustomed to starting the early fall goose season on Sept. 1 in conjunction with the beginning of the dove hunting season need to keep the later date in mind.”

Another change for 2007 opens most of South Dakota to the early fall Canada goose season. The only areas where hunting won’t be allowed for the early season are Unit 2 of the regular Canada goose hunting season encompassing most of the counties on either side of the Missouri River, portions of Fall River and Custer counties and Unit 4 consisting of Bennett County.

“The early season also has a different bag limit,” Wicks said, noting that the early season daily limit of five geese drops to three geese with the start of the regular season.

“The early Canada goose hunting season has plenty of hunter participation in northeastern South Dakota,” Wicks said. “That’s why we hope hunters pay particular attention to the later starting date.”

One license makes residents eligible for both the early goose season and the regular season. Nonresidents who wish to hunt the early Canada goose season can purchase a license from the Pierre licensing office or from the GFP Web site at www.sdgfp.info. Hunters who order a license online have to wait for it to arrive in the mail before they can hunt.  

Nonresidents should note that they may not hunt in the counties of Beadle, Brookings, Hanson, Kingsbury, Lake, Lincoln, McCook, Miner, Minnehaha, Moody, Sanborn, Turner and Union during the early Canada goose season.

--GFP—