A few years ago, in order to better address the resident goose problem in specific areas, the northern zone was split into three units, with different dates and bag limits. Area NAP -- the land in the northern portion of the state and west of the Connecticut River -- is essentially closed in January. The NAP-Low unit in southern, interior Connecticut has a limit of two geese per day, while NAP-High, which comprises all of the coast and the eastern interior, has a limit of three geese per day.

The second season segment will be the special late goose season in the southern or coastal zone, which runs from about Jan. 15 through Feb. 15. The limit will be five geese per day.

Connecticut clearly has too many resident geese, Huang said. But finding good public hunting in the late season is difficult. A quick look at a map shows very little land between Interstate Route 95 and the coast, and the region is heavily developed.

During goose season, if you drive up to a farmer's house at 5 a.m., dressed in camouflaged clothes, to ask if you may hunt his fields that day, it probably won't work.

The only possibilities involve pass-shooting from points or marshlands, or calling geese into water sets. Huang hinted that the DEP would try to address late-season public access by providing special fields for hunters in the near future. The best options presently are seeking permission to hunt private land or golf courses.

Those public-access places that Huang suggested all lie in the coastal-southern zone. Great Island Wildlife Management Area is a large estuary at the mouth of the Connecticut River, accessed by a state boat ramp on the Old Lyme side of the river.

The coves, cuts and inlets on the deep-water, river side and the protected backwater side provide mostly pass-shooting opportunities.

At the mouth of the Housatonic River, the big marsh at Milford in the Charles Wheeler WMA (Nells Island) offers more opportunities. Boat access is from the public landing in Devon.

Also on the Housatonic is the marsh at Milford Point, which may be hunted only from the water on the outside edge, according to Huang.

Barn Island WMA, between Stonington and the Rhode Island border, a 700-acre tidal marsh sticking into Little Narragansett Bay, also has potential. Its four waterfowl impoundments, inland from the water's edge, will likely be frozen in January and February, but ice-free spots may still draw attention from geese.

The boat launching area is off Route 1, at Greenhaven Road.

There are many specific restrictions on hunting near heavily populated areas along the coast, and these are listed on the final pages of the DEP's migratory hunting guide.

Careful reading of these restrictions and study of the maps available by phone at 1-860-424-3011 will give hunters some more possibilities.

A Connecticut hunting license along with a Connecticut wildfowl stamp ($10) and a HIP permit ($2), available from all Connecticut town clerks, are required for hunting.

After Jan. 1, a new license and HIP permit must be obtained. The state stamp expires in July, along with the federal stamp.

GAINING ACCESS
As is obvious from the feedback from all the state wildlife biologists, hunting on private land is far more productive than public land. Many landowners want hunters to keep geese off their land, but for obvious reasons, they are not always willing to allow open access.

During goose season, if you drive up to a farmer's house at 5 a.m., dressed in camouflaged clothes to ask if you may hunt his fields that day, it probably won't work. But on your way home from work, if you notice a field where geese are feeding, try talking to the owner. Mention that you saw geese feeding in his field and ask, "Are they doing much damage?"

Ask if he would consider allowing you and a friend to hunt the field occasionally. Assure him that you'll be careful not to damage his property.

When you do get permission to hunt, ask for guidelines on parking, dogs, number of hunters allowed, and so on -- and don't violate those guidelines.