December and January present two different sets of Canada goose hunting conditions in New England. The changing weather is one important factor, and the other is the sub-species of geese that are available.

In most Northeastern states, two groups of these birds exist. One is the migratory population, which wings through our region in late fall. States like Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut are primary resting areas for migrating honkers, so hunting prospects are good.

The second is the resident goose population, which includes descendants of domesticated Canada geese once bred by waterfowl hunters. When real birds (live decoys) were outlawed for hunting in the 1930s (because of their deadly effectiveness), most waterfowlers didn't want to dispatch their "pets," so hundreds of captive birds were set free. Without an inborn sense of migration, these geese began reproducing locally. Unfortunately, residential lawns, corporate golf courses, playgrounds, parks, beaches and reservoirs soon became preferred goose habitat. In suburban areas, few predators were present to control the burgeoning bird numbers, so conditions for these winged grazers were perfect.

As these local goose populations grew, one solution to curbing nuisance or resident geese was an expanded experimental hunting program. The term "experimental" (implying possibly temporary) no longer applies in most areas, and southern New England states now consistently offer a separate goose-hunting period after the regular waterfowl season closes.

The regular season is open during some portion of November and December in all coastal New England states. Bag limits in December are restricted to two birds per day in almost all areas.

The second, or "bonus" season, generally runs from mid-January into February with a generous five-bird limit.

If the goal is to reduce goose numbers, why not simply always allow hunters a five-bird limit regardless of the month?

The reason for the disparity is that migrant Canada geese move southward through the Northeast in late fall and early winter and, unlike the growing number of resident geese, their population has been shrinking. The theory of waterfowl biologists is that when hunters harvest their five-bird limits in January, it's assumed they'll be culling the swelling native goose population rather than impacting the migrants. The last of the migratory geese may still be winging through our region in December, but by January they're gone (from most spots), and only resident birds remain.

According to waterfowl biologists in the Northeast, goose numbers in 2009-2010 are not outstanding, but are at least stable. The northeastern United States had an unusually chilly and damp spring, which possibly affected hatch rates. Nonetheless, the birds will still be plentiful and huntable in early winter.

"Resident goose production was decent in Connecticut this year," said Min Huang, Connecticut's Migratory Game Bird Program leader, "and from reports by biologists in neighboring states, production was good throughout the Northeast. That means there should be a fairly good number of young resident geese in this year's fall and winter flights.

"Migrant groups of Atlantic Population (AP) and North Atlantic Population (NAP) birds had lower-than-average production due to a cool, wet spring, which came at least three weeks later than normal," Huang added. "Both the AP and NAP breeding pair estimates for 2009 were slightly higher than in 2008, but with the lowered production of each population, the fall and winter flights will likely be similar to last year."

The 2009-2010 waterfowl regulations will not be determined until after this issue goes to press and therefore can't be included now. However, last year's dates, zones and bag limits should be nearly identical.

Here is a look at some of the best public-access coastal goose hunting in your area this winter:

CONNECTICUT
Connecticut has recently divided its goose hunting zones into three units: the two coastal sections are the AFRP Unit, west of New Haven Harbor, and the NAP-H Unit, which is east of New Haven Harbor. (See the state's migratory waterfowl guidelines for details and demarcation line.)