# Snow Goose hunting in Michigan



## Zorba (Jan 24, 2007)

Is there a huntable population of light geese anywhere in Michigan? I shot a Blue a long time ago, but never had the chance to get another. I see Snows & Blues flying way up high migrating, but, never really low enough to get a shot at one. 

When my father hunted ducks & geese around here back in the 50's he told me the only geese that were shot were Snows & Blues. They saw Canadas but only high migrating flocks. Just the opposite of what is going on today.


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## Branta (Feb 6, 2002)

simple answer: no

you might luck into some birds, a family group or two, a couple mixed with Canadas, but I'd say you'd be wasting your time putting out a true snow spread (500+ white decoys).

I betcha not even 500 total get shot in a season here. go 12 hrs west.... and all bets are off!


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## duckhunterr13 (Jun 3, 2008)

its interesting that we have so many lakes not to mention the great lakes and they totally avoid this migratory route to go down the eastern coast and prairie pothole region


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## DEDGOOSE (Jan 19, 2007)

i wish we did :sad:


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## duckcall (Sep 8, 2009)

Like branta said go 12 hours west and shoot all the snows you want.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Branta (Feb 6, 2002)

orrrrrrrrr,

you can grab your bag this friday and meet me at the airport.

we're going to try and smack some over by summer lake, OR


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## waxico (Jan 21, 2008)

sooner or later they'll find the feed and roost opportunities in Michigan.
It might take another 5 years or so.

I definitely have seen an increase in Sea Duck numbers that are hanging around, due to the Zebra Mussels.

Pennsylvania is loaded with them in the winter, that's not that far away.

Be careful what you wish for though....ever chase them?
I hope you won't mind investing in a Semi, for the decoys.


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## BenelliBrother (Sep 21, 2009)

What state has the best fall flight of snows/blues? Minnesota any good or do you have to go in to the Dakotas?


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## fishsticker (Oct 31, 2005)

The sand lake nwr in SD has over 100,000 snows/blus in the area now, they have a nice website with migration reports. I'm sure there's still a lot in ND still as well.


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## smoke (Jun 3, 2006)

Texas and Arkansas are loaded in December through Feburary. Mississippi at the right time we see 100's of thousands, usualy in December when we're down there for a week of duck hunting. Mo, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota and North as they fly back to the North in the spring. 
Smoke


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## wavie (Feb 2, 2004)

duckhunterr13 said:


> its interesting that we have so many lakes not to mention the great lakes and they totally avoid this migratory route to go down the eastern coast and prairie pothole region


Saginaw Bay used to be a traditional stop over many moons ago. When agriculture practices really changed so did the snows migration patterns. Greaters on the east coast probably wont come this far west. Maybe the lessers will shift again to the east.

I always found it odd that the majority of snows we shot in the very southern tip of James bay (hanna bay)flew west to Mantiboa and the dakotas. I'm sure a few of those filtered through MI.


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## Zorba (Jan 24, 2007)

wavie said:


> Saginaw Bay used to be a traditional stop over many moons ago. When agriculture practices really changed so did the snows migration patterns. Greaters on the east coast probably wont come this far west. Maybe the lessers will shift again to the east.
> 
> I always found it odd that the majority of snows we shot in the very southern tip of James bay (hanna bay)flew west to Mantiboa and the dakotas. I'm sure a few of those filtered through MI.


 
Canadas come through Michigan from James Bay. You would think that the snows from James Bay would also follow them down.


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## Zorba (Jan 24, 2007)

waxico said:


> sooner or later they'll find the feed and roost opportunities in Michigan.
> It might take another 5 years or so.
> 
> I definitely have seen an increase in Sea Duck numbers that are hanging around, due to the Zebra Mussels.
> ...


 
Do you think that agriculture lands have increased over the last 20 years? Enough to bring in more birds to Michigan. I know there is allot of farms in the SLP but, more to change migration.

I guess that I don't get down that way to enough to see a difference. 

It would be nice to see the extra birds


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## dankoustas (Sep 18, 2007)

I have heard that the huge overpopulation of snow geese are desimating their traditional arctic nesting and feeding grounds. This is why there are such liberal limits and spring hunting, I would think. Anyhow, I am wondering if the snows will start to come through Michigan more as they find new nesting and feeding grounds up north. All I know is that it would be fun to have them flying through here in decent numbers, I have never even seen one. Your thoughts??


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## duckhunterr13 (Jun 3, 2008)

dankoustas said:


> I have heard that the huge overpopulation of snow geese are desimating their traditional arctic nesting and feeding grounds. This is why there are such liberal limits and spring hunting, I would think. Anyhow, I am wondering if the snows will start to come through Michigan more as they find new nesting and feeding grounds up north. All I know is that it would be fun to have them flying through here in decent numbers, I have never even seen one. Your thoughts??


funny story,
i usually hunt the thumb quite a bit. every year we see more and more snows. i hunt with a mix of canadas and snows to mock farm ducks and geese they regularly land with up there. i left my 1 snow goose bigfoot at camp with another canada bigfoot and at about 9am a single canada and a single snow (grouped together) passed my floating rig (@60+yds up) and landed in my camp with the damn decoys i left behind. i started the stalk from my blind and just when i got far enough away from the blind not to hide again, they took off and were coming back to my floaters AND BUSTED ME!!! never got a shot off. go figure. but i do see them up there, and i have harvested a blue up there recently. check my albums for the pics if interested


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## eyecatcher (Feb 2, 2004)

I hunted the bay for many years and we never really had any snows/blues in any numbers. It seems we would only get them when they had a late hatch they would stop off to rest the young, other then that they went over us on their way to Texas. The big thing is we are not really in either the Atlantic or Mississippi flyways we are sort of between the two. We don't get the big number of birds the center of the each flyway gets. We have a fair population of local birds and we get some flight birds but nothing compared to the center of the Mississippi flyway.


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