How to Legally Hunt Geese

Hunters who are familiar with game hunting on land need to understand the nuances of hunting geese. Geese and other waterfowl offer different challenges to state wildlife agencies due to seasonal migratory patterns. You need to determine how to hunt geese legally in order to bag your limit without problems.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Hunting license
• Training certificate

1. Affix your updated hunting license to your jacket on the first day of the season. You should save money before the season to pay for a general license and a specific certificate for geese hunting to deal with potential rate increases. You can attach the license to the back of your jacket with safety pins to save time when dealing with wildlife agents.
2. Ask a wildlife agent about the periods in the geese hunting season when you can utilize your desired weapon. Muzzle loaders, large handguns and shotguns have separate seasons to help field agents regulate usage among thousands of hunters.
3. Attend hunter training courses in the summer prior to your first geese hunting experience. These courses are offered through state agencies to teach hunters how to hunt geese and other waterfowl legally. Most states only require attendance at one certifying session for hunters over a certain age.
4. Track bag limits for geese hunting based on different ages, sex and sizes. You should store killed geese in separate containers based on these criteria to make tagging and field registration easier.
5. Familiarize yourself with the difference between geese, ducks, swans and other waterfowl to help you hunt the right animal legally. You should create a simple practice test for your hunting group to remind friends about distinguishing features.
6. Plan your geese hunting trip with state regulations on motorized vehicles in mind. A boat with a motor needs to be stopped as you approach geese to avoid scaring off birds for other hunters.
7. Leave your foam, plastic and live decoys at home when hunting geese, unless expressly allowed by hunting regulations. These tools have been outlawed by many states to maintain the importance of hunting as a honed skill.
8. Treat injured geese that you have caught in a humane way to follow state animal cruelty laws. The timing between shots and the death of geese needs to be as short as possible to limit the amount of pain inflicted upon the animal.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep an eye out for special cultivation schedules for geese in your state. Wildlife officials keep an eye on geese populations during peak months and may announce a temporary hunting period to thin the flock. You should bookmark state and county hunting sites to obtain special licenses before they run out.