Early goose season begins with a bang following Labor Day

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The Massachusetts early Canada goose hunting season begins on Tuesday, September 7 and ends Saturday, September 25. Hunters are allowed a bag limit of seven birds per day.

“Data collected from agency goose banding activities this summer indicate the early goose hunting seasons have kept populations stable in the central and western parts of the state and full bag limits are rarely reached,” MassWildlife’s waterfowl project leader H. Heusmann said in a press release. “However, in northeastern and southeastern Massachusetts, where we find our densest goose populations, hunters frequently filled the 5 bird bag limit so beginning in 2008, the September daily bag limit was increased to 7. The early season provides goose hunters with ample hunting and gives more time to landowners to allow hunters to reduce the size of nuisance flocks of resident geese.”

Nonmigratory geese are an increasing problem in communities on Martha’s Vineyard. Flocks of geese damage agricultural fields and contribute to water quality problems.

For more information on migratory game bird hunting, go to www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/recreation/hunting/waterfowl/waterfowl_hunting_home.htm.