1. A Management Plan for Mississippi Flyway Canada Geese
Implementing Lessons Learned from a Century of Goose Research and Management:
A Management Plan for Mississippi Flyway Canada Geese
David R. Luukkonen, James O. Leafloor, Rodney W. Brook, Kenneth F. Abraham, Frank Baldwin, and James R. Kelley
Additional Metrics
Harvest/survival rates from band recoveries (Figs. 5-6).
Harvest derivations based on band recoveries (Fig. 7).
U.S. Conflicts resolved under permit (Fig. 8).
Goals
Maintain or grow goose hunting participation and support other sustainable non-consumptive uses of Canada geese.
Balance costs and benefits of abundant temperate-breeding Canada geese.
Maintain ecological and economic values as well as public support for Canada goose management.
Figure 1. Approximate breeding ranges of currently defined (left) and historic (right, inset) management stocks of Canada and cackling geese in the MF.
Figure 5. Harvest rates (+ 95% C.I.) of subarctic-breeding Canada geese in the MF,
Objectives
Maintain sustainable populations and breeding distribution (Figs ).
Maintain or grow goose hunter participation and harvest (Fig. 4).
Maintain or grow public support for sustainable populations of Canada geese and management.
Figure 6. Survival rates (+ 95% C.I.) of subarctic-breeding Canada geese in the MF,
Strategies
Develop hunting season frameworks that address local objectives for temperate-breeding Canada geese without negatively impacting breeding distribution and abundance of Canada or cackling geese.
Maintain harvest focus on Mississippi Flyway (MF) temperate-breeding Canada geese.
Conduct research on factors contributing to declining (MF) goose hunting participation.
Conduct surveys to better understand public perceptions and attitudes about Canada geese
Communicate values of Canada geese and methods of mitigating conflicts.
Conduct research on conflicts between geese and people and monitor amounts and types of conflict control methods used.
Figure 2. Abundance of temperate- and subarctic-breeding Canada geese in the MF,
Figure 7. Harvest derivation for states and provinces in the MF,
Figure 3. Density and relative distribution of subarctic-breeding Canada Geese on Hudson Bay and James Bay using modified survey implemented in 2016.
Figure 4. Annual harvest of Canada geese in Mississippi Flyway U.S. states and Canadian provinces,
Figure 8. Canada goose conflict control activities in the U.S. portion of the MF,