Exciting proposal for goose hunting in Canada

For hunters that extend their annual goose hunting opportunities by hunting ducks and geese in Canada, an exciting measure has been proposed.  You’ll get no complaints from me.

From the Environment Canada website: “It is proposed to eliminate the current requirement to use only blue or white phase Snow Goose decoys when electronic Snow Goose recordings are being used. Decoy restrictions were implemented in Manitoba (and Saskatchewan) due to concern about the potential vulnerability of Canada Geese to electronic Snow Goose recordings; however, research has since shown that Canada Geese are less vulnerable to electronic recordings of Snow Geese than to traditional hunting methods.  Removal of this restriction would allow hunters to target both Canada and Snow Geese during the same hunt, which would provide additional opportunity to manage overabundant Snow Geese through hunting.”

While many waterfowlers, southerners especially, dislike hunting light geese, many find that shooting decoying snows and blues is as much fun as shooting honkers and mallards.   The key word is “decoying.”

We usually do well targeting snow geese in September and October, as they stage in Manitoba preceding their migration.  Success requires scouting and waiting for the flock to start building in a certain field.  Even over all-white spreads, ducks and dark geese are typically taken.  Because the bag limits for snow geese (20 daily) are so much higher than for mallards (8 daily) and Canada geese (5 daily), it’s possible for 5-6 hunters to achieve an aggregate of 100 or more waterfowl daily.  And we suggest bringing extra ammo to the field.

This new measure, if enacted, will make duck and goose hunting trips to Canada far more productively exciting and is proposed to manage the mid-continental population of light geese.  Once again, hunters are being relied on to achieve long-term wildlife conservation goals.  Once again, we’ll make the best of it.

More information Canada Goose Hunting trips

Canadians make American entry simpler

Foremost among complaints for taking Canada hunting trip is that certain misdemeanor criminal offenses, such as DWI, are recognized as a felony.  Visitors with criminal felonies are denied entry.   It requires explaining Canadian inadmissibility with clients during pre-trip planning, and it has always been a delicate point of discussion, "Does anyone in your group have a DWI from back in the day?"  But it beats their being unaware and driving all that way only to be denied at Canadian Customs.

That soon changes.  Canadians are easing rules regarding American visitors entry.  The Canadian tourism industry - comprised in no small part by hunting and fishing operators - put sustained pressure on Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)  to implement a new common-sense policy.  With an estimated 35 million tourists visiting Canada annually, you can imagine the loss of revelue and number of comlaints from would-be visitors caught unawares, or from guides and outfitters that had their groups turned away at the border.

Beginning March 1, 2012, visiting American hunters and anglers with one minor conviction can be granted a free Temporary Resident Permit (TRP) to enter Canada.  Obtaining that permit was previously lengthy and costly.

Americans with convictions still must receive "rehabilitation" to permanently clear their record, but receiving the TRP will prevent their rejection at the border.  This new policy covers DWI if it's the only conviction on their record.  It is yet unknown whether this is a one-time-only pass, or if it will apply indefinitely.  But it's good news for traveling hunters.

More information about Canadian Inadmissibility visit GetDucks.com Sporting Travel Resources.