Where have all the geese gone?

[Raleigh]

Of course they are not here yet but we all have noticied a signiificant drop of the wintering goose population here on the Texas coast. Understandably with all the Katy area build outs the geese needed to move furtner south but now even the middle coast region's population is dwindling. Lack of farming and habitat is pushing the geese somewhere.


Over the last 15 years or so the population has been growing and our populations is getting smaller. Are they short stopping in Arkansas or Oklahoma or moving more east into Missippipi and Lousiana?

Where is the new goose hunting mecca?

[Gilbert]

Of course they are not here yet but we all have noticied a signiificant drop of the wintering goose population here on the Texas coast. Understandably with all the Katy area build outs the geese needed to move furtner south but now even the middle coast region's population is dwindling. Lack of farming and habitat is pushing the geese somewhere.


Over the last 15 years or so the population has been growing and our populations is getting smaller. Are they short stopping in Arkansas or Oklahoma or moving more east into Missippipi and Lousiana?

Where is the new goose hunting mecca?

yes. go to arkansas, kansas, or chokelahomo if you want some geese. Habitat for wintering geese is all but gone. Not much food for them around here with todays farming practices. If you want a goose hunt, book a trip with bill sherill or run-n-gun. They hold geese.

[Raleigh]

Yes sad but true. I remember stopping around the rice fields with my dad in the 70s and 80s lugging around water logged cloth decoys and heavy strings of snows. Awesome memories

[Gilbert]

I've never been a goose hunter, just ducks, but I have seen the habitat that would hold geese get covered in concrete. The geese use to be so thick we would have to run them off so the ducks could come in. The Katy Prairie is all but gone. All the farmland in Sugar Land is all gone. Up to the early 90's, the area north of 59 and south of 90 right up against the brazos river would hold thousands of geese. That's all houses now. Damon would have thousands of geese around the quarry but you don't see them down there anymore. No more farming on that land on the east side of 36 anymore. Down in Peach Point WMA is drying up. I could go on and on.

[TroutSupport]

Less rice growers have been a big part of it. There's been some big impacts because of the nexting habitat areas changing do to droughts... but i think overall the numbers are still way up, they are just more spread out.

[Milkjug]

Went to Arkansas last conservation season and there is no reason for them to come further than there. All the water and food they could want. Crazy numbers up there, planning on going again this year. Very interesting comparing the hunting culture there to TX.

[Gilbert]

Less rice growers have been a big part of it. There's been some big impacts because of the nexting habitat areas changing do to droughts... but i think overall the numbers are still way up, they are just more spread out.

negative. Geese are just not coming down like the use to. They have nothing to come down to. If you go north, you will see where they stop and they really have no reason to come to texas anymore. The few that do make it down are spread out but there are only a few areas that hold them while they are here. I've been traveling north for the past 6 years and I see it. A lot of areas up north no longer have to worry about water freezing with the ice eaters they install on their ponds. Water & food=happy waterfowl.

[Raleigh]

Milkjug,
Did you hunt with a guide service? If so can oyu share the guide info.

Many Thanks

[dbarham]

Hard to buy water for rice nowdays they completely cut some farmers out. I was told by Bobby Garret that they could not get water and this is the first yr they have not grown rice and they been in the biz forever!! Very sad

[Milkjug]

Did you hunt with a guide service? If so can oyu share the guide info.

My buddy is a member of 3rd coast so we hunted with them.

[nushagak]

No reason for the birds to come down this far south anymore. They have everything they need. Overall waterfowl numbers on the prairie are starkly different than they were in the 80's and 90's. We still have pretty decent hunting down here, but I encourage you to find a way to make a hunt in N. Texas this fall/winter. It is impressive and pretty darn depressing to see all those damn birds up there that I wish were hanging around in our part of the state.