West Virginia Wildlife from Eyewitness News

Goose Season

They're everywhere! Canada geese season has arrived.

August 29, 2007
Reporter: Patrick McMurtry
Videographer: Brad Rice

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You see them all the time, almost everywhere you go. Canada geese are one of the most plentiful game species in West Virginia, and now is the perfect time to do a little goose hunting.

Larry Berry/DNR Biologist says:
"Our early goose season starts Sept. 1 and runs through the 15th. It's a great opportunity for water fowl hunters to get out early and get in the field with a gun and harvest geese, Candada goose. It's a good season, a lot of animals out there, a lot of opportunity for water fowl hunters."

This is the perfect time of year to combine two of the most popular past times in the state: hunting and fishing. Berry says you can grab your shotgun and your rod and get the best of both worlds.

Larry Berry/DNR Biologist says:
"Just about every pond and small lake have geese on it. The New River is a great place to find geese.

"You can be out on a boat, you can hunt from the side of the streams, the lakes and there is just a lot of access in the state."

Now is a great time to catch some big bass, so floating a river is a fun way to bring home some bass and harvest some geese. And since there are so many, you can get a lot of the great tasting birds.

Larry Berry/DNR Biologist says:
"The bag limit is liberal, a daily bag limit of five and a possession limit of 10. The season is set up to reduce the state goose population and certainly we'd like to have more goose hunters."

You don't need a state stamp, but you do need a federal stamp and an h-i-p card that you can apply for at any DNR office. It's a small price to pay for a big time adventure right down the road.