Canada Geese in Back Bay

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Canada Geese in Back Bay
Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
Dr. Gary Costanzo Tom Bidrowski
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Canada Geese in Back Bay

• Historic Accounts populations, seasons
• Goose population concerns
• Management Activities/Concerns
• Reopening a hunting season - MOA
• Hunting season evaluation feather
• collection process

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Historic Accounts
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• History of Back Bay Canada Goose Hunting
• Year Days Bag
  Area Rest of VA
• 1950s-67 50-70 2
  statewide (flyway wide) same
• 1968 -76 50 1 Back
  Bay (FL GA SC NC) 70/2-3
• 1977 84 50 1 VA
  Beach Chesapeake 70/3
• (FL GA closed) (goose zones)
• 1985 87 35/50 1 BB/VA
  Beach Chesapeake 70/3
• (SC closed)
• 11 1 VA
  Beach Chesapeake 60/2
• Closed BB/VA
  Beach and Chesapeake 60/2
• (NC closed in 1992)

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Recent History of Canada Goose Seasons Year
Back Bay VA (Atlantic
Population) 1989-94 Closed (89-04) 60 days, 2
or 1 goose 1995-98 Season closed
flyway-wide 1999 Reopened, 6
days/1 goose VA
Beach-Ches. opened, 6/1 2000-04
Season liberalized gradually from 6 to
45 days and 1-2 birds
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Atlantic Population Canada Goose breeding
population estimates 1993 - 2005
AP season closed
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Numbers of Canada geese counted on the MWI in
Back Bay, 1954 2006.
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• Migrant Goose Population Summary
• Shift in wintering distribution.
• General population decline in late 1980s - early
  1990s.
• Population recovered in most of VA and northern
  AF.
• Migrant geese continue to decline in South FL,
  GA, SC, NC.

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• Back Bay Goose Population Concerns
• No recovery of migrant goose number in Back
  Bay
• Habitat and landscape level changes in Back
  Bay and VA
• Beach not conducive to migrant Canada goose
  recovery.

Suburban Beach Agricultural
Encroachment Development Shift
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• Back Bay Goose Concerns (continued)
• All available information (surveys, neck-collar
  studies, band
• recovery data) indicate very few migrant geese
  left in Back
• Bay area.
• Nearly all geese harvested in VA Beach and
  Chesapeake
• (reopened in 1999) appear to be resident geese
  and few/no
• migrant geese taken.

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• Resident Goose Population Concerns
• Resident geese increasing in Back Bay/VA Beach.
• Human health and safety concerns have resulted
  in a number of
• goose round-ups (removals) the past several
  years.
• Concerns about
• Nuisance issues, water quality
• Air strikes Commercial, private, military
• Agricultural and wetland plant depredation
• Public requests to reopen a hunting season.

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• Monitoring Activities
• Long-term population surveys
• Leg-banded 400 geese per year during the past 4
  years (1,600)
• Neck collar observations
• Additional goose surveys 3 times/yr Sept.,
  Nov., Jan.
• - Providing information on pop. size,
  movements, harvest, survival.

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• Management Actions
• Maintained hunting season closure for 16 years.
• Research and monitoring programs to evaluate
  goose population trends and affiliation.
• Habitat development and enhancement activities.
• Re-opened a limited hunting season this year.

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• Purpose/Justification for re-opening limited
  season
• Resident goose population increasing.
• Provide some opportunities for goose hunting on
  Back Bay.
• Few migrant geese remain, however, still some
  questions about goose population affiliation
  (migrants or foreign residents)
• A limited season will provide some hunting
  opportunity and provide data on harvested birds
  to determine pop. affiliation.
• Recent Action
• VDGIF submitted proposals to the Atlantic Flyway
  Council and USFWS the past several years to
  reopen a limited hunting season on Back Bay.
• Experimental Season approved in August 2005.
• NC also granted an experimental season.

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Experimental Season Criteria

• MOA between VA and USFWS specifies
• 3-Year Experimental Season 15 days, 1 goose/day
  to be held during last 15 days of AP goose
  season.
• State must evaluate size and composition of
  harvest.
• Harvest estimate hunter reports and field bag
  checks
• Harvest Composition DNA feather analysis
• NC state to issue 500 permits (via lottery)
• VA permit system not required but feather
  collection
• mandatory (no lottery everyone can
  participate)
• States to prepare reports after each season and
  final report after 3-yr period.
• Decision to modify season (liberalize, restrict)
  after 3-yr experiment.

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2005-06 Seasons Virginia Back Bay and
Tributaries (Experimental) January 12 28,
2006 15 days, 1 goose per day
Atlantic Population (includes
remainder of VA Beach and Ches.) Nov. 19 Dec. 3
Dec. 23 Jan. 28 45 days, 2 geese per
day North Carolina NE Hunt Unit (Experimental)
January 14 31, 2006 15 days, 1 goose per
season (500 permits issued)
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Area closed to hunting NWR
Areas in managed hunts
The waters of Back Bay and its tributaries and
the marshes adjacent thereto, and on the land and
marshes between Back Bay and the Atlantic Ocean
from Sandbridge to the North Carolina line, and
on and along the shores of North Landing River
and the marshes adjacent thereto, and on and
along the shores of Binson Inlet Lake (formerly
known as Lake Tecumseh) and Red Wing Lake and the
marshes adjacent thereto.
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• Coordination and Notification efforts
• Information in Regulation Pamphlets
• Provided letter in Princess Anne WMA hunt
  information.
• Contacted local interest groups
• Posted notices and held public meeting.
• Conducted hunter bag checks on water and at boat
  ramps.
• Provided envelopes and drop boxes at Princess
  Anne WMA.

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• Feather collection Process
• 1. Pull (do not cut) 2 central tail 3 outer
  primary feathers
• 2. Complete separate data form for each goose,
  include in envelope.
• 3. Mail or place in drop box.

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Back Bay Canada Goose Feather Collection Pull
(do not cut) the outer 3 wing feathers and the 2
inner most tail feathers. Complete this form and
place with the feathers in the envelope. Please
use separate form/envelope for each goose. Place
envelope in drop box or mail to address below.
Date Harvested _______________________ Please
Circle the general location the bird was
harvested North Bay Shipps Bay
Redhead Bay Sand Bay
Cedar Island Trojan Marsh Pocahontas
Marsh Knotts Island Horse/ Ball Islands
False Cape State Park Other_____________
Where you hunting from a ? Stationary ?
Floating Was the bird banded ? Yes ?
No Band Number ________________________ Please
also report all banding birds to the Bird
Banding Laboratory 1-800-327-BAND If you would
like future information on this study or if we
can contact you for additional information,
please provide your name, address and phone
number below. Name ______________________________
_____________ Address __________________________
_______________ Phone ___________________________
____ ___________ Additional Comments (number of
geese seen, location of where the goose was
harvested, blind/stake number, and any other
comments you would like to provide. Use back if
necessary) ______________________________________
__________________________________________________
Please address any questions to Wildlife
Division, 5806 Mooretown Rd Williamsburg, VA
23188, Phone [phone], or email
tom.bidrowski_at_dgif.virginia.gov FOR INTERAL USE
ONLY Sample ID
Collected By
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-Draft Proposal-
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• Preliminary Results for 2005-06
• Relatively few geese counted on Back Bay
• Mild weather conditions in January
• Only 15 geese taken in BB hunt zone
• NC 72 geese reported from 214 permittees
• Feather analysis results and preliminary report
  
• by late June.

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• Future Direction
• Continue monitoring programs.
• Consider modifications to season structure in
• relation to sampling considerations.
• Use standard and new technology to better
  identify
• population affiliations and refine goose
  management.

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