So has anyone hunted the Aug goose season yet?

[get-n-birdy]

I'm interested in hearing others definition of roost busting. The only time I ever even think twice about hunting geese over water is late in the season, when most sloughs are froze but theres one or two around packed with geese, and then only if there's a week or two left in the season.

Roost's are important to waterfowl, geese in particular. Bump them off a roost and they tend to leave the area. If you have a roost in your area that stays undisturbed, you can hunt adjacent areas till birds are either all dead, eventually move on or other birds filter in. Problem is in areas of high demand and good numbers of geese, most hot private areas are locked down. Guys have no other choice or options, so the roost gets hunted. Mainly because most water is public or has public access. Birds leave the area cause there is no un molested area to roost. Then the hot areas go cold. It pisses off the guys who locked down the hot areas and leaves the roost void of birds after one or two shoots on the roost. Both sides are highly opinionated. In a perfect world, if there were enough areas to hunt around a good roosting area, it would be great if everyone could get in on at least some action. But it doesn't work that way. Usually a group of guys get permission either by paying or some other means of locking up every field they can, in turn shutting out any competition. Guys who still want to hunt and are frustrated by not being able to get on any decent fields are forced to either not hunt or hunt a roost, as it is their only chance to get on some birds. Problem is the roost busting eventually ruins it for everyone. There's really no right or wrong answer, other than hunting a honest roost, should be a last option. Sad part is many feel they don't have a choice. Even sadder many more just don't care or know better.

[HnkrCrash]

If the true intent of the Aug "Intensive Harvest" season, or the early season altogether was to harvest the maximum number of birds possible, water hunting would be outlawed. As stated above, a much larger portion of a specific goose population can be harvested when they have an unmolested roost. Blow the roost to kill a handful of birds and in nearly every case with resident birds, the birds move out and typically into an area which hunting is not allowed. A great way to fill a soccer or football field with goose shit is to blow a roost 15 miles out so that birds pile into whatever available water is in town and then don't leave the city limits until the snow flies. In addition to the initial population increase, it has been proven that these now suburban geese attract additional migrating flocks to these unhuntable areas, compounding the piles of goose shit even further.

Take a drive around places like Plymouth, St Cloud or Alexandria a week before and a week after goose hunting opens, the increase in the amount of birds pushed into town by roost busting once the season opens is staggering. While there was a small hunting related influx of birds into these locations prior to water hunting being allowed, it doesn't even remotely compare to how things are now.

[gimpfinger]

Yup what did we ever do before bigfoots and layout blinds. I did hear the moon held piles of birds once season started.

your mom...

[Goldfish]

The August season isn't to necessarily kill birds, it's to get them out of areas that have high bird predation on crops. By your definition, roost busting does exactly that.

[Nershi]

You can either bust a roost or hunt a roost. I have had some great success hunting the roost and I think it had little, if any affect on the field hunters. Problem was people would follow the noise of our muzzle blasts to the roosts and come bust it up a couple times and it was all over.

Get-N-Birdy summed up the situation pretty well. If guys knew how to hunt a roost instead of busting it I think both parties could find a good balance. Problem is most hunters are retards and bust their loads all over the roost.

[get-n-birdy]

We hunt both water and fields whenever we get fortunate enough. Not exactly sure why guys get all butt hurt when the discussion gets brought up about roosts, even on an even keel. There are certain roosts that can sustain hunting, as long as the main roosting area is left alone. If guys would skirt roosting birds on the way off of the water it would help. If they'd hunt on the edges or very fringe at least of the main roosting area, it'd help. Instead of plopping right smack dab in the middle of the main roosting area. You can have good shoots for a fairly long period of time if you hunt adjacent to the roost. Or even letting the birds leave before busting through the main area in the morning it would at least help somewhat.

There use to be decent hunting in my area till all the local roosts got pounded. Now it is comical to watch the new flight paths of birds head straight into the town's ship pits. And even the flights of birds making their way down into the cities.

A few minor changes in guys hunting tactics and things would turn out a lot better for them and everyone else. There's usually loafing water not far from a roost and those can be very good hunting and somewhat left alone. Plus it still leaves birds alone on the roost. I use to think that we had multiple options for roosts in much of Minnesota. But the last 5-7 years I've kinda changed my tune a little. Birds get very habituated to roosts, bust it and they are likely to just pack up and move out. The flight path into the city seems to grow every year after the early season gets going in September.

It is funny in areas with a refuge that is also a roost, how the area seems to hold birds most of the season. Then areas where there's no roost refuge, how the bird numbers evaporate quickly.

[HnkrCrash]

The August season isn't to necessarily kill birds, it's to get them out of areas that have high bird predation on crops. By your definition, roost busting does exactly that.

Clearly you don't spend much time outside the 494/694 loop with such ridiculous logic, so pay attention as I am about to drop some knowledge on you. While there is some crop depredation in the fall from birds feeding on swathed but uncombined grains, the overwhelming majority of depredation issues occur in the spring of the year with newly emerging crops, or during the molt period prior to hunting season. Busting a roost Aug or Sept doesn't solve for this whatsoever. The five or so birds skillet shot at legal shooting time are typically only a small fraction of the total population on any given roost. Because geese typically arrive back to where they fledged, the remaining birds will simply return to the area unscathed and continue eating more freshly emerged crops each spring into the future. If you ban water hunting and allow a much greater number of birds to get killed each season because they aren't hauling ass into areas where they are unhuntable, there are fewer left to return each subsequent year.

In fact the August season is 100% about killing birds, and as many as possible as evidence by a 10 bird daily limit. If the DNR simply wanted them "out of an area" they would make sure we could only be armed with firecrackers and toy slingshots.

[Goldfish]

So then why don't they implement a spring Canada season?

[h2ofwlr]

The migrators are mixed in with them. So the Feds will not allow. it.

[StuStiltman]

Im pretty sure south Dakota had a spring season a year or two ago. Could be wrong.