December 5, 2002

IL DNR

CANADA GOOSE SEASON TO CLOSE DECEMBER 8 IN NORTHERN ILLINOIS QUOTA ZONE AND NORTH ZONE

SPRINGFIELD, ILL. - The Northern Illinois Quota Zone and North Zone will close to Canada goose and white-fronted goose hunting at sunset on Sunday, December 8, Illinois Department of Natural Resources Director Brent Manning announced today.

The zones were scheduled to close January 4, but are closing early due to projections that the Canada goose harvest quota in the zone will have been reached by December 8. Illinois monitors harvest in select areas to project when zone quotas will be reached. The quota for the entire North Zone is 14,700, with 9,300 of those allocated to the Northern Illinois Quota Zone.

"We had expected the possibility of early closings as a result of this year's relatively low quota and with the two-goose daily bag limit," Manning said. "While the numbers of migrating geese seen in central and southern Illinois have generally been below the five- and ten-year averages this fall, good numbers of migrant geese have been reported in the North Zone. Hunters in the northern part of the state have taken advantage of the opportunities they have had to bag both migrants and resident giant Canada geese in the Northern Illinois Quota Zone."

The early closing of the Canada goose season in the Northern Illinois Quota Zone and the North Zone also closes the season for hunting white-fronted geese and closes the regular season for hunting snow, blue, and Ross' (light) geese in the zones. It also triggers an early start to the conservation order light goose season in the zones.

Beginning December 16 (following the conclusion of the duck hunting season in the North Zone) and continuing through March 31 in the entire North Zone, Illinois will allow the use of electronic goose calls and unplugged shotguns for hunting light geese. There will be no daily bag limit for hunters taking light geese, and hunting hours will be from a half-hour before sunrise to a half-hour after sunset. Federal law prohibits states from opening a conservation order light goose season until all regular waterfowl seasons (including duck) are closed. The vast majority of light geese harvested in Illinois are taken in the South Zone, with some in the Central


Zone and a few in the North Zone.

Illinois is implementing the regulations as part of a federal conservation order intended to protect arctic habitat from an overpopulation of light geese. The conservation order light goose season is scheduled to open February 1 in Central and South zones.

The Canada goose season is scheduled to close January 31 in the Central Illinois Quota Zone and Central Zone and in the Southern Illinois Quota Zone and South Zone, unless quotas are reached earlier.

Canada goose harvest reports are available toll-free by calling the IDNR's Goose Season Hotline at 877/249-3679.