GOOSE SEASON CLOSES SUNDAY

The goose-hunting season in the Southern Illinois four-county -- Alexander, Union, Williamson and Jackson -- Quota Zone will close Sunday.

Hunters harvested 22,998 geese during the first 41 days of the season and are expected to reach the 30,600 quota by the end of the season Sunday.

"Hunters averaged more than 950 geese a day during the past week or so," said a spokesman from the Union County Wildlife Refuge. "At that rate they'll pass the quota."

Thousands of geese are still wintering in the area. Officials announced their latest count Monday revealed more than a quarter-million geese -- 287,000 -- in the Southern Illinois area. With a cold weekend expected, that figure could easily top 300,000 before next Monday's count.

The Crab Orchard Refuge near the Carbondale area had almost a third of the geese, with 95,000. Horseshoe Lake at about 49,000 and Union County 47,000.