SOUTHERN ILLINOIS GOOSE HUNTERS HAVING GOOD YEAR

The 1995-1996 goose hunting season is winding down in the Southern Illinois Quota Zone.

The season, which opened in early November, closes Jan. 31 in the four-county quota zone of Alexander, Union, Jackson and Williamson counties after an 89-day run.

"It will be an above average year," said Rich Whitten, waterfowl biologist for the Illinois Department of Conservation. "We have already had more than 55,000 hunters, and could top last year's 65,500 by the time the season ends."

Harvest of the big Canada geese already has surpassed the 1994-95 season's 25,000, with a 78-day total of 28,474. By the time the season ends, hunters could almost match the 36,000 harvest year of 1993-94.

"Based on the number of hunters and harvest, the 1995-96 season will be above the long-term average in this area," said Whitten. The 20-year average is 56,000 hunters and 27,000 geese harvested.

The hunting has been good the past month.

During the early days of the season, the geese were scarce -- fewer than 20,000 the first three weeks. Many hunting clubs, especially in Union and Alexander counties, didn't open until the first week of December.

Fewer than 2,000 birds were harvested during the first month, with only 400 of those in Union and Alexander counties.

It wasn't until late December that the big birds flocked into the Southern Illinois refuges. The count reached about 60,000 in early December. The latest count, conducted a week ago, revealed about 230,000 geese in Southern Illinois.

"Our peak count this year has been about 330,000 about two weeks ago," said Whitten. "We probably still have that many in the area, but they were difficult to spot and count during the latest census flight."

The geese were evenly distributed during the Jan. 17 count, with 61,000 at Union County Refuge, 59,000 at Horseshoe Lake, and 60,000 in the Crab Orchard Refuge area.

The count in other parts of Southern Illinois showed 22,000 at Burning Star Mine, 1,000 at Vandalia Lake; 3,500 at Rend Lake; 5,000 at Keck's Marsh and 1,200 at Cache River. Another 14,000 geese were counted at Ballard County, Ky.

The Crab Orchard area remained the most productive, with more than 16,000 geese harvested. More than 6,000 have been harvested in the Horseshoe Lake area and more than 4,000 in Union County.

In Missouri, Canada goose hunters have until Jan. 30 to pursue their quarry, with a daily limit of two Canada geese and possession limit of four.

Goose hunting is big business in Southern Illinois. A big plus for attracting out-of-state hunters is the three-goose daily limit and 10-in-possession rule. In past goose hunting years, limits have been as low as two Canada geese per day, with possession limits of four.

A day in the pit can cost from $50 to $100 and up, plus guide costs. Hunters, however, spend more than that. According to various surveys, the average visiting goose hunter spends $160 to $180 a day while in Southern Illinois. That usually translates into more than a $10 million economic impact during the season.

About 80 percent of Southern Illinois goose hunters are visiting hunters, which translates into more than $9 million for the 1995-96 season. Add in the expenses of the 20 percent of local hunters and the 1994-95 year's economic impact exceeds the $10 million mark for the third year in a row.