With regular waterfowl season and dark goose season being closed, that means our light goose conservation order season is in full swing.
During the conservation order season, hunters can use unplugged shotguns, electronic callers, and there is no daily limit on snow geese, blue geese, and Ross’s geese.
One question us as agents get asked a lot is what permits someone needs to participate in the conservation order. The answer is found in the waterfowl regulations book.
Residents that are age 16 or older are required to possess a conservation order permit to hunt these geese during this season. Nonresident hunters will need to possess a nonresident conservation order permit.
There are several different ways to hunt these geese this time of year, but one of the most common is jump shooting them from along field edges, but other hunters still favor using decoys in fields.
Another frequently asked question is how far from a public roadway does one need to be to legally shoot hunt. According to the Wildlife Code 3 CSR 10-20.805 (46), it defines a public roadway as “the right of way which is either owned in fee or by easement by the state of Missouri or any county or municipal entity, or which is used by the general public for travel and is also regularly maintained by the Department of Transportation, federal, county, or municipal funds or labor.” With that being said hunters should be off of maintained areas to be off of the public roadway.
When hunting geese in fields, it is also important to remember to first gain permission from the landowner to hunt there.
As always, answers to regulation questions can be found in the Missouri hunting pamphlets. Questions can also be answered using the MO Hunting app on smartphones. This is a very quick, easy and convenient way to answer questions and buy permits.