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LAST UPDATED ON THURSDAY APRIL 25, 2013 NOTE: This will be our final report of the 2013 spring snow goose hunting season due to the fact that the spring conservation season ends on Sunday, May 5th in the lower 48 states. We want to give a special thanks to all of our outfitters for the in-depth reports each week and we hope that we have been able to assist our fellow snow goose hunters in having an exceptional 2013 spring snow goose hunting season! Be sure to check back to the HTN website the first week of October for our first 2013 Fall Waterfowl Migration Report! ~ HuntTheNorth.com |
2013 Snow Line Satelite Image
Last updated on April 25, 2013
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Illinois Spring Snow Goose Report
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| WEEKEND WEATHER OUTLOOK: |
| Temperatures will be in the Mid 50’s as highs going into the weekend with SE winds. Temps will rise close to 60 for the weekend highs, with a 40% chance of rain on Saturday. |
REFUGE / WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA ACTIVITY: |
UNION COUNTY STATE WILDLIFE AREA - JONESBORO, ILLINOIS
Reported that as of 3/21 that public hunting has finally been opened up due to the whooping cranes leaving the area. Unfortunately it was also reported that there are very, very few snow geese in the area and most have now moved on through. |
HORSESHOE LAKE STATE REFUGE - MILLER CITY, ILLINOIS Reported that as of 3/21 that there are no snow geese in the area. Staff noted that they have seen very few snow geese at all this entire spring. |
CYPRESS CREEK NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE - ULLIN, ILLINOIS Reported that as of 3/21 that an aerial survey was taken on 3/18 and found 0 snow geese at the refuge. |
REPORTS FROM THE FIELD:
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 | SNOWS UNLIMITED
LOCATION: Southern Illinois
OUTFITTER: James Frerking
PHONE: 618.922.5121
EMAIL: james@snowsunlimited.com
Endorsed Illinois Spring Snow Goose Outfitter |
LAST UPDATED: March 28, 2013 James Frerking reported as of 3/28 that they wrapped up the season last week. James stated that all of the Snows are now out of the area. James had a successful season with a great beginning and some wild weather in the latter part that threw a few challenging hunts in the mix. James looks forward to getting back at it next year. |
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 | GANDER HILL GOOSE CLUB
LOCATION: Southern Illinois
OUTFITTER: Jim Knope
PHONE: 618.521.2038
EMAIL: info@ganderhill.net
Endorsed Illinois Waterfowl Hunting Outfitter |
LAST UPDATED: March 28, 2013
Jim Knope stated that as of 3/28 that the season is now over. Jim pulled all his spreads last weekend and called it a season. Jim reported that it was a tough season overall with very poor weather conditions effecting the season in its entirety. He said the hunting was tough, but not unsuccessful. Jim reported having a good year despite the meteorological setbacks, and looks forward to next year already. |
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Missouri Spring Snow Goose Report
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| WEEKEND WEATHER OUTLOOK: |
| In northwestern Missouri expect high temps to range from 52 – 66 degrees through the weekend with low temps maintaining right at 43 degrees. Skies should be partly cloudy through Saturday with a 50% chance of rain showers on Sunday. |
REFUGE / WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA ACTIVITY: |
SQUAW CREEK NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE - MOUND CITY, MO
Reported that as of 4/4 that all of the snows have now moved out of the refuge. A lot of ducks and shorebirds have started showing up now. |
SWAN LAKE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE - CAINSVILLE, MO Reported that as of 3/28 from an aerial survey, there were 16,650 Snow geese at the refuge. This is down from prior weeks as birds are migrating out of the area. |
GRAND PASS CONSERVATION AREA - MIAMI, MO
Grand pass reports that at this point the majority of the snow geese have moved through the region for the year and are now up into the Dakota's. |
REPORTS FROM THE FIELD: |
 | SNOW GOOSE SPECIALIST
LOCATION: Northwest Missouri
OUTFITTER: Scott Robinson
PHONE: 269.760.6219
EMAIL: waterfowlspecialist@yahoo.com
Endorsed Missouri Spring Snow Goose Hunting Outfitter |
LAST UPDATED: March 28, 2013
Scott Robinson reported that as of 3/28 that he was able to wrap up his season in NW Missouri last week before the last snow storm hit the area. Scott stated that they were literally shooting Snow geese until the very last decoy was picked up. Scott said that he is now switching gears to get ready for the turkey hunting season and said for anyone interested in hunting with him next spring should hurry up and call as soon as possible as he is almost sold out for his 2014 spring weekend hunts. |
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 | FIRST FLIGHT FINISHERS
LOCATION: North Western, Missouri
OUTFITTER: Adam Johnson
PHONE: 651.442.7259
EMAIL: firstflightfinishers@gmail.com
Endorsed South Dakota Snow Goose Hunting Outfitter |
LAST UPDATED: March 28, 2013
Adam Johnson, of First Flight Finishers Guide Service, reported that as of 3/27 that the hunting in south eastern South Dakota has been pretty tough this past week, until today. Adam reported that the weather changes have made for some big pushes of birds coming into the state, and hunting is now getting much more productive. Adam has moved north out of Missouri as the migration has now moved out of the region but Adam said that was the most consistent hunting he has had in years, in Missouri this spring. |
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 | TOP GUN GUIDE SERVICE
LOCATION: Kansas City Region / NW Missouri
OUTFITTER: – Matt Kostka
PHONE: 507.696.0208
EMAIL: matt@topgunguideservice.com
Endorsed Kansas Spring Snow Goose Hunting Outfitter |
LAST UPDATED: March 28, 2013
Matt Kostka, of Top Gun Guide Service, reported that as of 3/26 that his hunting has been picking up substantially in the last couple of days. Hunting got really tough for everyone last week with the storm that came in, but now with some migration weather, and fresh birds, the hunts have really been picking up. Matt had moved his operation out of NW Missouri now and is running spreads in Nebraska, and South Dakota. |
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Nebraska Spring Snow Goose Report
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| WEEKEND WEATHER OUTLOOK: |
| In central Nebraska expect high temps to start out at 50 degrees on Friday and then jump up to 60 degrees for the rest of the weekend. Low temps will be in the low to mid 40’s through the weekend. Skies should be overcast through the weekend with a 20% chance of rain showers each day through Sunday. |
REFUGE / WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA ACTIVITY: |
KEARNEY GAME FISH AND PARKS OFFICE- KEARNEY, NE
Reported that as of 4/3 that although there is a flock here and there, the migration is now moved through Nebraska for the most part. |
LINCOLN GAME FISH AND PARKS OFFICE - LINCOLN, NE
Reported that as of 3/27 that there are still a few Snow geese in the area but the migration is past peak. Officials stated that with the oncoming warm weather for the weekend, most birds will most likely be gone in a week. |
NORFORK GAME FISH AND PARKS OFFICE - NORFORK, NE
Reported that as of 3/27 that the northeast corner of Nebraska has very good numbers of Snow geese right now. It was also reported that yesterday (Tuesday) was a big migration day through the area and that a lot of birds took off to the north. Officials also stated that they believe a lot of juvenile geese will now start to showing up this coming week.
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| REPORTS FROM THE FIELD: |
 | MIDWEST MIGRATORS GUIDE SERVICE
LOCATION: Rainwater Basin – SE Nebraska
OUTFITTER: Kalend McCurdy
PHONE: 402.615.2210
EMAIL: huntinsnows@hotmail.com
Endorsed Nebraska Spring Snow Goose Hunting Outfitter |
LAST UPDATED: March 28, 2013 Kalend McCurdy reported on 3/28 that Nebraska is still holding large pockets of Snows. He said that the hunting has really slowed since last weekend though. He also noted that some of the birds have been hanging there for a while and are beginning to get stale. Kalend stated that there are a few juvies hanging out in southern Nebraska still but for the most part the season is over. Kalend ended by saying that all in all the season was really good, even with the three winter storms they got. |
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 | WYO-BRASKA OUTFITTERS
LOCATION: Rainwater Basin – SE Nebraska
OUTFITTER: JJ Randolph
PHONE: 435.901.3825
EMAIL: info@wyobraskawaterfowl.com
Endorsed Nebraska Waterfowl Hunting Outfitter |
LAST UPDATED: April 4, 2013 JJ Randolph, of WyoBraska Waterfowl, reported that as of 4/2 that all the birds have now left his area. JJ has picked up his spreads and called it a season. All in all JJ had a great season, and looks forward to next spring. |
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 | FRONT RANGE GUIDE SERVICE
LOCATION: Southwestern, Nebraska
OUTFITTER: Jeff Colwell
PHONE: 970.219.3913
EMAIL: jcoutdoor@msn.com
Endorsed Colorado Waterfowl Hunting Outfitter
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LAST UPDATED: March 28, 2013 Jeff Colwell, of Front Range Guide Service, reported that as of 3/27 that most all of the Snow geese are now moved north of him and his season is coming to a close. Jeff noted that he had a great season, killed a lot of geese, and had an opportunity to hunt a lot longer than a normal year. Jeff also said that there is a few thousand birds still around but he does not have any fresh birds coming in any longer. Jeff is taking all of his spreads down at the end of the week. |
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South Dakota Spring Snow Goose Report
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| WEEKEND WEATHER OUTLOOK: |
| A big warm spell hits the state this weekend. Temps on Thursday will hit 50, Friday 60, and Saturday and Sunday will be 70 with SW winds. |
REFUGE / WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA ACTIVITY: |
SAND LAKE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE - ABERDEEN, SD
Reported that as of the morning of 4/23 that there are very few geese in the Sand Lake area the last couple of days. Some geese have been spotted feeding in SE parts of North Dakota. Large flocks of Snow geese have been spotted east and south of Groton, and many more geese are in the Redfield, Huron, and northern Spink County area. Most all water is still frozen except river channels, and 3 inches of snow remain on the ground at the refuge. Warming by the end of the week will see temps going into the 50’s and maybe 60’s and officials expect to see geese move into North Dakota very quickly. |
HURON WETLAND DISTRICT - CENTRAL, SD
Reported that as of 4/24 that very few snow geese remain in the area after the last couple of days of nice weather. Officials reported that the birds are pushing hard to get north and they don’t expect to have any geese left into this weekend. |
MADISON COUNTRY WETLAND DISTRICT - SOUTH EAST, SD
Reported on 4/25 that the bulk of the snow geese have now moved out of the area. Very few snow geese are remaining in the surrounding area, and most have continued to the northern portion of the state according to staff. |
REPORTS FROM THE FIELD: |
| FIRST FLIGHT FINISHERS
LOCATION: East Central, South Dakota
OUTFITTER: Adam Johnson
PHONE: 651.442.7259
EMAIL: firstflightfinishers@gmail.com
Endorsed South Dakota Snow Goose Hunting Outfitter |
LAST UPDATED: April 25, 2013
Adam Johnson reported on 4/25 that although he has wrapped up the season for the year he has heard solid reports that the masses of Snow geese are pushing into North Dakota now and most of the big flocks are currently staged in north central South Dakota. Adam has heard though that the first small waves of adult geese have now pushed all the way through North Dakota and have crossed the border into Southern Saskatchewan. |
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 | FLIGHT PATROL GUIDES
LOCATION: East Central South Dakota
OUTFITTER: Nick Metzen
PHONE: 612.408.5897
EMAIL: info@flightpatrolguides.com |
LAST UPDATED: April 25, 2013 Nick Metzen, of Flight Patrol Guide Service, reported on 4/25 that although they are all wrapped up for the year, there have been several solid reports of large concentrations of Snow geese moving through central South Dakota from Huron to Aberdeen all week long. Nick is already excited for next season and is taking deposits for prime weekend dates. |
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 | LUTTRELL KENNELS / LEGACY OUTFITTERS
LOCATION: Eastern South Dakota
OUTFITTER: John Luttrell
PHONE: 605.532.4142
EMAIL: luttrell@itctel.com |
LAST UPDATED: April 25, 2013
John reported on 4/25 that the geese are really on the move now. John noted that most movement he is seeing now is from Specks, and Canadas, leaving him to believe that the snows moved out in the last 24 hours and are now north of him. |
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North Dakota Spring Snow Goose Report
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| WEEKEND WEATHER OUTLOOK: |
| North Dakota will be enveloped in the heat wave this weekend as well with south winds and temps nearing the 70’s. |
REFUGE / WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA ACTIVITY: |
TEWAUKON NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE - CAYUGA, ND
Reported that as of 4/25 that they are just starting to see the very first flocks of birds arrive in the last couple of days. Officials noted that with the warm temps they expect the geese to move through the area very quickly. |
ARROWWOOD NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE - PINGREE, ND
Reported that as of 4/18 that no snow geese have arrived at the refuge yet. Reports are that there are large numbers just south of the North Dakota and South Dakota border. They predict that when the snow geese are able to move north it will be a very quick migration through the state. |
LAKE ALICE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE - DEVILS LAKE, ND
Reported that as of 4/25 that some snow geese have started arriving now, and some flocks have been in the area for the last couple of days now. |
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REPORTS FROM THE FIELD: |
| TOP GUN GUIDE SERVICE
LOCATION: North Central North Dakota
OUTFITTER: Matt Kostka
PHONE: 507.696.0208
EMAIL: matt@topgunguideservice.com
Endorsed ND Spring Snow Goose Hunting Outfitter |
LAST UPDATED: April 25, 2013 Matt Kostka reported on 4/25 that they are now moving up into North Dakota as the snow is melting and will be hunting through the end of the season there which is Sunday May 5th. |
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 | WOODLAND RESORT / NORTHERN FLIGHT G.S.
LOCATION: Devils Lake, North Dakota
OUTFITTER: Kyle Blanchfield
PHONE: 701.662.5996
EMAIL: woodlandresort@stellarnet.com
ENDORSED NORTH DAKOTA HUNTING LODGE |
LAST UPDATED: April 25, 2013 Kyle Blanchfield, of Woodland Resort, reported on 4/25 that he couldn’t be more excited for the snow geese to arrive. The weather forecast makes Kyle think he will start seeing masses of geese in the next 3-5 days and then it will be game on. |
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Canada Spring Snow Goose Report
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| WEEKEND WEATHER OUTLOOK: |
Southern Saskatchewan may see some temps reach nearly 60 this weekend, and Southern Manitoba may actually get really close to 70 on Sunday.
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CANADIAN WILDLIFE SERVICE REPORTS: |
WEYBURN FIELD OFFICE - WEYBURN, SK
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| Reported on 4/17 that they feel there is a better chance of Santa Claus showing up right now before the Snow geese will be arriving. They stated that there is currently over 2 feet of snow on the ground with another storm system expected to arrive this weekend. They continue to have very cold temps and feel they spring season will be delayed by over 6 weeks this year. |
LAST MTN LAKE FIELD OFFICE - LAST MTN LAKE REGION
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Reported on 4/17 that winter is still in full force in there region of Saskatchewan and this is going to be a very late spring migration in their area. They don’t expect to see any large concentrations of Snow geese moving through the area anytime soon. |
DAUPHIN LAKE FIELD OFFICE - DAUPHIN LAKE, MANITOBA
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| Reported on 4/17 that they still have plenty of snow and ice in their neck of the woods. They expect that the first flocks of Snow geese should cross the border by the end of the month but they don’t expect to see any big flocks moving up into their area for quite some time. |
REPORTS FROM THE FIELD: |
 | RJM GUIDING
LOCATION: Saskatoon Region
OUTFITTER: Ryan Marsh
PHONE: 306.961.6926
EMAIL: rjmguiding@inet2000.com
Endorsed Saskatchewan Snow Goose Hunting Outfitter |
| LAST UPDATED: April 25, 2013 Ryan Marsh reported that over the past week they have not seen much of a warm up in there area yet and still have over 2 feet of snow cover on the ground. Ryan expects it will still be a couple weeks before they see any strong numbers of snow geese in the region. |
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 | ACE WATERFOWL
LOCATION: South Western Manitoba
OUTFITTER: Craig Henry
PHONE: 1.866.810.8711
EMAIL: craigh@highspeedcrow.ca
Endorsed Manitoba Snow Goose Hunting Outfitter |
LAST UPDATED: April 25, 2013 Craig Henry, of Ace Waterfowl reported that, as of 4/25 that he expects to start seeing geese after this weekend and he is going to start running hunters as soon as they show up. |
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