At HuntTheNorth.com we are striving to offer you, the avid snow goose hunter, the most current and accurate information regarding the 2008 Spring Snow Goose Migration as it unfolds. We will be utilizing numerous information sources to compile our weekly reports. These information sources include; Weekly snow goose refuge counts, Current regional weather forecasts and Current field reports from our Elite Spring Snow Goose Hunting Outfitters. In fact, feel free to contact our Top Outfitters directly from our migration reports. All of this information will be available to you every Thursday evening from Missouri to North Dakota. Each hunter will have the ability to piece together themselves exactly where the majority of the birds are across the Midwest each week and what is happening concerning the spring migration as it occurs. Thank you very much for utilizing our services at HuntTheNorth.com. |
LAST UPDATED ON THURSDAY APRIL 17, 2008
Note: This will be out final report for the 2008 Spring Snow Goose Hunting Season. Be sure to check out our Fall Migration Report starting in early October. Thank you very much for utilizing our service at HuntTheNorth.com and best of luck to you in the field! |
 April 16, 2008 Snow Line Satelite Image |
Missouri
Nebraska
Iowa
South Dakota
North Dakota |
|
Missouri Spring Snow Goose Report
|
Note: Due to the fact that the vast majority of the snow geese have migrated through the great state of Missouri and there is no new information available, as of March 28, 2008 this will be our final report from the "Show Me" state.
Weather Conditions: |
In north west Missouri expect highs in the upper 40’s to low 50’s through Monday with a lows starting out at around 41 degrees on Friday night and steadily dropping all weekend, down to 32 degrees by Tuesday morning. Skies should be partly cloudy on Saturday and then expect a 50% chance of rain showers on Sunday and a 40% chance or rain showers on Monday. On Saturday expect E / SE winds at 10 – 15 mph and on Sunday expect NE winds at 7 – 10 mph. On Monday expect NE winds to continue at 8 – 11 mph.
In central Missouri expect a high of 49 degrees on Saturday and then highs should stay around 63 degrees through Monday. Lows should be in the low to mid 40’s through Tuesday morning. Expect a 30% chance of rain showers on Saturday and a 70% chance of rain showers through Monday. On Saturday also expect East winds at 7 – 9 mph. On Sunday expect South winds at 9 – 11 mph and in Monday expect N / NE winds at 7 – 11 mph.
In south western Missouri expect a high of 54 degrees and Sunday should jump up to 70 degrees before dropping down to 63 degrees on Monday. Lows should be around 50 degrees through the weekend. There is a 20% chance of rain on Saturday, 60% chance of rain on Sunday and 80% chance of rain on Monday. Expect E / SE winds at 7 – 9 mph on Saturday and on Sunday S / SW winds at 13 mph and S / SW winds at 12 – 14 mph. |
| Across the State: |
Squaw Creek NWR: Reported that as of April 3, 2008, they only had about 1,000 snow geese left on the refuge, down from 50,000 last week. They felt that the migration has denitely passed through and spring has arrived!
Swan Lake NWR: Reported that as of March 28, 2008 they do not have any snow geese left on the refuge and feel the migration has passed through the area for the year.
Grand Pass C.A.: Reported that as of March 25, 2008 there were no snow geese left in the area.
Four Rivers C.A.: Reported that as of March 17, 2008 they do not have any light geese left in the area. |
| Reports From The Field: |
We would like to thank all of the outfitters in Missouri who were able to give us a hands on report of what they witnessed each week through the 2008 Spring Snow Goose Season. Those outfitters include: Adam Johnson of First Flight Finishers, Shawn Eldredge of Prairies Edge, Jarrad Brown and Matt Kostka of Top Gun Guide Service, Scott Robinson of Waterfowl Specialists, Brad Gannaway of Pro Outfitters and Dan Guyer of Iron Duck Hunting.
Shawn Eldredge of Prairies Edge (515-321-4667) has been hunting around the Squaw Creek NWR refuge all season. Shawn stated that they had an excellent hunt on Tuesday of last week where they shot 62 snow geese and they were all juvenile birds and Ross’ geese. Shawn said that on Wednesday he guestimated that there were still around 400,000 light geese on the refuge in the morning and they all moved north and never came back. Shawn is now packed it up for the year in Missouri. Shawn said overall the spring season started out a little below average but ended up being above average after the weather straightened out.
Dan Guyer of Iron Duck Hunting (816-210-3969) is located near the Smithville Reservoir just se of mound City an hour. Dan stated that they are completely empty at this time. He said that he is now getting ready for the upcoming turkey hunting season and feels the spring snow goose hunting in Missouri is now over for the year.
Jarrad Brown of Top Gun Guide Service (507-208-0362) moved his operation up to Huron, SD in an attempt to stay ahead of the migration. Jarred said they have found a ton of geese up near Huron and has heard that all of the snows have moved north out of Squaw Creek now. |
Nebraska Spring Snow Goose Report
|
Note: Due to the fact that the vast majority of the snow geese have already migrated through Nebraska for the year and there is no new information available, as of April 3, 2008 this will be our final report from Nebraska for the 2008 spring snow goose hunting season.
Weather Conditions: |
In north central Nebraska expect high in the upper 50’s through the weekend with lows right around freezing each night. Skies should be partly cloudy through the weekend with no precipitation in the forecast. On Friday expect West winds at 8 – 12 mph and on Saturday expect South winds at 7 – 9 mph. On Sunday expect N / NE winds at 4 – 6 mph.
In central Nebraska expect highs in the upper 50’s to around 60 through the weekend. Lows will be right around 34 degrees each night through the weekend. Skies should be partly cloudy with no precipitation in the forecast. On Friday expect West winds at 8 – 11 mph and on Saturday expect S / SW winds at 4 – 7 mph. On Sunday expect N / NE winds at 5 – 7 mph.
In south eastern Nebraska expect highs in the upper 50’s to low 60’s through the weekend. Lows will be in the mid to upper 30’s. Skies should be partly cloudy with no precipitation in the forecast. On Friday expect N / NW winds at 5 – 7 mph and on Saturday expect SW winds at 2 – 6 mph. On Sunday expect E / Se winds at 6 mph. |
| Across the State: |
Kearney GFP Office: Stated that as of April 3, 2008 there are only a few small flocks of snow geese left in the area and the huntable numbers have now moved north. They felt that the peak of the migration has moved through about 3 weeks ago.
Norfork GFP Office: Located in north eastern Nebraska, stated that on April 3, 2008, reported that they have not seen or heard any reports of migrating snow geese in the area for over a week now. They said that they feel the migration has moved through the area for the year at this point. |
|
|
| Reports From The Field: |
We would like to thank all of the outfitters in Nebraska who were able to give us a hands on report of what they witnessed each week through the 2008 Spring Snow Goose Season. Those outfitters include: Jonathon Sampson of Sampson Hunts, Shawn Reiff of Rainwater basin Outfitters, Jason Lesmeister of Last Frontier Snow Goose Safaris and Dave Beam of Beams On The Prairie
Jon Sampson of Sampson Hunts (612-247-4737) has been hunting SE Nebraska near Beatrice through this week. Jonathon stated that as of Wednesday there were only small bands of snow geese left in the area. He said that you may find a flock of 200 – 500 juvenile geese here or there but the big clouds of snow geese have moved north for the year. Jonathon stated that after a fun hunt on Wednesday morning when they only took one goose, they elected to pack it in for the year.
Jason Lesmeister of Last Frontier Snow Goose Safaris (907-351-3036) just wrapped up the spring season this week. Jason stated that they moved north out of the Rainwater Basin about 2 weeks ago due to the lack of snow geese left in the area. Jason has been hunting just north of DeSmet, Sd this past week and said that there are still big numbers of snow geese in that area and they ended the season with a good week of hunting.
Shawn Reiff of Rainwater Basin Outfitters (402-230-0054) stated that he wrapped up the spring snow goose hunting season for the year last week as there were not huntable numbers of geese left in the area and is now placing his focus on turkey hunting. Shawn stated that this spring was a tough one all the way around. |
Iowa Spring Snow Goose Report
|
Note Due to the fact that the vast majority of the snow geese have already migrated through Iowa for the year and there is no new information available, as of March 28, 2008 this will be our final report from Iowa for the 2008 spring snow goose hunting season.
Weather Conditions: |
In north western Iowa expect highs in the upper 50’s through the weekend with lows in the mid 30’s. Skies should be partly cloudy on Friday and Saturday with a 30% chance of rain showers on Sunday. Expect W / NW winds at 5 – 6 mph on Friday and then switching to the S / SE at 4 – 7 mph. On Sunday expect S / Se winds to continue at 4 – 8 mph.
In central Iowa expect highs in the upper 50’s through the weekend with lows in the mid 30’s. Skies should be partly cloudy on Friday and Saturday with a 30% chance of rain showers on Sunday. Expect N / NW winds at 7 – 9 mph on Friday and on Saturday expect W / SW winds at 4 – 6 mph switching to the SE later in the day. On Sunday expect South winds at 6 – 8 mph.
In south western Iowa expect highs in the upper 50’s to low 60’s through the weekend. Lows will be in the mid to upper 30’s. Skies should be partly cloudy with no precipitation in the forecast. On Friday expect N / NW winds at 5 – 7 mph and on Saturday expect SW winds at 2 – 6 mph. On Sunday expect E / Se winds at 6 mph. |
| Across the State: |
Riverton Refuge: Reported that as of March 27, 2008 they were holding 5,000 light geese. They also reported that Forney Lake was only holding 1,000 light geese as well. They feel that these are now all juvenile geese and that the migration is winding down in the area for the year.
DeSoto NWR: Reported that as of March 28, 2008 they did not have any light geese staging on the refuge but they say that, that is not uncommon during the spring migration. They did report that last week they noted large flocks of snow geese migrating north but they have not seen many moving through this week. |
|
|
| Reports From The Field: |
We would like to thank Ken Lamb of K.O. Waterfowl for being able to give us a hands on report of what he witnessed each week through the 2008 Spring Snow Goose Season in Iowa. Although our resources are limited at this time in Iowa, Ken made it possible to get at least one outfitters report each week from south western Iowa. Thanks Ken!
Ken Lamb of KO Waterfowl (319-331-1154) is set up in southwest Iowa. Ken stated that they had an excellent hunt on Wednesday. He stated that they took 70 geese and they were all juvenile geese and Ross’ geese. Ken said after Wednesday all of the geese in SW Iowa moved out and they are forced to pack up and move into South Dakota to find huntable numbers of geese for the rest of the season. |
|
South Dakota Spring Snow Goose Report
|
| Weather Conditions: |
In north central South Dakota expect a high of around 65 degrees through the weekend with lows in the upper 30’s to low 40’s. Skies should be partly cloudy through the weekend with a 20% chance of precipitation on Monday. On Friday expect South winds at 8 – 13 mph and on Saturday expect S / SE winds at 6 – 13 mph. On Sunday expect E / Se winds at around 14 mph all day.
In east central South Dakota expect highs in the low to mid 60’s through the weekend with lows in the low 40’s. Skies should be clear and sunny through Saturday and partly cloudy on Sunday. There is a 20% chance of rain showers expected for Monday. On Friday expect E / SE winds at 7 – 9 mph and on Saturday expect SE winds at 6 – 12 mph. On Sunday expect E / SE winds at 13 – 15 mph.
In south central South Dakota expect a high of 63 degrees on Friday and then highs around 72 degrees for the duration of the weekend. Lows should be in the low to mid 40’s. Skies should be partly cloudy through the weekend with no precipitation in the forecast. On Friday expect W / NW winds at 2 – 5 mph and on Saturday expect S / SE winds at 2 – 7 mph. On Sunday expect SE winds to pick up at around 13 – 20 mph. |
| Across The State: |
Lake Andes NWR: Located in the southern region of the state, reported that as of April 17, 2008 they have not seen any snow geese on the refuge or in the area for over two weeks now. They concur that the spring snow goose season has passed through the area for the spring at this point.
Reports near DeSmet, SD stated that there were about 20,000 snow geese on Lake Thompson up until last weekend but they have all moved out of the area now. They also stated that there are still a few stray flocks of snow geese left in the area but no huntable numbers left. |
| Sand Lake N.W.R. Activity: |
| Sand Lake NWR: Reported that as of April 17, 2008 they have not seen Any snow geese in the area or on the refuge for over a week now. They also stated that they have not seen any of the small late season juvenile flocks of snow geese pass through the area this year as they have in year’s past. They feel that at this point most all of the snow geese have passed through South Dakota for the spring. |
| Reports From The Field: |
We would like to thank all of the outfitters in South Dakota who were able to give us a hands on report of what they witnessed each week through the 2008 Spring Snow Goose Season. Those outfitters include: Adam Johnson of First Flight Finishers, Jason Lesmeister of Last Frontier Snow Goose Safaris, Josh Kiesow of Outdoor Adrenaline and Matt Kostka Top Gun Guide Service.
Jason Lesmeister of Last Frontier Snow Goose Safaris (907-351-3036) stated that they had a decent year. He also made a trip through DeSmet and Willow Lake earlier this week and noted that there were still many small flocks of snow geese scattered through the area. Jason wrapped up his hunts about 2 weeks ago. Jason started the season down in the Rainwater Basin in Nebraska and followed the geese up into South Dakota around the middle of March. Jason felt that the poor hatch last spring made for a tougher season but is hoping that this spring they will produce a better juvenile flock for next year. Jason is already taking bookings for the 2009 season so give him a call!
Matt Koskta of Top Gun Guide Service (507-696-0208) has been guiding for Blackduck Outfitters in North Dakota for the past 10 days. Matt stated that the majority of the snow geese have now vacated North Dakota and due to that, they have elected to cancel the remaining snow goose hunts for the spring season. Matt said they had a good year of hunting and that they are already taking bookings for their fall Saskatchewan hunts.
Josh Kiesow of Outdoor Adrenaline (605-730-1632) stated that they wrapped up the 2008 spring season for the year on Saturday April 5th. Josh said that overall the season was successful. He stated that the average kill numbers per hunter were down a little from last year and the decoying geese were a little tougher this year but it seemed to be that way for everybody this year. |
North Dakota Spring Snow Goose Report
|
| Weather Conditions: |
In north central North Dakota expect highs in the mid 60’s through Saturday and then falling down to around 50 on Sunday and all the way to 36 degrees on Monday. Lows will be in the mid 30’s through the weekend and then dropping down to 22 degrees on Monday morning. Skies should be partly cloudy on Friday and Saturday and then there is a 20% chance of rain showers on Sunday and a 20% chance of snow flurries on Monday. Expect South winds at 6 – 12 mph on Friday and S / SE winds at 9 – 12 mph on Saturday. On Sunday expect E / SE winds at 14 – 18 mph.
In central North Dakota expect a high of near 70 degrees through Saturday and then dropping down to 63 degrees for a high on Sunday and all the way down to 38 degrees on Monday. Lows will be in the mod 30’s through the weekend. Skies should be partly cloudy on Friday and Saturday and then there is a 20% chance of rain showers on Sunday and a 20% chance of snow flurries on Monday. On Friday expect S / SW winds at 6 – 13 mph and on Saturday expect South winds at 12 – 14 mph. On Sunday expect E / Se winds at 14 – 20 mph.
In south eastern North Dakota expect a high of around 67 degrees through the weekend with lows in the mid to upper 30’s. Skies should be clear through the weekend with a 20% chance of precipitation on Monday. Expect S / SW winds at 5 – 7 mph on Friday and S / Se winds at 6 – 8 mph on Saturday. On Sunday expect E / SE winds at 9 – 16 mph. |
| Across The State: |
Tewaukon NWR: Located in the SE region of the state, reported that as of April 17, 2008 there are no longer any snow geese using the refuge but they are still seeing small flocks in the corn fields in the area. They expect there will continue to some late season juvenile flocks of snow geese around for at least another week or two but no big swarms of snow geese are left that they have seen.
J. Clark Salyer NWR: Located in north central ND reported that they are completely dry right now and they have not seen any light geese in the area all spring, and they do not expect to see any either. They feel that the geese are all migrating east of Highway 3 due to the dry conditions in the area this spring.
Reports across North Dakota now state that the majority of the snow goose migration has now moved up into Canada however there are still many smaller flocks of snow geese trickling through the state. |
| Devils Lake Area Activity: |
| Devils Lake Wetland District: Reported that as of Thursday April 17, 2008 the big flocks of snow geese have now vacated the area and moved north most likely into Canada. They also reported that it has been close to a week now since they have seen the big flocks around. There are some smaller flocks still in the area but they feel that the majority of snow geese have now passed through the area for the spring. |
| Reports From The Field: |
We would like to thank all of the outfitters in North Dakota who were able to give us a hands on report of what they witnessed each week through the 2008 Spring Snow Goose Season. Those outfitters include: Dave Beam of Beams On The Prairie, Matt Kostka of Top Gun Guide Service and Kyle Blanchfield of Northern Flight Guide Service.
Dave Beam of Beams On The Prairie (701-282-0456) reported that he feels they have seen the big push of snow geese move through at this point but Dave does feel that there are still plenty of smaller flocks of younger geese still south, yet to come. Dave is hunting north of Devils Lake and has been setting smaller spreads everyday to keep up with the traveling snow geese. He says that they are burning through a lot of fuel finding flocks to hunt but that is what is takes these days to kill geese consistently.
Matt Koskta of Top Gun Guide Service (507-696-0208) has been guiding for Blackduck Outfitters in North Dakota for the past 10 days. Matt stated that the majority of the snow geese have now vacated North Dakota and due to that, they have elected to cancel the remaining snow goose hunts for the spring season. Matt said they had a good year of hunting and that they are already taking bookings for their fall Saskatchewan hunts.
Mike Shell of Northern Flight Guide Service is stationed out of the Woodland Resort in Devils Lake, ND. Mike stated that they had a couple very good days of hunting last week, taking up to 50 geese per day. Since then Mike stated that most of the snow geese have now vacated the area and even though they shot 20 geese on Thursday, it took them three hours of scouting to find one flock to hunt. Mike feels that at this point it is pretty much over for the year.
Hunters around the Jamestown area reported that as of last weekend they had been hunting some smaller flocks of mostly juvenile snow geese and doing fairly well. They stated that they were averaging between 15 – 25 geese per day but they had to put a lot of miles on to find the geese and it was a morning only hunt for a couple hours and then it was over for the day.
Additional Reports From Canada-
Craig Henry of Cupped Wings Outfitting (204-467-2374) guides in south western Manitoba. Craig stated that they started up around April 3rd when the big flocks of snow geese stared showing up in Canada. Since then Craig stated that he feels they are on the back side of the big push now and are starting to see some of the smaller flocks of juvenile snow geese moving in from North Dakota at this point. Craig stated that this spring the hunting has been a little tougher and the fact that they are now allowed to shoot Ross geese in Manitoba, hurts the kill numbers as well since they are forced to pass on many questionable opportunities. |
For Additional Spring Snow Goose Hunting Information And Hunting Opportunities Please View Hunt The North's:
Missouri Spring Snow Goose Hunting Page
Nebraska Spring Snow Goose Hunting Page
Iowa Spring Snow Goose Hunting Page
South Dakota Spring Snow Goose Hunting Page
North Dakota Spring Snow Goose Hunting Page
Minnesota Spring Snow Goose Hunting Page
Manitoba Spring Snow Goose Hunting Page
|
|
