Fall Flock Behavior and Harvest of Canada Geese

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Abstract
We studied fall flock behavior and harvest of locally breeding Canada geese (branta canadensis) and those that use the area as a migration stopover at the Talcot Lake Wildlife Management Area (TLWMA) in southwest Minnestoa [USA] in 1980-81. We used neckbands and radio transmitters to measure movements and survival of geese. We conducted aerial and ground surveys to estimate the size of goose populations. The 800-ha TLWMA refuge provided hunting season sanctuary for geese bredding in a 1,500-km2 area surrounding the refuge. Fidelity of local geese to feeding and roosting sites was strong throughtout the fall. prehunting-season flight patterns to feeding sites off the refuge continued despite heavy hunting pressure. Marked families from a given brood-rearing site fed and roosted together at rates greater than would have been expected by chance. This subflock behavior, combined with consistent flight patterns, resulted in differential mortality among brood-rearing groups. In contrast, migrants remained at TLWMA briefly, fed independently from local geese when off the refuge, and were harvested at a lower rate (P < 0.05) than local geese.

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