Migration Alert: Great Lakes Region Hunters Cash In on Canadas

The climatological roller coaster ride that has been the 2024–25 waterfowl season has goose hunters across the Midwest emphasizing and reemphasizing the critical importance of scouting. This has taken on an entirely new level of importance as Canada geese have been bouncing around and acting more like snow geese than honkers. As a result, running traffic under strong flightlines has been the go-to approach for many successful goose hunters this season.

Dark goose seasons in the northern tier are mostly closed now, while the southern half of the Great Lakes states still have plenty of days left on the calendar. It’s very likely the best is yet to come in these areas, with many zones in southern Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio remaining open well into February.

“Overall, I would say it was a good season, as we had consistent action all year,” says Duncan Abram of Pit Properties, located in west-central Minnesota, where the season closed this week. “We’ve had some good days and some slow days, but the hunting has been consistently good with ample opportunity for our hunters.”

Chicago-area goose hunters typically do not have to worry about the weather, thanks to huge numbers of resident Canadas. This suburban mosaic of small lakes tucked in between housing developments, shopping malls, and golf courses is a goose wonderland, with plenty of corn and soybean fields thrown in for good measure. No surprise, reports indicate Chicago-area goose hunting has been solid this season.

In portions of nearby Wisconsin and Indiana, the hunting has been more challenging. “The other day was a bust. We were on a huge feed that we scouted religiously for three days, and a cold snap came through overnight, and the birds were gone,” laments Jon Klema, who has hunted southeast Wisconsin’s prime Canada goose migration corridor for decades. “We did see a heavy migration late that day, but they were cruising straight through. Numbers here locally are down now, but we are setting up traffic spreads with the hope to pull a few birds.”

Straight east across Lake Michigan, Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) personnel report large concentrations of Canada geese in the southern portion of the state, especially near suburban areas. Hunting pressure has been intense much of the season, and birds are not getting any easier to fool.

“There are still a lot of geese in southwest Michigan from the state line well north into northern Michigan,” says MDNR wildlife technician Mike Richardson. “The recent cold snap concentrated birds, but the inconsistent cold left many open pockets in area lakes. Warm temperatures will certainly spread birds out again.”

Ohio goose hunters are getting revved up for what could be the best hunting of the season. While numbers may be lagging a bit currently, Michigan and Ontario should send some honkers southward into the Buckeye State as extremely cold temperatures will finally begin to settle into the region later this week.

In the southernmost portions of the Great Lakes region, warm temperatures and strong south winds prompted a reverse migration of waterfowl this past weekend, which may have pushed many Canada geese north, albeit temporarily.

Of note, impressive numbers of white-fronted geese were reported by hunters in the western half of Indiana and much of Illinois. This has become a regular occurrence during winter warm-ups, but anybody who knows “specks” will tell you they can jump back south in a matter of hours, so don’t expect them to get too cozy.

The takeaway: If you’re located in the southern half of any of these states, frigid temperatures in the forecast for next week could send honkers southward in search of open water and better feeding opportunities soon. In the north, the hardiest Canada geese should settle into their winter lockdown roosts and hopefully offer some of the best hunts of season.