My point is that you make just as big of a problem driving across fields hunting snow geese as Canada geese. I am not in favor of a spring Canada season but I am questioning KDM's reasoning for not wanting it, Snow goose hunters make as much of a mess of fields, roads, etc. as Canada geese hunters would make.
I disagree. It's a simple numbers game. Snow goose spreads tend to be HUGE with mechanical motion decoys, spinners, electronic calls, and hundreds of decoys. Not many hunters have the desire, resources, or storage space for an effective snow goose spread, unlike Canada spreads, which can be effective with a dozen deks. There are simply fewer hunters that chase snows in the spring than there are Canada hunters in the fall. That being said, there are more important reasons behind not liking a spring Canada goose season. The first is that to successfully raise a clutch of Canada goose goslings requires BOTH parents unlike the turkey where the Tom has nothing to do with the care and raising of the young. The gander not only watches over and protects the goose while she sits on the nest, but also protects the goslings. Taking one of the parents out during the spring nesting would not only almost guarantee a lost clutch, but quite likely result in a breeding failure for the year for the survivor. An equally important issue to consider is that spring is the time for regeneration for everything. It's NOT just the reproduction of Canada geese that will be affected. Wetlands (Canada goose nesting habitat) provide nesting and birthing habitat for tens of thousands of species. What effect would a spring hunt have on ducks?? How about hen pheasants?? What about non game bird species such as herons and grebs?? What about mammals that also use Canada goose nesting habitat?? Do you think men, dogs, gunfire, trucks, and all that goes with hunting would have a positive effect on critters trying to raise their young or a negative effect? I'm going with a negative here. Now the argument could be made that a season early enough in the spring would mitigate the nesting affects, but in Canada geese, the courtship and pairing happens weeks before actual nesting and to remove one of the geese during this period would likely have the same result as taking one out while actual nesting is occurring. Snow goose courtship and pairing happens up north. If you want to hunt Canada geese, kill'em in the fall. Chase turkeys in the spring or wet a line. Leave the wetlands and the Canada geese be.