January 2024 - 21

Percy hard at work retrieving a downed goose. (Photo by Lisa Ballard)
Which goose is it?
The cackling goose is considered a dark goose.
Dark geese can be differentiated from light geese
by their heads. Light geese have completely white
heads. Dark geese do not. During Wyoming's waterfowl
season, four types of dark geese can be part of a
hunter's bag limit: Canada, cackling, white-fronted
and brant. Canada geese are the most common.
They breed in Wyoming and migrate through the
state. The others are only migratory.
" We don't know what percentage of Canada geese
in Wyoming are migratory, " said Noelle Smith,
Wyoming Game and Fish Department migratory
game bird and wetland biologist. " We have Canada
geese that breed and winter in the state, but most of
these are migrating with the seasons. Some around
Goshen County, Wheatland and the Front Range
may move around locally. We have two primary
populations, the High-Line population in eastern
Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain population in
the western half of the state. Some other populations
get mixed in or pass through. Both populations have
ranges across the West and into Canada. "
Brants, which are coastal birds, are rare in Wyoming.
Cackling geese and white-fronted geese are
far less common than Canada geese. White-fronted
geese breed in Alaska and northern Canada then
pass through most of Wyoming en route to Mexico,
Texas, Louisiana and southern Missouri, where they
spend the winter.
The author and Percy bundle up during a recent goose hunt. (Photo by Jack Ballard)
Wyoming Wildlife | 21

January 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2024

January 2024 - 1
January 2024 - 2
January 2024 - 3
January 2024 - 4
January 2024 - 5
January 2024 - 6
January 2024 - 7
January 2024 - 8
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https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/wyoming-wildlife-may-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2024-e-edition
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/december-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/december-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-iak-special-issue
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/dec-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/January2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/December2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/September2020
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com