None of the Labrador retriever pups in the picture will be involved in the opening of the Colorado goose season Saturday. But one will be auctioned at the Littleton Ducks Unlimited banquet Thursday to raise money for the leading waterfowl conservation organization. The 5:15 p.m. event featuring the sale of an array of equipment, art and trips will be at the Marriott Denver Tech Center (303-921-3055).
The shindig also should serve to get enthusiasts fired up for a Saturday goose hunt that suddenly has taken on fresh excitement with the arrival of Monday night’s storm. Coupled with a migration that began last week, Monday’s turn in the weather should move more geese into eastern Colorado for a weekend that otherwise expects more mild weather and sunshine.
Perhaps the best news on the waterfowl front involves a surprising influx of ducks along the South Platte River corridor. The most recent Division of Wildlife aerial survey from Greeley to the Nebraska border Nov. 9 counted 52,600 ducks, double the number from the previous tally.
“That’s almost halfway to last year’s peak on ducks, biologist Todd Sanders said. “This is a whole lot earlier than last year.”
Sanders noted that at mid-afternoon only 3 percent of the birds were using the river.
“That’s pretty consistent with what we saw last year during mild conditions.”
While Sanders found a limited number of Canada geese on his survey, things may have changed in the interim.
“Intelligence from the field shows that an increasing number of geese are arriving,” he said. “It appears some migration has begun.”
