A Comparison of 1990-1991 State and Federal Goose Harvest Estimates for Tennessee

A multi-phase mail and telephone survey of 9,000 hunters was used to estimate the harvest of Canada geese (Branta canadensis) in Tennessee during the 1990-91 hunting season. The estimate, 13,429 (CI ± 2,469), was substantially lower than that produced by the annual waterfowl harvest survey conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for that same period. If a high degree of accuracy is needed by states when formulating season framework and harvest recommendations, a detailed state-specific survey may be needed. Methods for conducting a scaled-down version of this survey that would meet that objective are discussed.