GOOSE REPORT

WARE, Ill. -- With the change in temperatures recently, and many new geese in the area, hunting has improved over the past two weeks.

"Hunters have averaged harvesting more than 600 geese a day during the past two weeks in the four-county Alexander, Union, Jackson and Williamson Quota Zone," said a Illinois Department of Conservation spokesman. "During the first 30 days, they averaged only 285 a day."

A total of 19,344 geese have been harvested through Jan. 3. 10,270 Canada Geese were harvested in Williamson and Jackson counties; 4,984 in Alexander County, and 4,090 in Union County.

Almost three-quarters of million Canada geese are still wintering in the Southern Illinois area.

During the latest goose census conducted by the Illinois Department of Conservation, it was estimated that more than 716,000 geese were in the area.

The count, by areas:

147,000 geese in the Horseshoe Lake area of Alexander County.

150,000 in the Crab Orchard Lake areas of Jackson and Williamson counties.

145,000 in the Union County Wildlife Refuge area.

125,000 in the Rend Lake Area.

Department of Conservation had scheduled a new aerial count Monday, but bad flying conditions prevented the census.