Retriever training opportunity

Along with the sheer enjoyment and excitement of light goose hunting, it can also be a valuable opportunity for hunters to give their dogs more experience retrieving, said Tony Vandemore, co-owner of Habitat Flats in Missouri, one of the most well-known hunting outfitters in the country.

"For those who enjoy hunting with dogs, the spring season is a great opportunity. Typically there are a lot of retrieves to be made, everything from marks in the decoys to long blinds," said Vandemore. "Dogs can mark snow geese falling at long distances, so it really helps with their marking. In my mind, the best way to 'make' a good gun dog is to kill a lot of birds over them and give them a lot of opportunities, and that's what snow goose hunting is all about. And it doesn't hurt that the main goal is to help contain the mid-continent light goose population, as they are destroying their breeding ground on the tundra."