The two hunting areas are the same as those open during the past three special winter seasons. A special permit is NOT required to participate in the season as in previous years. Sportsmen and women are reminded to check the hunt area boundaries carefully before hunting. Note that the Canada goose winter season hunt areas are different from the traditional north, south and coastal zones.
New Jersey is home to two populations of Canada geese.
The other is a resident population of geese that live here year-round. While Atlantic population geese have rebounded from the critically low population level observed in 1995, they still remain below management objectives. Resident population Canada geese, however, have caused increased crop depredation and nuisance problems in some areas of the state due to their overabundance. The winter season will help to slow the growth rate of the expanding resident population. Special hunting seasons that target resident population Canada geese, however, need not be as restrictive.