ABSTRACT Occupancy patterns can assist with the determination of habitat limitation during breeding or wintering periods and can help guide population and habitat management efforts. American black ducks ( Anas rubripes ; black ducks) are thought to be limited by habitat and food availability during the winter, but breeding sites may also limit the size or growth potential of the population. The Canadian Wildlife Service conducts an annual breeding waterfowl survey that we used to explore the hypothesis that black duck carrying capacity is limited by wetlands available for breeding in Québec, Canada. We applied single‐visit, multi‐species occupancy models to the 1990–2015 population survey data to determine if there was evidence the black duck population was limited by breeding habitat. Using a dynamic (multi‐season) occupancy modeling approach, we estimated latent occupancy (occupancy accounting for imperfect detection) of black ducks and then used latent occupancy estimates to derive occupancy, colonization, and extirpation rates. We jointly modeled the occupancy dynamics of black ducks and other duck species in wetlands where both species were present. Throughout the duration of the survey, 44% of wetlands were never observed to be occupied by black ducks. Occupancy models showed wetland size was positively associated with occupancy at the first time step (initial occupancy) and colonization. All 2‐species models indicated initial black duck occupancy, persistence (continued occupancy), and colonization were positively associated with the presence of a second species. Colonization rate over the 26‐year period ranged from 7% to 27% across all models. Extirpation rates were similar and were constant through time within each model. Low occupancy rates, combined with approximately equal colonization and extirpation rates, suggest there are available wetlands for breeding black ducks in their core breeding area. If breeding habitats are not saturated, this suggests migration or wintering areas may be more limiting to black duck population abundance. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.

Multiple species are often exposed to a common hunting season, but harvest and population objectives may not be fully achieved if harvest potential varies among species and/or species abundances are not correlated through time. Our goal was to develop an approach for setting a common hunting season that would recognize heterogeneity in species productivity and would select annual hunting seasons conditioned on the status of individual species. We first used stochastic dynamic programming to generate optimal, state‐dependent harvest strategies for 18 candidate regulatory scenarios. We simulated the performance of these strategies, and then used multi‐criteria decision analysis to identify preferred regulatory scenarios for duck hunting seasons in the Atlantic Flyway of the U.S. Generally, estimates of annual population size were not correlated among species. Mallards had the highest estimated intrinsic rate of growth, green‐winged teal, wood ducks, and ring‐necked ducks had intermediate values, and goldeneyes were the least productive. Estimated carrying capacity was highest for mallards and lowest for green‐winged teal. Managers had greatest interest in maximizing season length (33%) and aggregate duck abundance (28%), and less interest in maximizing aggregate harvest (19%) and the number of years between a change in hunting season regulations (19%). Several regulatory scenarios provided acceptable trade‐offs among these objectives. Synthesis and applications. Separate hunting seasons for various species of game may be untenable, either due to the added cost and regulatory complexity, or because selective harvesting of stocks may be difficult due to problems in species identification. Rather than averaging species‐specific productivities, or basing hunting seasons on the least (or most) productive species, we describe an approach in which productivity and annual population status are considered explicitly for each species. By combining stochastic dynamic programming with multi‐criteria decision analysis, we can identify a regulatory strategy that can address a diverse set of objectives and explicitly recognize the trade‐offs among them. To meet the Atlantic Flyway's objectives as identified by waterfowl managers, our results suggest a regulatory strategy in which the harvest is targeted at 98% of aggregate maximum sustainable yield, most emphasis is placed on accumulating harvests of mallards and wood ducks, and by using a set of regulatory options that are more conservative than those currently in use.

ABSTRACT The 2012 revision of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) explicitly recognized the need to increase recruitment and retention of waterfowl hunters, birdwatchers, and other conservationists to maintain support for wetland conservation. The incorporation of human dimensions objectives within the NAWMP has compelled waterfowl and wetland managers to consider whether and to what extent landscape characteristics such as public land access; the type, amount, and location of wetlands; and site infrastructure will increase support for wetland conservation among user groups. Further, it has forced the waterfowl community to consider the possible trade‐offs between managing land to achieve biological versus social objectives. We used publicly available, long‐term data sets to illustrate a method of incorporating human dimensions into waterfowl habitat planning and management. We used United States Fish and Wildlife Service waterfowl harvest survey data, United States Geological Survey band encounter data, and Cornell Lab of Ornithology eBird data to summarize travel characteristics of wetland bird enthusiasts (i.e., waterfowl hunters and birdwatchers) in the Atlantic Flyway. Greater than 90% of all trips by wetland bird enthusiasts occurred within their state of residence. We used data from New York, USA, to demonstrate how to construct discrete choice recreation demand models to identify factors that influence site selection and participation. We demonstrate how model outputs, such as the expected change in the number and geographic distribution of recreational trips (i.e., hunting or birdwatching), can be used as an objective metric to evaluate the benefits of alternative habitat acquisition and restoration projects relative to the human dimensions objective of the NAWMP. These data and methods show promise for incorporating human dimensions objectives into habitat delivery and understanding potential trade‐offs relative to biological objectives. Published 2017. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Recreationists utilizing wetland birds for hunting or birdwatching contribute significantly to local economies and conservation efforts. The waterfowl management community, through the 2012 North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP), has explicitly recognized the need to increase recruitment and retention of wetland bird recreationists to help halt the national decline in social support for conservation. Achieving this goal requires that waterfowl and wetland managers consider how recreation site characteristics and management impact participation and support for wetland conservation. The outdoor recreation management and natural resource economics fields have extensive experience with similar problems and frequently use recreational site choice models to link attributes of recreational areas to use by recreationists. The waterfowl management community has several publicly available, long-term data sets that can be used in site choice models. We introduce U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service waterfowl harvest survey data, U. S. Geological Survey band encounter data, and Cornell Lab of Ornithology eBird data and use those data to summarize travel characteristics of wetland bird enthusiasts. We used harvest survey and eBird data in choice models to predict and compare the impacts of three seemingly similar proposed habitat acquisitions on use by recreationists in the state of Georgia; the proposal that had the greatest increase in predicted trips would result in twice as many additional hunting trips and> 10 times more additional birdwatching trips than the proposal that generated the fewest additional trips. This case study demonstrates the potential of these and similar data and analytical methods for incorporating recreation participation and site preferences into habitat planning and delivery under the NAWMP. We encourage the outdoor recreation management and economics communities and the waterfowl management community to build partnerships and cooperative projects to improve our understanding of the relationships between wetland bird users and habitat conservation. Management implications: Results from our site choice models can provide a natural and intuitive metric that can be used to evaluate the relative merits of alternative management actions in achieving social objectives. An improvement over current proposals evaluated on a qualitative description of public access might be achieved through using the choice modeling approach to obtain quantitative estimates of the expected increase in public use resulting from a proposal. Future research efforts that utilize finer resolution recreation site choice information would allow for a better understanding of recreationists' decision processes and could provide managers with valuable insights into the benefits of quality improvements at state parks, managed areas, and other management units of interest. Researchers should also work with state agencies to identify sources of finer resolution site characteristic data, such as the distribution and availability of public land, recreational regulations, and presence of infrastructure. Researchers should explore interdisciplinary collaborations with ecological modelers to model expected sightings or expected harvest as a function of spatially-explicit environmental and landscape characteristics. Such a model could then be linked to a recreation site choice model, allowing the tracing of wetland restoration/enhancement benefits through a change in the biological system, and ultimately the change in trip locations, total trips, and/or economic benefits. We encourage the natural resource management and economics professionals to build partnerships and cooperative projects with the NAWMP community to improve our understanding of the preferences, participation, and motivation of wetland bird users and their relationships to habitat conservation and management.

Wildlife managers routinely seek to establish sustainable limits of sport harvest or other regulated forms of take while confronted with considerable uncertainty. A growing body of ecological research focuses on methods to describe and account for uncertainty in management decision-making and to prioritize research and monitoring investments to reduce the most influential uncertainties. We used simulation methods incorporating measures of demographic uncertainty to evaluate risk of overharvest and prioritize information needs for North American sea ducks (Tribe Mergini). Sea ducks are popular game birds in North America, yet they are poorly monitored and their population dynamics are poorly understood relative to other North American waterfowl. There have been few attempts to assess the sustainability of harvest of North American sea ducks, and no formal harvest strategy exists in the U.S. or Canada to guide management. The popularity of sea duck hunting, extended hunting opportunity for some populations (i.e., special seasons and/or bag limits), and population declines have led to concern about potential overharvest. We used Monte Carlo simulation to contrast estimates of allowable harvest and observed harvest and assess risk of overharvest for 7 populations of North American sea ducks: the American subspecies of common eider (Somateria mollissima dresseri), eastern and western populations of black scoter (Melanitta americana) and surf scoter (M. perspicillata), and continental populations of white-winged scoter (M. fusca) and long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis). We combined information from empirical studies and the opinions of experts through formal elicitation to create probability distributions reflecting uncertainty in the individual demographic parameters used in this assessment. Estimates of maximum growth (rmax), and therefore of allowable harvest, were highly uncertain for all populations. Long-tailed duck and American common eider appeared to be at high risk of overharvest (i.e., observed harvest < allowable harvest in 5-7% and 19-26% of simulations, respectively depending on the functional form of density dependence), whereas the other populations appeared to be at moderate risk to low risk (observed harvest < allowable harvest in 22-68% of simulations, again conditional on the form of density dependence). We also evaluated the sensitivity of the difference between allowable and observed harvest estimates to uncertainty in individual demographic parameters to prioritize information needs. We found that uncertainty in overall fecundity had more influence on comparisons of allowable and observed harvest than adult survival or observed harvest for all species except long-tailed duck. Although adult survival was characterized by less uncertainty than individual components of fecundity, it was identified as a high priority information need given the sensitivity of growth rate and allowable harvest to this parameter. Uncertainty about population size was influential in the comparison of observed and allowable harvest for 5 of the 6 populations where it factored into the assessment. While this assessment highlights a high degree of uncertainty in allowable harvest, it provides a framework for integration of improved data from future research and monitoring. It could also serve as the basis for harvest strategy development as management objectives and regulatory alternatives are specified by the management community.

Hunters have been central to waterfowl management in North America over the past century. Numerous partnerships among government agencies, non-government organizations and private individuals form the core of conservation endeavours for migratory ducks, geese and swans and their diverse habitats. As a consequence of these efforts and the resilience of waterfowl populations, these species have fared better than most guilds of migratory birds. Threats to remaining habitats and the waning connections of people to wild things and wild places comprise the most serious challenges to sustaining this system.

The management plan created by the Atlantic Flyway to manage the North Atlantic Population of Canada Geese.

Wildlife Society BulletinVolume 38, Issue 1 p. fm ii-fm iii ContentsFree Access Online Contents: Volume 38, Number 1 First published: 22 March 2014 https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.333AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume38, Issue1March 2014Pages fm ii-fm iii RelatedInformation

ABSTRACT The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducts an annual Waterfowl Parts Collection Survey to estimate composition of harvested waterfowl by species, sex, and age (i.e., juv or ad). The survey relies on interpretation of duck wings by a group of experienced biologists at annual meetings (hereafter, flyway wingbees). Our objectives were to estimate accuracy of age assignment at flyway wingbees and to explore how accuracy rates may influence bias of age composition estimates. We used banded mallards ( Anas platyrhynchos ; n = 791), wood ducks ( Aix sponsa ; n = 242), and blue‐winged teal ( Anas discors ; n = 39) harvested and donated by hunters as our source of birds used in accuracy assessments. We sent wings of donated birds to wingbees after the 2002–2003 and 2003–2004 hunting seasons and compared species, sex, and age determinations made at wingbees with our assessments based on internal and external examination of birds and corresponding banding records. Determinations of species and sex of mallards, wood ducks, and blue‐winged teal were accurate (>99%). Accuracy of aging adult mallards increased with harvest date, whereas accuracy of aging juvenile male wood ducks and juvenile blue‐winged teal decreased with harvest date. Accuracy rates were highest (96% and 95%) for adult and juvenile mallards, moderate for adult and juvenile wood ducks (92% and 92%), and lowest for adult and juvenile blue‐winged teal (84% and 82%). We used these estimates to calculate bias for all possible age compositions (0–100% proportion juv) and determined the range of age compositions estimated with acceptable levels of bias. Comparing these ranges with age compositions estimated from Parts Collection Surveys conducted from 1961 to 2008 revealed that mallard and wood duck age compositions were estimated with insignificant levels of bias in all national surveys. However, 69% of age compositions for blue‐winged teal were estimated with an unacceptable level of bias. The low preliminary accuracy rates of aging blue‐winged teal based on our limited sample suggest a more extensive accuracy assessment study may be considered for interpreting age compositions of this species. Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA

The Atlantic population of Canada Geese (Branta canadensis interior) experienced a sharp decline in numbers in the late 1980s. Management agencies in Canada and the United States responded by implementing several measures, notably closing sport hunting seasons for a number of years in most Atlantic Flyway states and provinces and funding a research project to study the nesting ecology and the factors affecting productivity of this goose population. In this paper we present the nesting phenology and breeding biology of Atlantic population Canada Geese on their tundra nesting grounds in Nunavik, Quebec, specifically on a primary study area (32.8 km(2)) along Hudson Bay (1997-2003) and on several secondary sites (most smaller than 1 km2) distributed along the coastal lowlands of Hudson Bay and Ungava Bay (1996-2005). In the late 1990s the population rebounded, with strong increases in the population of breeding pairs and the density of nests between 1996 and 2001, followed by stabilization of both variables from 2001 to 2005. As a result, there was a near doubling in productivity index (the number of goslings produced per km(2)) on the primary study area, from 17.9 in 1997 to 32.0 in 2003. Geese start laying eggs soon after snow disappears from their nesting grounds. On the primary study area, for all years pooled, mean clutch initiation date, clutch size, hatching date, and Mayfield nesting success were 27 May, 4.54 eggs, 26 June, and 67.3%, respectively. Among secondary sites along both Hudson Bay and Ungava Bay, we found a correlation between the annual average daily temperature for 4-24 May (the period leading up to egg-laying) and the annual mean clutch initiation date: higher temperatures were correlated with earlier initiation. Similarly, an earlier annual mean clutch initiation date was correlated with large mean clutch size.

Context North American waterfowl managers have long suspected that waterfowl harvest estimates derived from national harvest surveys in the USA are biased high. Survey bias can be evaluated by comparing survey results with like estimates from independent sources. Aims We used band-recovery data to assess the magnitude of apparent bias in duck and goose harvest estimates, using mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and Canada geese (Branta canadensis) as representatives of ducks and geese, respectively. Methods We compared the number of reported mallard and Canada goose band recoveries, adjusted for band reporting rates, with the estimated harvests of banded mallards and Canada geese from the national harvest surveys. We used the results of those comparisons to develop correction factors that can be applied to annual duck and goose harvest estimates of the national harvest survey. Key results National harvest survey estimates of banded mallards harvested annually averaged 1.37 times greater than those calculated from band-recovery data, whereas Canada goose harvest estimates averaged 1.50 or 1.63 times greater than comparable band-recovery estimates, depending on the harvest survey methodology used. Conclusions Duck harvest estimates produced by the national harvest survey from 1971 to 2010 should be reduced by a factor of 0.73 (95% CI = 0.71–0.75) to correct for apparent bias. Survey-specific correction factors of 0.67 (95% CI = 0.65–0.69) and 0.61 (95% CI = 0.59–0.64) should be applied to the goose harvest estimates for 1971–2001 (duck stamp-based survey) and 1999–2010 (HIP-based survey), respectively. Implications Although this apparent bias likely has not influenced waterfowl harvest management policy in the USA, it does have negative impacts on some applications of harvest estimates, such as indirect estimation of population size. For those types of analyses, we recommend applying the appropriate correction factor to harvest estimates.

Harvest management of Canada geese Branta canadensis is complicated by the fact that temperate- and subarcticbreeding geese occur in many of the same areas during fall and winter hunting seasons. These populations cannot readily be distinguished, thereby complicating efforts to estimate population-specific harvest and evaluate harvest strategies. In the Atlantic Flyway, annual banding and population monitoring programs are in place for subarcticbreeding (North Atlantic Population, Southern James Bay Population, and Atlantic Population) and temperatebreeding (Atlantic Flyway Resident Population [AFRP]) Canada geese. We used a combination of direct band recoveries and estimated population sizes to determine the distribution and derivation of the harvest of those four populations during the 2004–2005 through 2008–2009 hunting seasons. Most AFRP geese were harvested during the special September season (42%) and regular season (54%) and were primarily taken in the state or province in which they were banded. Nearly all of the special season harvest was AFRP birds: 98% during September seasons and 89% during late seasons. The regular season harvest in Atlantic Flyway states was also primarily AFRP geese (62%), followed in importance by the Atlantic Population (33%). In contrast, harvest in eastern Canada consisted mainly of subarctic geese (42% Atlantic Population, 17% North Atlantic Population, and 6% Southern James Bay Population), with temperatebreeding geese making up the rest. Spring and summer harvest was difficult to characterize because band reporting rates for subsistence hunters are poorly understood; consequently, we were unable to determine the magnitude of subsistence harvest definitively. A better understanding of subsistence hunting is needed because this activity may account for a substantial proportion of the total harvest of subarctic populations. Our results indicate that special September and late seasons in the United States were highly effective in targeting AFRP geese without significantly increasing harvest of subarctic populations. However, it is evident that AFRP geese still are not being harvested at levels high enough to reduce their numbers to the breeding population goal of 700,000.

We developed a method for predicting wood duck (Aix sponsa) harvest rates in eastern North America using waterfowl banding and recovery data, annual indices of hunter numbers, and harvest survey data from the United States and Canada. We predicted that under the current season length (60 days), if hunter numbers remain unchanged, increasing the wood duck bag limit from 2 to 3 would increase harvest of adult male wood ducks in the Atlantic and Mississippi flyways by 12.3%, causing an increase in harvest rate of 7.1% from 0.087 to 0.093. The Flyway Councils and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service can consider this information to predict the impacts of regulatory changes.

Frontiers in Ecology and the EnvironmentVolume 7, Issue 8 p. 407-407 Write Back Canada geese and Flight 1549: a follow-up to Marra et al. Bryan L Swift, Corresponding Author Bryan L Swift New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany, NY*(E-mail: [email protected])Search for more papers by this authorChris Dwyer, Chris Dwyer US Fish and Wildlife Service, Hadley, MASearch for more papers by this authorRichard A Malecki, Richard A Malecki Livingston Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy, Litchfield, CTSearch for more papers by this authorPaul I Padding, Paul I Padding US Fish and Wildlife Service, Laurel, MDSearch for more papers by this authorJ Bruce Pollard, J Bruce Pollard Canadian Wildlife Service, Sackville, New Brunswick, CanadaSearch for more papers by this author Bryan L Swift, Corresponding Author Bryan L Swift New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany, NY*(E-mail: [email protected])Search for more papers by this authorChris Dwyer, Chris Dwyer US Fish and Wildlife Service, Hadley, MASearch for more papers by this authorRichard A Malecki, Richard A Malecki Livingston Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy, Litchfield, CTSearch for more papers by this authorPaul I Padding, Paul I Padding US Fish and Wildlife Service, Laurel, MDSearch for more papers by this authorJ Bruce Pollard, J Bruce Pollard Canadian Wildlife Service, Sackville, New Brunswick, CanadaSearch for more papers by this author First published: 01 October 2009 https://doi.org/10.1890/09.WB.025Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. References Hestbeck JB, and Bateman MC. 2000. Breeding, migration, and wintering affinities of Canada geese marked in the Atlantic Provinces. In: KM Dickson (Ed). Towards conservation of the diversity of Canada geese Canadian Wildlife Service Occasional Paper 103: 73–83. Nichols TC, Zimpfer NL, Raftovich RV, and Castelli PM. 2004. Molt migration of New Jersey resident Canada geese. In: TJ Moser, RD Lien, KC VerCauteren . (Eds). Proceedings of the 2003 International Canada Goose Symposium. Madison, WI: International Canada Goose Symposium. Sheaffer SE, Malecki RA, Swift BL 2007. Management implications of molt migration by the Atlantic flyway resident population of Canada geese, Branta canadensis. Can Field Nat 121: 313–20. Volume7, Issue8October 2009Pages 407-407 ReferencesRelatedInformation

Many states have established special harvest seasons and hunting zones to target overabundant populations of temperate-nesting Canada geese (Branta canadensis) and protect less abundant northern-nesting populations of Canada geese and cackling geese (B. hutchinsii). To meet management needs for spatially and temporally explicit harvest estimates, we utilized established methods of genetic stock identification and standardized harvest sample collections to estimate proportional contributions of cackling (B. h. hutchinsii) and Canada geese (B. c. maxima and B. c. interior) to 5 consecutive annual harvests (1998-2002) in Michigan, USA. Harvest samples (n = 2,272) were analyzed for several seasons at statewide, regional, and local spatial scales. We expanded upon previous studies that used genetic methods to monitor cackling goose and Canada goose harvests by analyzing harvests within regional and local goose management areas. Likelihood ratio tests were also employed to compare harvest composition among spatial and temporal sampling groups. Tests revealed that proportions of giant and interior Canada geese within local harvests varied significantly during the fall in different hunt zones of Michigan and during different time periods. Adaptive management of temperate-nesting and northern-nesting geese would benefit from accurate estimates of harvest composition, as provided by genetic-based methods. Quantification of changes in harvest composition as a function of variation in season opening date and duration, and bag limits can provide valuable insight into goose migratory behavior and population dynamics. Harvest composition estimates may be used to predict impacts of management prescriptions on mortality rates of specific breeding populations.

Increasing concerns about the exposure of mourning doves (Zenaida macroura) to spent lead shot may lead to a review of lead-shot restrictions. Policy reviews regarding current restrictions likely will involve debates about whether nontoxic-shot requirements will result in increased crippling loss of mourning doves. We evaluated waterfowl crippling rates in the United States prior to, during, and after implementation of nontoxic-shot regulations for waterfowl hunting. We use this information to make inferences about mourning dove crippling rates if nontoxic-shot regulations are enacted. We found differences in moving average crippling rates among the 3 treatment periods for ducks (F = 23.232, P < 0.001, n = 49). Prenontoxic-shot-period crippling rates were lower than 5-year phase-in period crippling rates (P = 0.043) but higher (P < 0.001) than nontoxic-shot-period crippling rates. Similarly, we observed differences in moving average crippling rates among the 3 treatment periods for geese (F = 9.385, P < 0.001, n = 49). Prenontoxic-shot- and 5-year-phase-in-period crippling rates were both greater than (P < 0.001) nontoxic-shot-period crippling rates but did not differ from one another (P = 0.299). Regardless of why the observed increases occurred in reported waterfowl crippling rates during the phase-in period, we believe the decline that followed full implementation of the nontoxic-shot regulation is of ultimate importance when considering the impacts of lead shot restrictions for mourning doves. We argue that long-term mourning dove crippling rates might not increase as evidenced from historical waterfowl data.

We utilized tail fan (feather) samples collected through the United States Fish and Wildlife Service's (USFWS) Waterfowl Parts Survey and maximum likelihood methods (genetic stock identification) to estimate proportional contributions of subspecies of Canada geese (Branta canadensis) to Michigan's 1998-1999 season harvest. We characterized baseline breeding populations of Richardson's (B. c. hutchinsii) (n=1), interior (B. c. interior) (n=4), and giant (B. c. maxima) (n=8) Canada geese (total n=964 individuals) and a large sample of geese harvested throughout Michigan (n=471 individuals) using 5 microsatellite loci. Maximum likelihood estimates (+/-SE) based on genetics data revealed that statewide harvest was comprised of 3.8+/-1.2% Richardson's, 26.3+/-5.8% interior, and 69.2+/-6.2% giant Canada geese. As Canada geese are sexually monomorphic and cannot be unambiguously sexed by inspecting USFWS Parts Survey tail fan samples, we used the sex-linked chromo-helicase-DNA-binding (CHID) locus to estimate the sex ratio of Canada geese in the statewide harvest as 0.937 females per I male. Our study demonstrates the utility of joint use of standardized parts collections and genetic-based analyses for harvest derivations in states and provinces across North America and elsewhere, where genetically differentiated subspecies and populations co-occur during migration and harvest.