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Hunters - which includes residents of arctic regions who hunt and depend on snow geese as a mayor source of food - are motivated, experienced, and have a long-term interest in snow goose welfare. Hunters provide the principal financial and political support for waterfowl management. In addition, they are an essentially free work force likely to actively participate.

Following are strategies recommended to attempt population control by hunting:

Spring harvest by shooting - Develop the legal means necessary to allow hunting of snow geese in the spring. Hunting between March 10 and September 1 is currently prohibited by the Migratory Bird Treaty.

Late season hunting - Allow hunting until March 10 in all states and provinces as appropriate. This was implemented for the 1996-97 season.

Hunting methods - Remove restrictions on hunting techniques such as electronic calls, baiting, creeping, etc. These could first be done in times and places where only snow goose hunting is allowed.

Subsistence harvest in the far north - Work to increase the harvest of snow geese for food by northern residents.

Egging - Work to increase the taking of eggs for food by northern residents.

Additional hunting on refuges - Change management practices to increase snow goose hunting opportunities on private, state, provincial and federal refuges.

Awards - Develop various award programs to encourage hunters to pursue snow geese.

Reciprocal snow goose hunting licenses - Develop licenses that allow hunters to pursue snow geese across state, provincial and national borders without incurring the expense and hassle of multiple licenses.

Improved access to private land - Develop improved access for snow goose hunters on private lands.

Subsidized hunting - Develop programs to reduce the cost of snow goose hunting.

Bag and possession limits - Increase bag and possession limits and implement innovative ways to allow hunters to increase their daily take and the number of snow geese they can possess. Possession limits were increased to four times the daily bag for the 1996-97 hunting season in the Central Flyway.

Nonresident hunter restrictions - Work to reduce restrictions that inhibit snow goose hunting by nonresidents.

Information and education programs - Develop communication programs to increase interest in snow goose hunting and to improve hunters' abilities to harvest snow geese and use them for food.

Increasing snow goose harvest by hunters is a primary focus of the plan.