Where did the geese go?

I travel US290 northwest of Houston all the time and it's been several years since I've seen any geese in the fields around Hockley. I'm not a goose hunter but I remember seeing thousands of them in years past. Where the heck did they go?

I was informed that they stay in the Northern states, because there is ample food for them, and warmer temps than in years past. Also, all the growth around Houston, and less rice farming, have contributed.

Agree with Brothel Phil. They follow food. I’m in NTX but have friends that hunt the Houston area. Their report is they have only seen a lot of juveniles snows, so it’s all about habitat. Why fly south for McDonalds if you have steaks further north

^^^^ That makes sense. Not knowing much about geese, I thought the urge to migrate was powerful enough to keep them coming back to the same areas. It's just as well since Houston is quickly taking over all that prairie that used to be rice fields. Thanks for the info.

I saw an article recently (DU magazine maybe?) that explained that snow and speckles have shifted their migration to the east over the past 20-30 years. It used to be along the TX coast above and below Houston, but has now gone over to LA. The biggest driver that they found was rice production. Within the flyway it's all about food.

On my way to OK the past two Fridays I've seen a bunch of snows from Sulphur Bluff up to Idabel.

Indeed.

Yea, habitat loss is the main reason, but it's a combination of a lot of different issues that caused them to winter up north now. This article explains it really well.