(Provided by Michigan DNR)

Allegan State Game Area: Goose Hunters' ParadiseIf you like hunting geese, the Fennville Farm Unit - a 4,100-acre paradise for goose hunters - is the place to do it.

Fennville is part of the Allegan State Game Area located northwest of Kalamazoo. Purchased by the Michigan DNR from the A.M. Todd Company of Kalamazoo in 1949, the property was originally used to grow peppermint but has since turned into a waterfowl hunter's dream.

Canada geese are the number-one harvested species at Fennville. Opportunities for snow, Rossís and cackling geese sometimes occur. During the regular waterfowl season, hunters commonly take mallards, black ducks and other dabblers.

"The Fennville Farm Unit is a unique area that offers a variety of hunting opportunities," said DNR wildlife technician Mike Richardson. "Waterfowl hunting in particular can be fantastic, with much work being done every year to promote not only goose hunting but duck hunting as well. With easily accessible hunting areas and numbers that can peak at over 12,000 geese and 8,000 ducks, the Fennville Farm Unit is a great place to have a great hunt."

Waterfowl hunters who want to hunt the Fennville Farm Unit of the Allegan State Game Area must enter the managed hunt drawing. Managed draws for goose hunting will continue until Jan. 31, but will be closed Christmas Day. Drawings occur at 5:30 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and at 11 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. If hunters miss a draw, they are allowed to take a leftover spot if available.

There are 119 hunting zones in the unit's agricultural fields available through the drawing, as well as some fields available on a first-come, first-served basis. You can park and drop off your gear near the zones, but all hunting access to the fields is by foot. Although it is primarily field hunting, some areas of shallow-water wetlands have been developed in recent years to help with roosting for waterfowl as well as serve as hunting zones.

A youth hunt will be held at Fennville Farm on Saturday, Dec. 27 at 11 a.m. Only parties with youth will be eligible to enter the drawing that afternoon, and only youth may hunt.

Not only does the Fennville Farm Unit have waterfowl migrating through, but it also houses many other wildlife species, including upland sandpipers, golden eagles and dickcissels, white-tailed deer, ring-necked pheasants and wild turkey.

To learn more about Fennville Farm, visit www.michigan.gov/wetlandwonders, or contact the Allegan State Game Area Office at 269-561-2258.