The launch is an all-tides landing that’s in good condition and wide enough to accommodate several rigs launching at once. Be careful not to stray off the concrete ramp because there is thick mud on either side.

The East River marsh is off I-95 at Exit 59. Travel east on Route 1 and turn right onto Neck Road. Continue on Neck Road past the beach houses to the gate and gravel launch road on the right. The area may flood during full-moon tides accompanied by strong east winds.

Great Island
Continuing east along I-95 in Old Lyme is Great Island. The 504-acre salt marsh offers dozens of creeks, coves and inlets on the main river and the protected backwaters. To find the Great Island launch, take I-95 to exit 70. Travel south on Route 156 for 1.8 miles to Smith Neck Road. Follow Smith Neck .9 mile to its end. The ramp access driveway is steep and curved, and a 4WD vehicle is needed during snowy conditions. The launch leads to a main channel in the marsh. From here, hunters may head west or north into the WMA or south toward Griswold Point.

For hunters, the big message is that there are still many thousands of non-migratory or resident geese in southern New England.

For details about Great Island, see DeLorme’s Connecticut Atlas and Gazetteer, Map 28.

Barn Island WMA
In the southeast corner of Connecticut, Barn Island Wildlife Management Area offers about 700 acres of legal gunning grounds. The marsh is east of Stonington and west of the Rhode Island border on Little Narragansett Bay south of Route 1 at the head of Wequetequock Cove.

A launch is available by traveling east on Route 1 to the light at Greenhaven Road. Turn south on Palmer Neck Road for 1.5 miles.

To hunt the late goose season in Connecticut, hunters must possess a federal duck stamp, a state waterfowl stamp, a Connecticut small-game license and a HIP permit.

For a copy of the Connecticut Waterfowl Hunting Guide and individual 8 1/2 by 11-inch maps of these and other WMAs, contact the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, Wildlife Division, at (860) 424-3011. For a copy of the Connecticut Boater’s Guide, which lists local and state regulations as well as descriptions of all launch locations and conditions, phone the Connecticut DEP Boating Division at (860) 434-8638.

For additional information on Connecticut’s waterfowl hunting opportunities and up-to-date regulations, go to Dep.State.CT.US. This Web site gives bag limits, directions, maps and department numbers. For visitor information, call the Connecticut Office of Tourism at 1-800-CT-BOUND or visit the agency’s Web site at www.Tourism.State.CT.us.

Hunters may also contact waterfowl biologist Min Huang with information about tagged birds at min.huang@po.State.CT.us.

RHODE ISLAND
Rhode Island is our smallest state, but it boasts a resident Canada goose population of approximately 4,000 birds. During good years, waterfowlers will harvest about 600 geese.

The Ocean State generally offers a 60-day regular season for migrant geese. The limit is two birds per day from the first week of December through the third week of January. In recent years, the late season ran from about Jan. 27 to Feb. 12, with a limit of five Canada geese daily. Snow and blue geese were legal until Jan. 22, with a daily bag limit of 15 birds. Brant were also huntable until Jan. 22, with a bag limit of two. This year’s regulations were not available as of this writing, but should be similar to previous seasons.