Kenmare, the "Snow Goose Capital of North Dakota" is the hunting haven of the north with snow goose counts being over 250,000 birds at times. During the latter part of October, Kenmare celebrates its GooseFest, an annual hunting festival which falls during the peak migration of snow geese. Kenmare lies along the Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge and is also situated between the Upper Souris Refuge and the Lostwood Refuge. Each year, the three refuges are hosts to over 400,000 snow geese for several weeks during the fall migration. Each fall the Kenmare area becomes the center of a true hunter's paradise. Besides the snow geese, hunters will find abundant populations of Canada geese, mallard ducks, Hungarian partridge, sharptail grouse, and ringneck pheasant. After bagging a limit of geese, the avid hunter can spend the afternoon flushing upland game. The GooseFest celebration includes hunting contests as well as a week-long schedule of entertainment. $52,000 worth of merchandise prizes are awarded to raffle winners and to hunters bagging the largest bird in categories of Canada goose, snow goose, and greenhead duck. Special events and activities throughout the week include free feeds at local taverns, a goose shoot calcutta, the popular chili cook-off, Ladies' Night Out, family-oriented activities, Goose Hunter's Hall of Fame induction and a final entertaining banquet with presentation of prizes and awards. Ducks and Geese -- North Dakota is known as the "duck factory" of the United States, and nowhere in the state is this more true than the Kenmare area. The numerous small wetlands in this region produce more waterfowl than anywhere else in the country. Waterfowl are abundant and are visible everywhere. Duck migration begins in early September and will last into December. Large concentrations of mallard, pintail, blue-winged teal, gadwall, shoveler, and wigeon occur throughout the area, with lesser numbers of redhead, canvasback and lesser scaup. Much smaller numbers of wood duck, green-winged teal, ring-necked duck, ruddy duck, bufflehead and common goldeneye are also in the region. Up to 400,000 snow geese can be found on the area national wildlife refuges and the surrounding area. Geese begin to show up the end of September and stay into November or until the water freezes over. Canada geese numbers peak at 25,000-30,000 birds at the same time of the year, while lesser numbers of white-fronted and Ross's geese can be found.
