One thing to note is that migratory birds are handled federally. Upland birds and big game are provincially regulated.
Thanksgiving shouldn't be an issue, provided you aren't knocking on doors while folks have family over. Most farmers are pretty open to people hunting ducks and geese over their fields once the crops are off. It definitely helps if you are local though, so you might want your newly arrived friends to do some asking instead of randomly calling up from SC. Face to face is usually the best. You can't pay for land access up here, but a bottle or two after a good hunt helps to ensure future permission is granted. What you want to find are pea fields if you can.
SS
