[Desertdog]

WASHINGTON, DC, United States (UPI) -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has issued a formal plan to reduce the number of Canada geese in the United States.

Federal officials say the plan, effective in about a month, is designed to reduce the number of what is often called the nation`s 'newest urban pigeons.'

Wildlife officials estimate there are more than 3.2 million Canada geese in the United States. The plan, designed to cull that number to about 2 million during the next decade, will provide states with the option of assuming control over goose-reduction methods.

The plan will allow farmers, property owners and public health officials to kill geese by various methods, including hunting, with state approval but without federal permits, the Charlotte (N.C.) Observer said.

John Brady, a biologist and senior vice president for the Humane Society of the United States, told The Rocky Mountain News in Denver his group strongly opposes the measures and will consider legal action.

'Our basic position is ... as a nation, we need to come to grips with urban wildlife, rather than trying to kill it all the time,' Brady said.

The plan will allow farmers, property owners and public health officials to kill geese by various methods, including hunting, with state approval but without federal permits, the Charlotte (N.C.) Observer said.
To me, this is the only way to go, instead of costing tax dollars

[Henry Bowman]

'Bout time.

[Sindawe]

John Brady, a biologist and senior vice president for the Humane Society of the United States, told The Rocky Mountain News in Denver his group strongly opposes the measures and will consider legal action.Property owners should consider gathering up all the offending "Giant Rats-with-wings" and sending them to Mr. Brady for HIM to deal with.

Migratory Canadian Geese are not a problem. The problem occurs when large number of the birds STOP migrating and take up permanent residence in our cities, as millions have now done. Here in Colorado, the frelling things have become a pest and a traffic hazard. Each bird generates huge amounts of droppings each day, making the grounds unattractive and hazarderous to walk on, since their droppings make concrete walks slippery.

[shermacman]

They are so plentiful that only the most ignorant would be opposed to harvesting them. Looks like we have an expert idiot in John Brady, "a biologist". Two years ago the Goose poop nearly shut down the Braintree, Mass public water supply. My kids school sports fields are covered with Goose juice.

[ArmedBear]

Hmmm...

2 million geese is hardly a low number. It's not like we're trying to eradicate them.

Hunting means healthy food for people, outdoor activity in a nation that is becoming sick and obese from lack of exercise, and revenue for Fish and Game departments. F&G helps to save wildlife populations (their biologists try to look at the big picure, the whole ecosystem and populations of all animals, rather than getting emotional about geese like this "biologist" who should be ashamed of himself).

Note to animal rights numbnuts: The people wouldn't stop eating meat if they couldn't shoot a few more geese, so animals would still die.

All we're talking about is raising bag limits, probably. It's hardly worth a news article.

As much as I like our local Humane Society, the HSUS REALLY sucks. It's PeTA with business suits on.

[sumpnz]

ArmedBear - You do realize that HSUS is in no way connected to the Humane Society animal shelters, right? They deliberatly chose that name to make people think they were associated so as to piggy-back on the credibility of the animal shelters.

[charby]

mmmm deep fat fried goose nuggets..

I love to hunt canadian geese. Good news from feds :)

Charby

[Remington788]

Migratory Canadian Geese are not a problem

This is true, the number of migratory geese has not really changed over the last ten years, its the resident geese population that has grown and are causeing all of the problems.

By the way, there plural of Canada Goose is Canada Geese, not canadian. There is no such thing as a Canadian Goose (unless they are in Canada:p ). The state director of the USDA Wildlife Services branch here in Springfield told me this, so I think it is true.

[Waitone]

I predict nothing will be done. Air possums have too many blissninny advocates.

[Crosshair]

*Monty Python* BURN THEM.:neener:

[Dr.Rob]

Foie Gras anyone?

Geese that don't migrate are indeed a problem... the geese living at Denver city parks haven't migrated in years... mainly because people FEED them... now the semi-trained geese living near the zoo... sure I'd say they've earned safe haven with the free range peacocks and overfed tree rats.

Federal officials say the plan, effective in about a month, is designed to reduce the number of what is often called the nation`s 'newest urban pigeons.'

I'm surprised that there has been any talk of 'population control' of these geese... likely a bird flu preventative measure.

[steveno]

they already do that in the central flyway with snow geese. I think they call it a conservation season or something like that. shotguns can be unplugged and electronic calls can be used

[ArmedBear]

ArmedBear - You do realize that HSUS is in no way connected to the Humane Society animal shelters, right? They deliberatly chose that name to make people think they were associated so as to piggy-back on the credibility of the animal shelters.

Yes, though of course some animal shelters get roped in by this, too.

Just wanted to spread that info around.

I wish someone would sue (like the World Wildlife Fund did with the World Wrestling Federation -- that was funny!).

[Grey54956]

Hunting non-migratory geese would be sweet. I'd fill my freezer in about 10 minutes...

[Crosshair]

So I guess all those DD shotguns will be legal again since we need that extra magazine capacity.:D

[c_yeager]

King County (including Seattle) actually formulated a plan that involved humanely trapping the filthy things and then gassing them because it was deemed to inhumane to simply shoot them.

We have a huge problem with the buggers. Aside from the fact that they are aggresively territorial (its actually kinda funny watching them chase children out of their claimed areas 'ohhh look at the birdies mommie!' HONK! wahhhh) they have such a prodigious output of crap that its an environmental issue.

[Guy B. Meredith]

Hmm. Canada Geese and non Canada turkeys rule the parking lots around here. Lessee; Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up. Reading Dickens has always given me a curiosity about the Christmas goose and plum pudding.

[c_yeager]

Hmm. Canada Geese and non Canada turkeys rule the parking lots around here. Lessee; Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up. Reading Dickens has always given me a curiosity about the Christmas goose and plum pudding.

Goose is pretty tasty. It tasted to me very much like a fatty roast beef. Im not sure that i would really be keen on trying city-goose though since their diet is a bit questionable.

[MatthewVanitas]

Wait! Remember from yesterday's Dutch Sparrow issue:

There are only one million breeding pairs of the endangered Common Sparrow in Holland.

If we only have two million Canada Geese left in the United States, they're as good as Dodo-bird'ed.

[Note, this thread makes no sense unless you read yesterday's Domino-destroying Dutch Sparrow thread]

[Coronach]

I can tell you that police cruisers make very effective anti-goose weapons.

[hillbilly]

In Northwest Arkansas a couple of years ago, a popular swimming beach on Beaver Lake was closed due to the incredibly high levels of fecal bacteria from all the Canada goose crap on the shore and in the water.

In spots, you couldn't see the rocks at the water line for the layer of goose crap.

hillbilly

[El Tejon]

Critters need to be shot.:)

It's about time the ladies in the federal government realize this fact.

[Sistema1927]

Maybe it is time to buy a new 10 gauge that will handle steel shot.

(I quit hunting waterfowl a few years ago, the only guns I have right now are lead shot only for upland game.)

[stevelyn]

I wonder if they'll consider suspending the ammo hoax and allow lead shot?

[eastwood44mag]

Sounds like it's time to get a box of steel.

[Cacique500]

So who's got the best Goose recipes? I've never eaten it...

[Desertdog]

Goose down pillows are nice, too.

[ArmedBear]

I wonder if they'll consider suspending the ammo hoax and allow lead shot?

Two comments...

Here, in San Diego, Commiefornia no less, I can hunt waterfowl in city reservoirs! There's no way they'd let us do that with lead shot. So I'm not going to complain too much.

Better shot than lead is now available. It's not cheap, but most hunting isn't like trap shooting, where you might go through a few hundred rounds per day.

Up in Alaska, of course, your mileage may vary, both WRT lead levels in the water, and number of shots fired at waterfowl.:)

[biere]

I am easy to please with cooking these things as long as they don't sit in their own juices as they cook.

Preferred method is on a spit over a campfire. A dutch oven of stew and a dutch oven of cobbler and a cooler of beer make it a memorable meal.

Sometimes I just get one of those odd cooking pans that suspends the bird up out of the pan and then the pan just holds the dripping juices.

With the fad of beer can cooking I suspect that might be tried as well.

I live in the country and right now I don't think I have any that come to my property but I used to and even 4 of these geese can make a heck of a mess since they tend to patrol an area and stick to that area.

[usmarine0352_2005]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this for "land owners", and "government officals?".........not regular hunters????

[ArmedBear]

I think it says that states will be free to manage geese as they see fit, within population guidelines.

States have their own Fish and Game (or in Arizona, Game and Fish) departments that issue hunting licenses and tags. The states should be able to raise goose limits, etc. if the overall population of geese is to be reduced.

However, in urban areas, hunting licenses are not exactly the way that local pest populations are dealt with. At least in the city I live in, I'm not allowed to stroll down to the local pond where kids are playing and start blasting away at the geese. :) Landowners in the case of private land, and government officials in the case of parks, also need to have the okay to harvest, relocate, or exterminate these animals, as the case may be.

[Standing Wolf]

Where's that Kerry creature when he's so desperately needed?

[Gifted]

In spots, you couldn't see the rocks at the water line for the layer of goose crap.Nah, saltpeter is good for gunpowder, right? If we get rid of the geese, then when they make smokeless illegal, how are we going to shoot the blue-tops?:neener: :evil:

I'm seconding the concern over the urban populations. Get some tests done on the meat first, make sure it's good to eat.

[ArmedBear]

Where's that Kerry creature when he's so desperately needed?

The one who came back without a goose?

[MassMan]

I live on a reservoir and always ran my Goldens in the area. If I saw more than 2 families of Geese, it was unusual. Then the town got a tax break from the state if they prohibited domestic animals. They took the deal and now we have hundreds of nasty and agressive geese. So many in fact, the town had to add ammonia to the water to kill the bacteria from their droppings. I say it's time we have for goose for the holidays!

[usmarine0352_2005]

Is this a YEARLONG Season, or is it only from certain months to certain months?

[HowardC]

Hehe, remember Les Nesmond's turkey drop on WKRP?

[Bridger]

So who's got the best Goose recipes? I've never eaten it...

Like another poster mentioned, it's a lot like beef. Beef with wings is what I call it.

Right now my favorite method is marinating it for a day or so. Mom does the cooking, so I don't know the details, but it involves red wine and some onions and other stuff and is excellent.

[Preacherman]

Roast goose basted in Calvados sauce, stuffed with apples, onions, herbs and spices... mmmmmm! :D

[Kamicosmos]

3.2 million Canada geese in the United States

I think that's a low estimate. Place I used to work at would have at least 2 million of the dang things in our little pond there, and covering most of the parking lots. Was pretty funny though, watching the geese attack executives trying to get to their expensive bmw's and merc's. Only to find the cars covered in goose poop. heh. I digress.

I'm not much on hunting, but I would go on a Canada goose hunt or two just to get a little stress relief from both work and the dang geese themselves!!

[lbmii]

Then the town got a tax break from the state if they prohibited domestic animals. What???? Why????? Logic of this is?????

[sumpnz]

The one who came back without a goose?
He just had someone else carry his. Didn't want to get too dirty dirty I guess, at least before crawling through the mud with his trusty side-by-side like a real deer hunter.

[Desertdog]

I read the story again and this popped out at me.
'Our basic position is ... as a nation, we need to come to grips with urban wildlife, rather than trying to kill it all the time,' Brady said.
I wonder what their solution would be; birth control pills or casteration?:p

[foghornl]

3.2 million Canada geese in the United States.

I saw at least that many just this morning driving in to work here in Greater Cleveland. . . ..

I remember a post about the Canada Pidgeons....ahh Geese a few months back. Someone said a 10-Lb goose deposits 10-Lbs of residoo-doo per day. Not quite correct. The actual ratio is 10-Lb goose leaves 150-Lbs of residoo-doo per day.

[Kim]

Like Hillbilly said above in Arkansas during regular hunting season which is pretty long you can use any type call, no limit, unplugged shotgun, hunt 30 minutes before and after sun rise and set. I love goose hunting in NW Arkansas. Don't forget the livers and gizzards. If you don't want to eat them use them to catch catfish etc.