Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 17, 1994 TAG: 9408100022
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
And that's causing problems.
Virginia has a growing population of non-migratory, resident Canada geese. Unlike their cousins that breed in the north country then wing southward over hundreds of miles of trackless skies to winter in Virginia, the resident birds are born here and stay here.
It is an indolent lifestyle that is causing them to be fruitful and multiply at a much greater rate than their marathon-flying counterparts. That fact is both good and bad.
``These expanding populations have been beneficial in terms of aesthetic values and outdoor recreational activities, but they have also resulted in escalating numbers of goose-related complaints in recent years,'' said Bob Ellis, the assistant chief of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries' wildlife division.
From Virginia Beach to Western Virginia, most anyplace that has a body of water with a grassy spot nearby is attracting geese. Often that means golf courses, retirement homes, posh residential areas and farm ponds.
The geese are eroding embankments and shorelines, causing water quality problems and, as one golfer said, ``goose poop clogs your golf shoes.''
In 1993, the game department established an eight-day, early-September resident goose season in 22 north-central Virginia counties. Last week ,the agency proposed the season be expanded to 46 counties, which means the hunt area would reach westward all the way to Alleghany, Bedford and Rockbridge counties. By next year, the season should cover the entire state, Ellis said.
Department board members Granger Macfarlane of Roanoke and Richard Walker of Seven Mile Ford would like the season to be established in the western section sooner.
``Five geese are pretty; 500 are not,'' said Walker, who reported Western Virginia has not escaped the nuisance goose problem.
``We have to do our homework first,'' Ellis said.
Data on geese must be collected from across the state and submitted to the Atlantic Flyway Council before a season can be established. The feds must be satisfied only resident birds are being killed during the early season, not migrant geese.
The past three years, the state's wildlife staff has trapped and equipped more than 3,000 geese with neck collars to evaluate their movements and habits, Ellis said.
``Neck-collar observations indicate that no migrant geese were present in Virginia before Sept.25,'' he said.
A season has been proposed for Sept.6-15, with a daily bag limit of five. That is one day longer and two more birds in the bag than last year. Hunters must obtain a free validation card before participanting. The proposals are subject to a final vote of the board in August.
Last season, 1,346 hunters took part in the season and reported killing 2,316 geese. The resident goose population in the proposed hunt area is estimated to be more than 50,000 birds, Ellis said.
A U.S. Department of Agriculture animal-control officer reported as many as 8,000 geese around one five-acre pond.
Hunters have given mixed reviews to last year's season. Some felt as if they were shooting pets, others said the bird grew wild and challenging shortly after the first gun sounded.
One hunter told game officials his wife wouldn't let him hunt the geese.
``Next year, new year, new gun, new wife,'' he said.
OTHER SEASONS: Game officials have selected a three-segment dove-hunting season for Sept.3-30; Oct.1-29; and Dec.26-Jan.7. The daily limit is 12, and hunting will be permitted from noon until sunset during the first segment and all day thereafter.
The woodcock season will be Oct.31-Nov.26 and Dec.21-Jan.7.
The rail season is Sept.12-Nov.20; common snipe, Oct.17-Jan.31.
by CNB