Their distinctive honk can make us smile. Their precision aerial “V” is a thing of wonder.
But the ubiquitous droppings of our resident Canada geese can make us wish they’d just go back. So to speak.
The prevalence of feces in the Pennsylvania state park system should signal a warm welcome of goose hunting this season, which is underway. The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has opened the lakefront areas of some local state parks including Moraine in Butler County, Raccoon Creek in Beaver County and Laurel Hill in Somerset County to hunting Canada geese.
Hunters take note: Each location is within easy driving distance of Pittsburgh.
Goose feces contains dangerous bacteria. The proliferation of the feces in lakefront state parks can cause leaching of the bacteria into the water.
Hunting of these waterfowl has been part of a control strategy for two decades in Pennsylvania.
It’s time, though, for DCNR to consider expanding both the length of the season and the area of the parks where this conservation hunting is allowed. State officials confirm that there has never been a hunting-related shooting incident in Pennsylvania.
Resident geese are not the migratory birds traveling in distinctive flying V formation between Canada and Southern states. “Our” geese have no instinct for migration. They want to stay put. And they have become a nuisance. A Canada goose — a misnomer, given its resident status — eats up to 4 pounds of grass per day and produces about 3 pounds of feces daily. State parks with large lakes are home to some 100 resident Canada geese, so that’s a big load of you-know-what. Not only does the feces flow into the parks’ bodies of water, pets can eat the feces and become ill and vermin are associated with the droppings.
Biologists with the state Game Commission estimate there are thousands and thousands more resident Canada geese than can be safely accommodated by Pennsylvania’s habitat.
The current hunting season runs through Sept. 25. There will be other opportunities : Oct. 26 through Nov. 29; Dec. 16 through Jan. 18; and Jan. 31 to Feb. 22.
Goose meat tends to be lean so one takes a chance if the cooking method is roasting. Brining the meat and serving with a berry fruit sauce are good options.
Resident Canada geese have enjoyed a good life in the Pennsylvania park system. A quick death at a hunter’s hands is a good death for a goose, especially if the goose, in death, provides sustenance to a family.
First Published: September 19, 2019, 10:00 a.m.
Updated: September 19, 2019, 12:13 p.m.