by Bill Brooker

Residence goose season opens September 1 and runs through Septem-ber 25. With a take limit of eight per day, the season is designed to thin the non-migratory geese in New York state.

In order to participate, you must have a valid New York State hunting license, Federal Duck stamp, HIP (Harvest Information) number and use non-toxic shot in your shotgun.

When hunting over water you are allowed to shoot migratory waterfowl as long as there aren’t buildings within 500 feet of where you are aiming.

That means you can be on a bank or dock and shoot out over the water even though there are houses within 500 feet of you.

You cannot shoot them from a vessel that is under motor power, however once the boat has stopped from the power of the motor, you can.

You can paddle and be moving to shoot.

These are most of the rules, but for a complete list, check with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.

The geese have taken up residence on the lakes. They enjoy the grassy lawns and other vegetation, and as a token of their appreciation they leave a little fertilizer behind.

This can be annoying to walkers or those who are looking for a place to picnic.

Many man hours and countless dollars are expended in removing goose droppings from public areas such as lakefronts, parks and golf courses, as well as private lawns and docks.

The geese have become quite comfortable around humans and are not easily deterred from procuring an easy meal.

So, how do we control the situation?

The Town of Webb has a nuisance permit which allows persons named on the permit to remove one goose a day out of season. Under the guidelines of the nuisance permit, once the goose is killed it is to be disposed of and not eaten, which I find to be a true waste of wildlife.

Residence Goose Season allows for a take up to eight geese which can be consumed.

In my opinion, this is a more useful scenario for the demise of the goose.

There are a few hunters that go through the expense and time of getting all the necessary licenses, permits and gear.

Permits alone are about $60 and non-toxic shot is about $2/round.

They have also invested time and effort in training their dogs to retrieve dead and wounded game.

If you have ever seen a dog working to retrieve fallen game, it is a thing of beauty!

With the permission of a homeowner, a hunting dog can come to your property and take a few geese.

The remainder of the flock will remember this and avoid your property in the future.

And if you enjoy the taste of goose (It’s delish and I can set you up with a recipe if you want one) the hunter will give you one or two.

If you are looking to keep the geese away think of your local waterfowl hunter and his dog.

If you need help in getting in touch with one send me an email at: brookers@truevalue.net.