MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • September 4, 2022
Now a common sight in many suburban and even urban areas, Canada geese were hunted nearly to extinction during the market gunning days, before game laws when wild game was sold for human consumption. The modern conservation movement, started and championed by hunters, prompted protections that brought populations of geese. Sometimes it is possible to have too much of a good thing, and the road to disaster is often paved with good intentions. Geese that stick closer to human trappings where predators are scarce and hunting prohibited find safe havens where they can proliferate relatively unmolested. Early and sometimes late goose seasons were implemented to address the issue. Regulated hunting has always proven to be the most effective and cost effective method for controlling wildlife populations. ~ Bob Humphrey