[quote=Steve Graf]We have lots of Canada geese around here. They don’t migrate anymore, just hang around all year.
Steve,
The reason that they don’t migrate anymore is that “they” ain’t them anymore. Correct me if I’m off base here, but the way I understand it is that the PA Game Commission wanted to enhance goose hunting. The problem was that the Canada geese flew right over PA, with the exception of a rest stop on the Pymatuning Reservoir. When I was a kid geese were seen in Spring and Fall, way up high. It was a wonderful passage of seasons.
My guess is that goose hunting got started in PA on the Pymatuning. The PGC then imported a strain of Canada Geese from Wisconsin that were said to be much heartier. These geese stayed put, finding a wealth of meals on every golf course and playground around. Now when a child slips on the soccer field, they often come up wearing green. They are smart and hard to hunt, so hunters don’t put a dent in the population. I also understand that they taste terrible. One guy I know makes jerky treats for his dogs with his kills, but won’t eat them himself. We now have a cottage industry of geese police who, often with trained dogs, try to keep grassy areas in parks and golf courses free from geese.
That’s the story I heard. Have fun with them. dwc
