Hatrack River Forum: Goose Control (not really a Dobie)

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Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :

From the Star Ledger (in New Jersey).

There’s been a big problem with Canada geese in this area… so much so that Union County is spending ridiculous amounts of money to replace turf that’s been destroyed and remove pounds of goose poop from the public parks.

Some quotes:

“Last year, the county paid the US Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services $20,000 to gather 2,700 birds, place them in a truck, and gas them with carbon dioxide. The agency stayed two days and gathered fewer than 1,000 geese because their services were needed elsewhere”

Okay, first off, that’s $7 per goose. Now, that’s what they *paid* for. Unfortunately, they got less than 1,000 before they left. That means more than $20 per goose.

Now, it gets worse:

“Now the county plans to use Goose Control Technology of New Jersey. The Metuchen-based firm would get up to $115,000 to remove up to 2,700 birds and transport them for poultry processing.”

Okay, that’s $43 per goose!

I’m sure a few boxes of shotgun ammunition costs *far far* less than that. But, I forgot… guns are Bad. What was I thinking?

[Wall Bash]

Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :

Yes, but if you shoot 'em, they won't be kosher.

Then how will I eat 'em?

[Big Grin]

Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :

Would you pay $43 for a kosher goose?

(realizes he has no idea how much a kosher goose goes for)

Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :

Well, since I currently resist paying $5/lb (or about $30/bird) for kosher duck, I would have to say no. (Might change my mind when I have disposable income.)

Maybe once, just to be able to know what roast goose tastes like. [Big Grin]

Posted by Jenny Gardener (Member # 903) on :

As a child, I tried to get close enough to the geese at the park to wring their necks. I thought they'd be quite tasty. Here in Kokomo, the parks department has asked people to stop feeding the ducks and geese, and has started STERILIZING the eggs in the nests.

Posted by jeniwren (Member # 2002) on :

Our parks department tried something really novel, that appears to be working (amazing). They did two things actually. They opened up the parks to off-leash dogs and dog owners. They put up stations of poop pickup bags, and by law you have to clean up after your dog, but you can bring your dog and let them off-lead. Sounds dangerous, but I haven't heard any complaints. And where dogs are loose, the geese don't land.

For the hours that people don't bring their dogs to the park, the parks department has dogs of their own, which they let out particularly in the early morning hours.

Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :

In a similar vein, many golf courses have 'hired' trained herding dogs like border collies to keep geese away. Pretty cool, and you don't have to worry about someone's untrained attack mutt biting people. [Smile]

Posted by peterh (Member # 5208) on :

One Solution to duck problems.

Oh, and the resolution.

Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :

the problem being that all of the dog solutions, especially the golf course ones just transfer the problem to somewhere else.

I've heard you can actually make decent money doing this with a herding dog though if you have a landscaping degree to prove you won't wreck the flora.

AJ

Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :

also with a trained dog you can discriminate between annoying non endangered geese and endangered ducks.

Though the whole incident above has.

"Poisoning the Pidgeons in the Park" running through my head...

AJ

Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :

I could almost do a verse about "Slaughtering Ducks in the Road"...

AJ

Posted by skillery (Member # 6209) on :

Sometimes at work when I'm called into a meeting, there's a fellow there, and if he doesn't like your idea he'll yell: "that's not worth a spoon of goose poop!"

Posted by peterh (Member # 5208) on :

I have a new catch phrase...

*scribbles so it can be used in the future*

Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :

The invasion begins. Why do you think Canada doesn't have a very large army? Because they don't have designs on the warmer land down south? No. It's because the ducks are so innocuous, and yet so toxic.

Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :

Goose Control

Some of you won't be able to pull this one up. I couldn't resist. [Evil]

Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :

Whenever I see a man unable to break his gaze away from a symmetrical part of a woman's body, I am overcome with the urge to kick him. Do you think I will ever be able to overcome this?

Posted by Papa Moose (Member # 1992) on :

Even the eyes?