Interesting story on Denver’s #Goosegate (sorry Elon).
Here are a few appetizer quotes from the story:
" While some residents applauded the city’s efforts, critics expressed horror at what they called “clandestine raids” on innocent wildlife. A citizens group called Canada Geese Protection Denver organized rallies and put up billboards calling for an end to the culling campaign. Some protestors even brought “Goose Lives Matter” signs to former Mayor Michael Hancock’s inaugural address in 2019."
“Those efforts are now a near-constant focus for Denver parks staff. On a recent afternoon, Vargas-Madrid joined an employee at City Park to operate the “Goosinator,” a remote-controlled fan boat painted like a bright orange shark. Her team ran the contraption across Ferril Lake in a zigzag pattern to mimic a predator, triggering thousands of birds to take flights in terror. The hope is the strategy will encourage the geese to migrate out of Denver in a few months.”
I’ve never understood why they are protected. They are both invasive and a nuisance.
Absent violating local hunting laws, one should be able to eliminate them if they are on private property just like one would be allowed to eliminate other non-protected species (i.e. common rat) and communities should be free to eliminate them when found on common property.
They don’t let you hunt the suburbs. So that is where the deer go. I had a rabbit problem and they wouldn’t let me hunt them, then I had a coyote problem and they wouldn’t let me hunt them. I had a dove problem around the pool but the pellet gun was quiet so I trained my wifes shitzu to retrieve dove for me. Amazing how that dog loved that, but the wife, not so much.
The lower ranked “gentlemen” of the English navy (especially the teenaged starving midshipmen) relished rats, and in times of hardship served them both fried and stewed in wine, calling them “millers” because of the sawdust that clogged their bodies….
I used to head deep into forests and swamps to hunt. But all of us figured out that there are more deer in proximity to people, at least in my area. There are laws about how close to a dwelling one can hunt, but from what I’ve seen some of the best hunting is on 5-10 acre parcels that have people living close to the road and the back quarters are forest. Deer everywhere. Not trophy bucks by any means, as they usually don’t live long enough to become trophy bucks in that environment. But venison is a lean, healthy meat, and hunters are paying to provide a service that is needed.
It is a dying sport, though. Old guys out number the young guys and girls by a lot.
It would be worthwhile for the state to pay butchers to process deer carcasses for food shelves, etc. Three winners–hunters can have fun and not have the meat go to waste. States save because the deer herd has been reduced, putting less pressure on the state resources, and a low-cost source of protein is used to replace more expensive beef and chicken.
“It would be worthwhile for the state to pay butchers to process deer carcasses for food shelves, etc.”
A lot of hunters might be for that. Last 1 I brought to the processor cost $125. And ya don’t get a whole lot of meat.
It is a very healthy source of protein, although it’s so lean need to add pork or some kind of fatty source to help with the cooking ( or at least that’s what we do here ). The backstraps are the best meat I have ever ate, those are cut out soon after field dressing, before the carcass gets sent to the processor,lol.
That would be great Jerry but most states will not allow it. Something about it not being butchered according to some law. I always butcher all my deer and elk and they won’t allow me to donate any of the meat.
With an uncanny sense of timing, the late local “news” ran a piece, tonight, about the lack of hunters, and a program to try and get more people interested in hunting. I didn’t catch who sponsors the program, or exactly where it is. But the general plan is, anyone who thinks they might be interested in killing Bambi, gets in touch with the group. A mentor coaches him on the basics, then takes the newbie out to a blind, and leaves him. When the newbie gets bored/cold/lucky, he calls the mentor, and he comes out to retrieve him. All the properties they are using are private farm land.
My grandfather would go deer hunting in the 50s. He told of one time, he found a comfortable place to sit, way out in the woods…and fell asleep. He said that, when he woke up, he had absolutely no idea where he was, for a minute or two.
It’s a Darwinian adaptation. Deer make their meat so tough and stringy that it’s unappetizing no matter how it’s prepared. We had a wild game restaurant here for a couple years, but after trying out some of the offerings we declined to keep going because the food was just lousy.
“…ran a piece, tonight, about the lack of hunters, and a program to try and get more people interested in hunting.”
It’s a problem throughout the State, so I applaud their efforts, if they can find young people interested in it.
It is rare for me to see hunters that don’t have gray hair. And it seems to be vast majority male, although I know from watching Michigan Outdoors that there are female hunters ( good hunters, too ). Personally, I’m not very interested in it anymore. It is hard to sit still in the cold for 3 or 4 days, I’d rather hike, bike, or ski. But hunters are needed.
Overpopulation of deer isn’t good for humans. We all read about how a vocal segment of the UP despise wolves, and they don’t like cougars any better. The large predators would be hated much more fiercely in the LP. So either hunters help keep the deer numbers down, or famine and disease eventually will.
So that is where the deer go. I had a rabbit problem and they wouldn’t let me hunt them, then I had a coyote problem and they wouldn’t let me hunt them. I had a dove problem around the pool but the pellet gun was quiet so I trained my wifes shitzu to retrieve dove for me. Amazing how that dog loved that, but the wife, not so much.
