I don't know about other varieties, but Canada geese do mate "for
life", but if one mate dies, the other will take another mate. Nature
takes it's course.

FWIW, New York State has increased (doubled) the daily limit on Canada
geese this year because there is an overpopulation. This will lead to
starvation and increased disease if not controlled. So, hunters like
me can have goose dinner, or we can watch them die slow deaths from
other causes.

Every state in the US uses hunting as one form of population control
for wildlife. If there is a moral issue here, I would argue that it
is more humane to kill and eat wildlife than it is to allow wide
spread starvation and disease. I would also argue that it is not a
moral issue, but an emotional one.

The Canada goose and the whitetail deer are two animals that have
"benefitted" from human development and destruction of natural
habitats. With the loss of natural areas, natural predators (such as
wolves and coyotes) have been decimated or eliminated. Both of these
species eat grass and farm crops. With the expansion of human
development, the populations can expand exponentially and cause
significant problems. Hunting is one method of control.

noah


Excellent post, Noah! :-)

You took a page right out of the Virginia Dept of Game and Inland Fisheries
(our local game warden's).

There is a serious overabundance of Canadian Geese. A good majority of them no
longer migrate, because of the "Bill & Buffy" type of people feed them bread
crumbs at the local park! You have to dodge goose dropping when walking on the
side walk of business developements. I have come home from playing golf with
goose poop stuck all over the spikes of my golf shoes.

Deer are getting hit by cars, because of the ever expanding suburbs in towns
and cities. Fact: Last year's deer season on that military base (Fort A.P.
Hill) here in Virginia, deer hunters took an estimated 1200 deer from the
massive herd. Even with that many deer eliminated, they didn't even put a dent
in the overpopulation!

Butch Ammon