Canada geese

[Albertan_J]

wow the thread had descended into pheasant shooting being called murder when the topic is Canada geese***?

Edited February 1, 2011 by Albertan_J

[anser2]

If anyone has a problem with canada geese they are so easy to move on with bird scaring rockets there is no reason to shoot them in the breeding season. I have done it many times. 3-5 days of being rocketed a couple of times a day and they will leave the area for long periods of time. The only places where this in inpratical are bird reserves where the rockets would also scare everything else off.

Edited February 2, 2011 by anser2

[poontang]

If anyone has a problem with canada geese they are so easy to move on with bird scaring rockets there is no reason to shootthem in the breeding season.

 

They don't want to move them on though....... They want to kill them.

 

The sooner they're off the OGL the better, make people apply for a special licence to remove them and make them prove other methods have been tried first.

[Scully]

It's not easy....if peewits are present(and we get them in large numbers)the canadas intimidate them away from their breeding and feeding grounds.Canadas are not indigenous and even if they didn't graze so much and cause such a mess,farmers would rather see peewits on their land,which is understandable.

All shooting stops as soon as the peewits start nesting,and all bird scaring devices (gas guns,fence bangers etc) are no longer used.

Geese(whatever species)on stubbles are left alone as stubbles are ploughed in,and like I said no-one wants to eat them so we wont waste cartridges on them.Ducks on stubbles however....

As for pheasant shooting.....canned hunting certainly....'murder'? I don't think anyone's been convicted so far. :unsure:

[poontang]

It's not easy....if peewits are present(and we get them in large numbers)the canadas intimidate them away from their breeding and feeding grounds.Canadas are not indigenous and even if they didn't graze so much and cause such a mess,farmers would rather see peewits on their land,which is understandable.

All shooting stops as soon as the peewits start nesting,and all bird scaring devices (gas guns,fence bangers etc) are no longer used.

Geese(whatever species)on stubbles are left alone as stubbles are ploughed in,and like I said no-one wants to eat them so we wont waste cartridges on them.Ducks on stubbles however....

As for pheasant shooting.....canned hunting certainly....'murder'? I don't think anyone's been convicted so far. :unsure:

 

Some fair comments there

 

Seems like someone who's thought about what they're doing rather than just killing for the sake of it.

[anser2]

Just because a farmer does not like to see canadas on their land is no excuse in law to shoot at them. They have to be causing some sort of dammage. If you are worried about the canadas disturbing the lapwings , simple rocket them off before the lapwings start to breed in late March \ April.

 

If they are causing a problem get them sorted out in the wildfowling season. Shooting them in the spring will do far more disturbance to the lapwings ( and other birds )than the geese ever will. The danger to lapwings is not that they get frightened off the fields , its on narrow spits of land on wetlands where the lapwings will nest and the canadas also use the confined area to loaf about on during the day and trample the nests. Lapwings are not frightened of canadas , I have often seen them nesting side by side , feeding on the same fields and roosting on the same same sand bars. If the lapwings are leaving the fields its for some other reson , lack of nesting cover , farming opperations or low food levels. Dont blame the geese .

[Dekers]

This one has bounced around before and I'm sure it will again.

 

There will never be a consensus for the simple reason few wildfowlers will ever accept the need to shoot Canadas with a rifle on the ground under the terms of the GL!!

 

ATB!

[guest1957]

They don't want to move them on though....... They want to kill them.

 

The sooner they're off the OGL the better, make people apply for a special licence to remove them and make them prove other methods have been tried first.

 

I can't see the government losing sleep over protecting a non-native species.

[anser2]

And deckers what is the need ?

[markbivvy]

They don't want to move them on though....... They want to kill them.

 

The sooner they're off the OGL the better, make people apply for a special licence to remove them and make them prove other methods have been tried first.

 

And shotguns give them life do they.

[poontang]

I can't see the government losing sleep over protecting a non-native species.

 

Plenty of non native species in the country.

 

Pheasant and Red Legged Partridge to name just two.

 

Canada's may be a non native species, but they've been around for some time.

 

The Canada goose is a native of the American Atlantic seaboard, and records purport it to have been introduced to England by King Charles II (or more likely a collector), around 1660, having acquired a number of birds as additions to his wildfowl collection in St James's Park, London. Due to this Royal connection it soon became popular in country gardens with lakes and ponds across England, especially due to its striking plumage and call. It became a wildfowl staple with landed gentry and country estates. Surprisingly, despite its popularity, the first recorded entry for breeding does not occur until 1890. However, this may be the first wild breeding record, rather than captive. The records do not give a distinction. The Canada goose has taken 200 years to spread nationally, via escapees, released birds and possibly human intervention, in the wild and become acknowledged on the British list as a native bird.

[anser2]

In the breeding season rockets do give them life. Nothing wrong with shooting them in season , but not when they are breeding.

[poontang]

Simple facts are YES you can shoot them under the terms of the General Licence. YES you can shoot them with a rifle. If you shoot them with a shotgun you MUST use non-toxic cartridges, as they may be on the OGL but they are still classed as WILDFOWL.

 

 

And shotguns give them life do they.

 

If you'd bothered reading the whole thread you'd have seen my first post.

 

Nothing to do with the shotgun v rifle argument.

[markbivvy]

If you'd bothered reading the whole thread you'd have seen my first post.

Nothing to do with the shotgun v rifle argument.

 

never implied it was.

I was asking what happens to them when shot with your shotgun because you said"They want to kill them"

[silpig5]

please clarify for me , after exhausting other methods ,can i shoot them with either 22lr or hmr without it stating canada geese on my fac ?

i know the answer regauding non toxic , but wasnt aware that i may need it on my ticket .

[poontang]

never implied it was.

I was asking what happens to them when shot with your shotgun because you said"They want to kill them"

 

I shoot them during the wildfowling season, and yes if they present a shot I'll shoot them and kill them. They're in season, it's perfectly legal and I have no problem with that.

 

However, you missed off an important part of my quote, the first part "They don't want to move them on"

As you know if shooting Canada's under the OGL there are certain requirements to be met before shooting.

My point was that it seems too many people ignore that part of it and just want to shoot the birds because they can.

I have no problem with Canada's being shot out of season, as long as it's for the right reasons, and not just to satisfy someones 'bloodlust'.

[Dekers]

And deckers what is the need ?

 

 

ANYTHING covered by the GL, that's why they are listed on the GL, the Government has decided there are a number of situations and reasons they can be permanently removed!

 

ATB!

[markbivvy]

I shoot them during the wildfowling season, and yes if they present a shot I'll shoot them and kill them. They're in season, it's perfectly legal and I have no problem with that.

 

However, you missed off an important part of my quote, the first part "They don't want to move them on"

As you know if shooting Canada's under the OGL there are certain requirements to be met before shooting.

My point was that it seems too many people ignore that part of it and just want to shoot the birds because they can.

I have no problem with Canada's being shot out of season, as long as it's for the right reasons, and not just to satisfy someones 'bloodlust'.

 

Fair do,s P.

But seeing as the OP has been to a lot of trouble to get this sorted out , I don,t think this is a case of "blood lust".

[mudpatten]

It`s worth pointing out that, out of all the other avian "non native" species such as the Egyptian goose and ring necked parakeet, the canada goose is the only one where genuine wild migrants occur in this country on a regular basis.

 

I`m reliably informed that it was the governments intention to place the canada on the revised OGL simply to avoid the paperwork that previously came with controlling it lawfully.

 

They did not appreciate how many people would interpret this as their being able to be killed out of season and by any means.

 

Allegedly, there are moves afoot to try to get the canada taken of the OGL as it stands and placed back on the schedule that requires the original paper trail.

 

The canada is a valuable sporting quarry and needs to be treated with respect.

 

If it is such an agricultural pest I hereby offer the services of my fowling club to control your birds, next year,in season, free of charge, within a seventy five mile radius of Portsmouth.

 

I`ll be very surprised indeed if I get taken up on this offer because the bird is not the problem some make it out to be.

[Scully]

That's very noble of you,and a good idea I must admit,but as I've said,farmers around here do not regard it as a 'valuable sporting(there's that word again!)quarry'.Each to their own.

[Paul223]

Canada geese eh?? been here before, same people same spouted rubish, looks like i'll have to dig around for that research data again and prove a few people wrong

 

people who should know better :yp:

 

anyways .............

 

If anyone has a problem with canada geese they are so easy to move on with bird scaring rockets there is no reason to shoot them in the breeding season. I have done it many times. 3-5 days of being rocketed a couple of times a day and they will leave the area for long periods of time. The only places where this in inpratical are bird reserves where the rockets would also scare everything else off.

 

has been disproven, does not always work AND only moves the problem on to the next farm

 

And shotguns give them life do they.

 

it's either life luck or lead, not sure which

 

 

I shoot them during the wildfowling season, and yes if they present a shot I'll shoot them and kill them. They're in season, it's perfectly legal and I have no problem with that.

However, you missed off an important part of my quote, the first part "They don't want to move them on"

As you know if shooting Canada's under the OGL there are certain requirements to be met before shooting.

My point was that it seems too many people ignore that part of it and just want to shoot the birds because they can.

I have no problem with Canada's being shot out of season, as long as it's for the right reasons, and not just to satisfy someones 'bloodlust'.

may be you should try to shoot a few more eh?? also blood lust?? is it perfectly ok to feel blood lust during the season but not ok afterwards I don't see you harping on about 'certain requirements to be met before shooting' when it comes to pigeon / crow / magpie one rule for one and another for the others eh

[guest1957]

I don't see you harping on about 'certain requirements to be met before shooting' when it comes to pigeon / crow / magpie[/color] one rule for one and another for the others eh

 

The irony of course is that unlike crows/pigeons/magpies, you don't have to show that other methods of solving the problem have failed...

[Dekers]

It`s worth pointing out that, out of all the other avian "non native" species such as the Egyptian goose and ring necked parakeet, the canada goose is the only one where genuine wild migrants occur in this country on a regular basis.

 

I`m reliably informed that it was the governments intention to place the canada on the revised OGL simply to avoid the paperwork that previously came with controlling it lawfully.

 

They did not appreciate how many people would interpret this as their being able to be killed out of season and by any means.

 

Allegedly, there are moves afoot to try to get the canada taken of the OGL as it stands and placed back on the schedule that requires the original paper trail.

 

The canada is a valuable sporting quarry and needs to be treated with respect.

 

If it is such an agricultural pest I hereby offer the services of my fowling club to control your birds, next year,in season, free of charge, within a seventy five mile radius of Portsmouth.

 

I`ll be very surprised indeed if I get taken up on this offer because the bird is not the problem some make it out to be.

 

 

I suspect that is because you are a Wildfowler and hardly ever see them.

 

Unfortunately we have to clear up all the mess the Wildfowlers missed.

 

The attached picture is a popular picnic/sunbathing spot on the Thames, you will notice the complete lack of any other bird/waterfowl species, and just take a look at the **** they leave.

 

Also in Chesham, Bucks, there is a popular recreational park/lake in the town centre, where you are likely to catch something, (or slip and break something) as the **** from the vast number of Canadas is unbelievable! (Can someone from Chesham please post a photo, it's the lake just up the road from the Elgiva Centre and Sainsbury..Cheers!)

 

Most of my stables and farms have them and a Golf Club I shoot at has them in massive numbers.

 

I stand to be corrected as I don't have any figures, but I would be confident in saying there are more Canadas inland in this country than any other duck/goose, they are nothing but a filthy pain! They are very commonly resident now and their numbers are virtually out of control.

 

ATB!

Edited February 2, 2011 by Dekers

[Paul223]

 

oh yes 'double standards' thats what we called it last time

 

click this, open it and read

 

http://www.crofting.org/uploads/The_Management_of_Problems_caused_by_Canada_Geese.doc

 

an interesting quote from the site

 

Where Canada Geese are regularly shot, the simple presence of a human may be sufficient to deter birds from an area. In most situations, however, Canada Geese show little fear of man, particularly where they are used to being fed by the public. Even if the geese can be trained to fear humans, the deterrent will only be effective if it is continuously deployed whenever the geese are present

 

thats in the section about detering canada's

 

and some more interesting points

 

'Large flocks of non breeding adults may thus build up at certain sites' coupled with 'The adult birds moult around the end of June and are unable to fly for a 3-4 week period'

 

and

 

'The causes of death are:

• 67.2% shooting

• 4.3% hit power lines

• 5.5% redation

• 23% unknown.

 

There is little evidence that natural factors, which become more severe as numbers of birds increase, such as limited food availability, act to control Canada Goose numbers.

 

Low annual mortality and high reproductive rates give the national population the scope to increase in size for the foreseeable future'

 

'When feeding they may produce droppings at a rate of one every 6 minutes'

Edited February 2, 2011 by Paul223

[poontang]

 

 

I have no problem with Canada's being shot out of season, as long as it's for the right reasons, and not just to satisfy someones 'bloodlust'.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

may be you should try to shoot a few more eh?? also blood lust?? is it perfectly ok to feel blood lust during the season but not ok afterwards I don't see you harping on about 'certain requirements to be met before shooting' when it comes to pigeon / crow / magpie one rule for one and another for the others eh

 

I think you'll find I 'harp on' about the legal requirements of the OGL on just about every post where people ask about shooting the species covered by said licence.

 

I don't feel 'bloodlust' during the season, and I wouldn't feel it if I were to shoot Canada's out of season either. My point was, and still is, that there are plenty on here who shoot Canada's not because they're causing a problem but simply because they're on the OGL.

As I've said they should be taken off the OGL and if they're to be culled then a special licence (similar to that for Cormorant) applied for. If anyone's got good reason to control them fine, if it stops the casual 'Ooh Canada's are on the OGL, let's shoot them' brigade then even better.