Virginia's got another bumper crop of geese

They're everywhere. They're in the fields, they're in the highways, they're at airports, they occupy our rivers and ponds and they are certainly at all the golf courses. They are resident Canada geese: Those black and white eating machines that never leave home. If my observations are correct, this is another bumper crop.

There was a time when the wildlife people would come and trap geese and export them to areas where geese were still considered majestic birds, not huge pests. But now, nobody wants them. Even in Canada, they are no longer welcome.

Migratory geese, a different species from resident geese, are still struggling to return to pre-1960 numbers. The migratory geese winter in the south, along the coast, and nest in the north. They are making a slow comeback. But resident geese are well past a comeback. Their numbers are so plentiful that farmers now have new means available to control resident populations.

The Virginia Game Department and the Wildlife Services Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture are currently working together to offer Virginia farmers an additional tool to manage problems caused by resident Canada geese. The tool is the new Agricultural Depredation Order, which is being offered for the first time in Virginia in 2009. This order authorizes landowners, operators, and tenants actively engaged in commercial agriculture to use certain lethal methods to control resident Canada geese on lands that they personally control where geese are damaging agricultural crops.

Todd Haymore, Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, says that resident Canada geese are a big problem for farmers.

"During the winter, Canada geese can cause a lot of damage for winter wheat and cover crops," Haymore said. "In early spring when crops are beginning to appear in the field, the geese can strip a field bare by plucking the young plants out of the ground. They eat crops and grain, and where they occur in large enough numbers, they can raise the fecal bacterial levels in water supplies. We get calls all the time about resident geese from desperate farmers, and are glad to see some relief for them through this new Agricultural Depredation Order."

Since Canada geese are migratory birds, they have generally fallen under the protection of the US Fish & Wildlife Service, and protection is one thing they don't need at this point.

One of the depredation orders, the Nest and Egg Depredation Order, was first implemented in 2007 and allows landowners to destroy resident Canada goose nests and eggs. This Depredation Order can be used by landowners in Virginia to help manage goose numbers. No permit is re-quired, but you must register with the USFWS in order to conduct this activity. A special Web site has been developed specifically for this registration (https://epermits.fws.gov/eRCGR/geSI.aspx) and provides additional information on the program.

The Agricultural Depredation Order is a bit different than the Nest and Egg Order in that it is ad-ministered by the state agencies and state authorization is required to conduct this control. There is no federal web site registration or federal permit, but a state permit is required. The permit is free and agricultural producers can apply for the permit by calling the U.S. Department of Agricul-ture in Moseley at 804-739-7739; their fax number is 804-739-7738. The authorization process will provide a quick turnaround for permits and should make the process more user-friendly for land-owners and managers.

Activities allowed under this permit include the lethal taking of Canada geese from May 1 through Aug. 31, and the destruction of Canada goose nests and eggs between March 1 and June 30. All management actions must occur on the property controlled/managed by the applicant. Geese may not be taken using hunting methods such as decoys and calls. Permit holders must keep a log of their control activities and must submit a report by Sept. 30 of each year detailing the num-ber of birds taken. A copy of the permit application, detailing the terms and conditions of the per-mit, and an annual report form can be obtained from the USDA at the numbers above.

And come September, hunters have an opportunity to thin out populations a little with a probable limit of five geese per day. Perhaps this year, farmers will be a little more generous in issuing hunting permits.

Jim Brewer is a freelance outdoors writer for the News & Messenger. Reach him at 434-960-5411 or via e-mail at jbrewer44@earthlink.net.