Game populations controlled by hunters

This is the second of a multi-part series about hunting as a conservation tool.

Cougars

Cougars are another example of hunters helping to control populations of game birds and animals. Hound hunting was banned for several years. The cougar population exploded. Within a six-month period, three cougars were killed within 10 miles of Ephrata. One was killed in a tree across the road from the Best Western Motel. Still another was killed a few years later near Lake Lenore.

The state hired hunters with hounds to take care of problem cats. The same hunters would pay for a tag to hunt the cats. Think about this: Why should the taxpayers hire a hound hunter to take care of the cats, when the same hound hunter would gladly pay for a tag?

Geese on the west side

A few years ago, there were an abundance of geese in parks on the westside of the state. There was an effort to eliminate them. The birds were gassed at a time when they could not fly, 3,500 in 2000 and 4,200 in 2001.

Well good for them, in an effort to keep the parks clean of goose poop. I called, at the time, and discussed the situation with a Fish and Wildlife person.

I asked if we could salvage the goose breasts from the gassed birds to provide the meat to needy people. He said no but gave no specific reason why. My feeling was they didn’t want to deal with the exposure in the media of killing geese on the Westside.

Well, poop on them. The westside population expressed a desire to have the birds pooping in their parks removed and wanting to dispose of them to solve the problem. The meat should have been salvaged, perhaps hundreds of pounds of meat. Those who wanted the geese removed, for the sin of pooping in the parks, should have been invited to help or should have been required to help. What a waste of good meat.

East side Canada goose limit increase

The east side of the state has seen an increase in the daily limit of Canada geese from three to four a day. Whenever there is an increase of the daily limit of a species of game bird or animal, an increasing population of the species must be the reason or Fish and Game wouldn’t increase the limit.

Next week: More examples of using hunters to control populations of game birds and animals.