Goose hunting season is now open
February 21-March 10 is goose hunting season in the Town of Osoyoos.
This controversial project was created to help manage the large population of geese that winter in Osoyoos.
Only hunters with the proper licences and certificates are allowed to hunt. These include an F.A.C. certificate, a B.C. Wildlife Federation certificate and a hunting licence. Hunters must also ask the permission of property owners to go onto private property to hunt or discharge their firearms.
The town has heard only two complaints from people opposed to the discharge of firearms and these situations were resolved amicably, said Town of Osoyoos Chief Administrative Officer Elsie Lemke.
One hunter donated 60 geese to shelters to be used as food.
The sheer numbers of geese in Osoyoos and the mess they leave behind are associated with significant problems, including human health and water quality hazards, said Lemke.
In addition to damaging and fouling public and private lands, there are the issues of agricultural crop damage, vehicle traffic hazards and the financial costs associated with goose management.rnSeveral options have been considered and tried over the years with limited success, added Lemke.
These options included egg addling, habitat modification, harassment or deterrent techniques and public education and signs.
We've tried addling the eggs over the past six years but the problem is that the nests can be hard to find and the result is that not enough eggs are disturbed to make an impact.
Other tactics, such as allowing people with dogs to chase the geese on the beach have had only limited success. The dog- walkers also handed out flyers encouraging people not to feed the geese.
Application of a substance called 'Orange TKO' to grass areas reduces goose activities for a few days to a few weeks, but a rainfall will wash away this repellent providing very costly short-term relief.
The statues that were put in place along the shoreline worked to scare off geese for a while but now the geese have become more accustomed to them.
Moving the statues closer together, repositioning them and applying stick-on eyes has helped to deter the geese, but again these are only short-term solutions.
A long-term solution would be the establishment of a regional goose control program, involving the communities of Osoyoos, Oliver, Penticton, Peachland, Summerland and Kelowna.
The federal and provincial governments need to look at the situation and determine at what point the geese become a health issue and to establish the right population numbers for the communities affected, said Lemke.
