Sorry in advance that this post is so long
For reasons that I wont get into Migratory birds are Federally regulated, that means that in order to change the methods or number of birds that can be taken it takes an Act of Congress.
Below is an amendment by congress to curtail the damage that Snow geese are causing.
16 U.S.C.A. 703
"Section 1. Short Title.
"This Act [enacting this note] may be cited as the 'Arctic Tundra Habitat Emergency Conservation Act'.
"Sec. 2. Findings and Purposes.
"(a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
"(1) The winter index population of mid-continent light geese was 800,000 birds in 1969, while the total population of such geese is more than 5,200,000 birds today.
"(2) The population of mid-continent light geese is expanding by over 5 percent each year, and in the absence of new wildlife management actions it could grow to more than 6,800,000 breeding light geese in 3 years.
"(3) The primary reasons for this unprecedented population growth are--
"(A) the expansion of agricultural areas and the resulting abundance of cereal grain crops in the United States;
"(B) the establishment of sanctuaries along the United States flyways of migrating light geese; and
"(C) a decline in light geese harvest rates.
"(4) As a direct result of this population explosion, the Hudson Bay Lowlands Salt-Marsh ecosystem in Canada is being systematically destroyed. This ecosystem contains approximately 135,000 acres of essential habitat for migrating light geese and many other avian species. Biologists have testified that one-third of this habitat has been destroyed, one-third is on the brink of devastation, and the remaining one-third is overgrazed.
"(5) The destruction of the Arctic tundra is having a severe negative impact on many avian species that breed or migrate through this habitat, including the following:
"(A) Canada Goose.
"(B) American Wigeon.
"(C) Dowitcher.
"(D) Hudsonian Godwit.
"(E) Stilt Sandpiper.
"(F) Northern Shoveler.
"(G) Red-Breasted Merganser.
"(H) Oldsquaw.
"(I) Parasitic Jaeger.
"(J) Whimbrel.
"(K) Yellow Rail.
"(6) It is essential that the current population of mid-continent light geese be reduced by 50 percent by the year 2005 to ensure that the fragile Arctic tundra is not irreversibly damaged.
"(b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act [this note] are the following:
"(1) To reduce the population of mid-continent light geese.
"(2) To assure the long-term conservation of mid-continent light geese and the biological diversity of the ecosystem upon which many North American migratory birds depend.
"Sec. 3. Force and Effect of Rules to Control Overabundant Mid-continent Light Geese Populations.
"(a) Force and effect.--
"(1) In general.--The rules published by the Service on February 16, 1999, relating to use of additional hunting methods to increase the harvest of mid-continent light geese (64 Fed. Reg. 7507-7517) and the establishment of a conservation order for the reduction of mid-continent light goose populations (64 Fed. Reg. 7517-7528), shall have the force and effect of law.
"(2) Public notice.--The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Service, shall take such action as is necessary to appropriately notify the public of the force and effect of the rules referred to in paragraph (1).
"(b) Application.--Subsection (a) shall apply only during the period that--
"(1) begins on the date of the enactment of this Act [Nov. 24, 1999]; and
"(2) ends on the latest of--
"(A) the effective date of rules issued by the Service after such date of the enactment to control overabundant mid-continent light geese populations;
"(B) the date of the publication of a final environmental impact statement for such rules under section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)); and
"(C) May 15, 2001.
"(c) Rule of construction.--This section shall not be construed to limit the authority of the Secretary or the Service to issue rules, under another law, to regulate the taking of mid-continent light geese.
"Sec. 4. Comprehensive Management Plan.
"(a) In general.--Not later than the end of the period described in section 103(b) [sic; probably should be 'section 3(b)' of this note], the Secretary shall prepare, and as appropriate implement, a comprehensive, long-term plan for the management of mid-continent light geese and the conservation of their habitat.
"(b) Required elements.--The plan shall apply principles of adaptive resource management and shall include--
"(1) a description of methods for monitoring the levels of populations and the levels of harvest of mid-continent light geese, and recommendations concerning long-term harvest levels;
"(2) recommendations concerning other means for the management of mid-continent light goose populations, taking into account the reasons for the population growth specified in section 102(a)(3) [sic; probably should be 'section 2(a)(3)' of this note];
"(3) an assessment of, and recommendations relating to, conservation of the breeding habitat of mid-continent light geese;
"(4) an assessment of, and recommendations relating to, conservation of native species of wildlife adversely affected by the overabundance of mid-continent light geese, including the species specified in section 102(a)(5) [sic; probably should be 'section 2(a)(5)' of this note]; and
"(5) an identification of methods for promoting collaboration with the Government of Canada, States, and other interested persons.
"(c) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $1,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2000 through 2002.
"Sec. 5. Definitions.
"In this Act [this note]:
"(1) Mid-continent light geese.--The term 'mid-continent light geese' means Lesser snow geese (Anser caerulescens caerulescens) and Ross' geese (Anser rossii) that primarily migrate between Canada and the States of Alabama, Arkansas , Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
"(2) Secretary.--The term 'Secretary' means the Secretary of the Interior.
"(3) Service.--The term 'Service' means the United States Fish and Wildlife Service."
Appropriation
Authorization of appropriation, see section 709a of this title.
The above Amendment enabled the US Fish and Wildlife Service proscribe the following remedial measures
RULES and REGULATIONS
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
50 CFR Part 20
RIN 1018-AF25
Migratory Bird Hunting; Regulations To Increase Harvest of Mid-Continent Light
Geese.
Tuesday, February 16, 1999
*7507 AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Final rule.
SUMMARY: Mid-continent light goose populations (lesser snow and Ross' goose combined) has nearly quadrupled within the last 30 years, and have become seriously injurious to their habitat and habitat important to other migratory birds. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service or "we") believes that these populations exceed the long-term carrying capacity of their breeding habitats and must be reduced. This rule authorizes the use of additional hunting methods (electronic callers and unplugged shotguns) during a normal open light-goose hunting season when all other waterfowl and crane hunting seasons, excluding falconry, are closed.
DATES: This rule takes effect immediately upon publication on February 16, 1999.
The US Fish and Wildlife found that taking no action would cause
Summary of Environmental Consequences of Taking No Action
At each site they occupy, MCLG will continue to degrade the plant communities until food and other resources are exhausted, forcing yet more expansion of colonies. The pattern has been, and will continue to be, that as existing nesting colonies expand, they exploit successively poorer quality habitats, which are less able to accommodate them and which become degraded more quickly. Eventually, the coastal salt-marsh communities surrounding Hudson Bay and James Bay will become remnant. There will be little chance of recovery of such habitat as long as MCLG populations remain high. Even if goose populations decline at some point due to natural causes, which may not occur to the degree necessary, it will take the habitat a prolonged time period to recover. The functioning of the whole coastal ecosystem, from consolidation of sediments by colonizing plants to provision of suitable habitats for invertebrate and vertebrate fauna, will be detrimentally and possibly irrevocably altered. Similar conditions will prevail at selected non-coastal areas where MCLG have occupied most of the suitable nesting habitats. As many as 30 other avian species, including American wigeon, Northern shoveler, stilt sandpiper, Hudsonian godwit, and others, that utilize those habitats have declined locally, presumably due to habitat degradation by MCLG. Other species, such as Southern James Bay Canada geese, a species of management concern, that breed on nearby Akimiski Island and numerous other waterfowl species that migrate and stage with MCLG, have been and will continue to be negatively impacted. Arctic mammalian herbivores will also be impacted as the vegetative communities upon which they depend become depleted. Due to the rapidly expanding populations and the associated ecological impacts identified, we have concluded that MCLG populations have become seriously injurious to themselves and other migratory birds, their habitat and habitat of other migratory birds.
We expect that MCLG populations will continue to grow at least 5% annually, resulting in more severe and widespread ecological impacts. Although several factors influence population dynamics, the greatest single factor in the populations' increase is high and increasing adult survival rates (Rockwell et al. 1997b). Therefore, removing adults from the populations is the most effective and efficient approach in reducing the populations. Experts feel that breaking eggs and other non-lethal techniques have been determined to be ineffective in significantly reducing the populations within a reasonable time to preserve and protect habitat (Batt 1997).
We have attempted to curb the growth of MCLG populations by increasing bag and possession limits and extending the open hunting season length for light geese to 107 days, the maximum allowed by the Treaty. However, due to the rapid rise in MCLG numbers, low hunter success, and low hunter interest, harvest rate (the percentage of the population that is harvested), has declined despite evidence that the number of geese harvested has increased (USFWS 1997b). The decline in harvest rate indicates that the current management strategies are not sufficient to stabilize or reduce population growth rates.
I hunt 25-30 days out of the year, and that is without a dog!! Thank you in advance.
I'll do a more specific search.
Is that too much to ask 