Extension assistance with short-term management procedures
has been provided by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR,) U.S.
Department of Agriculture Animal Damage Control (ADC), and the Minnesota Extension
Service at the University of Minnesota (UM). The long-term population management
program was adapted in 1982 from MNDNR urban deer control policy (MNDNR 1994). This
policy required that where a hunting harvest cannot be used to management a wildlife
population, the local governmental unit (LGU), usually a city council or township
board, establish population goals, select control procedures, and fund the
operational and evaluation phases of the program. The MNDNR, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (USFWS), ADC, Minnesota Department of Public Health, Minnesota Department of
Agriculture (MNDA), and the UM provided technical input. The USFWS approved capture
and transport permits, and MNDNR approved capture sites, trapping permits, and
arranged for and relocated or processed the geese. The UM has provided operational
assistance and evaluation under contract with the LGUs.
A goose hunting policy was adopted in 1994. Based on open
space, Metropolitan Area municipalities were classified by the potential for
hunting: class 1--open space too limited for the safe shotgun discharge; class
2--open space patchy but some areas that might be hunted safely; and class
3--extensive open space where shotgun hunting can be done safely. Priorities were
established for removal of problem geese based on the potential for a hunting
harvest; these were: class 1--highest priority; class 2--high priority at public
swimming beaches, roads, and airports; medium priority at locations within areas that
cannot be hunted safely; low priority at other locations; and Class 3--high priority
at public swimming beaches, roads, and airports; low priority elsewhere. Class 2 or
3 municipalities prohibiting the discharge of shotguns were required to assess the
potential for hunting prior to requesting approval of a trap and relocate or trap and
process program.