Friday will be the beginning of the two-week early Canada goose season. Some refer to the early season as the nuisance season. Biologists report that a single goose will produce between one to two pounds of droppings per day. It doesnt take long for a gaggle of 30 to 40 geese to make a childrens play lawn an undesirable place for human activity. The species of geese that have adapted so well to urban living is the species Branta Canadensis Maxima, commonly know as giant Canada goose. It wasn't more than 25 years ago that the sight of a gaggle of geese winging through the area on their migration routes was a rare event. In the spring as the geese winged their way north, humans had the definite signal that a new beginning was just around the corner. The time of flowers, newly-sprouted green grass and the arrival of spring. Since that time the resident goose population has grown by nearly 20 percent annually. The population explosion has been brought about by game management which focused on reversing the decline of the population, the human changes to the environment and the adaptability of the Canada goose. The development of office complexes with ponds and bordering manicured lawns, farm ponds and golf courses provided perfect habitat for geese. The three basic needs of the geese were satisfied food, water and security from most predators. The goose is primarily a grazer on lawns and pastures but during fall and winter takes advantage of waste grain in agricultural fields. The grain fields provide a source of high energy food which encourages the geese to delay migration until the food is gone or inundated by snow cover. When the first of the early goose seasons were initiated, it was a simple matter to entice a flock of geese into the crudest of decoy setups. Many people refer to lack of intelligence by referring to the subjects as bird brains. This terminology certainly does not fit the resident wild goose flocks. The giant Canada wild goose can live in the wild to an average age of 20 to 25 years. Nearly every gaggle of geese now has a sizeable number of birds who have been through many hunting seasons. After the first couple shots are fired the geese no longer plummet into any old decoy setup in the field. The cumulative hunting experience of a gaggle of geese far exceeds that of the typical two or three hunters in a blind. The decoy setup better be perfect, nobody better move and the location should be somewhere the geese want to be. The best chance of success is to scout until a wheat field with feeding geese is located. The geese will probably return the next day. Be sure to ask the landowner for permission to hunt. Most farmers will allow permission to hunt geese, especially those who have seen a gaggle of geese land in a newly-emerging cornfield and begin to start down each row pulling out the new sprouts. Before the end of the two-week season most of the flocks will have migrated to no-hunting zones such as urban ponds, housing development ponds and urban golf courses. Many of the birds led by experienced leaders will become nocturnal, not leaving their safety zone during shooting hours. Probably the most important factor in successful goose hunting is to be well hidden, where the geese want to be. It is nearly impossible to call a gaggle of geese into a pasture field when a wheat field full of waste grain, is next door. When your taste buds are set for steak, you don't want to settle for a salad neither do geese. The Black Fork Bottoms Hunting Area commissioners have announced that all drawing hunting permits now have been issued. The permits have been drawn for all the gun deer seasons, including youth, regular gun, the extended-weekend gun and primitive weapon hunts. The park is open only from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Note that, although the early goose season starts on Friday, hunting will not be permitted until Saturday when early teal season starts. Blinds have been built on waterfowl locations one and three, but not on location two. Some type of blind will need to be carried into this location. The park is open to any properly-licensed archery and small game hunters on the regular hunting days of Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday only. The park is accepting resumes for trapping privileges on the property. Permits will be granted to two trappers. Preference will be given to any senior trappers who act as a youth mentor. Only two types of traps will be permitted for use on the hunting area. The two types are box and body-gripping traps. A resume emphasizing previous trapping experience should be sent to Andy McClure, 1030 County Road 1754, Ashland, OH, 44805. Ashland County Ducks Unlimited has scheduled a banquet for October 14 at the Ashland Eagles Club. Volunteers are needed to help with the banquet and planning. The committee will meet at 6:30 p.m. every Tuesday evening at the J. C. Meyer Realtors office, 1171 E. Main St., Ashland, Ohio. Anyone interested in helping the oldest conservation organization in the U.S. is urged to attend. Questions and ticket information can be answered by calling Jim Hair at 419-606-4421. n Contact Ted Claar, outdoors writer, at 419-651-3403, or at firstname.lastname@example.org.