Pacific Northwest Goose Management

Farmers, waterfowl hunters, and wildlife managers in northwest Oregon and southwest Washington are faced with problems for which there are no simple solutions. In short, several factors have combined to create almost unsolvable difficulties. Among them are:

1. Abundant numbers of Canada geese which depredate (damage) agricultural crops and pastures during winter and spring months.
   
   
2. Some of the seven subspecies of Canada geese that make up the wintering population require special protection and management efforts.
   
   
3. All Canada goose subspecies look generally alike. This creates difficulty for hunters who are asked to harvest some subspecies but not others, and an equally difficult problem for wildlife managers who must regulate hunting to ensure protection for subspecies that need special consideration.

This booklet is intended to give a basic understanding of the goose management issues in northwest Oregon and southwest Washington, some background on the geese that winter in the region and reference information to help identify all the relevant Canada goose subspecies. The video - Pacific Northwest Goose Management - is intended to supplement this information.