Washington’s “waterfowl” (duck and goose) season is finally over—and not a moment too soon. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, the Elmers were out in force on the last day of the season, declaring all-out war-on-all-things-avian for the last time…until the next fall.
But the war is over for now and, as if right on cue, the geese are pairing up for their breeding season. Hunting them this time of year is especially cruel, considering that geese mate for life.
Farley Mowat writes here of the wrongheadedness of hunting intelligent animals such as geese:
the dawn was pierced by the sonorous cries of seemingly endless flocks of geese that cam drifting, wraithlike, overhead. They were flying low that day. Snow Geese, startling white of breast, with jet-black wingtips, beat past while flocks of piebald wavies kept station at their flanks. An immense V of Canadas came close behind. As…
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Exposing the Big Game 
I love ducks and geese. The idea of land-bound human beings blasting the flying ones out of the sky is beyond repugnant.
Beynd sick or repugnant.
The ridiculous envying the sublime. I don’t know why this is even allowed in modern times. There’s no reason for it today, and it’s hard to go along with the idea that killing beautiful birds out of the air is a sport for pleasure. It must go back to the times when people thought no one but them were sentient beings. But today, there are humans who don’t seem to be sentient beings.
Me too! I’ll never forget one summer my husband and I encountered a Canada goose who befriended us on one of our nature walks. What an intelligent bird! He or she was so comfortable around people I wondered if maybe someone had taken him or her as a gosling and then abandoned when they got too big. They really are social birds – because even if she was swimming or whatever, she just wanted us with her it seemed. When she saw us she would come barreling over honking loudly for yards, and we would feed her corn. We got to see her wing muscles develop more strongly and when she took her first flight! It was awesome. Canada geese are really pretty birds.
Speaking of sick repugnances, for anyone following the Puppy Doe trial, jury deliberations have begun. I hope they come back with a guilty verdict quickly!
http://www.patriotledger.com/news/20180322/jury-to-begin-deliberations-in-puppy-doe-trial
His scumbag attorney is trying to create doubt – so who knows if this case will get the serious attention it deserves. But, this man is already serving 6 – 10 for larceny, robbing (and God knows what else) the 95-year old woman he was the caretaker for, and robbing a church. He’s an ‘undocumented immigrant’, so when he’s finished serving his sentence, or gets parole (whichever comes first), he hopefully will be deported. From 30,000 feet, over the Atlantic, with a weight around his neck would be my hope. 🙂