Contact John Hayden at 585-728-1203 or JohnElly4649@verizon.net if you are interested in hunting geese off the Loon Lake Preserve property.
Geese Hunters are Friends of the Lake – updated 8/17/20
Canada geese are pleasant to watch fly in and land on the lake. However, if the population of resident geese becomes too large, it can have a serious effect on the health of the lake.
Geese defecate between 28 and 92 times a day. This results in 1 – 3 lbs of nitrogen per goose per year and 0.4 – 1.4 lbs of phosphorus per goose per year excreted. The decomposition of the feces reduces dissolved oxygen levels in the lake. The nitrogen and phosphorus act as fertilizers which support excess weed growth. Geese are known carriers of several potential pathogens including E. coli, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus spp., and Streptococcus spp., along with the protozoan Cryptosporidium (Jellison et al. 2009), in addition to bacteria and other microbes. (source: Manny et al. 1975, Kear 1963).
It is estimated that there are 200,000 resident geese in New York State. The State would like to reduce this number to 85,000 or below.
To hunt geese on Loon Lake, hunters must obtain a “NYS small game hunting license”. They must also register annually with New York’s Harvest Information Program (HIP) and carry proof of compliance whenever going afield. Also, each hunter 16 years of age or older must carry a valid Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (“duck stamp”).
Non-toxic shot is required for hunting any migratory game bird in NYS. Non-toxic shot types are steel, bismuth-tin, iron-tungsten and many other non-lead varieties.
(source: http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/wildlife_pdf/wfregsbrochure14.pdf)
The Loon Lake area is in the DEC Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) 8P. See map below.
Loon Lake, Steuben County, NY 