GO FIGURE

GOOSE HUNT...BILL, ART AND ZODIE 

CRY OF THE OLD WILD GOOSE


My heart knows what the wild goose knows,
I must go where the wild goose goes.
Wild goose, brother goose, which is best?
A wanderin' foot or a heart at rest?

Tonight I heard the wild goose cry,
Wingin' north in the lonely sky.
Tried to sleep, it weren't no use,
'Cause I am a brother to the old wild goose,


   Thursday, 7:30 AM.  56 degrees F both thermometers.  Wind ENE, calm with light gusts.  The sky has a high overcast and it is very damp with occasional light rain, of which we have had a total of .5'.  The humidity is 94% and the barometer is pretty steady, currently at 30.29".
   I have missed this year's opening goose hunt, that once-a-year experience with Bill Peebles, one of my oldest friends, with whom I spent six years in the Army Reserve back in the late '50's and early '60's.  We have hunted geese and pheasants ever since (now only geese, there aren't many Wisconsin pheasants these days).  Bill, a farm boy turned realtor, is the best naturalist (graduated from UW, Madison) that I know.  His bird calls have won contests, and his knowledge of prairie plants equals, at least, my own.  He knows at a glance every duck that flies.
   I can't say I will miss the goose hunting per se, as geese are difficult to clean and the meat is tough and not to my liking.  But, I will miss the camaraderie of the goose blind, calling in the geese, and watching the wary sandhill cranes that see us long before we see them.  This will be a permanent loss, since I now have a pacemaker on my right side and I shoot right handed.  But, I shall look forward to helping Bill burn his prairie, and we can watch wildlife together anytime.
   Bill says there aren't that many geese this year, the local populations having been decimated purposely by nearby communities that have adopted a no-tolerance stance towards Canada geese, which  have become so numerous that they foul ponds, parklands and golf courses.  Wouldn't it be more sensible to just reduce the population somewhat, and let the bulk of the geese be harvested (hunted) for sport and food?
   When wild things are rare we can't get enough of them; when they become plentiful they are unwelcome.
    Go figure.