SNOW GEESE SEASON AMENDED TO HELP COMBAT OVERPOPULATION

JEFFERSON CITY -- For the second year in a row, Congress has approved a "conservation action" to enable hunters to help reduce numbers of snow, blue and Ross' geese in order to stop ongoing ecological damage.

The action is separate from the regular hunting season, which ended in January. Under the conservation action, hunters are allowed to use some methods not permitted during the regular season. These include hunting with unplugged shotguns, using electronic calls and unlimited daily take.

The extraordinary measures are a response to an extraordinary situation. Snow and blue geese have taken advantage of waste grain and other agricultural crop bonanzas in recent years, building to an unprecedented population of more than 5 million. As a result, the birds have begun to damage the fragile tundra habitat that they and other animals use during the summer. The damage already is extensive andsome biologists fear permanent.

Hunting snow geese requires hard work and specialized strategies, but those who learn the tricks find it immensely rewarding.

They note that few outdoor experiences can compare with being at the center of a swirling vortex of several thousand squawking snow geese settling into a decoy spread.

Missouri hunters can harvest snow geese through the end of April. But snow geese grow restless, moving from one wetland area to another and eventually north, out of Missouri. To help hunters locate snow goose concentrations, the Conservation Department provides a snow goose report on its web page. For the latest information about areas where snow geese are, go to . Periodic updates continue through the current snow goose conservation action, which ends April 30.

If you already have a freezer full of snow geese and would like ideas about how to prepare them for the table, check out the "Snow Goose Cookbook," published by the Arctic Goose Joint Venture Conservation Office in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The colorful, 40-page cookbook has recipes for the campfire or a gourmet kitchen.

The book's $7 cost includes shipping and handling. To order, send check or money order to Snow Goose Cookbook, Publications Sales, Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, 2 Natural Resources Drive, Little Rock, AR 72205. Telephone orders can be placed by calling 800/364-4263.