UNWANTED GEESE ARE TREASURES TO HUNTERS

Giant Canada geese in Missouri are causing havoc for St. Louis-area property owners and golf courses with lush, green lawns, plenty of water and no predators to bother them.

The geese have found Missouri so hospitable that thousands have taken up permanent residence in the state. So bad is the problem that for the first time, in extreme cases, Missouri is granting permits to round up and kill the geese, and a lot of people are even using dogs to scare off the geese.

They've become bothersome because the birds, adjusting to life around humans, have become more brazen. They can be ornery, and their waste can make a mess of a nice lawn.

Operators of goose-hunting clubs in Missouri and Southern Illinois pray each year for the right conditions to bring geese southward for productive hunting. Hunters from across the country spend a lot of money in hopes of bagging geese that are almost free for the taking in suburban St. Louis.