Defending Dutch Goose Hunting: A Hunting Conservationist’s Rebuttal

Dutch goose hunting critics often paint it as needless cruelty, but the reality is that Dutch goose hunting is a pragmatic response to a very real, man-made wildlife crisis. The Netherlands faces an overpopulation of wild geese on an unprecedented scale – a situation created by human activity and policy. Left unchecked, this goose population boom is causing significant ecological and economic damage, endangering public safety, and even raising the risk of avian influenza in the Netherlands and beyond. In this rebuttal, a conservationist perspective is offered: regulated goose hunts are not only defensible but necessary as a form of goose population control and conservation through hunting.

The Backstory: GetDucks.com Netherlands Goose Hunting Trips Ruffle Dutch Feathers

In December 2015, all hell broke loose at GetDucks HQ. It began at 2 AM Mississippi-time (9 AM Amsterdam time). Surly, fast-talking, self-important Dutch reporters with heavy accents were on the other end of the call. Skipping standard perfunctory telephone pleasantries altogether–to include introductions–they bluntly demanded in almost unintelligible “English” instantaneous explanations for “shooting ‘der geese.” By lunch that day, DutchNews.nl had published an article entitled American firm offers luxury Dutch goose hunting trips, painting a sensational picture of American hunters flocking to the Netherlands for “one of the world’s best hunting opportunities.”

Other local and national “news” rags joined in (such as Americans ruffle feathers with unlimited trophy goose hunting trips to Netherlands). The articles highlights promotional language from US outfitter Ramsey Russell’s GetDucks.com boasting of “‘liberal’ shooting for an ‘enviable collectors list of species’” and an “immersive tour of this beautiful country” for hunting clients . Emphasis was placed on the $4,600 price tag for a five-day “luxury” goose hunt package, framing it as trophy tourism exploitation. The articles oftentimes noted that Dutch law technically allows foreigners to hunt if hosted by a Dutch license-holders, implying that “Dutch hunting legislation allows foreign nationals to go on ‘trophy hunts.’”  A Dutch Labour MP, Henk Leenders, even raised parliamentary questions, signaling political unease with the idea of wealthy Americans shooting local geese for sport.

To drive home the highly inflammatory “trophy hunting” narrative, DutchNews.nl quoted testimonials of American hunters proudly reporting big goose hauls: “We got 42 barnacle geese … during two morning hunts,” one client wrote, alongside a photo of piled birds. Another bragged, “I think we took 40 geese on the opening day… We’re going back – pencil us in for next August” . These anecdotes, paired with the article’s tone, suggested outrage: the image of foreigners reveling in mass kills of Dutch geese purely for fun. The implication was clear – the Dutch public is meant to see this as a gaudy, gratuitous “trophy hunt” enterprise deserving of scrutiny or scorn.

Whether fearing political reprisals or simply lacking testicular fortitude, even the Royal Dutch Hunters Association–that supposedly champions hunting in Holland–quickly chose sides. Altogether forgetting our previously cordial emails regarding hunting laws in Netherlands, condemning our use of the word “trophy,” and criticizing our goose hunting in Holland altogether, they all the while phished for local names to feed to the jackals while, of course, politically ingratiating themselves to the anti-hunting influences causing the stir in the first place.

But singularly focusing on “luxury hunting trips” and dramatic kill counts misses a critical point entirely: why are there so many geese to be hunted in the Netherlands in the first place? And is a visitor paying to hunt a goose meaningfully different from a Dutch official paying to cull one?! The Dutch media sensationally presented the what – affluent outsiders shooting geese – but pointedly ignored the context making such hunts possible, if not downright practical. To truly evaluate organized Netherlands goose hunting’s merits, one must first understand the man-made wildlife crisis unfolding in Dutch polders and pastures.

Like most contemporary, corporate-media sources, Dutch news outlets wanted only a sensationalized, click-bait worthy perversion of reality conforming to the biased narrative for whom they are indebted and exist solely as a paid megaphone. Offered a written statement under the legally binding terms that it might only be printed in its entirety and word-for-word verbatim–to include perfect Dutch translations–all major news outlets declined my offer without reply.  Their silence was deafening. Cowards are like that, huh?

So here’s the rebuttal. Sssshhhh. Don’t tell anyone. See, it’s like a dirty little Dutch secret: the Netherlands is the world’s poster boy for governmental mismanagement of wildlife resources. They assent instead to the emotionally fueled, scientifically unfounded reasonings of a same-the-world-over, vocal minority despite the ultimate consequences. But their country, their business, right? No. Because many geese are migratory, the deleterious effects are far reaching. As such, the remainder of the wildlife- and bird-loving world should take note–and maybe even hold the Netherlands morally–if not financially–accountable for spreading Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. You can’t make this stuff up.

For Context: How Dutch Anti Hunters Harass Legal Hunters with Near Impunity

A Man-Made Goose Overpopulation Crisis in the Netherlands

Far from being a pristine wilderness where thrill-seekers shoot the last remaining of a species, the Netherlands today is grappling with an overpopulation of wild geese – a problem largely of human making. Acquiescing to anti-hunters emotional rhetoric, goose hunting was banned about 2005. In the decades since, the Dutch landscape and left-leaning policies have effectively turned the country into “the most popular place in Europe for geese.” Intensive farming, with its endless acres of nutrient-rich grass and crops, combined with the Netherlands’ mild, temperate climate, and abundance of waterbodies have created an ideal year-round goose habitat.   As one Dutch ecologist noted, “in the 1970s the goose was a rare animal” in Holland  – hunting was essentially banned and geese were shielded by European regulations. Those protections worked too well. By leaving geese with abundant food and no natural predators or hunting, the population exploded.

This growth isn’t from migratory flocks only. Many goose species that once only passed through or wintered in the Netherlands now stay year-round and breed. For example, an estimated 600,000 “summer geese” (resident goose populations) now live in the Netherlands year-round instead of migrating away. Generous protection policies in past decades, such as hunting restrictions, allowed geese to build up large populations. Ironically, a conservation success in increasing goose numbers has backfired into an overpopulation crisis. By the mid-2010s, even Dutch wildlife groups and authorities recognized that the goose population had grown beyond sustainable levels (click here to read “Dutch Paradise for Geese” PDF). In 2013 the government announced it aimed to reduce goose numbers to their 2005 levels, which experts said would require culling about 500,000 geese . This acknowledgment – coming from a country known for progressive wildlife management – underscores that the goose boom is a direct consequence of human-altered habitat and now demands human intervention. No wonder Dutch authorities began issuing depredation permits and we were asked by locals to bring savvy American hunters!

The numbers speak for themselves. Dutch goose numbers have skyrocketed. More than 500,000 geese reside in the Netherlands during summer, and around 2.5 million migrate through or overwinter there – a 95% increase since the 1960s . What was once a seasonal migratory stopover has become a year-round goose haven. Sovon, the Dutch ornithology center, calls the Netherlands “very suitable for them,” with grassy road medians and farm fields offering “small pieces of nature… away from predators” where geese thrive.

Learn more: Sovon Goose Population Data

Public Safety, Crop Damage, and Goose Hazards

An overabundance of geese isn’t just a trivial nuisance; it creates serious public safety hazards and environmental impacts. Unchecked goose populations in the Netherlands lead to:

• Ecological and Agricultural Damage: This goose population boom brings serious consequences. Flocks of greylag, barnacle, and white-fronted geese decimate pastures and crop fields, causing tens of millions of euros in damage each year. In fact, the Dutch government spends “tens of millions of euros” annually compensating farmers for goose-inflicted losses. In just the first six months of 2016, Dutch farmers were paid €16.3 million ($18.6 million) for wildlife damage – with geese by far the top culprits (e.g. €6.5m or $7.4 million in claims from greylag geese alone). Taxpayers foot this enormous bill via the Faunafonds compensation system, an independent body that deals with provinding compensation for damage to agricultural crops and predation of livestock by wildlife. Taxpayer dollars are also spent the foolish notion that leasing agricultural cropland sanctuaries “for the geese” will somehow prevent them from depredating nearby farm crops. In reality it only increases reproductive success of geese. Learn More: Comparing Wildlife Damages in Netherlands.
• Public Safety Risks: Geese are not just eating grass – they are literally getting in people’s way. Large gaggles loiter on airport lands and even along highways. Near Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, geese pose a well-recognized aviation hazard, risking bird strikes with planes. Due to the sheer size of the goose population due to land-use practices, there’s a real danger that they’ll fly into an airplane engine one day and cause disaster. Hundreds of geese near runways have prompted authorities to seek permission to gas them for safety. On roads, drivers in Gelderland have been warned after multiple collisions with geese; the birds graze and nest along motorways where foxes won’t venture, then wander onto the tarmac.  What might seem a quaint wildlife sight is, in reality, a new danger for Dutch motorists and air travelers. Fasten your seatbelts and hang on!
•  Disease Spread and Biosecurity: Perhaps most concerning are the frequent avian influenza outbreaks in the Netherlands, amplified by large congregations of wild geese. The Netherlands has become a hotspot for highly pathogenic avian influenza (bird flu) in Europe, with outbreaks now occurring year-round in poultry and wild birds. Dutch authorities culled over 3.7 million chickens, ducks, and turkeys during the 2021–2022 epidemic – the worst outbreak on record. Wildlife experts have noted a “striking increase in avian flu among waterfowl” in the country, to the point that bird flu has essentially become endemic in wild bird populations.

Avian Influenza in the Netherlands: A Growing International Biosecurity Threat

Geese are known carriers of bird flu and have helped spread H5N1 globally. With over 5,300 barnacle geese found dead during the 2021–2022 outbreak, the Netherlands must reduce goose density to break the disease chain.

Learn More: RIVM Bird Flu Updates

Wild geese are known vectors for avian influenza viruses, meaning they carry and spread these pathogens while often remaining asymptomatic. When millions of resident geese gather in Dutch wetlands and fields, they create ideal conditions for viruses to incubate and jump to domestic poultry or other wildlife, such as seasonally migratory birds. During the 2021–22 Dutch bird flu wave, goose species were hit hard – over 5,300 barnacle geese were found dead in the Netherlands, the highest wild bird death toll of any species, representing as much as 7% of the local barnacle goose population. Such mass mortality events not only raise conservation concerns; they also keep the virus circulating. Infected geese don’t respect borders. Each spring, migratory cohorts of barnacle geese migrate 1,800 miles from the Netherlands to Arctic breeding grounds in Russia. Then what?

If they carry avian flu, they can transport it to pristine regions thousands of miles away. Indeed, scientists have linked migratory wild birds to the spread of H5N1 avian influenza from Europe to Africa, Asia, and even North America. One study found that the 2005 H5N1 outbreak spread from Asia into Europe and Africa via an “unprecedented long-distance transport… in which wild migratory ducks, geese and swans were implicated.”  In 2021, a similar pattern occurred when a strain of H5N1 made its way from Europe to North America, likely ferried by wild waterfowl.

Global Implications: Dutch Goose Mismanagement

The Netherlands must be held accountable for managing this threat at its source. Simply put, if the Netherlands fails to control its goose problem, the rest of the world pays the price in potential pandemics and economic losses.

So the Netherlands’ goose problem is no longer a local nuisance—it’s a global issue. Infected geese migrate across Europe, Asia, and North America, spreading harmful pathogens that threaten wildlife and poultry industries worldwide. These international consequences mean that the Netherlands’ goose overpopulation is a global biosecurity threat.

When Dutch geese carry deadly viruses abroad, they endanger poultry industries and wildlife far beyond Dutch borders. Countries worldwide are now on alert for bird flu partly because migratory birds from places like the Netherlands introduce the virus. The Netherlands must be held accountable for managing this threat at its source. Allowing goose populations to run amok is not a neutral choice; it actively undermines global efforts to control avian influenza. Responsible stewardship dictates that the Dutch government reduce wild goose densities to help break the chain of disease transmission. Simply put, if the Netherlands fails to control its goose problem, the rest of the world pays the price in potential pandemics and economic losses. This is a key reason why goose population control isn’t just about crop protection or fewer geese on the runway – it’s about international public health and fulfilling the duty to combat a virus that has become “a pandemic among… birds worldwide.” Which begs another questions borrowed from recent HPAI-related headlines–what about its transmission to humanity? Have we so quickly forgotten the Global Pandemic of 2020?!

The Netherlands reckless, emotionally fueled mismanagement has created significant goose problems of epic proportion. To say the least. Importantly, it is a problem born from human alteration of the environment and scientifically unfounded protection policies. The Netherlands geese have thrived beyond control, not because hunters like those from GetDucks.com suddenly appeared, but because for years no natural check or predation was in place. Goose hunting was largely forbidden; culling was minimal and restricted. The result? A densely populated nation that’s only half the size of South Carolina is home to 17 million people now hosts an even larger population of wild geese. By 2013, the Dutch government itself acknowledged the crisis, announcing a goal to cut goose numbers back to 2005 (pre goose hunting ban) levels – a reduction requiring the culling of about 500,000 geese. Key word: culling. In other words, even Dutch experts agree that half a million fewer geese are needed to somewhat restore ecological balance. The question facing the Netherlands is not whether geese will be killed to achieve this, but how–and by whom.

Cull versus Conservation definitions (per Merriam-Webster Dictionary):

Cull (verb)
ˈkəl
: to reduce or control the size of (something, such as a herd) by removal (as by hunting or slaughter)

Conservation (noun)
con·ser·va·​tion ˌkän(t)-sər-ˈvā-shən
: a careful preservation and protection of something. especially: planned management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation, destruction, or neglect

 

Conservation Through Hunting: A Responsible Solution

Hunting vs. Culling: Conservation Through Hunting or Just “Trophy” Fun?

Critics of the American “goose safari” trips deride them as “trophy hunting” – implying they are cruel, ego-driven outings detached from conservation. Yet this perspective is profoundly disconnected from on-the-ground reality. When a species’ population is far above the land’s carrying capacity, population control is conservation. Conservation as “wise use”  is taught universally in accredited wildlife management universities. Key word: use. As in consumptive use–similarly to agricultural crops, timber, cattle–and wildlife. Controlled hunting is simply one method of achieving that goal – arguably a far more sustainable and ethical method than the alternatives the Dutch government currently employs.

Consider what is already happening to manage goose overpopulation in the Netherlands: each year, government-hired cullers kill around 400,000 geese in an attempt to curb the population. These are not sport hunters seeking a trophy for the wall; they are pest controllers under contract, whose grim task is often to round up geese in bulk and exterminate them (sometimes by gassing) to meet cull quotas. Shockingly, most of these culled geese are then discarded like trash – “often being sent to factories and ground into pet food,” as NPR supposedly reported of the Dutch goose culling program–so the birds killed for crop protection often literally go to the dogs (or cats). Who else wonders which Dutch businesses and politicians cut deals in smoke-filled, back rooms to profit from this meat source conveniently garnered at taxpayer expense?  European regulations may have historically prohibited selling wild goose meat for human consumption because they were once rare, but “wild game markets” now abound and wild, hunter-harvested goose breasts are especially popular during the holidays. But the current state of affairs remain: hundreds of thousands of geese indiscriminately destroyed at taxpayer expense, their carcasses largely wasted, and yet their numbers still rebounding year after year.

Read: Goose Exterminator of the Netherlands

As compared to a regulated hunting scenario, visiting hunters–under strictly licensed provisions–shoot geese which in turn at least temporarily reduces the crop-raiding population. Ask the farmers how best to chase geese off their fields. That’s right. Hunting-related disturbances. Hunters pay for the privilege – injecting money into the local economy (guides, leases, lodging, food, permits) – and very likely will eat the goose or donate it for consumption, since hunters abhor wasting game. Remember: “wise use.” Geese are removed from the population without government or taxpayer expense, and in fact with an economic gain. This is conservation through hunting in a nutshell–using hunting as a tool to maintain wildlife populations at healthy levels, while funding conservation or local communities through hunting revenues. It is the same principle by which deer hunting maintains stable deer herds in many countries, or how licensed waterfowl hunters throughout the US fund wetland conservation via duck stamp programs. In North America, waterfowl hunting annually generates over $25o Billion economic activity, which stimulates local economies and funds the most successful continental, ecosystem management plan on earth! In the Dutch context, allowing some controlled goose hunting isn’t introducing cruelty – it’s tapping into a tried-and-true wildlife management strategy that also happens to offset public costs.

Learn More: Strict Requirements to Legally Hunt and Possess Firearms in the Netherlands

 

Eight hundred seventy-one hunters – not per year, but in total up to that point – versus 400,000 geese culled per year by the government. Clearly, blaming population woes on “trophy hunters” is absurd when those hunters comprise a tiny fraction of the wasteful lethal management already underway!

Even the term “trophy hunt” is misappropriated. Nobody eats wall-mounted trophies, but goose hunters–and a growing number of Dutch citizens–certainly eat geese. The American hunters in question are primarily shooting common “resident” species (greylag, barnacle, Canada, and Egyptian geese) for sport and meat, not endangered rarities. Yes, they enjoy the challenge and may take photos with a pile of birds–so what–but fundamentally these geese are part of a harvest that needs to happen. That must happen. One could argue that Americans are essentially volunteering – and paying – to do a job the Dutch government is already doing in far larger numbers. In one winter 2010/2011 alone, Dutch officials killed 187,000 geese (mostly greylags) as culls, yet “this has not reduced their numbers,” according to bird experts . Against that backdrop, the perhaps few thousand geese foreign hunters might shoot in a season is a drop in the bucket. In fact, by 2016 only 871 foreign hunters had ever made use of the legal provision to hunt geese/ducks as a guest in the Netherlands. Eight hundred seventy-one hunters – not per year, but in total up to that point – versus 400,000 geese culled per year by the government. Clearly, blaming Netherlands goose woes on “trophy hunters” is absurd when those hunters comprise only a tiny fraction of the wasteful lethal management already underway. Most likely, it’s political smoke-and-mirrors deflecting their own management shortcomings to avoid being held accountable to Dutch taxpayers. And to the world.

Crucially, regulated hunting is selective and humane compared to certain mass culling methods. A hunter typically targets a flying goose with a shotgun; if successful, the kill is usually near-instant. Contrast that with gassing operations, where geese are rounded up (often during molting period when they can’t fly) and exposed to carbon dioxide en masse, which has been criticized as causing stress and suffering to the birds. Even some Dutch animal welfare advocates who dislike hunting may find gassing tens of thousands of geese an unpleasant solution? Yet the European Commission has explicitly “given the green light” for the Netherlands to gas hundreds of thousands of geese across the country as a population control measure. If that is considered an acceptable tool to protect crops and airplanes, how can one argue with a straight face that an individual hunter shooting a goose is somehow beyond the pale? The hypocrisy is glaring.

International hunters are not the cause of the goose overabundance – they are a symptom of it, arriving precisely because a man-made overabundance due to Dutch mismanagement exists.

It becomes evident that what the Dutch media framed as a decadent hobby (“unlimited” goose shooting for rich Americans ) is in truth closely aligned with the science of wildlife management. International hunters are not the cause of the goose overabundance – they are a symptom of it, arriving precisely because a man-made overabundance due to mismanagement exists. And in a small way, they are helping to mitigate the problem by harvesting some geese that would otherwise be killed anyway by Dutch agencies. Demonizing these hunters as cruel “trophy” seekers is a convenient emotional appeal, but it ignores the real cruelty of letting geese overpopulate to the point of starvation, or killing them en masse only to throw them away. It ignores the economic burden of centuries-old dairy farms, poultry producers, and Dutch taxpayers. It disregards the countless birds lost by spreading HPAI from Netherlands to the Arctic. It is the reckless mismanagement of a natural resource. Managed hunting and culling are two sides of the same coin, except one is done by willing participants who cherish the animals hunted, utilize the meat (and often the skins and feathers), while the other is an atrocious bureaucratic cleanup operation. From a conservation perspective, the former can be a valuable tool. If properly regulated, hunting is sustainable and even beneficial for managing species like geese.

From Pests to Plate: The Cultural and Culinary Value of Wild Geese

Dutch geese have significant cultural and monetary values

One aspect conspicuously missing from “trophy hunt” outrage is what happens to the geese after they’re shot. Various Dutch media portrayals assume it’s all for show. In reality, a wild goose taken by a hunter is not wasted – in fact, around the world goose is a traditional game meat. The Netherlands itself has a rich (if somewhat forgotten) history of consuming goose. The Twentse landgans (Twente goose), for example, is a heritage domestic breed from the Twente region, once kept in great numbers. Over 100,000 Twente geese were being raised in 1900, suggesting how common goose husbandry and goose meals were in Dutch rural life. By 2011, however, only 110 of that breed remained  – a stark indicator that goose husbandry (and by extension, goose cuisine) had all but died out in modern Holland. This decline was no doubt influenced by the mid-20th century rarity of wild geese; as geese became less common, the Dutch stopped seeing them as food. As one Dutch citizen recalled, “for the past 50 years, it has not been normal to eat the goose in Holland because in the 1970s the goose was a rare animal” . In other words, until recently an entire generation grew up without roast goose, smoked goose breast, or goose stew on the dinner table. Nowadays, game shot by Dutch hunters is widely available; are especially popular during the holiday season. Hunter-harvested, wild goose-breast filets fetch €8.95 ($10). That’s €8.95 ($10) per goose!  Now do the simple math on economic value of culled geese converted instead to pet food.

Wild Dutch goose meat is lean, organic, and locally sourced – qualities that align perfectly with farm-to-table sustainability values.

Now that geese are anything but rare, there’s a growing movement in the Netherlands to bring wild goose back to the menu – a direct counterpoint to the idea that hunts are only about trophies. Innovative chefs, hunters, and even artists have started to highlight the culinary potential of these birds. A Dutch initiative called “The Kitchen of the Unwanted Animal” (De Keuken van het Ongenodigde Dier) set out to use meat from culled animals that are considered pests. Its Dutch founders were appalled that so many Amsterdam-area geese were being killed and “wasted” each year. In response, they developed a now-famous product: Schiphol Goose Croquettes, turning the byproduct of airport culls into a deep-fried delicacy . “These animals can be delicious, and shouldn’t be wasted,” Hagenouw insists  – and the popularity of their goose croquettes proved him right. What started as an art project stew pot has blossomed into a niche food trend: goose meat bitterballen, smoked goose fillets, goose sausages and more, sold at local butchers and food stalls. One Dutch smokehouse proudly offers “Gerookte borst van Schipholgans” – smoked breast of Schiphol goose – touting it as a “unique delicacy” that’s “almost impossible to get in the Netherlands” due to its limited supply. Diners who try these wild goose products often come away surprised at how rich and flavorful this free-range game bird is.

 

A goose cuisine renaissance underscores an important principle: Hunting can be entirely consistent with sustainable use of wildlife. Rather than mass-slaughtering geese and dumping them in landfills, the Dutch are possibly relearning how to respect the animal by using it fully – feathers to fertilizer, meat to meals.

A goose cuisine renaissance underscores an important principle: Hunting can be entirely consistent with sustainable use of wildlife. Rather than mass-slaughtering geese and dumping them in landfills (or into pet food factories), the Dutch are possibly relearning how to respect the animal by using it fully – feathers to fertilizer, meat to meals. Wild goose meat is lean, organic, and locally sourced – qualities that align perfectly with farm-to-table sustainability values. Every goose taken by a hunter for consumption is one less factory-farmed chicken or imported beefsteak that needs to be produced. In this way, sustainable hunting in the Netherlands can help fill a gastronomic niche as well as an ecological one. Historically, countries like Poland and Germany have longstanding traditions of wild goose dishes (goose Christmas dinners, smoked goose, pâtés, etc.), and the Netherlands is catching up by reviving its own. What’s more, when hunters know that the geese they harvest will be eaten and appreciated, it reinforces the ethic of the hunt as a responsible, even honorable, endeavor – the opposite of the wasteful “trophy” caricature. A bird in the hand can be food on the table. But hunting them is bad?

Hunting as a Sustainable Conservation Strategy

Goose Hunters Do the Work While Critics Caricature

It is easy for onlookers to sneer at a photo of grinning Americans surrounded by dead geese and label it “wrong.” It is harder, but far more constructive, to ask what solution those critics propose instead. The Dutch anti-hunting voices–and those that go along with it because silence is complicity–who are so quick to condemn “luxury” goose hunts have offered virtually no alternatives for solving the underlying crisis of goose population control. They’re certainly not putting their hands in their own pockets to offset the substantial financial losses experienced by family-owned-for-centuries dairy farmers. Neither are they accepting responsibility for transmission of HPAI outbreaks at home and around the world caused by their mismanagements.  Do they suggest ending the culls altogether? That would swiftly lead to even more ecological damage and likely mass starvation of geese when food runs short – a cruel outcome. Do they suggest non-lethal methods like relocation or birth control for geese? Such ideas are at best experimental, and at worst fanciful, given the scale (millions of wild birds on the wing). The uncomfortable truth is that some form of harvests are inevitable if the Netherlands is to reduce goose numbers by the hundreds of thousands as its own experts recommend. And if geese must be killed, then why vilify those who are willing to do it ethically, under license, and at their own expense?

The hypocrisy becomes apparent: opponents of hunting bristle–at least publicly–at the notion of a person deriving enjoyment from shooting a goose, yet they seem relatively unbothered by the same goose being gassed in a container or silently culled by a government sniper. The end result for the goose is no different – actually, the hunted goose perhaps lived a more natural life and died quicker than one corralled for gassing. The outrage is centered not on the act of killing the animal, but on who is doing it and why. A paying hunter in camouflage is judged more harshly than a contracted pest controller, even though both are ultimately achieving the same conservation aim of reducing an overabundant population. This is a distinction without a difference. It suggests the critics are driven more by emotion and optics than by concern for pragmatic conservation or animal welfare. After all, the real-world conservation impact of a regulated hunt is identical or better than a cull: one less goose competing for resources and ruining a farmer’s field, and potentially a useful carcass rather than a wasted one.

Meanwhile, who is funding and performing the hard work of wildlife management? In the Netherlands, it is largely the government (with public funds) and a dwindling, demoralized hunting community. Dutch provincial authorities and farmers have crafted “geese management” plans that include trained hunters to keep numbers in check. It’s telling that State Secretary Martijn van Dam’s own response to the trophy hunt controversy was not to ban goose hunting outright, but to ensure it’s done with “a concrete purpose such as removing a hazard to aircraft.” In other words, even the Dutch government concedes that targeted hunting has its place when it serves a legitimate purpose like safety or crop protection. The foreign hunters maligned in the press were serving such a purpose – they targeted species identified as agricultural and aviation pests under the supervision of Dutch guides. If anything, these hunters brought extra resources to help a cause that the Netherlands was already struggling with the failed “Ganzen-7” plan when stakeholders couldn’t agree on how to cull enough geese. It is quite ludicrous for comfortable commentators to cry foul about “American trophy hunters” when those hunters have arguably contributed more to real conservation on Dutch soil – in terms of time, money, and labor – than any of the armchair activists tweeting their disapproval.

In the final analysis, the debate over Dutch goose hunting is not really about Americans, money, or trophies at all. It is about whether responsible, science-based wildlife management is embraced—or will continue to be rejected for superficial perceptions? The geese cannot be argued into reproducing less or migrating elsewhere; responsible actions must be taken. Those who understand conservation recognize that hunting is a legitimate tool in the toolkit – one that, if well-managed, reduces overpopulation, mitigates human-wildlife conflict, and even generates economic value from a problem. Those who only see a “luxury goose kill” are missing the forest for the trees.

Goose Hunting in Netherlands: the Bottom Line

Hunting in the Netherlands is helping to restore ecological balance, not upset it. It is the hunters, both Dutch and foreign, who are out in the wetlands and farmlands at dawn, in the cold and mud, doing the work necessary to keep goose numbers manageable. It is the hunting licenses, permits, and yes, tourism dollars that bring in funding – or at least offset costs – for wildlife management and habitat efforts. And it is forward-thinking hunters and chefs who ensure that a harvested goose can become a tasty meal, a source of cultural revival, instead of pet food. Or worse, a wasted life. In contrast, the loudest anti-hunting critics offer little beyond moral indignation. They neither compensate the farmers for lost income nor present a viable plan to prevent geese from overrunning Dutch green spaces. So why do Dutch politicians assent to such childishness?

The father of wildlife management, Aldo Leopold, once opined, “A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.” Conservation is measured in results, not rhetoric. On that score, the contribution of regulated goose hunting is positive. Every goose taken legally is one small step toward the long-term harmony between Dutch agriculture, public safety, and wildlife. Rather than malign those who participate in sustainable hunting, might the Netherlands do better to embrace all hunters as partners in conservation – holding them to high standards, of course, but valuing the role they play?

The true legacy of conservation is not written by those who object from the sidelines, but by those willing to engage directly with managing nature. In those regards, the Dutch have failed miserably and should be held morally if not financially accountable. As the saga of the Dutch geese shows, sometimes the responsible hunter and the dedicated conservationist are one and the same. The sooner we flip the script and recognize that fact, the sooner pragmatic solutions – like controlled goose hunting in Holland – can proceed without false stigma, to the benefit of all: farmers, taxpayers, tourists, ecosystems, and yes, even the geese themselves.

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Sources: DutchNews.nl; Leeuwarder Courant; NL Times; Sovon (Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology); The Guardian; NRC; European Commission; NPR (The Salt); Dutch government publications (and others online), many others, personal observations and experiences

An essential resource for private forest landowners, conservationists, and forestry professionals aiming to develop comprehensive forest stewardship plans. Co-authored by D. Ramsey Russell, Jr., then Refuge Manager at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Tallatchie National Wildlife Refuge, and Susan Stein, Forest Stewardship Coordinator at the USDA Forest Service, this guide provides a structured approach to sustainable forest management. 

If you’re a private landowner aiming to enhance wildlife habitat, increase timber value, and ensure long-term sustainability of your forested property, a well-crafted Forest Stewardship Plan is essential.

Planning for Forest Stewardship: A Desk Guide, co-authored by Ramsey Russell and published by the USDA Forest Service in 2002, offers a comprehensive, step-by-step approach to sustainable forest management.

Key Components of a Forest Stewardship Plan:

•Landowner Objectives: Define clear goals—be it wildlife conservation, timber production, recreation, or legacy planning.

•Resource Inventory: Assess current forest conditions, including tree species, soil types, water resources, and existing wildlife habitats.

•Management Recommendations: Develop strategies for habitat enhancement, selective harvesting, reforestation, erosion control, and invasive species management.

•Implementation Schedule: Outline a timeline for executing management activities and monitoring progress.

(more…)

It’s been said that the largest armed force on earth convenes on grain fields each September to shoot doves. Under the hot sun, around barbecue pits, iced drinks and panting dogs, camo-clad hunters usher in the real new year pursuing birds.

Fireworks erupt at the legal shooting time. Shotguns blast salutations at diminutive gray gamebirds that streak overhead, barrel-rolling like Top-Gun cadets, some falling in a feathery poof. That’s how my own indoctrination into hunting humbly began under the watchful eye of my grandfather. But the world’s one helluva lot bigger than a dusty Mississippi Delta dove field.

I found out that doves were plentiful in South Texas when I was working there in my college days. I also hunted bobwhite and scaled quail there. They preferred running to holding tight, but they were no match for my energetic springer spaniel. The behavior of those birds was an eve-opener for both of us.

We returned home with our hunting world expanded. We then pursued the migratory woodcocks  in bottomland hardwood thickets, Wilson’s snipe on the drained-field mudflats, and moved on to pheasant in corn fields of the Midwest.

SCI Game Birds of the World Awards helps hunters learn about the many opportunities for wingshooting around the world and rewards their efforts. The platform is relatively new and stands alone from SCI existing game species awards.

Registration is as simple as completing a SCI Gamebirds of the World Photo Entry Form and submitting a grip-and-grin photo showing the distinguishing feather characteristics of your prized game bird.

My upland journey continued with deep-woods ruffed grouse, open-prairie sharp-tails and all the overseas birds: black grouse, capercaillie and an entire world’s worth of beautiful gamebirds. It was then on to Argentina, which is renowned for ducks and doves, but where hunting perdiz over pointers speaks to their own traditional heartbeat. Likewise, in South Africa, hunting guineafowl, rock pigeons, sand grouse and myriad francolin species have been elevated to near art form via orchestrated drives and deployed German short- haired pointers.

The world is full of amazing gamebirds. The awards program helps ensure hunters on their journeys know of these many opportunities for sport and conservation around the world. Check out safariclub.org/game-birds-of-the-world to get your journey jumpstarted.

And to think that my journey with the gamebirds of the world all started on a dove field in Mississippi.

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Backdropped by the mountainous game room displaying world sheep slams and other lifetime accomplishments from hunting big game worldwide, devoted Safari Club International (SCI) member Shaun Harris explains, “I’ve always loved hunting ducks and upland birds, but there’s something about their subtle beauty—about their dazzling colors, especially—that add another whole dimension to this room where I’m reminded of some of the happiest times of my life. And a lot of hunters don’t even realize that birds can be hunted nearly anywhere worldwide that big game are hunted.” The world truly is a whole lot bigger than our own back yards, abounding with dizzying arrays of ducks, geese, swans and upland gamebirds worldwide. In fact, there are 6 whole continents worth of opportunity!

Water runs downhill, collecting in low-lying wetlands. For that reason alone, waterfowl are most oftentimes hunted worldwide at or even below sea level. But that’s where things get fun—based on a 100-plus species’ varied life histories, chasing them takes hunters to open seas and rocky shorelines, fast-moving rivers and tranquil marshlands, all points in between. Great needle-in-a-haystack example of fully immersing oneself into a landscape while toting a shotgun and wearing waders is hunting African pygmy geese. In an otherwise arid, South Africa landscape, they’re hunted in lily pad-covered wetlands. Talk about fresh perspective! And there are exceptions to the low-lying areas rule, too—such as the unique ducks and geese inhabiting high-altitude, altiplano wetlands among the Andes Mountains.

As if waterfowl weren’t enough to keep us busy, there are 100-plus more upland gamebirds. While hunters may have since progressed up hunting’s food chain, most youthful hunting introductions likely involved swinging hand-me-down scatterguns at doves under the watchful eyes of their ancestors or stumbling headlong through cover behind setters that behaved way differently with noses full of birds than when they’d been asleep under the kitchen table the previous night. To later learn there’s a world full of such gamebirds can be eye-opening. And inspiring. Stalking capercaillie in boreal forest environments so quiet that breath can be heard crystallizing, watching driven guineafowl hurling towards the shooting line like black-with-white-polka-dotted cannonballs, seeing ruffed grouse fading from peripheral vision more quickly than a shotgun can be shouldered embodies addictive explorations of new feathered frontiers seeped in deep-rooted upbringings.

SCI’s Gamebirds of the World Awards Platform is a relatively new, standalone platform not intermixed with existing Big Game Species Awards. It will increasingly bring needed attention to bird hunting opportunities and conservation.  Registration is as simple as completing a Gamebirds of the World Photo Entry Form and submitting a grip-and-grin photo showing distinguishing feather characteristics of your prized gamebird.

SCI has forever been the world’s foremost advocate of hunting and wildlife conservation, but the new gamebirds platform opens important new frontiers. For longtime members that have completed their big game quests or are looking for new adventures to complement their big game hunts, hunting gamebirds will be like finding religion. Importantly, expanding our renowned record book program to include waterfowl and upland gamebirds will potentially attract a newer generation of hunters that are passionate about what SCI represents. And this comes at a time that the stakes have never been higher.

Ramsey Russell is the owner of GetDucks.com, a United States-based company that facilitates duck hunting experiences worldwide and has been doing so since 2003.

He has hunted on six continents and spends about 225 days a year pursuing his passion, which has allowed him to gather a wealth of knowledge from around the world including during multiple visits to Australia, where he has hunted with Field & Game Australia members and also helped with waterfowl research activities. This passionate waterfowler has hunted diverse species in some truly amazing locations, but after two decades in business there are still some “bucket list” birds and experiences on his radar, hunting Cape Barren geese foremost among them.

Here, Ramsey Russell gives us an insight into a trip he made in January this year, leaving his Mississippi home and the North American winter to spend a week hunting Cape Barren geese on Tasmania’s Flinders Island.

Long  journey worth the effort

“Five flights later, the shimmering Bass Straight was glimpsed through puffy clouds, and ahead lay the small Flynder’s Island that was our destination,” Ramsey said. “Covering roughly 550 square miles, it’s inhabited by 900 people living close to the land. No [crazy] Australia anti-hunters here, I was told … no crime either. Cows and sheep plentiful, Cape Barrens too.”

Ramsey said the birds evolved in brackish marshes and still bore the greenish-yellow cere to excrete salt – but had since adapted to the island’s abundant pastureland – He said other distinctive features of Cape Barren Geese are their talon-like claws on deeply lobed webbed feet, and heart-shaped dark spots on their feathers. “Highly territorial, pairs and cohorts stake out each paddock across the landscape as their own,” he said. [Read More: Cape Barren Goose bucket list fulfilled]

Right from the very beginning of the planning stage, it was evident that our annual hunting trip to the Northern Territory was going to be bigger than Ben-Hur this year.

Not only had interest grown proportionately with the amount of southerners keen to tag along, but there was international interest as well, and anything that involves the modern-day Christopher Columbus of waterfowling – hunter, forester, and wildlife biologist Ramsey Russell – seems to grow quickly.

By the time accommodation, flights and land transport were arranged, the trip included three South Australians, nine Victorians, two Northern Territorians and four North American VIPs, for a total of 18 people, four vehicles, two houses and a cabin – and a logistical nightmare of epic proportions.

Ramsey was bringing a couple of world-leading scientists and a videographer with him, and before we knew it the necessary permits were being sought that would enable scientific sampling and the collection of waterfowl specimens that were destined to be museum exhibits in the United States.

Was it worth the effort? Was it a successful trip? Did we enjoy every minute of it? Absolutely!

The four days prior to heading to the NT were spent in Victoria, filming Battleground Australia documentary, Duck Season Somewhere podcasting, and taking samples from frozen Victorian birds that had been generously donated by Field & Game Australia volunteers, board members and staff. The new FGA national office at Connewarre Wetland Centre was a hive of activity and was the perfect place at which to undertake the task at hand.

Eventually, the Victorians made it to the NT and joined the others late on a Monday evening, and everyone was aghast that• our first me together was KFC and not something from the great outdoor pantry! But it was late, and there had been no chance to shop for food or prepare it if we had – and anyway, turns out this was our last non-game meat meal for a week. Spanish mackerel, magpie goose and duck were on the menu for the remainder of our trip, presented in almost every way you could imagine. Curry, laksa, dim sims, dumplings, stir-fried, roasted, barbecued slow cooked, deep-fried southern style, tomahawk steaks, schnitzels, poppers and it was all presented as if we were sitting in a posh restaurant.

The hunting was outstanding. Full limits were achieved on almost every outing, and on the few occasions an individual didn’t achieve a limit in. the morning, they went back in the evening to finish off. [Read More: Annual NT Magpie Goose Hunting Trek with a Twist]

Researchers and an American Hunter Race The Clock To Gather Specimens Before Waterfowl Hunting Here Is Banned

A bright orange fireball crested the eastern horizon, baking the buffalo-tracked, red-dirt landscape, wringing sweat into our shirts and ball caps like cutting a Mississippi lawn in mid-July. And it was only 6:30 a.m.

Overhead, intermittent flocks of plumed and wandering whistling ducks piercing still air with cee-dee-dee and felled by tall shots. In hand, we first-timers to the Northern Territory of Australia marveled at their beauty of extremely elongated flank feathers. But not for too long. The main event was underway. Waves of magpie geese stretching from one horizon to the next and for as far as could be seen through our sweaty eye slits. They were the reason we were here.

Magpie goose hunting is strictly a pass-shooting event. They lifted off in distance, trading between feed and water. They faintly honked like Canada geese and few at various heights over our shooting lines. Hardly anyone hunts them over water here — too many man-eating saltwater crocs. Out-of-towners, like myself, abide standard operating proce-dures. Ominous crocodile warning signs posted at property entrances plus we hear countless supper-table stories about 20-foot beasts snatching folks from boats.

Magpie geese are living fossils, representing an ancient connection between chicken-like birds and modern waterfowl. Magpie geese are about the size…Read More: Battleground: Australia Duck Hunting (PDF)

Thanks to Safari Club International‘s support, we brought along hunting videographer Justin Mueller, who produced “Battleground Australia,” that aired on GetDucks YouTube channel on January 23. The 19-minute hunting documentary importantly details the scientific value of these waterfowl spcies and of hunting to waterfowl management and to humanity worldwide.

SCI, Ambassador Called Worldwide Attention to Battle in Australia

Safari Club International, Field and Game Australia, and hunters in Australia’s state of Victoria are celebrating a hard-won victory over a battle to save duck hunting. SCI members will recall that SCI’s Advocacy Team joined a fight to prevent animal rightists in Victoria from banning waterfowl hunting there. (See June 2023 edition of Safari Times.) Sonya Kilkenny, the Outdoor Recreation Minister at that time, openly admitted wanting to ban waterfowl hunting and created a Select Committee comprised of anti-hunting proponents to “investigate” the duck season and determine the future of waterfowl hunting in Victoria.

SCI issued a Hunter Advocacy Action Center alert and on May 8 submitted 685 comments and letters from SCI members and advocates to the committee. In addition to explaining that hunting drives conservation programs, including duck conservation, the letters urged the Select Committee to base its decisions on science and ignore anti-hunting bias.

SCI also funded Ramsey Russell of getducks.com to travel to Australia with waterfowl scientists to investigate and report on the looming threats to waterfowl hunting there and the wildlife management and conservation that would be lost with a hunting ban. Russell posted his Battleground Australia documentary about the issue on his website. Look for Russell’s story, “Battleground: Australia” in the March/April issue of SAFARI Magazine.

In a letter to fellow members of FGA, a national association supporting sportsmen’s rights and conservation, board member Paul Sharp said, “so grateful that Safari Club International has seen our plight and stood so solidly with us in our fight to continue hunting in our country of Australia and all its challenges.” FGA’s Hunting and Conservation Manager Glenn Falla wrote, “This would not have been possible without the support of so many great people, including SCI and Ramsey Russell getducks.com.”

On January 29, new Minister of Outdoor Recreation Steve Dimopoulos issued a press release announcing that recreational duck and quail hunting will continue in Victoria with some changes to ensure it remains safe, sustainable and responsible. The government will adopt seven of the Select Committee’s eight recommendations regarding required hunter education and training, stricter compliance levels, banning lead shot for quail hunting, implementing a plan to reduce waterfowl wounding and recognizing the knowledge and land management of aboriginal communities. “While the committee did not reach con-sensus in its report, the views of more than 10,000 Victorians and organizations were heard in the biggest response to a parliamentary inquiry ever in Victoria,” according to Dimopoulos.

“Recreational duck and quail hunting is a legitimate activity, and it matters to thousands of Victorians who love the great outdoors.” Additionally, his ministry has authorized the Game Management Authority to implement science-based adaptive harvest management to guide the length and conditions of each duck season, beginning in 2025. The 2024 duck season in Victoria will run from April 10 through June 5, 2024.

Why would a world-renown waterfowler go to the desert to hunt ducks? Because they are there. There was still a bit of a chill in the air late last year as the sun began to rise over Phoenix, Arizona. No wind. No clouds. It was to be a blue bird day in the desert.

Bobbing in the current of the Salt River were a couple of handfuls of duck decoys as a few ducks, in ones and twos, flew over to take a look. Although it was anything but a wide-open hunt, waterfowling personality Ramsey Russell, Arizona Game and Fish Department Migratory Gamebird Biologist Johnathan O’Dell and the author were ready for whatever the day would bring.

Later in the morning, because the hunt was on public land within sight of the Phoenix metropolitan sprawl, the hunt also saw a group of birdwatchers with their binoculars and cameras stroll by, even as kayakers navigated around the decoys in the river. Talk about multiple use!

Desert duck hunting turned out to be a lot more fun than Ramsey initially had imagined. “I really enjoyed Arizona. People don’t think of the desert for waterfowl, but it can be a great place to hunt. When you find water in Arizona, you find ducks, Ramsey explained.

When Ramsey Russell talks about doing a hunting swing he ain’t whistin Dixie, so to speak. “This swing — so far this year, I went to Texas during the teal season, then Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Montana, Utah — north, southeast and west of the Great Salt Lake, Arizona — Salt River, then southwest, then New Mexico along the Rio Grande and then Roswell for sandhill cranes,” Ramsey noted shortly after leaving Arizona.

Read full story (PDF): International Waterfowler Goes To Arizona As Part Of Nationwide Tour

The 2024 GetDucks.com Catalog is awesome! View latest 36-page, full-color catalog online: Ramsey Russell’s GetDucks.com 2024 Brochure – Offering the World’s Best Duck Hunting Experiences (hi res PDF).  Or view the online flip-page GetDucks Brochure (link at bottom of each page of GetDucks.com).

Contact us to receive your complimentary hi-res, high-quality print copy mailed directly to you. Copies also available at Safari Club International, Dallas Safari Club, and other select sporting events.

In this issue: GetDucks Company Profile • About GetDucks • It’s Always Duck Season Somewhere Highlights • The Best Argentina Duck Hunts • Ultimate South Africa Wingshooting • GetDucks Conservation Corner • The Best Mexico Wingshooting • GetDucks Worldwide • Azerbaijan Hunting • Guatemala Duck Hunting • Alaska King Eider Hunting • Peru Duck Hunting • New Zealand Waterfowl Hunting • South Africa Duck and Bird Hunting • Russia Bird Hunting • Netherlands Goose Hunting • Sweden Goose Hunting • Australia Duck Hunting • San Luis Argentina Dove and Pigeon Hunting • Mongolia Bird Hunting • Pakistan Duck Hunting • USHuntList Outfitters and Contacts • It’s Always Duck Season Somewhere (reprint) • Affiliate Sponsors Pages • Testimonials • Collectors Corner • North America Waterfowl Species List • World Gamebird List (available at GetDucks destinations) • Duck Season Somewhere Podcast

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