A town in North Dakota is taking an unusual tactic to reduce the geese on its municipal golf course: it’s holding a public hunt. The hunt will take place at the Fox Hills Golf Club, a public 18-hole course in Watford City, North Dakota, which is in the western part of the state.
The Watford City Police Department announced the unique opportunity in a recent Facebook post. “In an effort to help control the Canada goose population near The Fox Hills Golf Course, The City of Watford City, Watford City Police Department, and Fox Hills will be hosting managed goose hunting,” wrote the department.
There will be five hunting dates in total—September 28, October 1, October 5, October 8, and October 11. The hunt is first-come, first-served with a maximum of twenty hunters. Participants are asked to meet at the course at 6:30 a.m. on the morning of the hunt and will be transported to designated hunting locations—holes 4, 13, and an irrigation pond—by staff. In addition to abiding by state and federal regulations, hunters are being asked to refrain from ground pounding and taking low shots at birds. Field dressing is also forbidden on-site.
The managed hunt is an unconventional way to try to limit the impact of geese on golf courses, where they’re known to get in the way of golfers and damage turf. Golf course groundskeepers around the country are known to employ a variety of tactics to limit the impact of geese, from laser and audio deterrents to contracting nuisance wildlife professionals to kill geese.
Among the waterfowling community, hunting golf courses is a sneaky way to get into good hunting, though it can be a challenge to get permission from golf course managers, particularly at municipal courses. A managed public hunt is almost unheard of. But if you’re near Watford City, now’s your chance; while one of the hunting dates has already passed, four others are quickly approaching.