Hemlock, N.Y. - It was a wild goose chase in Livingston County.
A team of DEC biologists and volunteers chased around Canada geese to band the birds and learn about the local population.
"These geese at Hemlock get captured every year and checked," volunteer Tom Hudak said. "So they get pretty smart. This doesn't injure them in any way, but they're not real crazy about the interaction with people so if they see us coming, they get right in water and take off."
Volunteers and biologisits had to get in canoes in Hemlock Lake to move the geese to shore in order to band their legs.
One interesting fact is that you can't tell a goose from a gander just by taking a gander at it.
"You have to look internally to see if it's a male or female," said DEC Wildlife Biologist Scott Smith. "So once you get the technique down it's pretty quick and easy, but yeah it's not for the faint of heart."
What's learned about the health and size of the population helps determine hunting seasons to keep the population in check.
