Employer killing out of season?

[Tbar]

It's a Federal crime as well.  Report them to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service just for good measure.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Office of Law Enforcement
911 N.E. 11th Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97232-4181
Telephone: 503/231-6125

Get some video or pictures, that always helps.

[Rainier10]

My internet advise is this...and we all know what internet advise is worth.

Think very hard about what you are contemplating doing.  Ask yourself this, if "I report this and they find out it was me, is it worth my job"?  Make no doubt about it, you will lose your job if they figure out you reported them especially if you didn't address your concerns to your employer first.  The hazard might have been communicated to you as "slippery goose poop", and that may or may not be the real reason.  The real reason might be much more reasonable and make sense, you just aren't necessarily asking the right people or high enough up the food chain to get the right answer.  I think you'll find that any land owner, especially a mill owner or business, is given a considerable amount of latitude to manage their property and the game on that property. You might find out the local game official signed off on this.

The more I think about this the more I think it might be possible that they have some sort of kill permit.

I think I would ask whoever is doing the shooting if there is some sort of special permit that they are given to eradicate the nuisance geese.  Depending on that answer you can decide what to do from there.

[frazierw]

My internet advise is this...and we all know what internet advise is worth.

Think very hard about what you are contemplating doing.  Ask yourself this, if "I report this and they find out it was me, is it worth my job"?  Make no doubt about it, you will lose your job if they figure out you reported them especially if you didn't address your concerns to your employer first.  The hazard might have been communicated to you as "slippery goose poop", and that may or may not be the real reason.  The real reason might be much more reasonable and make sense, you just aren't necessarily asking the right people or high enough up the food chain to get the right answer.  I think you'll find that any land owner, especially a mill owner or business, is given a considerable amount of latitude to manage their property and the game on that property. You might find out the local game official signed off on this.

The more I think about this the more I think it might be possible that they have some sort of kill permit.

I think I would ask whoever is doing the shooting if there is some sort of special permit that they are given to eradicate the nuisance geese.  Depending on that answer you can decide what to do from there.

I work at a golf course in the summer and we have a terrible problem with geese.  We called F&G to and they wanted us to call a "Specialist" they would not let us eradicate them on our own.

[ctwiggs1]

Get your 10 points man!

[chester]

Get your 10 points man!

No points for geese

[JimmyHoffa]

Shoot a few yourself and you might get a raise and promotion. 

[Blacktail Sniper]

My internet advise is this...and we all know what internet advise is worth.

Think very hard about what you are contemplating doing.  Ask yourself this, if "I report this and they find out it was me, is it worth my job"?  Make no doubt about it, you will lose your job if they figure out you reported them especially if you didn't address your concerns to your employer first.  The hazard might have been communicated to you as "slippery goose poop", and that may or may not be the real reason.  The real reason might be much more reasonable and make sense, you just aren't necessarily asking the right people or high enough up the food chain to get the right answer.  I think you'll find that any land owner, especially a mill owner or business, is given a considerable amount of latitude to manage their property and the game on that property. You might find out the local game official signed off on this.

The more I think about this the more I think it might be possible that they have some sort of kill permit.

I think I would ask whoever is doing the shooting if there is some sort of special permit that they are given to eradicate the nuisance geese.  Depending on that answer you can decide what to do from there.

The more talkng to and questions you ask them, the easier it is going to be for them to figure out who turned them in if you decide to.  At that point, whether they are in the right or not, you probably will be gone...

My version of internet advise for a situation like this is avoid doing what you have just done on the internet all together, either contact WDFW directly and express your concerns or ignore it and get on with your day...

[Humptulips]

Is it possible the company or property owner has a permit or the legal ability to do this?
Geese can be a huge problem.

I am pretty sure you cannot get a kill permit for Migratory waterfowl. Even Wildlife Control operators are not allowed to touch them. If it is truly a problem USDA can do it but not private parties.

[Evil_EdwardO]

From the WDFW site:

Lethal Control

    If the above nonlethal control efforts are unsuccessful and the damage situation persists, lethal control may be an option. Lethal control techniques include legal hunting, shooting out of season by permit, egg destruction by permit, and euthanasia of adults by government officials.

Legal Status

    Canada geese are protected under federal and state law and a hunting license and open season are required to hunt them. Where lethal control of Canada geese is necessary outside of hunting seasons, it should be carried out only after the above nonlethal control techniques have proven unsuccessful and only under permits issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Currently, the only agency permitted for lethal removal is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services.

[gr8whthunter]

Now I have worked for this company before (the company contracting my current employer) and I was in upper management there, and I know or at least highly doubt they are doing this by the book or with any legal means by how everyone in the office jokes about it when we go into the main office for a safety meeting, I've read some good advice from you guys on here and I guess when it comes time to where they start eradicating the geese and waterfowl from the ponds I will make my decision but based on how much it angers me just thinking about it as a sportsmen or outdoorsmen I think it will turn to a phone call to wdfw

[pianoman9701]

Didn't sit by and watch this happen, I guess they do it yearly and last year I started st this company soon after they did that so it should be happening soon and me as a hunter or sportsman I highly doubt I will be able to sit by and just watch as this happens

Have you spoken to your boss about this? That might be another option. I hate poachers and I would turn them in if I caught them. But, I've never been forced to choose between my job and my ethics. Unless we've actually been in that situation, we have no idea what our response would be. Don't get your chest all pumped up based on what you read in this thread. None of us are walking in your shoes right now.

[lamrith]

My internet advise is this...and we all know what internet advise is worth.

Think very hard about what you are contemplating doing.  Ask yourself this, if "I report this and they find out it was me, is it worth my job"?  Make no doubt about it, you will lose your job if they figure out you reported them especially if you didn't address your concerns to your employer first.  The hazard might have been communicated to you as "slippery goose poop", and that may or may not be the real reason.  The real reason might be much more reasonable and make sense, you just aren't necessarily asking the right people or high enough up the food chain to get the right answer.  I think you'll find that any land owner, especially a mill owner or business, is given a considerable amount of latitude to manage their property and the game on that property. You might find out the local game official signed off on this.

Double edged sword though, if he DOES ask about it then he has the target on his back if he realizes they are not legal and turns them in and wdfw does something.  If they are legal and the local officer signed off on it, He can find out the same thing by making a phone call to wdfw, no reason not to call if the Co is being legal about it and that way his anonymity and job are protected.
Sure it is great to give employer benefit of the doubt, and to ask within before you go outside to authorities.  But anyone that thinks a Co will not terminate a potential problem worker because they asked a question like that is delusional.  And good luck proving they terminated you because of it, WA is at will state, they can say he was 0:00:30s late to work one day or that he drives a blue truck as resaon for termination.

[gr8whthunter]

Didn't sit by and watch this happen, I guess they do it yearly and last year I started st this company soon after they did that so it should be happening soon and me as a hunter or sportsman I highly doubt I will be able to sit by and just watch as this happens

Have you spoken to your boss about this? That might be another option. I hate poachers and I would turn them in if I caught them. But, I've never been forced to choose between my job and my ethics. Unless we've actually been in that situation, we have no idea what our response would be. Don't get your chest all pumped up based on what you read in this thread. None of us are walking in your shoes right now.

I have seen my employers reaction to this when they were all talking about it and they think it's funny So by that I'm guessing they don't have a care in the world about it, my employer and parts of the companies management just think it's a funny histarical thing that happens

[Gringo31]

So what have you decided to do?

[gr8whthunter]

They haven't done it yet this season but like they have said it's a yearly things so they're going to and I think me as a person I have to, it's wrong and me as a person the person I am I can't sit back and be ok with that, like my dad and grandfather use to say, at the end of the day all you have is yourself