Dear Sirs, I find the daily…

Dear Sirs,

I find the daily bag limit of 50 birds to be totally unacceptable. In addition, the proposed hunting season is more than 9 months of the year which is way too long. I can understand the need to control these birds in very specific situations, but this proposal basically opens up these birds to mass slaughter. I have seen these birds on a remote northern lake where they are not bothering anyone. The idea of hunters coming in to kill these birds in mass throughout most of the year is just not acceptable. I realize that the proposal speaks to monitoring of populations, but by the time it is recognized that there is a problem, it may well be too late. Unfortunately these birds are not appreciated by many people, and there is a risk that some would like to see them entirely wiped out. Since they tend to flock together in groups, and are large, they will be easy targets to those that would like to eliminate them. Please make changes to greatly shorten the proposed season, and to greatly reduce the daily bag limit. A limited season in the fall, with small bag limits would be better to ensure this species does not end up back on the endangered list. We need to treat all of our wildlife with respect and ensure long term sustainability, even for those creatures that are not always very popular or appreciated.

Thank you.