Canada goose hunting season underway at Eagle Lake

By Anthony Thomas
Midwest City Beacon

The 2021 Canada goose hunting season at Eagle Lake in Del City began this week.

The annual hunting season is an effort by the city to mitigate the non-migratory geese population at Eagle Lake. The season ends on Sept. 20.

Each year, the city council approves a scheduled hunting season by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. The city is asked by Tinker Air Force Base to mitigate this population of non-migratory geese at the lake to avoid hazards to aircraft flying over Del City.

Non-migratory birds are resident birds that live in the same place throughout the year without migrating north or south.

Only the hunting of Canada geese by licensed hunters is authorized but the hunting and trapping of any other animals at Eagle Lake are still prohibited. The event is open to the public, but all participants must have a license.

The number of people allowed to hunt is limited to a maximum of 15 per day. Hunters are governed by the rules and regulations of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, including but not limited to, provisions regarding bag limits, licensing, weapons, and hunting season.

Eagle Lake will be closed to all other activities from Sept.13 – 20. The lake will only be open for exclusive use by licensed hunters of the geese. It is only legal to hunt the birds during the scheduled period. The hunting or killing of Canada geese in any other part of the city is still prohibited and punishable by a fine of $750.00 and/or imprisonment up to 60 days.

To acquire a license for hunting at Eagle Lake one may visit the permit/license desk at City Hall. The Del City Council approved this year’s hunting season at their most recent meeting on Sept. 7.