By Chad Koenen

Publisher

The Minnesota DNR is investigating approximately 20 snow geese that were recently thrown in a ditch in rural Vining. The snow geese were located in Nidaros Township near the intersection of 195th St. and Nidaros Church Dr. 

“Someone threw about 20 snow geese in an embankment there. My wife found them on the seventh and they were fresh and there were fresh tire tracks too,” said Jim Pratt of rural Vining.

Pratt said the location where the snow geese were disposed of is an obscure section of land and he doesn’t think the people who disposed of the animals did so knowing who owned the land.

“It’s an obscure part and people wouldn’t know who owned it,” he said. “It wouldn’t be a thing of vengeance. It would be someone who didn’t want to dispose of them properly.”

Tricia Plautz, of the Minnesota DNR, said it appears as though the snow geese were hunted during the early snow geese season, breasted and the carcases were dumped in a ditch. She said there is no limit to the amount of snow geese a person can hunt in Minnesota or North Dakota, but the carcasses cannot be dumped on other people’s land or public property. She said the Minnesota DNR is investigating the incident for littering and anyone with information about the snow geese is asked to contact Plautz or the Minnesota DNR.

“Jim and I both would just like to get the word out, find out who dumped them and get the responsible party to clean up their mess,” she said.