The Toronto Blue Jays’ season ended suddenly in October, and replacement Erik Swanson marked the death of the Birds’ season by killing even more birds – at least 17 of them.
Swanson shared a post on Instagram last weekend in which he posed with one of his two children in front of the bodies of at least 17 Canada geese that were hunted by the pitcher in Roseau, Minnesota.
The 30-year-old shared the photo with the caption, “Starting the outdoor off-season!”
As bad as the Jays’ abrupt and disastrous postseason was, I’d say these Canadian Birds met a more violent end in Minnesota than the boys in blue did against the Twins earlier this month.
Before anyone starts sharpening their pitchforks, hunting Canada geese is completely legal during Minnesota’s sanctioned hunting season from September 23 to December 22.
While goose hunting isn’t against the law this time of year (with a permit, of course), a handful of commenters responded to Swanson’s post calling out the North Dakota native for shooting a lot of birds.
“What a sad sight,” said one commenter, while another remarked: “What did they ever do to you!?!?!”
Another chimed in: “Canada geese? It’s tragic as I live on one of the flight paths and love hearing them fly over in the spring and fall,” adding, “I have to ask if this is just for food or just for exercise.”
An equal number of commenters responded with messages of support for Swanson.
“Thank you for doing your part to control the Cobra chickens!!!!” reads one reply.
Others point out that while Toronto locals know these animals best for their aggressiveness and strong defecating abilities, they actually make pretty good food.
“Looks like a very nice hunt! Time to roast them and throw them in the frying pan.”
When it comes to mass animal killings, animal welfare concerns are always raised; However, the population of Canada geese has increased dramatically in recent decades, and hunting is considered a recognized means of population control.
The Government of Canada notes that “most regional surveys show that Canada geese numbers are either increasing or stable, but overall they are at unprecedented numbers.”
The government estimates there are seven million of the birds in North America, an alarming increase after the species was nearly wiped out in parts of Canada just half a century earlier.