PIERRE - Nearly 1,000 hunters have applied to be part of a special hunt next month that will target problem Canada geese in six eastern South Dakota counties.

But there are only 140 slots available. The Capital Journal reports that the Game, Fish and Parks Department will randomly select hunters and notify them by the end of next week.

Canada geese can be a problem for farmers because they feast on crops such as corn and soybeans. Since 2000, the state has spent more than $4.3 million fighting the problem.

The special hunt in designated areas of Day, Kingsbury, Brookings, Lake, McCook and Minnehaha counties is April 1-30. The birds will be donated to a program that helps feed the hungry.

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