A recent controversial goose hunt in a Beaver County park possibly violated federal regulations against hunting waterfowl in baited areas, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said.

But the agency noted that it would be difficult to determine retroactively whether geese were attracted to the hunting area in Bradys Run Park because people had been feeding them in violation of posted regulations.

"The conclusion we came to is that that area could have been considered baited," Neil Mendelsohn, senior special agent in the agency's Office of Law Enforcement, said in an interview.

"If these birds that are being fed are being lured in as a result of the feeding that these people are doing, then that would be considered, yeah, a baited area and hunting would be prohibited in that area," Mr. Mendelsohn said.

Prohibited, that is, until the area is cleared of all feed and closed for 10 days prior to the hunt, in line with what federal regulations dictate.

No closure happened, despite a warning from the New Jersey-based Coalition to Prevent the Destruction of Canada Geese, which asked the county to call off the hunt last month because of specific concerns about baiting.

Rebecca Reid, a North Sider with the Voices for Animals of Western Pennsylvania, which opposed the hunt, approved of Mr. Mendelsohn's comments.

"I'm pleased with that reaction," Ms. Reid said.

"The way I see it, we can suppose that [the county] genuinely felt they were doing something legal last time, but now that they've been informed, there's an issue we would expect them next time to act within the confines of the law," Ms. Reid added.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Office of Law Enforcement has a Web site about waterfowl hunting and baiting which states:

"Many people feed waterfowl for the pleasure of bird watching. It is illegal to hunt waterfowl in an area where such feeding has occurred that could lure or attract migratory game birds to, on, or over, any area where hunters are attempting to take them.

"The 10-day rule applies to such areas, and any salt, grain or feed must be gone 10 days before hunting."

Proving that Bradys Run Park was baited during the six-day hunt in December and January that bagged 28 geese would not be easy.

"There would definitely be a problem with going back and trying to determine at this stage if any of the birds were in fact hunted by the aid of bait," Mr. Mendelsohn said. "We would encourage [Beaver County] to contact our office to discuss the situation prior to holding a hunt."

Commissioner Charles A. Camp launched the hunt both to provide recreation for hunters and to try to reduce fouling from goose droppings.

When told of Mr. Mendelsohn's comments, Mr. Camp said, "I'll look into it."

Mr. Camp has acknowledged that people sometimes feed the birds despite signs forbidding it.

"Yeah, we know that some people sometimes go down there, but it's not like it was a regular designated area where people go down there every day," Mr. Camp said.

It is not clear how often people feed the geese or whether they fed them 10 days prior to the hunt. However, it is known that the county does not actively enforce the feeding ban.

Over the past year, a U.S. Department of Agriculture employee met with county officials to discuss the goose problem at Bradys Run Park.

Among the topics discussed were using education to enforce rules against feeding and employing a multi-pronged approach to the problem, which could include hunting.

"We have talked to them about the fact that there is feeding that goes on, and you need to have a policy that has teeth and needs to be enforceable," said Craig Swope, district supervisor for a USDA field office in Bolivar, Westmoreland County.

"There are obvious signs that the birds in that area are acclimated to feeding," Mr. Swope said.