A Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks officer said the 21 dead geese found in a creek southeast of Lawrence had been shot.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Department was called Tuesday to a creek in the 1700 block of North 1250 Road after a passerby noticed the dead geese.

Natural Resource Officer Aaron Henrichs retrieved the birds Wednesday. He said it appeared the geese had been shot with a shotgun and then dumped into the creek, which feeds into the Wakarusa River.

“In this number, it is unusual. Twenty-one geese is a lot,” Henrichs said. “I’ve seen dumped carcasses throughout the fall.”

Henrichs said the hunting season for geese ended Sunday. Hunters are allowed to shoot three geese a day.

The state also has a law prohibiting dumping carcasses in a waterway.