Jump to content

canada geese


TJ91
 Share

Recommended Posts

on one of my permissions there is a huge grass field half flooded, which is next to 3 fields of wheat, ther is a few skeins of canada geese that are coming in on a morning (also some greylag and various duck)

they are feeding on the wheat and resting on the flooded land.

the farmer wants rid as they are making quite a mess and asked if i would shoot them, i know that the greylags and duck are out of bounds but can i shoot the canadas, are they a pest here??

(i have some heavy bismuth cartridges which i use for greylags on the foreshore in scotland)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i thought so, just wanted to check first.

thanks for the reply.

the gas guns and rope bangers dont bother them and also they arent fussed about the colour/silver balloon things that rotate on sticks in the wind.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

got tucked in a gap in a hedgerow with a couple of bits of netting at first light

between the flooded field and 1 of the wheat fields they have been concentrating on

about 20 duck lifted from the water as i walked across, nice to see some good healthy duck!

sat for a good hour and saw/heard no geese, a few pigeons heading over to a fresh drilling(tomorrows shooting)

 

after about an hour and a half the rain was still pouring and it was very light but then i heard the first skein, as always they went to the filed opposite and didnt get within range, next skein came from the other direction and headed straight at me, high up, as they got closer they set their wings and funneled down, unfortunatly they wer a mix of greylags and canadas and i couldnt pick out a canada for a clean shot so i let them by, they settled out on the flood gaggling away

the next skein came straight over about 50 strong well within range, no greylags, managed 1 with my second shot and lifted the others that had settled which circled and came straight over me, another dropped to my 2nd shot.

half an hour later i was ready to leave and walked up the hedgerow to gather my 2 geese, as i got about 50 yard from the hide a lonesome canada came towards me but settled well out on the water without a shot been fired, i crept back to the hide and thought i would wait another half hour or so, what a good choice i made, 6 more small skeins of between 6-20 came on the perfect flightline i had 13shots and managed another 4, not the best shooting but i thoroughly enjoyed myself and the farmer was very pleased.

i will be keepin my eye out and will be back if they return, fingers crossed (for my sake not the farmers).

i will be putting 1 in the oven in a few minutes ready for a late tea!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good shooting :)

 

But hang it before you eat it or it will be as tough as old boots :yes:

 

 

i have hung the rest but one is already in the oven,

i know its not recommended but it will be on very low heat for many hours.

last time i threw 1 in the oven only a couple hours after been shot it tasted great and was not too tough, but i do agree with hanging, just desperate to get some goose in my gut!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice write up, do you have a method for aging a goose you intend to eat. I only ask as I know they get real tough at maturity, an old gamekeeper told me never shoot the ones at the front of the vee and once it's down squeeze it's windpipe, if it crackles it's old.

 

My sister-in-law gave as Xmas presents some geese her other-half had shot and apparently some of them you couldn't even get a knife into them once they were roasted.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Take the meat off the bone, take away most of the fat, mince medium coarse, add rusk, finely diced onion and apple, cider, season with your favourite herbs and stuff away.

 

Leave for 48 hours in the fridge for the flavour to mature - freeze or cook.

 

Render the rest of the fat down for the Sunday Roast Spuds.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Age, sex and diet have a lot to do with the way a Canada cooks and eats. Actually pretty much everything to do with it!

 

I don't think I know of any other creature that has such a wide span from excellent to old boots on the table, but thats the way it is with the Canada!

 

Sexing is pretty straightforward, but aging is not so easy in my experience, but size, condition, head and eyes will usually give you an insight.

 

So how do you tell the age accurately...anyone know, most of mine is educated guesswork born of experience!! :):yes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Canadas are probably the best eating goose and out of the 80 odd birds i have eaten I have never had a tough one yet as long as you do not over cook them. They want to be done until their is still a hint of pink in the meat , just like good beef. I never hang a goose any longer than it takes me to get around to prepare it. Usually a day or two. If you are going to shoot any more now the weather has warmed up dress them within 24 hours or they will go off as the grass ferments inside them. They will be nesting soon and the pair link in geese is very strong. I did shoot one a few years ago when they were causing some problems for a fishery owner. Its mate hung about for days looking for its partner and i swore I would never shoot another out of season , but leave them until the autumn when the pair bond is a lot weaker. It would be better to leave the geese until September 1st and enjoy shooting them as they should be as wildfowl. It was a very sad day when canadas were put on the pest list.

Edited by anser2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Canadas are probably the best eating goose and out of the 80 odd birds i have eaten I have never had a tough one yet as long as you do not over cook them. They want to be done until their is still a hint of pink in the meat , just like good beef. I never hang a goose any longer than it takes me to get around to prepare it. Usually a day or two. If you are going to shoot any more now the weather has warmed up dress them within 24 hours or they will go off as the grass ferments inside them. They will be nesting soon and the pair link in geese is very strong. I did shoot one a few years ago when they were causing some problems for a fishery owner. Its mate hung about for days looking for its partner and i swore I would never shoot another out of season , but leave them until the autumn when the pair bond is a lot weaker. It would be better to leave the geese until September 1st and enjoy shooting them as they should be as wildfowl. It was a very sad day when canadas were put on the pest list.

 

I can see where you are coming from in some respects, but it sure wasn't a sad day round this part of the country, we have thousands of the ******* and they cause a lot of grief and mess and damage and financial loss.

 

As is often the case, two sides to many stories, many think it is a joke that the Parakeet is on the licence now, because they have never seen one and have no idea how destructive and out of control they are!!

 

:good:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...