Goose Hunting

[Willie T]

Put the dekes out, dug the blinds down into a drift, put the homemade snow cover on, and field hunted for geese in the cold and blowing snow with the 15 month old PP. Picked up some mallards as well. It was a good day. Knuckle headed Pudelpointer brought back a double on the mallards in one trip. I thought he was going swap birds but nope. It took him a couple tries to get them both in his mouth before he rolled on back with them. I like this dog. He is a thinker. I know the labs I used to train and hunt would be eliminated from a trial, but I liked it.
Willie

[AverageGuy]

Nice Hunt and Photo.

[Doc E]

Good for you two.
Did the PP retrieve the geese too ?
.

[Willie T]

Good for you two.
Did the PP retrieve the geese too ?
.

Yes. It is something we prepared for. He carried his first goose at 3 1/2 months. We still have a ways to go, but he is on the right path. A lot of natural retrieving desire. Fun dog to train and hunt with.

[LongHammer]

Looks like you have a few monster geese in there. What is that white stuff everywhere? Must be goose attractant. I never see that white stuff and I have been trying for 3 years to shoot a goose and nada. If they would only let me build a blind on the golf course.......

[blue04]

If they would only let me build a blind on the golf course.......

I know you're joking but you should go talk to the head grounds keepers at the golf courses. I've had better luck dealing with the grounds keepers than the golf pros or owners. They'll be very particular about when you can come and hunt (only very early morning, only on very cold days when no golfers are there), but you might be surprised how many courses will let you kill geese. I've got 3 local courses where I can get in once in a while and shoot geese. The golf course owners and greens keepers hate them. YMMV

This should go without saying but . . . you'd better be super careful to pick up all of your empty hulls and make sure you're not ground-swatting cripples on their perfectly manicured greens.

[Willie T]

Longhammer. The big birds are giant canadas. The smaller lessors were migrating that day as the water was freezing up. We were able to break enough of them down into the decoys to have a good hunt. You hunt geese different than ducks. With ducks, the decoys do most of the work. You call to turn the birds when they are lined up, then just enough to keep the illusion real.
With geese you talk them all the way to the gun. Match their tempo with the call and don't stop calling till you reach for the shotgun. When you stop calling they slide. The geese in the pic were shot with steel duck shot at 20-25 yards, 10 yards off the deck.
Willie

[LongHammer]

It was 85 yesterday I don't have calling problems I have seeing problems. Here Geese go to golf courses and never leave town. I understand I live in Arizona geese are like all the other snowbirds. RV Park to the golf course repeat. I need to offer a trade I'll gladly help you shoot Geese today for some 70 degree quail in January.

[Willie T]

Sounds like a road trip is the solution. Current weather patterns have definitely altered waterfowl migrations. The central plains are definitely loaded with geese right now.
Willie

[mtlhdr]

Nice haul! How do you eat your geese?

[Willie T]

Usually I either make snack sticks or the wife puts them in a gumbo which is my favorite.

[blue04]

Geese make awesome jerky. Some of my friends prefer it to venison jerky.

Nearly any recipe that's good for lean cuts of beef will work for Geese.

[Bigearl]

I have killed quite a few geese over the years and have yet to ever eat one. It can't be as good as chicken or a steak off of a grain feed steer yearling. Besides there are always low income families around that will gladly take free meat.

[blue04]

It can't be as good as chicken or a steak off of a grain feed steer yearling.

I guess it depends on your perspective. I'm certainly not making jerky out of grain fed steak, so I can't really compare. I don't think I'd just throw a goose breast on the grill the way I would a steak. The flavor would be fine, but I'd bet it would be dry and tough. If I don't make jerky from it, my favorite way to cook it is to slow cook it in the crock pot, then pull it for barbecue sandwiches.

[Willie T]

It can't be as good as chicken or a steak off of a grain feed steer yearling.

I guess it depends on your perspective. I'm certainly not making jerky out of grain fed steak, so I can't really compare. I don't think I'd just throw a goose breast on the grill the way I would a steak. The flavor would be fine, but I'd bet it would be dry and tough. If I don't make jerky from it, my favorite way to cook it is to slow cook it in the crock pot, then pull it for barbecue sandwiches.

Blue, try they same prep, through the pulling. Then simmer pulled meat in brown gravy. Serve over toast smeared with mashed potatoes for "goose manhatten". Good stuff.

Earl, you are missing out on some fine table fare if prepared properly.