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Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 2,429 Likes: 20
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Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 2,429 Likes: 20 |
The goslings will be there to nest next year....population explosion ahead.
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Joined: May 2014
Posts: 3,867 Likes: 301
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OP
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 3,867 Likes: 301 |
We have a pair of geese that have showed up for three years now. They defend the big pond against all comers. It is fun to watch them attack and drive off other geese, cormorants, a GBH or two and even one young eagle.
They have raised young each year. This year I finally named them. The male is Maverick and the female is Charlie. Seven goslings this year are learning the ropes. It is funny to watch them right on mom's butt. The last time I was out at the farm, they were just starting to graze out in front of the parents.
So for me, one pair is perfect. Yes there is a little poo out on the peninsula, but that is about it. Having the cormorants run off is well worth that one small issue. And the goslings are fun to watch. Brian, you only have had that one pair of geese? Their offspring did not return to your pond? Your experience is what I'd love -- my wife thinks geese are beautiful. And cormorants are the enemy!
7ac 2015 CNBG RES FHM 2016 TP FLMB 2017 NLMB GSH L 2018 TP & 70 HSB PK 2019 TP RBT 2020 TFS TP 25 HSB 250 F1,L,RBT -206 2021 TFS TP GSH L,-312 2022 GSH TP CR TFS RBT -234, 2023 BG TP TFS NLMB, -160
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,186 Likes: 44
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,186 Likes: 44 |
So far, we have only had the one pair defend the big pond for the last three years. They have run off all comers.
And they are fun to watch and talk to. It has gotten to the point that when I shoot, they don't even move away. That is why the had to be named.
If in the future we do have a population explosion, I can take care of that situation as well. I have a really big smoker available anytime!
Brian
The one thing is the one thing A dry fly catches no fish Try not to be THAT 10%
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 6,980 Likes: 15
Ambassador Lunker
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Ambassador Lunker
Joined: Jun 2008
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We've had a pair around the place for 6-7 years. I don't know if it's the same pair or not, but the number has never increased.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
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Joined: May 2014
Posts: 3,867 Likes: 301
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OP
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 3,867 Likes: 301 |
Went to addle goose eggs today, but the nest was abandoned. We celebrated too soon, though: A short while later we spotted mom & pop goose...with four goslings. Too late!
My wife will be delighted, as will my grandkids. Next season: Away with Geese!
7ac 2015 CNBG RES FHM 2016 TP FLMB 2017 NLMB GSH L 2018 TP & 70 HSB PK 2019 TP RBT 2020 TFS TP 25 HSB 250 F1,L,RBT -206 2021 TFS TP GSH L,-312 2022 GSH TP CR TFS RBT -234, 2023 BG TP TFS NLMB, -160
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,084 Likes: 282
Moderator Lunker
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Moderator Lunker
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,084 Likes: 282 |
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,186 Likes: 44
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,186 Likes: 44 |
Think positively,
Enjoy them this year and next year if there is a problem, search for goose recipes and steel shot loads for goose season and enjoy them again!
Brian
The one thing is the one thing A dry fly catches no fish Try not to be THAT 10%
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 5,712 Likes: 3
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
Joined: Aug 2006
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Went to addle goose eggs today, but the nest was abandoned. We celebrated too soon, though: A short while later we spotted mom & pop goose...with four goslings. Too late!
My wife will be delighted, as will my grandkids. Next season: Away with Geese! I'm obviously quite a coward. I'd never attempt to sneak into a goose nest to addle the eggs. Geese guarding a nest are really mean and powerful. I've still got 65 year old wounds on the back of my head from a supposedly domestic gander that our dog was smart enough to stay away from, but I wasn't. It chased me down the driveway beating its wings against my arms and pecking me on the head. However, as has been mentioned above, goose breasts are rather tasty. Somewhere in a back issue of Pond Boss is a recipe similar to what ESSHUP posted above. He brought some duck breasts to Bob and Debbie Lusk's place when a bunch of us were visiting. I was somehow put in charge of preparing them. ESSHUP and I marinated and grilled them. They got eaten faster than some prized filet mignon. I can neither endorse nor confirm this, but I've been told that if a goose is shot in the breast or head with a .22, it will float if it was on the water. On land, it just keels over. A simple grab and pull in the middle of its chest reveals two large liver-colored pieces of meat that just need to be skinned from the feathers, and sliced away from the carcass.
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Joined: May 2014
Posts: 3,867 Likes: 301
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OP
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 3,867 Likes: 301 |
You learned from experience. I call that smart, not cowardly! Not sure how we'd have done if the geese were still on the nest. Maybe run for the hills, or dive in the pond. I bet the CNBG would have nipped us if we'd taken to the water...
Last edited by anthropic; 04/24/17 09:57 PM.
7ac 2015 CNBG RES FHM 2016 TP FLMB 2017 NLMB GSH L 2018 TP & 70 HSB PK 2019 TP RBT 2020 TFS TP 25 HSB 250 F1,L,RBT -206 2021 TFS TP GSH L,-312 2022 GSH TP CR TFS RBT -234, 2023 BG TP TFS NLMB, -160
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 6,080 Likes: 1
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 6,080 Likes: 1 |
I suspect that geese are less of an issue for the folks down south. Supposedly, they are migratory birds so most probably move further North to breed. In the Midwest, 100s of thousands stay here year around. I predict the day will come when they are similar to the South's feral hog problem but 10 fold. At least it is legal to shoot feral hogs year round. We have given up trying to go to parks here for a picnic and family day as the ground is covered with goose crap and the associated diseases. A park near me closes their lake to swimming every summer due to E-coli.
Be Brave Enough to Suck at Something New!
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,186 Likes: 44
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,186 Likes: 44 |
Bill,
Try BBQ goose, its what we do with the hogs.
Brian
The one thing is the one thing A dry fly catches no fish Try not to be THAT 10%
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 6,080 Likes: 1
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 6,080 Likes: 1 |
I would love too but it's a short hunting season during a time when they seem restless and move a lot. IMO the Midwest's goose problem would make a good PBM article for Dan VanShaik.
Last edited by Bill D.; 04/24/17 08:46 PM.
Be Brave Enough to Suck at Something New!
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,186 Likes: 44
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,186 Likes: 44 |
Bill, If he does an article, the science of when it is right to hunt would be interesting to read. Also, is the population growing to large? All things that should be studied.
Brian
The one thing is the one thing A dry fly catches no fish Try not to be THAT 10%
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Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 21,533 Likes: 277
Moderator Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
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Moderator Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 21,533 Likes: 277 |
FYI story re geese.
This doesn't have much in common with the thread but is a funny story just the same. About fifteen years ago there was a guy who used to feed the Canadian geese at a lake in Rochester Minnesota. The city for the most part hated the birds, lots of crapping, getting in the way of cars etc.. A large flock living year round in this partially heated lake. Some people would park their cars by the lake and feed the birds bread, So after a spell the birds became very tame. A mother and her daughter were feeding the geese one day, when the little girl noticed that a goose that had gone under one of the parked trucks and did not come back out. She told her mother about the bird and the two of them watched a second goose disappear the same way. They explained this to a cop who was driving through the parking lot. When the officer went to investigate the four wheel drive truck, he noticed while talking to the driver, that a large hole had been cut out of the trucks passenger floor board and broken pieces of bread in the seat above. This guy was waving the bread through the hole, and when the poor goose would poke his head up into the truck, the enterprising hunter would grab the neck of the bird, spin it around a few times and throw them behind the seat. They found out later on that this old guy had been doing this for years.
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 834
Lunker
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Lunker
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 834 |
Good story. Although geese are enjoyable to view, they are commonly referred to as Sky Carp around here for their loose bowels and all the mess they make along shorelines and in the water.
Good morning Dave, I've checked the ships systems, and everything appears to be running normally.
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Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 21,533 Likes: 277
Moderator Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
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Moderator Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 21,533 Likes: 277 |
PB nomenclature = flying toilets !!!!
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 6,980 Likes: 15
Ambassador Lunker
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Ambassador Lunker
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 6,980 Likes: 15 |
I think a goose is a lot like a rooster, in that they both would like very much to be the one in charge. And if you let them, they will happily take on the role as foreman. It has been my experience however, that both aggressive geese and roosters will settle down and fall in line after a few times of being seized by the neck and flung up against a tree, or thumped on the ground. It's been a few years, but I've had to do it a couple times in the past.
If we're talking about a child or smaller adult, or if it's obvious to the bird that you're intimidated by it, then it has the upper hand.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
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Joined: May 2009
Posts: 5,730 Likes: 289
Lunker
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Lunker
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 5,730 Likes: 289 |
I agree with geese, but I have had roosters that never learn.
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,796 Likes: 310
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,796 Likes: 310 |
So many great images to imagine in this thread:
1) Catmandoo running down his driveway while under attack. 2) Spark grabbing a goose by the neck and pounding it on the ground. 3) FireIsHot/Al taking a spill and going full horizontal on Condello's pontoon boat.
Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:" "She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,326 Likes: 307
Moderator
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Moderator
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,326 Likes: 307 |
I never took a spill. Priority one was saving my truck keys so I didn't have to walk back to TX from Lincoln NE. Priority number two was saving my cell phone in case priority number one failed. I called my wife on my cell while driving my truck back home, so I would call the evening a complete success.
My Matrix like reflexes coupled with total darkness, an overloaded boat, and Sunil making poor life decisions. What could have possibly gone wrong?
Last edited by FireIsHot; 04/26/17 03:22 PM.
AL
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,796 Likes: 310
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,796 Likes: 310 |
Didn't you like save the trickle charger or something like that??
Talk about bad decisions. It was plugged in and you were about to fall in the water holding onto it!!!
At least that's what I now recall......
Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:" "She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 6,980 Likes: 15
Ambassador Lunker
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Ambassador Lunker
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 6,980 Likes: 15 |
Ah yes, a late night in Nebraska. I remember hearing a commotion rising up from the darkness somewhere below, TJ coaxing the bonfire in a manner that would've provoked envy in Hephaestus, and praying that I wouldn't take a wrong step and plummet over the cliff edge down to the water. Or if I did suffer a misstep, hoping the fall would kill me outright and save me the embarrassment of reliving the incident all weekend. Good times.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,084 Likes: 282
Moderator Lunker
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Moderator Lunker
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,084 Likes: 282 |
Dang, and I missed all that.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,657 Likes: 879
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,657 Likes: 879 |
Tony, don't you remember the banjo playing in the background?
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,657 Likes: 879
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,657 Likes: 879 |
I would love too but it's a short hunting season during a time when they seem restless and move a lot. IMO the Midwest's goose problem would make a good PBM article for Dan VanShaik. Bill, you might want to look at the goose hunting regulations again....... From the Illinois DNR for the goose season last year. The recommendations include 60-day duck seasons in each of the state’s four waterfowl hunting zones, along with 107 days of Canada goose hunting opportunity in the North and Central zones (15 days in September, two days of youth hunting and 90 days of regular goose season), 99 days of Canada goose hunting opportunity in the South Central Zone, and 86 days of Canada goose hunting opportunity in the South Zone.
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Moderated by Bill Cody, Bruce Condello, catmandoo, Chris Steelman, Dave Davidson1, esshup, ewest, FireIsHot, Omaha, Sunil, teehjaeh57
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