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Canada Goose
Canada goose or canadian goose,a bird with a long neck, are names describing
the world’s greatest migrating bird. There are many different color species
on many continents. Canada goose is the most known bird in North American,
promises of Spring and Fall seasons. Its wide “V” formation is amaizing;
also, you can hear its call from kilometers away, they are over one million
in eastern Canada. Hunters from Canada and the United States love to hunt
this number one game bird.
Call and habitat
There are 10 to 13 specific Canada goose calls as listed by research workers.
When they are born, the are limited to sharp alarm calls. There are many
other calls such as alarm calls, safety calls and tracing calls. Well
trained hunters know these calls and make a good use of them.
As you can see, Canada geese are everywhere: in small lakes, along rivers or
ponds in the northern forest.
We should not forget our great Canada goose “branta canadensis maxima”
living in our parks. It is most found in Ontario from Cornwall through
Toronto up to Windsor. There could be 352,000 birds registered since 2 years.
Québec’ population is growing!
In Québec, the Canada goose “branta canadensis maxima-moffitti” is part of
the “maxima” goose family with a count of approximately 2,000 pairs of
breeders. Most of the Canadian geese are in Varennes or Boucherville’s
islands, in Dundee near the Akwasasne Indian Reservations and in Ottawa.
Many also notices some geese on Richelieu River, Champlain Lake, Disraëli,
the Eastern Townships and in the St-Laurence River region.
There are five varieties of Canada geese migrating in Fall:
1) The “branta canadensis maxima” goose, weighing between 3 and 5.6 kg (6.9
to 12.5 lbs).
2) The “branta canadensis maxima-moffitti” goose weighing between 3.7 and
4.5 kg (8.2 to 9.9 lbs) and also being the subject of actual researches.
3) The “branta canadensis parvipes” goose, weighing between 2.2 and 2.8 kg
(4.8 and 6.1 lbs).
4) The “branta canadensis tavernieri” goose, weighing between 2.1 and 2.7 kg
(4.7 and 5.9 lbs).
5) The “branta canadensis interior” goose, the one most hunted in Québec,
weighing between 3 and 4.2 kg (6.8 and 9.1 lbs). It mostly nests in James
Bay, in the entire northern forest.
Having the Canadian geese weight, you can easily identify the species you
hunt with a small electronic scale sold in a hunting and fishing store. This
kind of scale is usually used for fishes but you can hang the goose by the
nose and it will do the job!
Many Canada goose hunting techniquess used in Québec!
The first and most popular technique is to locate the geese, get near them
and shoot them on the ground or when they take off. Depending on where the
geese are, this method has a moderated success rate. As you know, birds
constantly move when they are feeding and they are seldom in the same field
as the day before.
Another technique used by many hunters is to locate the geese and come back
the morning after where they have been seen the day before.
Canada geese are territorial birds coming back to same feeding sites as long
as they are not forced to move – by the hunters or any other natural
predator.
The most productive hunting technique seems to be with decoys, in
silhouette, shelf, full body or natural sizes. A quality goose call must be
used otherwise it will be very hard to have the geese in sight to shoot.
The last technique is the fly way hunt. The experiences hunters only have a
good success with this method. Many decoys are required. What makes this
hunt most interesting is that many hunters can participate. You must find
the geese’ flying corridors; with many callers, simulate a bunch of geese in
the field. In Fall, when they travel in small groups, the Canadian geese are
easier to lure.
I hope the few comments will help you for a most thrilling and challenging
hunt.
Philippe Dupuis
Professional guide
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