If you’re outside and happen to hear a very distant cry way, way up in the sky, you may catch of glimpse of high-flying snow geese now making their way north. They’re on the move now. Snow geese are mostly white but have other color phases, too. They nest in the Arctic, but their population has exploded and they’re threatening to wreck the nesting places for many kinds of ducks and other wildlife there.

It’s interesting that hunting of snow geese was stopped almost a 100 years ago to help them recover, but now the opposite problem exists—and hunting is now a reasonable solution.

So if you’re interested in a geese feast, or simply in helping to keep them from destroying habitat for many sorts of wildlife, you should be aware of how hunters can help control their numbers. A special “light goose order” was recommended by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to extend hunting without limits on these geese into the spring. (It includes snow and blue geese which are different color phases of the same species, as well as Ross’s geese which is a different but related species.) The Missouri Conservation Commission  approved this regulation to help deal with the problem. Here’s what the regulation is:

“People must only possess a valid migratory bird permit to take blue, snow and Ross’s geese from Jan. 31 through April 30, 2009. Methods for the taking of blue, snow and Ross’s geese during the Conservation Order include shotguns capable of holding more than three shells, and with the use or aid of recorded or electrically amplified bird calls or sounds or imitations of bird calls or sounds. Hunters may shoot from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. A daily bag limit will not be in effect during the Conservation Order.”

That’s pretty unusual in today’s world, where species on the edge, limited in number are so often in the news. The Missouri Conservation staff who manage waterfowl areas put updates about the numbers of these geese on the web so hunters can tell what’s happening. (The geese can move through the state pretty quickly as the weather warms.)

So what can you do with the geese you harvest? Here’s one snow goose recipe from Missouri Outdoors to get you started….

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If you’re outside and happen to hear a very distant cry way, way up in the sky, you may catch of glimpse of high-flying snow geese now making their way north. They’re on the move now. Snow geese are mostly white but have other color phases, too. They nest in the Arctic, but their population has exploded and they’re threatening to wreck the nesting places for many kinds of ducks and other wildlife there.

It’s interesting that hunting of snow geese was stopped almost a 100 years ago to help them recover, but now the opposite problem exists—and hunting is now a reasonable solution.

So if you’re interested in a geese feast, or simply in helping to keep them from destroying habitat for many sorts of wildlife, you should be aware of how hunters can help control their numbers. A special “light goose order” was recommended by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to extend hunting without limits on these geese into the spring. (It includes snow and blue geese which are different color phases of the same species, as well as Ross’s geese which is a different but related species.) The Missouri Conservation Commission  approved this regulation to help deal with the problem. Here’s what the regulation is:

“People must only possess a valid migratory bird permit to take blue, snow and Ross’s geese from Jan. 31 through April 30, 2009. Methods for the taking of blue, snow and Ross’s geese during the Conservation Order include shotguns capable of holding more than three shells, and with the use or aid of recorded or electrically amplified bird calls or sounds or imitations of bird calls or sounds. Hunters may shoot from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. A daily bag limit will not be in effect during the Conservation Order.”

That’s pretty unusual in today’s world, where species on the edge, limited in number are so often in the news. The Missouri Conservation staff who manage waterfowl areas put updates about the numbers of these geese on the web so hunters can tell what’s happening. (The geese can move through the state pretty quickly as the weather warms.)

So what can you do with the geese you harvest? Here’s one snow goose recipe from Missouri Outdoors to get you started….

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Here are several ways to prepare a snow goose that’s so tasty, you’ll always volunteer to bring home the geese.

Prepared properly, a snow-goose meal is fit for a king.
“You take them.”

“No, you take them.”

“But I took them last time.”

“That’s OK.  Take them anyway.”

“I’d rather not.”

“But I insist.”

“I’ll be glad to take them if you all don’t want ‘em.”

“Whaaat?”

We had just concluded a successful snow goose hunt in the east Arkansas Delta. Seven geese had fallen to our guns, and my hosts were quarreling over who should take them home.  They seemed startled when I offered to take the handsome birds.

“Have you ever eaten a snow goose?” one man asked.

“If not, then let me warn you,” said the other.  “Snake livers and boiled shoestrings would be infinitely more palatable.”

I acted ignorant and insisted on taking the birds off their hands.  They seemed pleased, though a bit worried about my state of mind.

That night, I slow-cooked the breasts of two birds in a rich sour cream and mushroom gravy.  They were fork-tender and as tasty as the finest rice-field mallard I’ve ever eaten.  The legs, backs, wings and giblets flavored a delectable gumbo.  The remaining birds were prepared in a variety of ways — roasted, grilled, braised, on the rotisserie.  They were among the finest game entrees I’ve ever eaten.

Next time I hunted with my two friends, I let them wheedle me into taking 15 more geese.  “My neighbor’s hogs will eat them,” I said.

I figure what they don’t know won’t hurt them.

A successful goose hunt provides the makings for some of the most delectable wild game meals you’ll ever eat.  The dark, richly flavored meat of geese is superb when properly prepared.  But if you listen to some hunters, you might wrongfully conclude that snow geese aren’t “fittin” to eat.

No doubt, poor field preparation accounts for some hunters’ dislike of geese.  A goose’s body is superbly insulated with feathers and down.  So after killing one, it’s important that it be quickly drawn and cooled.  If it’s not, residual body heat may render the meat unfit to eat.

Field dressing is simple.  Use a sharp knife to open the body cavity just below the end of the breast bone, then pull out the innards.  If you like giblet gravy or gumbo, save the heart, gizzard and/or liver, storing them in a small zip-seal plastic bag.  Keep the field-dressed birds in a cool place outside or, better yet, place them on ice in a large cooler.

When the hunt is over, it’s time for plucking or skinning.  Be aware, however, that federal waterfowl regulations require hunters to leave the head or one feathered wing on each carcass until the bird reaches the “point of consumption,” usually your home.

When I plan to cook the birds using dry-heat methods like roasting, I pluck them.  Wild geese, unlike their domestic cousins, have little body fat; the skin flavors the meat and keeps it moist during cooking.  Large feathers are plucked from the body, then the bluish pin feathers and down are carefully removed.

If the geese will be prepared using a moist-heat method of cooking, they can be skinned.  Part the feathers along the breastbone, slice the skin from neck to tail, then spread the feathered skin until meat on the breast and legs is exposed.  Run a sharp knife along both sides of the breastbone to remove two thick fillets.  Then remove the legs and add them to the plastic bag full of gumbo and gravy meat.  Wings and back have little meat.  Trim away bloodshot flesh, remove any visible shot pellets, and the bird is ready to cook or freeze.

After you try a few of of the following recipes, you’ll never want to give away another snow goose.

White-fronted geese and Canadas can be field-dressed and prepared in exactly the same manner.  Recipes for each are interchangeable, if you take into account the different sizes of the birds and vary cooking time accordingly.

A just-shot snow goose typically weighs 5 1/2 to 6 pounds, with females being slightly smaller than males.  When plucked and prepared for cooking, each bird will yield 3 to 3 1/2 pounds of meat for the table, enough to serve two or three hungry hunters.  Giant Canadas average 11 to 12 pounds each, Interior Canadas 7 to 9, with smaller races of the bird running 3 to 6 pounds.  White-fronted geese average 5 to 6 pounds.  The yield of meat is about half the live weight.  When roasting, the recommended cooking time is 18 to 20 minutes per pound at 325 degrees.

One bit of advice: Don’t expect your hunting buddies to try to pawn Canada geese and white-fronts off on you.  The culinary reputation of these birds far exceeds that of their smaller brethren, the snow geese.  When it’s time to divvy up a brace of Canadas, pleading ignorant won’t work to your advantage.

Broiled Wild Goose Breast

* 1 goose breast, skinned and boned (2 fillets)
* 1/2 cup wine vinegar
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil
* 1/4 cup soy sauce
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
* SAUCE:
* 1/4 cup currant jelly
* 1/4 cup water
* 1-1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
* 1 teaspoon lemon juice
* 1 teaspoon soy sauce
* 1/2 teaspoon steak sauce
* salt, fresh-ground black pepper to taste

In a zip-seal plastic bag, combine vinegar, soy sauce, vegetable oil and pepper.  Add goose fillets, and allow to marinate 2 1/2 hours, turning often.

Combine sauce ingredients and heat.  Remove meat from marinade and place in foil in a broiler pan.  Preheat the broiler.  Place the fillets 5 inches from heat for 10 minutes of broiling on each side.  Place on a wooden carving board and slice each fillet very thinly, diagonally against the grain.  Serve the sauce in a gravyboat.  Ladle a bit of sauce over each slice of meat.

Goose Gumbo

* 5 pounds goose parts (legs, backs, wings, giblets)
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 2  cups chopped onion
* 1 cup chopped bell pepper
* 1/2  cup chopped celery
* Salt, black pepper, hot sauce to taste
* 3 quarts hot water
* 1 pint fresh oysters
* 1/2  cup chopped green onion tops
* 1/4  cup chopped parsley
* Cooked rice

Parboil goose parts in water to cover until meat is tender and falling from the bone.  Remove from water, cool, and debone.

Make a roux by cooking oil and flour in a big black-iron pot.  Cook slowly over low heat until dark-brown, stirring constantly.  Add chopped onion, bell pepper and celery, and cook until tender.  Add salt, black pepper and hot sauce, then stir in hot water and goose meat.  Cook over low heat in a covered pot for 1 hour.  Stir in oysters, onion tops and parsley, heat for 10 minutes and serve over rice.

Roast Goose with Cranberry Cornbread Stuffing

* 1 goose, plucked
* 1/4 cup chopped celery
* 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
* 4 tablespoons butter
* 3 cups stale bread crumbs
* 1 cup cornbread crumbs
* 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Season the goose inside and out with salt and pepper.

To make the stuffing, cook celery and parsley in butter for five minutes.  Blend lightly with the remaining ingredients.  Stuff the goose with this mixture, and close the opening.

Place goose breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan.  Roast for 20 minutes per pound.

written by Keith Sutton

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Never tried snow goose hunting? Spend a little time scouting and learning to set up a decent decoy spread, and the odds of you coming home on opening day with a sore shoulder are pretty good.

When we think of snow goose hunting, the first thing that comes to mind is what we see on TV: thousands of geese piling into a field at the same time, being shot by the dozens when they finally decide to land. Although those types of hunts sometimes take place in locations like Texas, most snow goose hunting isn’t that easy. Harvesting dozens of birds isn’t out of the question, but things must be done right.

Snow geese are often hunted hard in the spring as they head north along rivers like the Missouri. Chances are you will find a spread of decoys everywhere you find a field along the flyway. With that much hunting pressure, you need to do everything you can to pull the birds out of the sky and within shotgun range.

Keith Collins of Nebraska has mastered the game of hunting snow geese. He says guys who want to start snow geese hunting need to forget about the tactics they use to call in other types of waterfowl like Mallards or Canadian geese. “Snows are a different bird. If a hunter is hunting for mallards, a dozen or two decoys will do the job and he will probably harvest plenty of birds. With snow geese, you need hundreds of decoys; otherwise, you are wasting your time,” Collins explained. One of the biggest mistakes goose hunters make is not having enough decoys. “I have seen geese fly over a few dozen decoys and pay no attention to them. The only time small numbers work is when they aren’t decoys; they are actually live birds. I have seen a handful of birds pull hundreds of birds down out of the sky. A handful of decoys won’t do it,” Collins said.

Mouth Call

The problem is most of us don’t have thousands of dollars to invest in decoys. Most hunters find a happy medium by purchasing a few hundred real decoys, then they make a lot of decoys themselves. “I have some shell decoys that work great, but I like taking old tires and cutting them into four pieces. I paint the majority of each section white and use a little black paint. I buy the cheapest white house paint I can find. They can be built very inexpensively and that is what is needed when you have close to a thousand decoys in a field,” Collins said.

Another option is purchasing rag decoys, which can be purchased for less than a dollar each. Rag decoys are nothing more than a white windsock. They blow around in the wind, creating motion which adds realism to your setup. The other advantage is they are “cheaper than dirt,” which is important. By having a few hundred shells, a few hundred rag decoys, and a few hundred homemade tire decoys, Collins obtains his large spread. “Having a variety of decoys allows me to add a realistic look to my decoys without spending a lot of money,” Collins commented.

Decoy placement is very important when hunting for snow geese. Everybody seems to have their opinion of which type of setup works best. Collins likes having a long thin spread. “My spread may be a few hundred yards long and about sixty yards wide. In certain spots, it is even thinner. It is basically shaped like a guitar — big on one end and thin on the other. I try to simulate that pattern: a big section and a long tail. I also have an opening in the middle of the larger section of decoys to give incoming birds a place to land,” Collins explained.

Lawrence Taylor, PR Director for Carry-Lite Decoys and Knight & Hale Game Calls, knows a thing or two about snow goose hunting. To add realism to his setup, he flags incoming birds. “The moment I start to see birds, I start flagging to add motion and a touch of realism to the spread. It often brings in birds that otherwise wouldn’t give you the time of day,” Taylor explained.

Flying Birds

Staying still, just like with any type of hunting, is extremely important especially when birds have been hunted hard. To eliminate the chances of being spotted by birds, Collins uses coffin blinds. “Coffin blinds conceal your movement from the birds. The birds along the Missouri River are hunted for hundreds of miles before they get to me. With the slightest amount of movement, these birds will move on instead of coming down to the setup,” Collins said. Coffin blinds help get the hunter a few inches above the ground, keeping them out of the water and mud which is in a lot of fields in the spring.

Calling is an important aspect of getting snow geese to decoy in the spring. Forget about the mouth calls; almost every diehard hunter uses electronic calls. “Use a portable caller that continuously plays a variety of snow goose calls. Some hunters have multiple speakers to reach out to overhead geese. I’m not sure that is needed. My caller can be heard a half mile away. As the birds start to decoy, I turn the volume down as they get closer. Being loud as they get close can spook the birds,” Collins explained. In recent years, companies began making portable digital callers that are wireless and offer a variety of realistic calls that work great on snow geese. Extreme Dimension Game Calls offers the Phantom Caller. The benefit of digital callers is you can pull out one sound card and put in another for whitetails or predators. One call does it all, making it easier to justify the expense. The Phantom Hunter can play two sounds at once, making the call sound more realistic.

After decoys and calling, the next critical step is finding a good field that is close to a major flyway. “The Missouri River runs through Nebraska, Kansas and several other states. If a hunter wants to consistently bag birds, he needs to be as close to the river as possible. When scouting for areas to hunt, hunters should look for wheat fields or corn fields. Corn fields produce for me most of the time,” Collins commented.

According to Collins, the best time to be in fields hunting is late afternoon or early evening. “Snow geese will typically set down in a field in the evening to feed just before they go to roost on the water. Being in the field at that time offers the best opportunities. The early morning can be good and when they are migrating heavily, you can experience decent hunting all day long. If I were to choose one time to be in a field, it would be the afternoon,” Collins highlighted.

Collins said a lot of hunters make the same mistakes repeatedly and don’t harvest as many birds because of it. “Often hunters shoot too early or wait too long before they shoot. We all hope a large flock will set down in our decoys, but the truth is it doesn’t happen very often. It is more likely to have a few birds bust away from a big flock to come check out decoys. When they do, I simply try to get them as close as I can and then shoot. Consistently shooting a few birds here and there adds up at the end of the day,” Collins said. Collins often zaps geese with a rangefinder to see how high they are flying. He said it is not uncommon to have them fly over 1,000 yards above the ground and sometimes even higher. Getting birds that are flying that high to come down is difficult. So, when a few birds bust away from a flock and check out your spread, you better be willing to take a shot.

Collins uses 3-inch shot shells in a variety of sizes, depending on what he has left over from the waterfowl season. He says the key to harvesting geese is being patient and letting them come to the decoys. “I try to let the geese get as close as I can before I shoot. By doing this, I end up with less cripples,” Collins added.

If you’ve never tried snow goose hunting, realize that it is a lot of work. Setting out a thousand decoys takes time. Whether you make your own decoys or buy them, a major investment of time or money is needed. However, if you pay close attention to the details and do your homework by scouting and learning the habits of snow geese, chances are you will have a sore shoulder on opening day. Most states don’t have a limit on snow geese.

written by Tracy Breen

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