# What does a 14 year old Canada goose look like



## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

Just like all the rest









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## richard rouleau (Apr 12, 2008)

Very nice job. was it banded down there?


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## JerryH (Jun 17, 2014)

You have to wonder how many times that old bird passed through the gauntlet before the mighty 28 took the life out of him or her? 

Good on ya!


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## utahbigbull (May 9, 2012)

That’s awesome!! I took a friend out a few years ago and we had a double lock up and come straight in beaks first, cupped and committed and right at the last second crossed before I called the shot. He shot his side and I shot my side. The bird he dropped had a band we knew was special when the web site kept asking “are you sure this band number is correct” when trying to submit it.. Turned out to be 18 years old. Was an awesome band that showed its 18 years. That thing was paper thin and wound up having to cut the leg to get it off because it was so paper thin and would not bend without breaking. If that thing could only talk to tell all its stories... Congrats on an awesome wise ole honker that YOU outsmarted!!


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## shaner (Nov 30, 2007)

Nice.
Very jealous....


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## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

richard rouleau said:


> Very nice job. was it banded down there?


Unfortunately it is another local bird. I was really excited to see a different band sequence that I had not seen down here but:neutral:


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## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

JerryH said:


> You have to wonder how many times that old bird passed through the gauntlet before the mighty 28 took the life out of him or her?
> 
> Good on ya!


Down in this place, I am sure it would be scary to know just how many times this poor bird has had the trigger pulled on it over that many years. Geese to these city folks are like gold and and if they fly over the hunt area, it don't matter how high they are, they get shot at by everyone. I am just shocked it has lived this long being in an area like this.......

It was to young to fly when banded so no sex determined.


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## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

utahbigbull said:


> That's awesome!! I took a friend out a few years ago and we had a double lock up and come straight in beaks first, cupped and committed and right at the last second crossed before I called the shot. He shot his side and I shot my side. The bird he dropped had a band we knew was special when the web site kept asking "are you sure this band number is correct" when trying to submit it.. Turned out to be 18 years old. Was an awesome band that showed its 18 years. That thing was paper thin and wound up having to cut the leg to get it off because it was so paper thin and would not bend without breaking. If that thing could only talk to tell all its stories... Congrats on an awesome wise ole honker that YOU outsmarted!!


That is is the funnest part, knowing how old a bird is and then the wondering just what it has seen and survived over the years. That is way cool picking up a bird that old!


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## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

shaner said:


> Nice.
> Very jealous....


Are you not chasing the big birds yet? I keep waiting to see if you have set a new goal this year and how/if its going.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

hamernhonkers said:


> Unfortunately it is another local bird. I was really excited to see a different band sequence that I had not seen down here but:neutral:


I thought the same thing when I shot that 20 year old goose last year. I saw the band and it had smaller numbers, I got excited, thinking a non resident bird. Called it in and it was banded in Farmington 1996 and shot at Farmington Bay 2016. Makes you wonder if some of these geese ever leave an area.:?


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## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

Fowlmouth said:


> I thought the same thing when I shot that 20 year old goose last year. I saw the band and it had smaller numbers, I got excited, thinking a non resident bird. Called it in and it was banded in Farmington 1996 and shot at Farmington Bay 2016. Makes you wonder if some of these geese ever leave an area.:?


Some of these birds are just creatures of habit for sure.

Still think it was cool as heck to see how close that band you killed last year and the one I got in 2012 were to each other. Hey if they were out of the same bunch, that at least tells us some of them migrate once and a while:mrgreen:


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

I think these older geese just get tired of living and say, what the hell I will give some poor hunter something to talk about and live forever in the tales told about me.


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## shaner (Nov 30, 2007)

HH,
Good memory!
I didn't think you remembered me....
I lost my prime field two years ago and it has affected me more than I thought it would, I have had a tough time getting motivated.
I still have another decent field for 1-2 more years but needs snow to bring the birds. Snow this year has been a tough commodity to come by.
Just a few weeks ago I found a new area for ducks and it has been fun learning a new area. I have been seeing some geese trading back and forth and I can feel the flame starting to re-ignite deep in my soul.
Thank you for asking and have a Merry Christmas!

Are you not chasing the big birds yet? I keep waiting to see if you have set a new goal this year and how/if its going.[/QUOTE]


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## utahbigbull (May 9, 2012)

shaner said:


> HH,
> Good memory!
> I didn't think you remembered me....
> I lost my prime field two years ago and it has affected me more than I thought it would.QUOTE]


Shaner, I hear ya... I have to look out my window from my work every day and see my prime field / slough I had that would be loaded with geese and ducks every winter and all I see is Town Homes and Apartments. :-( It has really effected me more that I thought it would too... My second best field / farm has went to pot since the grandma died and all the kids are fighting over the land and its getting sold off and I will only have a couple years left on that one. It is really sad to see how quickly fields are turning into homes around here! 
Me and my son are still getting into some geese this year, but not quite like we used to. I'm just glad I was able to raise him up with the memories before it all disappears. This may well be his last season for quite a long time if his plans hold true.


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## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

utahbigbull said:


> Shaner, I hear ya... I have to look out my window from my work every day and see my prime field / slough I had that would be loaded with geese and ducks every winter and all I see is Town Homes and Apartments. :-( It has really effected me more that I thought it would too... My second best field / farm has went to pot since the grandma died and all the kids are fighting over the land and its getting sold off and I will only have a couple years left on that one. It is really sad to see how quickly fields are turning into homes around here!
> Me and my son are still getting into some geese this year, but not quite like we used to. I'm just glad I was able to raise him up with the memories before it all disappears. This may well be his last season for quite a long time if his plans hold true.


This makes me sad, one for both of you loosing such wonderful hunting land and two it makes me realize just how soon it will be that I may loose access to the piece I have really been hunting hard the last 3 years down here.

Its a piece that an old man with cancer and diabetes owns and his kids are not so much into hunting. So I don't know just how much longer I really have to hunt it. It has been fun though and I am just so happy I have been able to access it, especially during years like this one where I can't go home very often to hunt.

Change sure does suck sometimes:-(


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## utahbigbull (May 9, 2012)

Times are a changing and changing quick here. It's just really sad that all of the old timer farmers are passing and in most cases the kids want nothing to do with the land but are clawing each others eyes out and bickering for the money they can get for selling it to developers!!


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## toasty (May 15, 2008)

I lost my only goose hunting field this year. Some looser, without permission to hunt, shot up some stuff and that was the end of it, locked forever. Now I am reduced to trying to get them to divert to public land on their way to the field which has not been successful in the past. It has been hard to get motivated this year.


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## shaner (Nov 30, 2007)

Bigbull, I too was very lucky to have my son along. He is now a cop with a tiny new son and can't join me as easily. I hunt on my own now and long for him to be by my side.The few times a year he does go are very precious. 
I have lost so many waterfowl, pheasant, and big game permissions the last couple years it makes me sick. My prime goose field loss was the most gut wrenching one though. I am nearly 50 and as I drove away for the last time I literally had tears forming. I didn't care about losing the kills, it was just that it was 'mine' (not really, but I took care of it like it was mine). Heck, there were days I would land dozens of Canadas in my spread and never even pull the trigger.
Take your son every chance you can and have as much fun as possible.

HH, Sounds like you have a place very dear to your heart. Is there any way or anything you could do to buy the place? Even if you really have to sacrifice something big you can't go wrong with real estate. I know, just start a Go Fund account to save your property. I'll be the first to kick in some cash!


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## shaner (Nov 30, 2007)

Toasty, similiar thing happened to my place but it was a couple teenagers raining pellets on the owners house. The family shut it down to everyone. Lucky for me one family member vouched for me. The family called me back for an 'interview' on my hunting methods. I committed to only using a 20 gauge with nothing bigger than 6 shot. They gave me a trial year and I passed. They let me have sole run of the place and only asked for a few fresh kokanee a couple times a year.
Now you can understand why a grown man is crying as he leaves the field for the last time.
My dog was with me and I'm pretty sure I saw a tear run down his cheek......


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## utahbigbull (May 9, 2012)

Had the same excitement today myself. When I seen a paper thin 0978 prefix, I got a little excited. Surely wasn’t a 1048, 1068, 1078, or 1158 that all of ours have been. Turns out it was banded a whopping 3 miles west of the field I shot it in today back in 2004. Was hatched in 2002 or earlier.


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## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

Haha awesome man! If their not migrators at least their old weary birds that have seen a lot and been missed a lot lol. Very cool! Congrats on fooling an old wise bird!

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## utahbigbull (May 9, 2012)

Does make me wonder how many times this same bird has either gave me the slip, if I’ve missed a shot at it, or if I’ve shot the bird on either side of it when coming into my spread before as its obviously been flying these same fields all these years!?!?


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