The good news in game: Canada geese

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/10/2015 (3664 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Hunters in Manitoba have much to be gloomy about these days. Unprecedented declines in our moose population and a depressed deer population have many outdoorsy folks down in the dumps. But this is no time for depression, the outskirts of Winnipeg are overrun with Canada geese.

And that’s a beautiful thing. In the hunting world, there isn’t a much more exciting sight than a big flock of honkers heading straight for you and your decoy spread. The sounds of their wings and their honking make your hair stand up on end. There’s nothing quite like it.

I remember my first goose hunt like it was yesterday. We were waiting in a pile of straw in a harvested barley field near Riverton. It was in the early ’70s, when it was a still a big deal to see a flock of Canada geese. Hard to believe nowadays geese were ever scarce.

I was very young but recall the excitement we all felt when we heard the first honks. I thought, “Oh Gawd, they’re coming, I hope I don’t miss.” My hands were shaking and my heart was pounding as they came over the trees with their wings set. Long story short, I did miss. But luckily, my more experienced father brought several big Canada geese down. We carefully plucked the birds, and my mother prepared them for us.

Geese don’t always have a stellar reputation as top table fare. That’s too bad, because done right, they are outstanding. Done right means either cooked rare, or long and slow in a liquid. They are also jammed with healthy goodness.

Food Matters Manitoba (foodmattersmanitoba.ca) is a local non-profit that is passionate about encouraging Manitobans to eat healthy and eat local. They are big proponents of the health benefits of wild game.

According to the fine folks at Food Matters, wild game has about double the nutrients compared to your average store-bought meat. For example, a single serving of goose has 7.4 milligrams of iron, as opposed to 0.4 mg of iron in chicken. And if you peel the skin off your goose, you take the fat with it, leaving you with lean, nutrient-laden meat.

Our beloved geese cause all sorts of problems for the city when they become superabundant, as they are nowadays. Goose droppings in schoolyards and on the golf courses, traffic accidents from drivers slamming on their brakes to avoid goslings as well as the ongoing potential for collisions between geese and planes are all issues that occur when we have too much of a good thing.

Hunting can play a role in managing the problem. In my view, hunting pressure encourages migration. And hunting pressure early in the season before northern migrants arrive likely helps keep our booming resident population of Canada geese in check. Because of the incredible abundance of geese, you will find a polite knock on a farmer’s door will more often than not yield you permission to hunt. And best of all, this abundant resource is available to any Manitoba resident who wants to learn how to hunt these incredible game birds.

Quick shots: Farmers are cutting their cornfields around Winnipeg right now, and the geese are pouring in. Get out for some prime late-season goose-hunting action over the next few weeks… The Manitoba Wildlife Federation’s fourth annual Wild at Heart banquet is coming up Nov. 5 at the Vic Inn. To attend or to find out how you can learn how to hunt geese, call the MWF office at 204-633-5967.

Rob Olson is the managing director of the Manitoba Wildlife Federation.