If you’ve never hunted waterfowl, you might wonder why some people choose to hunt geese. For some people, a roasted goose is a tasty meal. Canada geese, for example, are known as the roast beef of the sky.
It’s been said that goose has a stronger flavor than chicken, but if you cook it properly, it’s delicious.
However, food sources aside, some hunters don’t want to eat the waterfowl they shoot. They choose to kill geese and ducks for sport. So, let’s explore what hunters do with dead geese, such as where they store them and how they transport them.
Where To Store Dead Geese
Right after killing a goose, the best place to store it is in a trusty cooler. This keeps the meat safely iced until you get home.
Make sure that you choose a cooler that has double-walled insulation and an airtight seal. This will ensure that you can safely store the goose on ice.
Here are some other features to look for when purchasing a cooler:
- A hard bottom. This will keep the cooler stable when placed on the ground or in the back of your truck. It will also protect the meat inside from moisture.
- Cool vents. This can take the form of a mesh panel, which ensures a cooler interior as it boosts air circulation.
- Odor-resistance. Look for a hunting cooler that is resistant to odors as well as stains. This is important to make using it more pleasant and will prevent your meat from smelling or tasting strange.
Some goose hunters don’t immediately store the dead geese for transport. Instead, they use the dead geese to attract more geese to their hunting zone. They use them as “sleepers”.
These dead geese can be placed among your duck decoys to look like geese that are sleeping. After you’ve used the “sleeper” geese, you’ll have to ensure you safely store them.
How To Store A Dead Goose
If you want to mount the goose, make sure you clean any blood that’s on its feathers when it’s still wet. This will make it easier for you later.
You must make sure that you put a dead goose on ice as soon as you can. This ensures that it stays in good condition, especially if you’re going to take it to a taxidermist. You must take it to your taxidermist within a few days.
Whatever you’re going to do with the goose, make sure that you keep it cool, at temperatures lower than 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you’re going to be eating the goose, the liver and heart can be stored as giblets. Put them in a plastic bag on ice so that the meat remains cold.
When you get home, you can store the goose in the freezer. Wash the meat and pack it in airtight plastic bags. Ideally, you should use vacuum sealers to prevent any air from getting inside the bag and causing freezer burn on the meat.
Before putting the meat in the freezer, make sure you label the bags so you know when you caught and killed the goose.
How To Transport Dead Geese
Before you transport your geese, you have to ensure that you prepare them properly. A large cooler that’s filled with ice is essential for you to transport it safely.
If you’re crossing state lines with geese, make sure you’ve checked the regulations so that you don’t break the law. Sometimes you’ll be requested to keep a wing so that the geese can be identified.
To clean the geese and leave wings on them, here are the steps to follow:
- Cut along the chest so you can pull off the skin and feathers. You will need a sharp knife for this task.
- Remove as much of the skin from the vital organs. Since the skin is tough, this will take some time.
- Cut along the edge of the breast until you almost reach the ribs. Cut around the breast so that you can pull the meat back.
- Cut through the esophagus and anything that’s connecting the meat to the skin and fat.
- Stand on the base of the neck and the tail feathers. Hold the meat you’ve been cutting and pull it up so that you can detach it from the skin. This will ensure that you can also pull up the wing and that it remains attached.
It’s essential to remove the crop and entrails from the goose as soon as possible. The grain in the crop can start to ferment if you don’t remove it. The crop of a goose is the muscular pouch that you’ll see on the front of the goose’s neck above its chest.
If you’re taking your goose to a taxidermist, here are some tips to follow, not just when storing the bird but also when killing and transporting it:
- Don’t use a neck strap on the goose. This will cause its skin and feathers to become damaged.
- If the weather is very cold, avoid putting the dead goose on a metal platform or seat. This could freeze the bird to the icy surface, destroying its feathers.
- Place cotton balls in the bill of the goose. This prevents blood from soaking into the feathers, which can make the bird look unsightly.
- Never wrap the goose in newspaper. The ink will run onto the bird’s body as it absorbs moisture from it.
Before you bag your waterfowl after a hunt, you have to ensure that you have not gone above your daily bag and possession limit. The possession limit is usually three times the daily bag limit.
However, it’s important to note that possession doesn’t just refer to the animal you’ve hunted but also the items that you’ve made from the animal, such as jerky.
Related Questions
Below, we’ve answered two of the most common questions hunters ask when it comes to hunting geese.
What’s a meat shelf in a hunting backpack?
A meat shelf gives you more storage space in your backpack so that you can carry meat in it. This means you can avoid putting meat in a plastic bag where it can’t breathe, and you won’t get blood all over your hunting gear.
How should you transport dead geese in your car?
When transporting dead geese in your car, make sure that there’s enough ventilation for them. Avoid putting the geese in your trunk as they may become too hot.
Conclusion
In this article, we’ve explored what hunters do with geese that they’ve killed in the wild, and why they hunt them to begin with.
We’ve looked at the tips you should follow when transporting and storing dead geese, and have also provided you with some tips to help you keep your geese legal and fresh before taking them home.
Resources:
- SplitReed.com
