Hunting Story: Goosed

When a call came from a neighbouring farm to my parents in Scotland regarding hoards of Canada geese munching the only available vegetation on the fields, I found myself with a smoothbore in hand instead of the usual rifled affair.

The last time I had been goose shooting was in my early twenties on my uncle’s farm in Kent, where duck and geese used to flight from a neighbouring reservoir to the numerous flight ponds dotted around the farm. They were usually shot as an opportune sport as I would be out after other fair, but occasionally we set out to decoy and ambush flight patterns in the dawn and dusk skies. This time we were in sub zero temperatures battling horizontal sleet and a quagmire, I loved it, real hunting! Due to the Canada Geese now being on ‘general licence’ it can be shot at any time and with a firearm or shotgun and even air gun if necessary.

KIT

Planning a goose shooting day is really necessary, primarily because on new ground or on the foreshore, the weather conditions can change very quickly and it’s easy to become stranded or lost! This farm spanned down from the hill tops, where the stags roamed into undulating farmland and finally large arable fields that went right down to the loch side.
The location was east facing and had dramatic sun rises and views up and down the loch. You could opt for two variations of attack. One, arrive well before light and venture down to the loch side and hide between the rocky shoreline and numerous gorse bushes that dotted the fringe margins. Two, again arrive early and set up in one of the many drainage ditches that traverse from the hill tops right down to the loch. These provide an unseen or sight approach from prying eyes and allow a very good vantage point across the fields where the geese will flight into and feed.

That’s fine but you also have to be aware of wind directions, not so much for disguising your scent but geese land into the wind, so you need to position yourself on a flight line or swing in pattern as they come in overhead to land.

KIT USED

Being a little green in terms of geese, I took a more traditional approach, as Edgar Brothers sent down a Hatsan Extreme Magnum 12-gauge semi-auto shotgun. I was shooting over fields, inland and in Scotland, so it’s worth checking all the lead-free rules. In the end I played it safe despite geese being on general licence and used only Eley Lightning steel shot and it would be my first real steel foray. This meant in the Hatsan I could only use a ½ choke configuration, hardly ideal, as those fields were big and so geese would have to be over my head to connect.

I patterned the load on shot pattern boards as a matter of course. Much like you would when sighting in a rifle for a stalking trip. This Hatsan patterned tight at 30 yds with the half choke but defiantly biased left, so good to know and worth the look see.

Most goose shooters use steel shot to avoid lead pollution and as such require big cases to hold more shot to be effective due to the lighter weight of steel. You are also always after more range just to cover yourself, so 3” chambers as on this Hatsan are considered minimum, I like making it hard for myself!

3 ½” or 89mm chambers are better to shoot heavier loads (more pellets in the pattern) but you work with what you have, but after this week I was a bit smitten with the goose bug and might, I said might, buy a 3 ½” gun as these geese are still only multiplying.

BLACK & WHITE!

These distinctively marked black head and large white throat patch geese were originally introduced from North America, big mistake! As now as with many non-native species, it has thrived and the population has become too large for the food sources available, hence their hatred amongst farmers, parks or golf course owners. They love wide-open grass or arable land to feed over and can strip a field in no time, as well as wreck the topsoil with trampling and excreta. Most flocks now are resident and do not migrate, further exacerbating the situation.

One other essential item for any goose shoot is to come prepared for foul weather. In January its cold in Scotland, which I actually like, you can always wear more clothes. I used my Swanndri under layer but wore an army surplus Belgian waterproof jacket costing £25 over the top, totally waterproof too! The lower layer where you crawl and sit is more important, as if you start to get cold you start to fidget and then the geese can spot you moving.

I wear an old pair of SportChief overtrousers; these are not only unbelievably warm but the only totally waterproof trousers I have used. Also, to keep the old brain working well I would recommend an openfaced balaclava, so your neck and ears are covered, which soon loose heat and make you uncomfortable. Its small things like correct clothing that makes for a better shooting experience and I always take a roe sack with cameras and thermos of coffee, offal optional.

TO THE FIELDS

Up at 5.00am to get ready and off to the fields. I prefer an early start, wildlife is least expecting you and the light is always getting better so more opportunities. I took my eldest son Jake on this trip and it would be his first goose trip. The farm is laid up with a half mile of loch frontage with large open fields, now gone to grass with the mist hugging the loch side.

With no wind it was deadly quiet, so as we edged towards the first drainage ditch then down into it to conceal our approach, we were conscious of every foot splash and rustle from the disturbed water as we inched our way towards the first ambush site. This ditch, with half frozen water lapping at our boot tops, was 600yds from the loch side, yet straddled two large fields where the incoming flighting geese usually landed. Exactly where was a different matter and part of the fun, 30 yards off course and we would miss them all together with the ½ choke capacity.

10 MINUTES, MR POTTS

We choose a position shielded to one side with a small bush and tree as some degree of cover but the low angle of the ditch was very good concealment and afforded a good vantage point. Ten minutes before the light allowed good vision the distinctive cackling of Canadas was heard, as the geese prepared themselves to flight. In the calm morning air the sound really travels and what seems like geese just in the next field were in fact five fields away.

We loaded the Hatsan, with the Eley Steels holding 36-grams of #3 shot, so quite small for geese and laid the Camo clad semi in grass as I scanned the skies with my bino’s. These were soon flung to the ground as Jake gestured to a skein of eight geese, all Canada’s coming directly at us and only 20 foot off the ground! I grabbed the Escort and shielded by the bush I readied myself as almost over head I swung up and through the third goose on the left arm of the “V” formation, CLICK! I recycled the action and managed a second try at the end goose from the rear, never good but I missed well behind.

TRY AGAIN

I reloaded and checked the Hatsan, all looked fine but there was frozen water around the action and the lock time did sound sluggish. It was not long before another skein came in but these were 200 yards away and landed right in front of us. These would act as good confidence decoys and sure enough at least 20 more were coming right at us. They are deceptively fast, which is why you tend to miss behind, as you do not swing and lead enough. This time I had a bead on the lead bird flighting left to right now and ‘boom’ the Eley Steels were on their way, then a second readjustment and a second payload of 36-grams of steel #3’s were on their way. Gratifying and almost in slow motion the lead and fourth Canada tumbled from the sky.

We retrieved these two quickly and then moved down the loch side facing inland across the fields. Jake took up position as more geese settled on the grass, so we had to move through the gorse to get closer, not easy with hundreds of eyes looking at you!

We crawled in mud, across rocks embedded along the loch side and then dropped down into another drainage ditch and waded up this until a junction with a tractor track. Jake positioned himself, and as a large formation of geese came over us, the Hatsan sang out and a lone Canada came tumbling from the skies, Jake’s first and a proud father!

CONCLUSION

Not my normal early morning fair but I really enjoyed it, it was tricky to get in close, required good fieldcraft, a lot of luck and don’t let your shotgun freeze! Jake had his first Goose, another milestone and we had an open invitation back, so I think 3 ½” chambers this time and perhaps a Browning A5.