# Biggest Goose



## Matt Jones (Mar 6, 2002)

I took this off another site...I thought it was pretty interesting...

*"BRANTA canadensis maxima IS THE LARGEST OF THEM ALL.This big fellow was fairly common in the northern Great Plains and western portion of the Mississippi Flyway back in the days when the frontier was slowly moving west. Naturally, the were the most sought after and heavily gunned. Famous hunter-writer Ray Holland told of geese weighing 20 pounds, shot on the North Dakota prairie. One report says tha G.M Hogue shot a 23 pounder from Steele County, North Dekota in 1909. Well-known goose authority from Jamestown , North Dekota Carl Strutz has weighed specimans to 20 pounds, but his were captive, and captives might be fatter than wild birds. Morton Barrows reported a 24 pounder from Heron Lake, Minnesota in 1900. But these were too old to beleive, until along came an 18 and three quarter pounder from near Oaks, North Dekota in 1947."*

Now I was wondering if any of you guys weigh your geese and if so what's the biggest one you've shot? Also wondering about the big goose contests...how big of a honker does it usually take to win?

I'll be honest, I think people are full of BS when they talk about geese they've shot that are pushing 20 lbs. I really doubt 15 lbs geese are as common as some people seem to think.

Then again, I've never weighed any of mine...maybe it's time to get a scale to throw in the blind bag.


----------



## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

Biggest goose I've ever harvested was a pretty big goose.

We were scouting a field in the fall of 2000, and it was mid-November in one of the only roosts that was open in the whole area(snowing). Robert L. and I were scouting a field FULL of big boys, and we thought we'd take a crack at one of the flocks returning to water (all day hunting). I took the lead goose off a flock....a big goose.

Anywhoooo....when I returned home (living in Washburn at the time), I noticed that the one goose got missed after cleaning the birds that morning. There was a goose contest in Washburn and Underwood, and I entered it in both on Monday night. It was dehydrated but still weighed 15-10. It took both contests, 2nd place in Washburn was about 14 and the one in Underwood was 15-2.


----------



## 4CurlRedleg (Aug 31, 2003)

We have had a big goose contest for 3 years at our store. The first year 14.83 won it, the next 14.96 and last 15.03. These are exceptional geese, but not the rule.

I have hunted honkers for 30 years and claimed one that I know I shot and it weighed 14.25 on my handy dandy fish scale, this bird was taken in 1985. I was in on another that took mutiple shots that weighed 15.37, that bird we took in Sask.Canada in 2000.

I concur that anyone claiming a 20 pounder is full of crap until they prove it on the scale. It may be possible, but not likely. I am of the opinion that alot of our geese have been outcrossed with the smaller Western Prairie geese that have short stopped the trip to northern Canada in the spring, just a theory but there seems to alot of 10 to 11 pounders taken that appear to adult birds.

One thing that may be of note, most of the biggest geese brought in are taken in the out of the way places and are shot by pass shooters as they are coming off of small sloughs and remote backwaters. Most likely geese that are not recognized by hunters who are decoying and are looking for numbers. Also always taken late Oct. and early Nov. before the Western Prairie Geese show up.


----------



## Robert A. Langager (Feb 22, 2002)

I remember that like it was yesterday. That was a good time. That was the first time I hooked up with you guys in Nodak. If that was 2000, then this will be our fourth Fall hunting together (plus one Spring hunt). Wow, how time flies! Is it Oct 12 yet??

Not to hijack the thread, but to keep on topic, I, personally, have shot at many 20+ pound geese. :toofunny:


----------



## 870 XPRS (Mar 12, 2003)

I shot one two years ago that I swore had to of been 30, lol. After I put the scale on it though it ended up being 16-2. That is definately the biggest bird i've shot. I was going to get that big boy mounted, but boy was she mangled.


----------



## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

Back in the early 1970's when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was breading giant canadas (Branta canadensis maxima) for release in North Dakota they culled females under 14 pounds, and males under 16 pounds. I think some of the originals came from Carl Strutz and were crossed with birds from Minnesota. Biologists thought Carl's birds were to big for successful migration. I personaly weighed some of Carl's birds, and he had a gander that went 26 pounds. People who don't think they can hit 20 are off the mark. I think a fellow from Iowa by the name of Hanson has a book on Canada geese, I'm not sure if he talks about size. When Audubon went through North Dakota he seen our Giant Canadas and described them.


----------



## quackwacker (Aug 12, 2003)

I happened to have shot a monster, as I thought then, Canada goose when I was a kid back in Minnesota. I believe this flock my have been one of the first to start venturing out from the parks in St Cloud. My brother and I were out in a CRP field hunting pheasants and we saw what look like cranes. Actually in MN we didn't see Sandhill cranes around there, so I thought they were great blue herons, in the middle of a barley field. Very Unlikely! 

We snuck up to the hill that they were behind and jumped them. I knocked down two of them when I realized they were geese. We lugged them home and actually weighed them on a normal bathroom scale. The one was right on 18#, and the other was just over 17#. Unfortuantely, due to the nature and accuracy of the scale, it is possible that these birds were smaller then that, but I have never shot or seen another goose anywhere close to the size that these were.

The flock remained in the area for a while and they all seemed to be abnormally large. Of course I am talking about non-migratory birds, since they stayed in the area all year. Some of the park geese may be the best best. Well fed and low stress.


----------



## grancan1 (Sep 24, 2003)

I have a 21 pounder that I had mounted. I killed the bird in southern Illinois. It does not look real it is so big. I have shot geese all over the US and have not killed or seen another bird that size. We shot a lot of 15 to 17 pounders here in Illinois. Most of our big birds are local resident geese.
Shoot straight.


----------



## Blake Hermel (Sep 10, 2002)

post a pic


----------



## dblkluk (Oct 3, 2002)

Yeah post a pic...This I gotta see!!!! :roll:


----------



## stevepike (Sep 14, 2002)

We have only gotten 2 that were a little over 16 lbs. Last year the biggest were 13.8 to 14.7 and all came out of the same flock. Our average goose is 10-12 lbs. We usually do weigh them, along with the cranes.

Sure would like to see a "genuine" 20+ lber.


----------



## grancan1 (Sep 24, 2003)

I have a couple of photos but do not know how to send them.


----------

