# Funky goose



## Duckslayer100 (Apr 7, 2004)

Well, I took my uncle out for his first early goose hunt ever. We had a blast! Fog really f'd us over and our shooting was below par, but we still scratched 7 and had a lot of fun, too.










Anyway, we start packing up for the day and my uncle asks me if I noticed how weird this one goose is. So I saunter over to take a look. Deffinately the most unique bird I've seen shot in my spread. Almost looks like some sort of color phase or cross-breed. Here's some pics. You be the judge.


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## MuleyMan (Mar 1, 2007)

Congrats friend, I believe you shot whats refered to as a quill lake. :beer:


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## Jmnhunter (Feb 9, 2009)

cool bird!


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## SDwaterfowler (Mar 2, 2006)

Wing tip feathers do look like quills. But the other abnormalities indicate a mix with a farm goose. My vote goes for farm goose mix.


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## fubar (Mar 10, 2008)

we shot one of those in minnesota this year, wish i would have taken more pictures of it....


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## USAlx50 (Nov 30, 2004)

I bet that would have looked even cooler later in the year. Definitely would be called a quills by many.


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## fubar (Mar 10, 2008)

we shot one of those in minnesota this year, wish i would have taken more pictures of it....


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## shooteminthelips (Jun 13, 2007)

Yeah those bronzies are a pretty bird!


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

I think the coolest feature is the white wing features.

I've seen a lot of quills geese, but very few with white wingtips (even with really white breasts).


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## Traxion (Apr 16, 2004)

That picture brings back bad memories- walking back to the truck, 1 short of a limit, and I have one fly by just like that! But, no gun because I am an idiot!

Kinda tough to tell on that bird, could be a quill or farm cross, they are kind of rugged this time of year. In December he would look real good!


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## Duckslayer100 (Apr 7, 2004)

Yah, that's what I kinda figured. I kept the feet, which are drying as we speak. My first thought was Quill Lake, and a lot of the abnormalities point to that. I was disappointed there was less color distinction on the breast, but that's probably due to the time of year. You're right, shot in December it might have looked completely different. I contemplated freezing it for a mount, but a bird shot this early in the year would be tough for a taxidermist to handle (well...maybe not for Rick Acker).

Thanks for all the input!

One more note, I hear a lot about people saying a bird like this is a Canada/domestic cross. This seems plausible, but I have one question: How many domestic geese are there? Are there really enough farm geese mozying around the barnyard for this to be even probable? We see dozens of these pics every year on here. I can't imagine there are that many Canadas that fornicate with their tame cousins...but then again, I don't see many Canadas getting freaky, period. :wink:


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## Bloodyblinddoors (Oct 25, 2006)

We killed this one on Saturday









And this one last October. Nick's holding it up on the left. Now answer me this. If it's a quill then why the white uni-brow. Is it a quill lakes or is it a true giant? Dont lose too much sleep over it :lol:


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## INhonker1 (Feb 24, 2009)

As far as farm geese crossing with canadas it happens every year here in Indiana. Its really wierd to see the color phases that emerge from it. A roost an hour east of me has a whole mess of them. It started with 2 white farm geese mixed with a couple hundred canadas 3 years ago. Then last season, there were 2 whites, white with a little grey, and then a bunch of muts. This season it looks like the damn funny farm. You have perfect looking canadas with bright orange feet. There is one that we have coined "the eagle head canada". Its a perfect canada body and neck with a bleech white head. Then you have ones that kinda resemble specks except they honk like a farm goose and have pink feet. I had this whole mess of weirdos mixed with about 300 real canadas in a field until about a week before the season when they disappeared like they always do. They will return to this roost later this season and we hunt right across the road so I m hoping we can bag some. If nothing else I ll try to get pics. So how did the "Quills Lake" variety of goose come about?


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## SDwaterfowler (Mar 2, 2006)

Duckslayer100 said:


> One more note, I hear a lot about people saying a bird like this is a Canada/domestic cross. This seems plausible, but I have one question: How many domestic geese are there? Are there really enough farm geese mozying around the barnyard for this to be even probable? We see dozens of these pics every year on here. I can't imagine there are that many Canadas that fornicate with their tame cousins...but then again, I don't see many Canadas getting freaky, period. :wink:


I think there are more domestic geese out there than one would typically think. Add that to the fact that canadas love to raise their young on pasture ponds close to farms with short grass around them and you have a high likelihood of interbreeding.


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## Bloodyblinddoors (Oct 25, 2006)

INhonker1 said:


> So how did the "Quills Lake" variety of goose come about?


The rumor is there is a subspiecies of the Canada goose known for the white bar accrossed it's chest, That originated from the Quill Lakes region of Saskatuan. They are supposedly very rare and considered a trophy to many. It's been said that most hunters will never shoot one or even see one in thier lifetime. The supposed main migration flyway is through the Dakotas and Nebraska.

I think it's been hyped up alot and now I dont even know whats true or just a rumor. But there sure are a ton of people claiming they've killed them. Even if it has a single white feather on it's wing tip. 
As far as I know the Quill lakes geese have a solid white bar accrossed the chest but I'm no Biologist.

Read more opinions on the quill lakes goose here.
http://www.nodakoutdoors.com/forums/vie ... hp?t=46631


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## Matt Jones (Mar 6, 2002)

INhonker1 said:


> So how did the "Quills Lake" variety of goose come about?


It's a canada goose with a genetic defect.


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## INhonker1 (Feb 24, 2009)

Bloodyblinddoors said:


> Read more opinions on the quill lakes goose here.
> http://www.nodakoutdoors.com/forums/vie ... hp?t=46631


I looked at the forum and I ll say this as my opinion. We have the SAME exact looking geese in Indiana and they are always hanging out in the summer with their family group which ALWAYS consists of a full blown canada, and a fat white farm goose who has the ability to fly. With all the pictures in this post NONE of the "quills lake" geese look EXACTLY the same. I would think if they were truely a sub specie of a canada they would be more uniform in color phases. Maybe I m wrong....just my 2cents. I mean....has anyone drove around quills lake and seen hundreds and hundreds of these things together?


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## Matt Jones (Mar 6, 2002)

It is not a subspecies. It is simply a regular, plain-old Canada goose that has a genetic defect. The Quills Lake deal is myth. It probably originated because this mutation seems to be more common among the Western Prairie Population (WPP) of geese. But you can find it in any population of honkers.

It falls in the same category as an albino, pie-bald, leucistism, and other genetic defects.

It is totally different than a Canada/Farm goose cross.


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## Matt Jones (Mar 6, 2002)

INhonker1 said:


> Pass on hens........and pass on tradition!!!
> (DU/Budweiser)


BTW, voluntary restraint is a Delta program.


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## INhonker1 (Feb 24, 2009)

Matt Jones said:


> INhonker1 said:
> 
> 
> > Pass on hens........and pass on tradition!!!
> ...


BTW.........I used to have a 4 foot banner on the wall of my hunting room with a mallard hen and 7 little ones that read: "Pass on hens . . . and pass on tradition". It also had a budwiser logo in the corner right next to the du emblem 

I m a DU comittee member of 15 yrs and I ve been a delta member off and on for the last 10. I think both are great organizations. I used to go on a trip with 7 or 8 other guys to North Dakota every year. We went a total of about 7 times and we self imposed fines for hen mallards and hen pintails. The money then got sent to Delta after the trip.....right along with our annual "adopt a pothole" check.


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## Matt Jones (Mar 6, 2002)

Sorry, I guess I wasn't aware that DU has a similar program. That's cool, since it's a good program.

http://www.deltawaterfowl.org/support/vr.php


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## INhonker1 (Feb 24, 2009)

I dont think DU has a "program" the way Delta has voluntary restraint. I think that poster was more of a promo for Budweiser than anything else. Never the less, I picked it up sometime in high school and the point hit me. I finally started seeing that a couple buddies with 2 drakes in the bag and 4 hens in and out of the decoys is a way better day then having 6 ducks to clean  That poster was the start of my voluntary restraint.


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## kingcanada (Sep 19, 2009)

i agree with the genetic defect statement. several years ago i shot a pair with my 28 gauge. don't howl in protest, both were clean kills at short range. i have done it on over a dozen occasions when geese were cooperative. i always have my 10 gauge as back up and select shots carefully.


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