Goose ID please

[TylerS]

Juvy blue. Plain and simple. Juvies are small. No way that's a Ross.

[Feathers Rainin]

Blue Goose huh? Didn't think there was such a thing. Do you mean a blue phased/morphed snow goose?

Ross's are smaller than juvie snows.

The white face patch has me thinking brant/snow cross but I'm not expert. Cool bird either way. We shot some snows in that area a few years back, they had the eagle head color phase.

[fishgutz77]

that bird definetlty has brandts in it, legs and bill show that.

the question is mix, and I'm leaning white fronted or blue

[TylerS]

Blue Goose huh? Didn't think there was such a thing. Do you mean a blue phased/morphed snow goose?

Well yes, but you don't go around saying "hey, look at all those blue phased snow geese!" People would look at you funny and walk the other direction. Common vernacular is blue goose for the blue/gray ones, and snow goose for the whites. And if you really want to get nit-picky, it's not a "morphed" snow goose. The blue goose is a color phase of the snow goose. Yes, they are one and the same, but in the blind, you call them like you see them

[PerchJrkr]

Correct Tyler. Ive got to personally see and hold THOUSANDS in the spring. Its a juvy blue, plain and simple. No brandt, no nothing. Straight up juvie blue. That white patch is just the start of the eagle head. I've shot plenty of bats just as black as that one in Feb, March and April. Thats this years model, dust the egg shells off its back and toss it on the grill. Should be tasty.

[Feathers Rainin]

Yep I do call em like I see em and I call them all snows because that's what they are. Thats like calling a duck an eclipse instead of a mallard. But hey, to each his own. I knew what y'all meant but when the question is regarding a species I thought you would want to use names of the species not a name for a color phase.

I was also leaning towards brant because that thing is dark. Blue colored snows are usually much lighter colored.

[PerchJrkr]

http://www.surfbirds.com/Features/nikonsnowgeese0210/snowrossgoose.html

Juvie Blue. Case closed.

[certified jumbo]

brant!

[RumRiverRat]

brant!

Not so much.

It is a Snow Goose.....Juvy Blue Phase Snow Goose to be exact.

[PerchJrkr]

I think one thing we've positively identified here is a bunch of people that need to work on waterfowl ID.....

[TylerS]

I think one thing we've positively identified here is a bunch of people that need to work on waterfowl ID.....

No kidding! Good grief...I used to question how someone every year shoots a trumpeter thinking its a snow, but now I guess it doesn't sound so far fetched...

[PerchJrkr]

I was at Fleet Farm the day of the youth hunt a few years ago and a kid picked up a coot decoy and said "GRANDPA! This is what I shot today! Whats it called again!?" Yes it is grandpa replied, Its a wood duck!

WOW.

[CANOPY SAM]

That made me laugh out loud! ha ha ha....

I was once sitting in the blind with two friends. We watched as a small duck made it's way gingerly across the slough, and made a beeline straight for us.

I couldn't quite make out what it was until it was about 20 yards out. Just as said, "It's a ....BLAM BLAM BLAM...coot!" This poor little thing hit the ground like a sack of potatoes. I know it sounds morbid, but we all laughed so freakin' hard we nearly wet our pants!

[RumRiverRat]

I once had a In Training CO try to tell me I shot too many Bluebills the year we could only shot one for part of the season and 2 for part of the season.

It was during the one bluebill part.

I was on Diamond Lake in Rogers.

We had a 3 man limit of ducks, 3 Bills, 6 Redeads and 9 Ringnecks. The CO tried to tell that a hen Ringneck I shot was a Hen Bluebill. After the other CO that was with him got out the LeMaster ID book and set him straight.

He also wanted me to empty 12 dozen decoys and all my gear out of my boat so he could search it.

I told him to do it himself. The In Training CO need to work on his people skills, he was incredibly condescending.

So I treated him the same way, he also questioned why I carry a pistol when I am hunting. I explained that I have a Permit to Carry and I always carry a Pistol.

[TonkaBass]

LOL I had almost the exact same thing happen, years ago though. It was on French which is not far from diamond. Three man limit, the CO questioned the id of our ducks. We however listened when he for no reason requested we empty our boat and pull up the floorboards. Ugggg I thought picking up the spread was the end of the work that morning... boy was I wrong! lol btw we were 100% legal, but I could tell he was ticket happy

[brittman]

LOL I had almost the exact same thing happen, years ago though. It was on French which is not far from diamond. Three man limit, the CO questioned the id of our ducks. We however listened when he for no reason requested we empty our boat and pull up the floorboards. Ugggg I thought picking up the spread was the end of the work that morning... boy was I wrong! lol btw we were 100% legal, but I could tell he was ticket happy

You actually followed his instructions ???

Everytime I have been ask to empty truck, bag, whatever the answer is the same - do it yourself, and I expect you to put it back the way you found it.

If you run legal and legit, there is no reason not to be firm with the CO

[brittman]

Juvie blues will may have white patches, especially along the bill line ... a year from now the whole head will be white.

Mistaking a goose/brant for a swan is a whole other issue ... we are talking types of apples here not apples vs. a melon.

I have had more than one CO unable to differentiate hen pintails from hen & young drake gadwalls. The one time he was going to write a ticket for "an extra pintail". I told him to hold the duck in his hand while I took a close-up photo. He ask why? I said when we are in court and the judge asks why you (the CO) can not ID waterfowl - you will know why. The ticket book went back into his pocket. I was just 20 years old at the time.

You better run legit when playing stern ... your friends in the truck with you better be legal too.

[TonkaBass]

Well said Brittman... You would think they would take some pride in being "experts" on wildlife ID and knowledge...

[poutpro]

How many people do you think actually do hide ducks in their boats or gear, or lie about their take? There is no way for a CO to determine whether a person is an honest hunter or a poacher just by talking with them. I have no issue with them wanting to thuroughly check a person/group's take. In no way do I envy the job duties of a CO.

The ID issue however, should never be an issue with a CO. It should probably be a requirement that they pass an ID test before ever going in the field.

[6arrows]

+1 on the geeze the kid was hunting give um a break. he coulda been out raising heck wonder what it tasted like CHICKEN

[Huntin&Fishin]

Like the guys critizing the kid have never shot a duck and been surprised what it was. Not ONCE?? So next time a canadian goose comes over head, make sure you identify which one of the 23 sub-species it is before you pull the trigger.