All white body on a Canada Honker

[Browning83]

Over break last week my friend and I were out checking out fields for geese and saw a nice flock. We looked over a near by hill and saw and all white bodied canadian(except for the head was all black and exactly like a Canada) I know you are all thinking it was a snow or blue....but I was only 20 yards away and I've been snow and canada honker hunting my whole life. Just wondering if anyone else have seen one of these or what makes this happen.

[LABS4ME]

Seen it before, talked to the DNR and it is a fairly common occurance. I can't remember what they called it, but it isn't an albino. They are pretty cool looking.

Good Luck!

Ken

[jblabsnduck]

I believe they call that a Quill(sp) goose. I could be wrong but I believe I am right. Feel free to tell me I am wrong though. I have seen them before but most of the white is on the breast side and not on the top.

Could be a canada/snow mix?????????

[LABS4ME]

The DNR said it was a color variant of a Canada goose. I may be wrong here but if I remember right it was called melanistic(?). Just a lack of pigment in a goose. Still the same ol' goose as others just a mixed up gene or deficiency of one.... There was one hanging out in Woodbury the fall and winter of 2003-04.

Good Luck!

Ken

[hobbydog]

Shot this in South Dakota last week....

[LABS4ME]

Proving once again that guys prefer blondes!!! hehehe The stud drake on top looks to be saying " I saw her first... get out of my way!"

Good Luck!

Ken

[Duck-o-holic]

JB, and Labs, I think you're both right. "Quills" are geese lacking pigmentation from the Quill lake area of Canada. Some think that the high alkelai (sp?) content of many of the sloughs contributes to the defects, but that is only speculation to my knowledge. "Quills" are often only partially effected with areas of no pigmentation, which can leave only certain areas of the goose white. JerknPerch had a nice pic of one on thead this fall, and it sounded like they shot a few others that week. Maybe he could speculate more.

All I know is that they are true trophys!

[Tripleplay]

Last summer in the area around Bunker Hills Park in Anoka County (Coon Rapids) there was a single Canada with a similar color variation. The bird was basically a light gray color completely over the body and did have some of the head colors but not completely of a Canadian. I assumed it was a albino like characteristic genetic defect although the bird was definitely not an albino. Definitely a cool looking bird that got me to stop the truck and take a better look.

[cmoredrakes]

I saw a canadian honker that was all white and a black head about 3 years ago on the early canada season coming into a wheat field. The boys we hunt with said it followed them all the way from Otter Lake to Centerville. I thought it would have been a sweet mount.

---Livin' large at 14---