Canada Goose

[Paul Kribs]

The end result with the Canada goose is that it never got used and was discarded.
It would appear that when it was culled the bullet entered the breast just under the wing, went right through the digestive tract, went down the thigh and ended in the drumstick. The leakage of the digestive tract fluids would account for it being 'high'. Despite being in a fridge overnight, it was still very warm inside, probably due to the thick layer of feathers and down.. I mean, if they have evolved to withstand such low temperatures, then a household fridge isn't going to cool them quickly. Even after soaking in a salt solution and then freezing, once thawed the meat reeked. I should have known really cos I actually applied some 'vick' to my nostrils whilst dealing with it and it was still powerful.

My mate said that in future unless he gets a clean head or neck shot, that he would draw the guts straight away.. At least that way the cold would be able to chill down the carcass from the inside. We live and learn but it seems such a waste.

BTW the wife wasn't impressed by the smell either.. lots of air freshening sprays, backdoor open and windows open.

Regards, Paul Kribs

[Jonty]

Shame about the goose Paul. If you get another, I can thoroughly recomend roasting the bird by putting it directly onto the oven shelf. Put your spuds in a tray below the goose and I can guarantee that you will have the best (self basting) roasties you've ever tasted.

Cheers

[Paul Kribs]

Jonty,
that's exactly how I do my roast spuds and parsnips when we have duck.. then I save the fat for next weeks roast..

Regards, Paul Kribs

[TobyB]

Sorry to hear about the goose. Mind you, I've only ever eaten Canada Goose once and I thought it was horrible.

Deerman, his mate is quite right CG's can now be culled as vermin as they've been put on the general licence. link here:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/regul ... 100088.pdf
(the fact it was shot with a bullet suggests that either a cull was in place or poaching was going on as it's not very sporting to shoot them with a rifle when not flying )

Best wishes

Toby

[aris]

What is the sporting way to kill them then? Ripped to shreds by a pack of dogs?

[Paul Kribs]

Toby, he was not shooting for sport, he had been called in to cull. He would have taken his rifle and his 12 bore. I don't know the ins and outs of it but he generally utilises the optimum method for a quick clean dispatch. The bird would normally have been incinerated but he kept it because I mentioned I would like to try one if the chance arose. This was well over 18 months ago.

I don't know if shotgun cartridges are still filled with lead, I have a feeling they are not. But I have in the past been angling at a fishery when mallards were being shot for sport in an adjacent field and we were getting rained with shot all day. I only say this because at the time anglers were being blamed for the death of swans through lead poisoning. An angler may have lost a few split shot, but nothing compared to what was being sprayed around that day. If they are still filled with lead then this may have been the reason he opted for the rifle. It was on a fishery and there were probably other fowl in the vicinity, and he felt he needed a direct shot. As we know, the shot spreads when fired from a shotgun.

I believe Deer Man may know the answers to these questions.

All I can say is that he is a very level headed person, and whatever action he took would have been calculated for a quick dispatch with minimum environmental impact.

Regards, Paul Kribs

[welsh wizard]

Lead shot can still be used for shooting as long as the intended quarry is not wild foul. If anyone does venture after wild foul they have to by law use a non toxic load such as Bismuth or Tin (I have my own views on this but they are not for this forum). In so saying if you do buy game from a dealer then ther should be no lead in there to crack open your teeth, but unfortunatlythe alternative is harder!

I believe the lead ban has now been in for some 2 - 3 years depending on where you live.

[Deer Man]

Welsh Wizard is correct, The "new alternatives" can only be used by law! If however the goose was culled with a rifle for example a .22RF then the bullet (missile) would almost certainly be lead as by law it has to be soft nose or expanding for use on all live quarry.

There are very few alternatives to this but I use a 100% copper alloy. In europe there is a move to ban lead but it has a slow following because it is very difficult to reproduce the properties of lead etc. I would suggest this is not a sauage making forum topic but it certainly is important to me!

[TobyB]

Deerman,

with apologies to the remainder for continuing the shooting theme for a moment, what make are the alloys you use? I currently use ely lead in my 22rf.


Paul,

I was joking when I made the comment about it not being sporting hence the smiley!

[Paul Kribs]

Toby,

I knew you were joking mate.. I just thought I would attempt to clarify what could be a contentious subject.

Deer Man,

The angling fraternity had to make the move from lead shot because of the swan issue. In my opinion there has never been a decent substitute for split lead shot, every one I have tried has been too hard, except the putty, which was too soft and messy. So I think it will be a long time before they find an alternative for ammo for shooting.

Regards, Paul Kribs

[Deer Man]

The alloys are Barnes X, they are not cheap but they do what it says on the tin! Almost 100% mass retention

I do not use them for 22RF, as far as i know they do not supply in .22. There are several makes of commercial loads that use this bullet but only in full bore rifle, I use the bullet in my home loads.

For simplicity it is just as easy to buy Ely, Winchester etc for .22RF for vermin and plinking purposes.

[TobyB]

Thanks deerman. I didn't think I'd seen a non lead 22rf round.

Promise to get back to sausage now. Thanks guys good to know there are several other shooters on here!

[muntjac]

You can use any of the game recipies and the Venison ones also make for good eating. By the way it is ilegal to sell wild geese.

[floyd]

I eat Canada geese quite regular and always find them very tasty. Best way is to just take the breast meat out (5 minute job) I use this recipe
Marinated Goose Breast
Ingredients:
2 Goose Breasts
3/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 medium onion, sliced finely
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
Directions:
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Slice the Goose breasts lengthwise to make 4 thin fillets (tenderise with hammer if too thick). Pierce both sides of the breasts with a fork. Place the breasts in the marinade mix and let sit overnight in the refridgerator. Drain the breasts on a paper towel. Cook slowly under a medium heat grill just like you would cook steak.