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Thoughts from an old progressive
Roy Pratt

Dinner time!

Posted Tuesday, December 6, 2011, at 6:05 PM
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    Roy - Wild geese are a special critter. They can and do migrate thousands of miles in any and all kinds of weather. They reportedly mate for life, but will seek a replacement in the event of the mate's death. While they can spot a single grain of wheat from hundreds of feet in the air, they prefer tender shoots of grass and given a chance will destroy acres of young agricultural fields in a matter of days.

    The geese that you are having problems with are not truly wild geese. They are decsendents of wild geese, that became domesticated if you will in the last 30 years or so. They have come to recognize that inside city boundaries, there are huge expanses of grass where there are no real predators. In the wild you may see hundreds of birds in a flock with their heads tucked under their wings, but there will always be a sentinal every few yards alertly using that eyesight to spot even the slightest threat.

    The non-game birds are considered pests in any number of urban areas across the nation. While they may be creating sticky stuff for your feet to avoid, they are leaving some field of winter wheat alone.

    I understand that Canyon County inmates are not being fed well enough. Since the law won't let hunters reduce the numbers of these pests, perhaps the law enforcement there could petition IDF&G to allow the inmates to capture some for dinner. The guards could use shotguns to assist if any of the convicts or geese appeared to be escaping. I know a handful of wing shooters who would volunteer to assist in shooting the escaping geese, thereby saving taxpayers the cost of ammunition. Inmates that are not healthy enough to chase geese could quickly be trained to pick and clean them. Excess birds could be frozen and given to foodbanks if you could find one that would accept them without a government inspection. I believe many outlying areas such as Salmon and Riggins would be pleased to provide demonstrations of how to prepare them for eating.

    Otherwise, I suspect you may have to learn to live with dirty shoes.

    -- Posted by wh67 on Wed, Dec 7, 2011, at 1:27 AM
  • Thank you for the smile you gave me. I did this blog looking for a comment like yours. BTW, this was shot on Eagle Rd. of all places. I guess the are "domesticated".

    -- Posted by royincaldwell on Wed, Dec 7, 2011, at 6:13 AM
  • Pigeons wreak havoc in the cities. I love the geese. But I wouldn't want to walk in their droppings

    -- Posted by KH Gal on Wed, Dec 7, 2011, at 7:34 AM
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    I like the idea of using 'available resources" for our local 'burdens' .... and enjoyed the giggle too!

    -- Posted by jessiemiller on Wed, Dec 7, 2011, at 8:12 AM
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    The last goose I had for dinner was bagged on the Boise River. My hunting partner that day (not the one I mentioned on Mr. Bradbury's blog) and I managed to knock two of them out of the air. His 8 month old lab pup fetched one of them. It was a hoot to watch that huge, gangly pup try to gently pick up a 9 or 10 pound bird without ruffling it feathers(not that it mattered to the bird).

    They are flat good to eat if you have a good recipe. They must be kept out of their own grease(natural insulation for living birds.)

    The grease was used as grease for wheels on wagons. As Jessie demonstrated in her pictures, when mixed with charcoal and applied properly it will last for 150 years and can be enjoyed in cyber space if you like that sort of thing.

    Got to call MH News and question how I can "officially" join this forum under protest of my intelectual property.

    I suspect it can be done. Will report back as Random Access Memories.

    By the way, that goose may have been related to those in your pictures, I can't be sure.

    -- Posted by wh67 on Wed, Dec 7, 2011, at 11:35 AM
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    The last goose I had for dinner was bagged on the Boise River. My hunting partner that day (not the one I mentioned on Mr. Bradbury's blog) and I managed to knock two of them out of the air. His 8 month old lab pup fetched one of them. It was a hoot to watch that huge, gangly pup try to gently pick up a 9 or 10 pound bird without ruffling it feathers(not that it mattered to the bird).

    They are flat good to eat if you have a good recipe. They must be kept out of their own grease(natural insulation for living birds.)

    The grease was used as grease for wheels on wagons. As Jessie demonstrated in her pictures, when mixed with charcoal and applied properly it will last for 150 years and can be enjoyed in cyber space if you like that sort of thing.

    Got to call MH News and question how I can "officially" join this forum under protest of my intelectual property.

    I suspect it can be done. Will report back as Random Access Memories.

    By the way, that goose may have been related to those in your pictures, I can't be sure.

    -- Posted by wh67 on Wed, Dec 7, 2011, at 11:36 AM
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