[WhatGooseUPmustGoosedown]

Ok, I'm not on too often, but I have a question from awhile back and thought you gentleman might be able to help. I shot at a Goose that was flying by (no decoys).....just flapping by. It had to be 50 feet up. When I shot, it crumpled....lights out....no movement.......and crashed to the ground with a thud. It sounded like someone had dropped a turkey off the side of a stadium. Unfortunately, it landed on an island....but only about 40 yards from my blind. I went back 3 hours later with my canoe and searched all night.....no goose.....searched the next day....no goose. I realize that a coyote "could" have gotten it, but it just didn't seem long enough. Can they survive that kind of a fall?

 

[William H Bonney]

When was this??

 

[WhatGooseUPmustGoosedown]

Around the 8th or 9th. Do they die different depending on the day?:bloos:

 

[William H Bonney]

Around the 8th or 9th. Do they die different depending on the day?:bloos:

Not normally. It just struck me kinda odd that you'd ask now,, since goose season has been closed for a while in most of the state.

Couple other questions though,, was there a reason you couldn't go after it right away? Were you field hunting next to some water??

 

[bucknduck]

Not sure if this is what happened, but I've had them lay flat in the water and swim away. No diving, just lay flat and swim away possibly under some brush that is hanging over the water. Just my guess. Birds have a lot of fat, more cushion for the fall.

 

[stacemo]

The answer is yes, you can crumple a goose 50 ft up and it can be very much alive and get away from you.

 

[KLR]

I wouldn't think the fall would kill it.

A couple of things could have happened to your "Stone Dead" goose-

#1- Coyote or other critter ate very well, TYVM.

#2- Bird wasn't dead and it burrowed into the weeds and died.

 

[Duckman Racing]

Can they survive that kind of a fall?

Yes. I have seen geese hit the ground at full speed and still have plenty of life in them. Often they will sit for a minute and kind of regroup then they will try to run for cover. It is also possible that the goose could have gotten to the water and he coud have swam (swum?) away before you got back, they are pretty resilient animals.

 

[WhatGooseUPmustGoosedown]

Yes. I was hunting next to an inlet to a river.....and thought that if I dropped one in the river that it would float to shore. Most of the other ducks and geese that I saw came in straight on and flew over the land or right down the river. I went back home, had some dinner, and brought back my canoe......and wife....and the next day even the dog.

 

[RIGHT ANGLE BACK]

Why didn't you take your dog out on the hunt with you. A good dog will save on a lot of lost birds.

 

[smoke73]

Geese with broken wings can still run and swim. Try shooting them in the feet next time.

 

[William H Bonney]

Why didn't you take your dog out on the hunt with you. A good dog will save on a lot of lost birds.

This is sorta what I was getting at.

Shooting birds from shore and hoping that they die in the right spot and they float to back to you??

Not exactly something that most waterfowlers would try.

 

[WhatGooseUPmustGoosedown]

Unfortunately, this dog doesn't hunt.....or retrieve......eventhough he's a black lab. Yet, he can smell. He's found several deer over the years...and he always seems to find anything....and I mean anything....that is already dead. Check out the picture of him in my album. He likes ducks......when they're cooked.

P.S. First bird that I dropped and didn't find......but I'm a rookie. I'm sure it's like bow hunting......sometimes what you think was the perfect hit...wasn't.

 

[GOTONE]

Yes it can happen a few years back I was out and I had some cheap #4 shells when I shot it folded and it dropped and hit the ground hard and still got up to try to run from me but it was not lucky enough to get away

 

[Far Beyond Driven]

I've fetched geese stone dead set them next to the blind and half an hour later they get up and are gone running. Also had birds that were belly up in the water for a minute flip over and try to sneak away. Went to get the boat one time to fetch a "dead" duck only to hear my friend empty out, reload, and put out two more shots. Came around the point to see only one bird on the water - he yells "I was putting down your Lazurus bird".

 

[Mike L]

Bar none ! The biggest bird that I've ever seen that can disappear without a trace. I had a heck of a time once in a cut corn field, the bird was flat on the ground with wings out buried in the corn stubble. I watched one swim underwater once, he was gone if it wasn't for a sand bar.........

 

[melvvin]

:yeahthat:

Why didn't you take your dog out on the hunt with you. A good dog will save on a lot of lost birds.

 

[PahtridgeHunter]

- he yells "I was putting down your Lazurus bird".

:lol:

 

[Ieatantlers]

Two years ago myself and my regular two hunting buddies hit up a field that was loading with geese. Shot our limit and then had rain coming down in sheets. It took us a couple hours to carry everything in from way out in the field, cause we suddenly couldnt drive out. Long story short we were so exausted, we rock paper scissored for who was cleaning birds. Our friend Matt put all the birds in a trash bag for transporting in his vehicle. It got cold enough he left the birds overnight with his SUV outside to clean them in the morning. He got up the next morning, opened the tailgate and there stood a honker pissed off at the world. He said it almost made him **** himself- and I can't blame him. The thing did a number on the back of his SUV to- as you can imagine. They are tough suckers.

FYI- I would never recommend hunting in the future without the ability to retrieve a shot bird in any case-immediately. Being a rookie, you will learn that you can never predict waterfowl to fly an exact path and die convientely on shore. Its not being fair to the game in my opinion, I hope it was a lesson learned.

 

[jarodd1]

I had a similar situation where I tagged a loner cruising away from me. Coasted down about 150-200 yards away. Got in the ole row boat and started after him. Got to where I last saw it and it was no where to be found looked around for at least half an hour on the surrounding shoreline with no luck. We were about to turn around and head in when I saw it another 150-200 yards further downstream so we took off after it (blazing speed in the row boat of about 1 knot). The thing dove and we thought we were out of luck until I noticed some bubbles that were moving in a line so we paddled over there and look down to see this goose just cruising along underwater like a dang penguin :lol: Finally my buddy got a hold of it as it was surfacing.

Where I hunt it is really thick with cattails and if there is even the slightest chance that one will go down in them I wont shoot because I know the chance of finding it will be slim to none -- especially not having a dog. I will take the shots over the open water even if the birds happen to be further away.