Sunday's bird

[jennyfell55]

Went out yesterday hoping to get some ducks, and didn't go home empty handed I even ALMOST went home with a goose!

Sitting in my blind in the pea soup fog when I hear a lone goose honking pitifully. What the heck... I'll try honking back. I have no goose dekes but I figure in the fog I still stand a chance. The only goose call I have was only $5... and now I see why! I can get 3 or 4 honks out of it before it sticks horribly and is basically useless. So I hear this goose honk, and I honk once back at him. Apparently he's lonely because he gets REALLY excited and starts honking up a storm, and I can tell he's pretty close! I honk again and I see him appear out of the fog, still very excited to find more geese to hang out with. One more honk seals the deal. Wings cupped sailing in... in range... fire!!! And I miss I can nail a teal zooming across at a billion miles an hour but I miss the goose... figures  Regardless of my miss, I'm thrilled! I called in a goose with a crappy call and no decoys 

A short while later I hear the unmistakable sound of wings... but I can't see the bird! Finally I catch sight of the bird and the giant bill leaves no question as to what it is. Swings around, then cups it's wings and the feet come out... BANG! My first shoveler!

I'm fairly certain that it's a male in eclipse plumage, or an immature male. Not visible in the pic but the belly was very rusty reddish colored, as well as the black coloring on the base of the tail that I don't see on pictures of the hens. Am I mistaken?

[lokidog]

Bummer on the goose.  I have always liked the look of shovelers.  I've only ever shot them in SoCal.  Congratulations.

[seth30]

Great job!!!!

[L-ofalab]

I would guess hen this time of year the male should be full colored like the one I am having mounted. The color is darker or black on the drakes while yours shows some orange.

[h2ofowlr]

A nice hen, smiling mallard, boot lip, spoonie, Northern Shoveler.   

[L-ofalab]

I found this mount and it looks like yours is very nice.

[jennyfell55]

Thanks so much for all the kind words and wisdom! If I did snag a hen, any ideas on why her belly is all red? That was one of the big reasons I thought I had a young male Fat bird though!! This thing had easily 1/4" of fat all the way around, and as thick as 1/2" in a couple spots!  I haven't gotten many birds yet, but I've never seen that before. Must have been eating well 

[270Shooter]

That's an immature drake, they take a long time to reach full plumage. Black bill and rust colored belly means drake. Hens have an orange bill and are light brown.

[lokidog]

That's an immature drake, they take a long time to reach full plumage. Black bill and rust colored belly means drake. Hens have an orange bill and are light brown.

That was my thought as well, plus look at the length of the tail on jenny's compared to the mounted one.  That is a cool mount though.

Don't feel bad about thinking it was a hen H2O   , I had a warden once that did not know what a Pintail in eclipse plumage was.   

[jennyfell55]

These immature/eclipse birds certainly make identification a challenge! The pintail I got opening day was eclipse/immature too. Lokidog you had a warden that didn't know what eclipse plumage was?!? 

[Mfowl]

Don't be afraid to give those geese a little more lead. They are so much bigger than ducks that they seem like they are going slow, when in reality they fly fairly fast. You'll get'em next time.

[birdstew]

Good Job I put a Shoveler down Sunday. Been seeing more Shovelers and Teal than Mallards so far this year.

[jennyfell55]

Don't be afraid to give those geese a little more lead. They are so much bigger than ducks that they seem like they are going slow, when in reality they fly fairly fast. You'll get'em next time.

I think you're spot on with that! I had way too much time to watch him come in and get excited... I think I had goose fever!  

[lokidog]

Don't be afraid to give those geese a little more lead. They are so much bigger than ducks that they seem like they are going slow, when in reality they fly fairly fast. You'll get'em next time.

I think you're spot on with that! I had way too much time to watch him come in and get excited... I think I had goose fever!

I almost always do better on the quick shots than those wait for it, wait for it, types.

[sakoshooter]

Congrats Jenny. A little later in the season the drakes will have all their color. Yours is just a tad early.

[scottcrb]

Don't be afraid to give those geese a little more lead. They are so much bigger than ducks that they seem like they are going slow, when in reality they fly fairly fast. You'll get'em next time.

yes it happened to me on Sunday morning mfowl and i had 2 geese in the deekes and mfowl dropped his while i let 3 or 4 rounds off at him without dropping him. they need more lead than you think with those big bodies. dropped the next one dead with one shot .  goose fever can get ya .

[JLS]

Don't be afraid to give those geese a little more lead. They are so much bigger than ducks that they seem like they are going slow, when in reality they fly fairly fast. You'll get'em next time.

I think you're spot on with that! I had way too much time to watch him come in and get excited... I think I had goose fever!

Also, it's easy to focus on the whole bird when you take those "gimme" shots.  Instead, focus on the head, or better yet, the bill of the bird when you shoot.  Then, you'll make head shots instead of hitting them far back in the body where they usually fly off as cripples.

[Kola16]

Don't be afraid to give those geese a little more lead. They are so much bigger than ducks that they seem like they are going slow, when in reality they fly fairly fast. You'll get'em next time.

I think you're spot on with that! I had way too much time to watch him come in and get excited... I think I had goose fever!

I almost always do better on the quick shots than those wait for it, wait for it, types.

I do better when I throw my gun up and shoot without thinking.

[seth30]

Don't be afraid to give those geese a little more lead. They are so much bigger than ducks that they seem like they are going slow, when in reality they fly fairly fast. You'll get'em next time.

I think you're spot on with that! I had way too much time to watch him come in and get excited... I think I had goose fever!

I almost always do better on the quick shots than those wait for it, wait for it, types.

I do better when I throw my gun up and shoot without thinking.

X2

[WCTaxidermy]

Jenny, that is definitely a drake that is not fully plumed out yet.  The Northern Shoveler usually gets fully plumed out late in the season.  The head is usually the last part of the bird that plumes out.  If you get one that has a nice solid green head with no little white feathers mixed in, before January then you are extremely lucky.  When those Shoveler's are fully plumed out, they give the Wood Duck a run for their money when it comes to colors on a bird.  As far as fat goes, they are always full of fat and very thin skinned.

Good going on getting one and sorry you missed the goose.  At least you had fun.  John

[jennyfell55]

Glad to hear I'm not the only one that seems to do better with the no-time-to-think shots! Even not fully plumed out he's a rather pretty bird Went to Sportsman's Warehouse yesterday and picked up a much better goose call (short reed). It's not a multi hundred dollar call but if I can fool a goose with a $5 call this new one should be good enough

[BOWHUNTER45]

Don't be afraid to give those geese a little more lead. They are so much bigger than ducks that they seem like they are going slow, when in reality they fly fairly fast. You'll get'em next time.

:tup:Its always best to take the lead from the head not the body and be sure to keep the gun moving and swing threw 

[low97ram]

Nice job.  Got a full plumage drake last day of last yrs season. Great color.

[jennyfell55]

Nice job.  Got a full plumage drake last day of last yrs season. Great color.

I saw that! Yours was much nicer looking than mine 

[sakoshooter]

Jenny,
Geese always seem to be flying much slower than their duck counterparts but are actually flying about the same speed so they'll require the same lead. Swing thru and keep the gun moving. You'll get the next ones.