# Why do people hate on Canada geese? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 2, 2023, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-hate-on-canada-geese/982008 "2023-04-02T01:37:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-hate-on-canada-geese/982008/101 "2023-04-03T16:16:13Z")
They are only federally protected because they are migratory. Most of them don’t even bother to migrate. I say if they stick around during the winter months, they should be fair game. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-hate-on-canada-geese/982008/102 "2023-04-03T18:24:08Z")
I don’t know what the regulations are but they can be hunted in some hunting season. Duck and Wabbit are the only two hunting seasons I’m very familiar with, don’t know if it’s one of those. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-hate-on-canada-geese/982008/103 "2023-04-03T18:41:36Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I don’t know what the regulations are but they can be hunted in some hunting season. Undoubtedly varies by state. In Illinois (where I live), for example, there is a Canada goose hunting season, the exact dates of which vary by region within the state, but runs from late October through January (i.e., not during nesting season). ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-hate-on-canada-geese/982008/104 "2023-04-03T18:41:44Z")
> [@Dorjan](#): > > I say if they stick around during the winter months, they should be fair game. I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen “fair game” used literally. ---
**Author:** ![gnarator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gnarator/32/8266_2.png) [@gnarator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnarator)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-hate-on-canada-geese/982008/105 "2023-04-03T19:26:17Z")
Two geese/bike stories: I was riding my bike to work one morning, and a flock of geese with goslings were in the grass median next to the road. I didn’t think anything of it, as Canada geese are common here, but I heard a loud hiss and I thought I had a tire puncture, (I’m looking at my tires) but soon realized I must have got too close because the geese were hissing at me. I moved over to give them a wider berth. Another time was much like your story and your picture of Weird Al, except the goose hit me with its wing, and man, that hurt. That elbow has some power behind it. I pedaled out of there as fast as I could. I could do with fewer geese. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-hate-on-canada-geese/982008/106 "2023-04-03T19:41:46Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I don’t know what the regulations are but they can be hunted in some hunting season. Ontario allows Canada geese to be shot from September to December or January (precisely which dates depends what part of the province you’re in) with a license. You can shoot five a day, as many days as the season lasts. That said, I have NEVER in my life met a person who hunts Canada geese. Not one. I have known people who hunt duck, deer, moose, snipe, mourning dove, bears, elk (hard to get a license for that, it’s a lottery) wild turkey, coyotes, partridge, and hare, but I’ve never met or even heard of a Canada goose hunter. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-hate-on-canada-geese/982008/107 "2023-04-03T20:01:06Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Those posters still unfamiliar with the vicious bastards might read of goose shit and picture the annoying-but-small splats that show up on your car when you park under a tree From upthread: > [@Joey\_P](#): > > 2)Fucking goose shit, every fucking where. And it’s worse if you have to walk in the grass (and 10x worse if it’s also raining and the grass is “muddy”). What I think a lot of people don’t know is that goose shit isn’t like bird shit, it’s like cat shit. Imagine so much cat shit that you _had_ to watch every step you took so you don’t step in it. Most people wouldn’t even take the shortcut across the grass instead of the long way on the cement since you typically couldn’t get across the grass without stepping in it. > A lot of students had a ‘no shoes allowed’ rule in the dorms after tracking it in once or twice. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-hate-on-canada-geese/982008/108 "2023-04-03T20:10:46Z")
My kid once had to play soccer on a field next to a pond. The game was called half-way through and someone went and found some trash bags to put on the seats in our cars to take the kids home. I think that field was taken off the list. ---
**Author:** ![Dogginit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogginit/32/16920_2.png) [@Dogginit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogginit)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-hate-on-canada-geese/982008/109 "2023-04-03T20:36:26Z")
I’ve had Canada geese raise babies on my pond at home, can get within 20 feet of them to take pictures with the little ones around. From the time the babies were puffballs, til they took to the wing for migration. I do agree, they are nasty, agressive at the best of times, poopy, and I never get tired of watching a grown man run from a critter 1/10th his size (no pioneer spirit left in this world, I guess). They taste really good marinated in a dry rub and apple cider, then smoked over a maplewood grill. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-hate-on-canada-geese/982008/110 "2023-04-04T00:04:28Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > That said, I have NEVER in my life met a person who hunts Canada geese. > [@Dogginit](#): > > They taste really good marinated in a dry rub and apple cider, then smoked over a maplewood grill. Now I was going to respond to RickJay by saying that I’m not surprised they aren’t a favorite hunting target, because my understanding is that they taste absolutely horrid (I’ve never tried one). But your post gave me pause. So I did a quick search and [found this cite](https://www.wildernessroamer.com/are-canada-geese-good-to-eat-recipes-and-ideas/). So apparently they often taste awful if you try and cook them “normally”, but with some work can be made into a decent meal. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-hate-on-canada-geese/982008/111 "2023-04-04T01:21:42Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Undoubtedly varies by state. In Illinois (where I live), for example, there is a Canada goose hunting season, the exact dates of which vary by region within the state, but runs from late October through January (i.e., not during nesting season). Yeah, you can hunt them in season, but do you want to? They taste like shit too. One friend tries to use it by making jerky. Tastes like a sandal made out of camel hide and aged on the feet of an Egyptian mummy for a thousand years. It is still better than just trying to cook one and eat it. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-hate-on-canada-geese/982008/112 "2023-04-04T03:08:40Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > So apparently they often taste awful if you try and cook them “normally”, but with some work can be made into a decent meal. Well fuck that. Shoot or buy something that can be cooked “normally.” I wouldn’t mind just SHOOTING Canada geese, mind you. Fuck them. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-hate-on-canada-geese/982008/113 "2023-04-04T11:44:03Z")
Funny party trick: knock out a Canada goose, and then drop it in the backseat of someone’s car. Big Laffs! ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-hate-on-canada-geese/982008/114 "2023-04-04T12:31:31Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen “fair game” used literally. Thank you, i was hoping someone would notice 😃 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-hate-on-canada-geese/982008/115 "2023-04-04T13:38:20Z")
Oh, we noticed all right. Or at least this bit of “we” did. I suppose I could have given a thumbs up for your clever play, but I couldn’t come up with a smooth way to slip it into the conversation. Perhaps if we had some lubricating substance near-to-hand AKA top-of-mind in this thread I might have dropped an appropriate surprise where others might find it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-hate-on-canada-geese/982008/116 "2023-04-04T13:41:58Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Take your eyes off your dog for a second, like to take in the riverside view, and when you look back your dog is gleefully rolling in goose poop. Like it’s a bed of freaking roses! And it dyes our dog’s neck a lovely green colour, too! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-hate-on-canada-geese/982008/117 "2023-04-04T14:00:26Z")
Get a darker-colored dog. Problem solved. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-hate-on-canada-geese/982008/118 "2023-04-04T14:09:20Z")
Frankly, some of the Canada geese I’ve met are just assholes. QED ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-hate-on-canada-geese/982008/119 "2023-04-04T20:37:55Z")
Boil the goose up with an old boot until the boot is nice and tender. Then throw the goose away and eat the boot. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-hate-on-canada-geese/982008/120 "2023-04-04T21:43:10Z")
I like Canada geese. Just last week, for the first time, my dog and I came upon some on our daily walk. She was utterly mystified by the big honking things… the entire purpose of “walks” for her is chasing bunnies, so these OTHER animals had her confused. It was fun. (We didn’t get attacked, just honked at.) The prodigious amounts of goose shit are no joke though; by end of summer, our sports fields, public parks, and several of the elementary school lawns are completely covered in the stuff. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-hate-on-canada-geese/982008.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-hate-on-canada-geese/982008.md?page=7)