CANADA GOOSE

[SoupGuy]

When it comes to wild game, everything depends upon what the critter has been eating. In the case of birds, add migration to the mix.

I really wish I knew more about Moose. We don't have any here in (central) Wisconsin, but I have had the pleasure of tasting Canadian Moose a couple of times and thought it was excellent. The references to 'swamp thing' I don't understand except to say that I've seen many moose in the lakes I have fished (ON) eating something in the shallows (please, don't say weeds!?).

My personal experience is that Moose far and away tastes better than Deer... at least ours. In Central WIS. our (White tail) deer eat mostly corn and soy bean crops- courtesy of the farmers. They're 'OK'. Further north, they eat acorns and bark, and taste HORRIBLE.

I think this was a Canadian Goose thread... keeping on-topic, in MY experience, there are good goose and bad. Down here in the lower 48, the better geese for eating are the 'locals'. Perhaps those of you from Canada aren't aware, but since we have built so many subdivisions and industrial parks complete with water retention ponds, many (GOBS, TONS) of Canadian geese have stayed over winter here.

Americans are easily amused. We gas up our boats and head out to the local lakes packing overly fancy (un-needed) navigational electronics, fish-finders, ski's and towables in search of a good time over the weekend. We bitch about fuel prices, but that does not slow us down in the least.

On our lakes we have a GLUT of (Canadian) Geese, Mallards, Green-heads, divers, even Loons and Cormorants (spelling!). In stereo-typical American fashion, we feed them commerially produced products (you name it- Dorito's, Frito's, popcorn, potato chips... whatever we packed for our outing to keep our kids quite/happy/satisfied) and they become almost our PETS as we motor slowly on by tossing them 'treats'.  

Without realizing it, we are producing some of the finest tasting fowl to ever flap over the North American continent!

A corn-fed critter whether on the hoof or taking flight over our heads seems to produce the best tasting meat God gave us.

If (I WISH) I lived in Canada, I would want to shoot Geese right before they leave on their southern journey (don't know your seasons... but wishing). Since I live in Wisconsin, knowing some of our birds also leave for the south, I'd shoot them in early fall hoping to get local birds.

There is a major fly-way from Green Bay WI through Fond du Lac WI and beyond (south). This area is covered with immense bodies of water (Green Bay, Lake Michigan, Lake Winnabago) and the Fox River valley. There are a LOT of 'local' birds who stay year-round, but many also join up with the migratory birds from Canada and Minnesota.

This time of year (Oct/Nov) I doubt anyone anywhere else can see the huge numbers of geese forming-up as we do along the HWY 41 corridor. Literally tens if not hundreds of thousands of birds. Some keep going, some stay.

You're here reading this because you are a smoker. Many of us are also hunters. What a great combination! Great prey and great oppertunity!

If you want to do Geese for either or both reasons, try Green Bay to Fond du Lac; gas up the truck, load your 12 guage magnum (you'll need a MAG- they're way up high usually, stoke up the smoker and have the time of your life!

Just an idea.....







Best known not for soup, but rather smoked meats... and stuff

[JVR]

I've gotta say, I just made this sausage with a combo of wood duck and canada goose I took this last weekend and it turned out spectacular!!!

http://home.pacbell.net/lpoli/index_files/Duck%20Sausage.pdf

Two thumbs up  [:p]

[thostorey]

I've just got to put in a plug for the Moose[:)] I've had the good fortune of eating moose off and on for the last 60++ years so I have an opinion, valid or not. A lot of the flavour, good or bad, has much to do with the care given to the processing of the animal once the round leaves the spout. I guess that's true of any hunted wild meat. Moose all pretty well eat the same browse no matter where in the north they are found; cattail and lilly roots in lakes and the tips of branches from bushes and aspens and the like.
When bulls are in the rut they fequently hoof-out a hollow, urinate in it, then wallow in the hollow [xx(]. That makes them a little 'high' to man's nose but unresitable to a cow moose [:X]
Older animals can be a little tough but there are ways to get around this, same as for beef. I find the trick for frying moose, elk or venison is to have the steak cut about 1 1/2 in. thick and the frying pan 'smoking' hot to sear both sides. I use bacon fat in the pan and salt and coarse pepper (lots of pepper!) rubbed into the meat. A little crushed fresh rosemary rubbed into the meat is also a nice complement. After the steaks are well seared (1-2 min a side) I pop them into a 350 oven for a few minutes to cook them until they are just pink inside, like a mouses' ear[8D]. Red current jelly or cranberry jelly are both great with most wild meat.
I regret that this has not much to do with a BS [:I] but it has made me hungry[:D]

Tom in Qualicum Beach

[smokin stu]

I hunt deer in Ontario that have fed on apples and corn and the meet is great.  The deer I ate in northern Quebec were eating cedar and twigs and you had to be imaginative when cooking that up.  Moose, in my opinion, is better than most deer I have eaten, and I would imagine how quickly they got the beast cooled down affected the taste.  Caribou is GREAT and is my preference any time.

Talking last week with some people from Inuvik, mouth of the Mackenzie River going into the Arctic Ocean, and they were joking around about Muskox....  Never had any, but from the conversation, it sounds a wee bit gamey.  

[smokin stu]

I hunt deer in Ontario that have fed on apples and corn and the meet is great.  The deer I ate in northern Quebec were eating cedar and twigs and you had to be imaginative when cooking that up.  Moose, in my opinion, is better than most deer I have eaten, and I would imagine how quickly they got the beast cooled down affected the taste.  Caribou is GREAT and is my preference any time.

Talking last week with some people from Inuvik, mouth of the Mackenzie River going into the Arctic Ocean, and they were joking around about Muskox....  Never had any, but from the conversation, it sounds a wee bit gamey.  

[nodak]

[xx(][xx(]Had some moose burger and summer sausage from a relative who goes north across the border to hunt. I couldn't even get the dog to eat it and I'm not kidding. I'm sure has a lot to do with diet and handling (I hope). Said I would never eat moose again, but after ya'll bragging I'll try some again

"I can respect you and even your opinion, but that doesn't mean I agree with you"