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Snow Goose
. Scientific name; Chen caerulescens . As the common name of Snow Goose, implies, these birds are basically all white in the most common color phase (lower right goose decoy). They do have black primary feathers (wing tips), pinkish bill and feet, and the young will exhibit considerable amounts of gray on top the wings, back and head (upper left bird). . A darker color phase also exists. It is commonly called the Blue Goose (low left and upper right) and may comprise as much as 20% of some lesser snow goose subspecie populations (there is also a greater snow goose subspecie that occurs on the east coast). The blue morph of this goose gets blue gray feathers on top of their wings, thus the name. The blue's body may be variable amounts of dark gray or mostly white, but the wings of the blue phase are always dark when compared to the white morph. Young birds of the blue phase are almost all gray, except for the belly. Mature birds develop nearly all white heads and necks. . In flight, a young blue, lacking the white head, may be difficult to tell from a young Specklebelly Goose (before they get the specks). Be careful! If close enough, look for the pinkish gray bill and feet of the blue goose versus the orange bill and feet of the speck. If they are not that close, or under poor lighting conditions, just wait for the bark like honk of a blue goose versus the oo-loo laugh of the speck. . Another specie, scientific name; chen rossii, and commonly called a Ross' Goose, very closely resembles the Snow Goose. The differences are in body size and the bill. The Ross' Goose is a smaller bird, about 3 pounds versus 4 or 5 for a snow. The Ross' have a disproportionately shorter bill. They usually develop "carbuncles" (warty appearing growths) where the bill and head join, and they lack the distinctive "grin patch" (looks like black lips) of the snow. Blue phase Ross' Geese are extremely rare. Estimates are as low as 1 in 10,000 specimens. . In Texas, Ross' Geese and Snow Geese are lumped together legally and called, "Light Geese". They have an aggregate bag limit. . 
Ross' Goose . . |
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Canada Goose
. Scientific name; Branta canadensis . The white cheek patch on the solid black head and neck of a Canada Goose is it's most distinguishing feature. There are several subspecies of this goose, and those subspecies are made up of different populations (a distinct breeding group). The different subspecies will vary in size from 2 pound Cacklers to 20 pound Giant Canadas, and their body/wing coloration will vary through shades and combinations of gray, black, brown and white, but the white cheek patch on black head and neck is a constant feature. Look for it when Texas goose hunting. Young goose or old goose, male or female, they all have that cheek patch. Even when Canada geese hybridize with other goose species, that cheek patch is usually still there on the hybrid individuals. . The canadas we get in my part of Texas are all the smaller subspecies. Our BIG canadas will be about 5 pounds, most are about 2 or 3. When I get hunters from up north, they frequently tell me the geese were too high when I first call the shot on canadas, but after I knock one down for them, they see the deal. They are just accustomed to looking at 8 to 12 pound geese, so Texas canadas look further than they really are. Trust your guide is all I can tell you. We don't like skybusting, so we're not going to call shots that aren't truly killable shots. . Like the specks, canada geese tend to be in relatively small flocks and fly at lower altitudes than snows. Therefore, they are generally easier to shoot. They usually are fairly easy to decoy as well, responding readily to good calling. The limits reflect this, being three canada geese in the eastern Texas goose hunting zone, and four in the western goose hunting zone. . Traditional, deep pitched Canada Goose calls will often work when goose hunting in Texas, but it usually is more effective if they are tuned to a higher pitch. That will more closely resemble the calls of the smaller subspecies. I have actually called in about as many with a snow goose call blown like a canada call, as I have with my real canada call. The snow goose call is almost always in my hand when I hear the canadas, so I just stick with it rather than dig for the other call. I only dig if the birds don't respond to the snow call blown canada style. . 
Greater Canada Goose (left) Cackling Canada Goose (right) .. |
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Texas Goose Hunting Tips |
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Decoying Snow Geese |
