Couple of Big Honkers

[CharlieNY]

Went out this morning solo with my dog Waylon. Shot a pair of big Canada geese that came in perfectly to my small spread of decoys. My dog Waylon loves to pose with the birds and for reference Waylon weighs 70 lbs. which will give you an idea of the size of the birds. I quit after that as there was no way I was going to carry a third bird out lol. 

[airedale]

Nice, Those are a couple of big ones, I believe there is a sub species of Canadian Geese that are extra large size, that may be what you have there. Congrats.

Al

[airedale]

From what I have read there are two sub species of extra large Canada Geese, the Moffit and the so called Giant. The two will interbreed. The Moffit was found mostly on the Pacific flyway and the Giant in the midwest.

They can turn up anywhere these days because both were raised in captivity and released all over the US.

I raised regular Canada Geese years ago and they will be as tame as any domestic type.

Al

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The Moffitt's Canada goose is the second largest subspecies of Canada goose. It possesses a long neck and bill; similar to that of the slightly larger giant Canada goose (B. c. maxima). It can also have small, white patches found over its eyes or forehead, a trait more commonly found on maxima. Their coloration is paler than that of most other subspecies but slightly darker than maxima, sporting a pale gray-brown body and whiteish breast. Many individuals also have a white collar at the base of the neck. They also have large, broad wings

The giant Canada goose is often mistaken for the Moffitt's Canada goose. However, giant geese have both a lower call and a larger bill to body size ratio. Another good identifier includes the black on the neck, which starts much farther up the neck than any other subspecies. The giant goose's white cheek patch is very large, reaching the lower bill. Unlike other variants, the underbelly is very pale. A less reliable identifier is the white forehead and eyebrows, which don't always occur and Moffitt's geese less commonly have. The wings measure between 480 mm (19 in) to 550 mm (22 in). The tail is between 147 mm (5.8 in) to 170 mm (6.7 in).^[1]

Edited November 2, 2023 by airedale

[CharlieNY]

13 minutes ago, airedale said:

From what I have read there are two sub species of extra large Canada Geese, the Moffit and the so called Giant. The two will interbreed. The Moffit was found mostly on the Pacific flyway and the Giant in the midwest.

They can turn up anywhere these days because both were raised in captivity and released all over the US.

I raised regular Canada Geese years ago and they will be as tame as any domestic type.

Al

=======================================

The Moffitt's Canada goose is the second largest subspecies of Canada goose. It possesses a long neck and bill; similar to that of the slightly larger giant Canada goose (B. c. maxima). It can also have small, white patches found over its eyes or forehead, a trait more commonly found on maxima. Their coloration is paler than that of most other subspecies but slightly darker than maxima, sporting a pale gray-brown body and whiteish breast. Many individuals also have a white collar at the base of the neck. They also have large, broad wings

The giant Canada goose is often mistaken for the Moffitt's Canada goose. However, giant geese have both a lower call and a larger bill to body size ratio. Another good identifier includes the black on the neck, which starts much farther up the neck than any other subspecies. The giant goose's white cheek patch is very large, reaching the lower bill. Unlike other variants, the underbelly is very pale. A less reliable identifier is the white forehead and eyebrows, which don't always occur and Moffitt's geese less commonly have. The wings measure between 480 mm (19 in) to 550 mm (22 in). The tail is between 147 mm (5.8 in) to 170 mm (6.7 in).^[1]

Al thank you for the valuable information. For reference here is another pic of Waylon and the birds that I took in my blind right after Waylon brought the birds to me.