I had taken Monday off, possibly because it was Presidents Day, but most likely just because it had been a while. For the first time in a while, I chose to sleep in, and basically do nothing ALL DAY.
During one of my rounds of doing nothing, we had gotten a hold of DD's camera, and headed outside to take some pictures of the birds (which are still on DD's camera). We had "the girls", two Sebastopols we hatched out over the winter, out playing in the field, and wanted to get a couple of photos. Well "the girls" would not cooperate and stay to the north side of me so I could get some decent photos. I would try to run around them to the south side, and they would flap their still feathering in wings and run right along with me. We were continuing on with our photo shoot antics when the neighbor lady pulled up in the driveway and told us one of our geese was down the road.
One of our geese, can't be, they are all right over there....... wait a minute, there are only five, oh crap, it must be ours.
I asked where, and set off on foot to coral the goose. Well I had walked about a half mile down the road, and could here a goose honking from somewhere around the bend in the road. On I hiked, and had just made it far enough around the corner to be able to see the goose, when DW shoed up in my pick-up, hmmm, guess we know who is smarter now. Anyway, she had grabbed a fishing net, salmon sized, and had it in the back of the truck. She asked what she should do, and I told her to try to turn the flashers on and block traffic while I tried to catch the goose. She pulled ahead towards the goose, (this is a Toulouse) who as this point in time had flown a grand total of about twenty feet on her longest flight, and spooked the goose. The goose flew, and I mean flew, down the road. She flew about a half a mile, attaining an impressive altitude of approximately thirty five feet. "Oh crap" I said to myself, my half mile walk to catch a goose is turning into quite an adventure.
The spooked goose landed next to an open field with a driveway next to it. DW pulled into the drive, and the goose headed out into the middle of the field. I eventually made it to the scene of the escape, and headed out into the filed after the goose. Traffic, although light, had ample entertainment as I attempted to coral the goose. Eventually I had her headed in the right direction, when DW decided it is time to unveil the secret weapon, and pulls out the salmon net.
Needless to say, a spooked goose and a salmon net do not go well together. The goose once agian was planted firmly out in the middle of the field, with me in not so hot pursuit.
I finally got the goose headed in the right direction, and figured I would herd her all the way back home. It would be a trip of approximately a mile. We were doing well, the goose and I. She was not very happy, but hey, this was not my idea, now was it? We proceeded up the road, with DW pulling up the rear, in pick-up with flashers, while I herded the goose. After about three quarters of a mile, the goose was visibly tired, I thought at one time that she was going to give up, and let me grab her, but oh no, she got her second wind a off she flew again, flying right past our driveway, and landing up the road a spell. I kept after her, I would catch her, I would.
DW pulled along side, and asked what to do, I told her to park the truck in the drive, and when I turned my head back, the goose was gone. I had a mental picture of where she was, and proceeded the quarter mile up the road to that point, and there was no sign, no feathers, no tracks, nothing.
The area has a couple of draws, one of which has a small creek. The area is heavily wooded, and not the environment that this goose is used to. We looked high and low, in the brush, and in the draws, no goose, no sign.
We head home, and catch one of the other geese to use as a call, putting a goose in a duffle bag seems like a good idea, however there is the small challenge of convincing the goose that it is a good idea.
After a sandwich, a pause to think, and time to wrangle the decoy, we headed off down the road to try to call the escapee back into the flock. No dice. Gooses that are restrained in a duffle bag, DO NOT HONK. Who would have known? Well, we now do.
Oh dear, we had to give up the hunt, the goose had gone missing. I must have done something to make her mad.
Fast forward about three hours, dusk, other critters all put away. I headed out the check to see if DW had collected all of the GCM eggs in the afternoon, and what did I hear, but five geese, honking at one goose off in the distance. Ah ha, she is coming back. I run in house, put shoes on, back outside. She is in neighbors driveway............. neighbor comes driving into driveway, goose flies down driveway. What is at the end of the driveway? A garage. Goose flies into neighbors garage, much commotion.
Our neighbors do not like our birds. Apparently you move to the country for peace and quiet, not roosters crowing, geese honking, and turkeys gobbling........... go figure.
Anyway, they chase the goose from the garage out into the what is now darkness. I manage to find her using the flashlight, and get her headed in the right direction, eventually ending the chase with her in the enclosure with the other 5 gooses.
All in a days work. Hey, wait, I was suppose to do nothing all day.
During one of my rounds of doing nothing, we had gotten a hold of DD's camera, and headed outside to take some pictures of the birds (which are still on DD's camera). We had "the girls", two Sebastopols we hatched out over the winter, out playing in the field, and wanted to get a couple of photos. Well "the girls" would not cooperate and stay to the north side of me so I could get some decent photos. I would try to run around them to the south side, and they would flap their still feathering in wings and run right along with me. We were continuing on with our photo shoot antics when the neighbor lady pulled up in the driveway and told us one of our geese was down the road.
One of our geese, can't be, they are all right over there....... wait a minute, there are only five, oh crap, it must be ours.
I asked where, and set off on foot to coral the goose. Well I had walked about a half mile down the road, and could here a goose honking from somewhere around the bend in the road. On I hiked, and had just made it far enough around the corner to be able to see the goose, when DW shoed up in my pick-up, hmmm, guess we know who is smarter now. Anyway, she had grabbed a fishing net, salmon sized, and had it in the back of the truck. She asked what she should do, and I told her to try to turn the flashers on and block traffic while I tried to catch the goose. She pulled ahead towards the goose, (this is a Toulouse) who as this point in time had flown a grand total of about twenty feet on her longest flight, and spooked the goose. The goose flew, and I mean flew, down the road. She flew about a half a mile, attaining an impressive altitude of approximately thirty five feet. "Oh crap" I said to myself, my half mile walk to catch a goose is turning into quite an adventure.
The spooked goose landed next to an open field with a driveway next to it. DW pulled into the drive, and the goose headed out into the middle of the field. I eventually made it to the scene of the escape, and headed out into the filed after the goose. Traffic, although light, had ample entertainment as I attempted to coral the goose. Eventually I had her headed in the right direction, when DW decided it is time to unveil the secret weapon, and pulls out the salmon net.
Needless to say, a spooked goose and a salmon net do not go well together. The goose once agian was planted firmly out in the middle of the field, with me in not so hot pursuit.
I finally got the goose headed in the right direction, and figured I would herd her all the way back home. It would be a trip of approximately a mile. We were doing well, the goose and I. She was not very happy, but hey, this was not my idea, now was it? We proceeded up the road, with DW pulling up the rear, in pick-up with flashers, while I herded the goose. After about three quarters of a mile, the goose was visibly tired, I thought at one time that she was going to give up, and let me grab her, but oh no, she got her second wind a off she flew again, flying right past our driveway, and landing up the road a spell. I kept after her, I would catch her, I would.
DW pulled along side, and asked what to do, I told her to park the truck in the drive, and when I turned my head back, the goose was gone. I had a mental picture of where she was, and proceeded the quarter mile up the road to that point, and there was no sign, no feathers, no tracks, nothing.
The area has a couple of draws, one of which has a small creek. The area is heavily wooded, and not the environment that this goose is used to. We looked high and low, in the brush, and in the draws, no goose, no sign.
We head home, and catch one of the other geese to use as a call, putting a goose in a duffle bag seems like a good idea, however there is the small challenge of convincing the goose that it is a good idea.
After a sandwich, a pause to think, and time to wrangle the decoy, we headed off down the road to try to call the escapee back into the flock. No dice. Gooses that are restrained in a duffle bag, DO NOT HONK. Who would have known? Well, we now do.
Oh dear, we had to give up the hunt, the goose had gone missing. I must have done something to make her mad.
Fast forward about three hours, dusk, other critters all put away. I headed out the check to see if DW had collected all of the GCM eggs in the afternoon, and what did I hear, but five geese, honking at one goose off in the distance. Ah ha, she is coming back. I run in house, put shoes on, back outside. She is in neighbors driveway............. neighbor comes driving into driveway, goose flies down driveway. What is at the end of the driveway? A garage. Goose flies into neighbors garage, much commotion.
Our neighbors do not like our birds. Apparently you move to the country for peace and quiet, not roosters crowing, geese honking, and turkeys gobbling........... go figure.
Anyway, they chase the goose from the garage out into the what is now darkness. I manage to find her using the flashlight, and get her headed in the right direction, eventually ending the chase with her in the enclosure with the other 5 gooses.
All in a days work. Hey, wait, I was suppose to do nothing all day.