The Canada Geese 



is feeding in the open fields, certain birds appear to act as sentinels, and 

 these give the warning to the feeding birds of the approach of any danger. 

 Geese when feeding, are silent, but when startled and ready to take 

 flight, continually call. Whenever geese are flying overhead, the feeding 

 birds on the ground set up a great racket which is apparently an attempt 

 to attract the flying birds. 



The feeding habits of the Hutchins goose are similar to those of the 

 snow and white-fronted goose. They usually loaf on some large body of 

 water, flying twice a day to large open grain-fields in the vicinity, Newly 

 sprouted grain-fields are often cropped short, and in many instances, if 

 the grain is just sprouting, are seriously injured. Fortunately, the 

 birds spend much of their time in stubble-fields, especially if plenty of 

 grass is available. 



Where Butte Creek enters the Sacramento River, just west of the 

 Marysville Buttes in Sutter County, there is a large overflowed area 

 which forms a splendid loafing place for innumerable waterfowl. During 

 the winter season the water is filled with thousands of ducks, and the 

 shore and open fields adjacent covered with geese. All the different 

 varieties are to be found here, but usually the Hutchins and cackling 

 geese are most in evidence. Just before sunrise, flock after flock are to 

 be seen flying eastward to the open grain-fields, and about late forenoon a 

 constant stream of birds passes overhead towards the open water. Prob- 

 ably there are few places left in the world where geese congregate in such 

 large numbers. Early spring visitors to such high mountain lakes as 

 Lake Tahoe and Honey Lake report large numbers of migrating geese. 

 It appears that these lakes form a desirable stopping place on their 

 northward migration. 



The usual mode of hunting geese is to select some open field where 

 geese are known to congregate. Pits about 30 inches in diameter are dug 

 in the ground and all the earth removed to a distance so that the ground 

 has no unusual appearance which might frighten the geese. Live decoy 

 geese are then placed in wire cages near the pits. These decoy geese 

 attract by their calls the wild birds flying overhead, and soon birds are 

 dropping in. The hunters concealed in the holes fire at the birds on the 

 wing. The geese killed are quickly made to act as additional decoys by 

 staking them up on wires or forked sticks. Less often geese are hunted 

 from duck-blinds placed in a marsh. Like other geese, this species be- 

 comes utterly confused in a fog, and invariably flies close enough to the 

 ground to utilize landmarks. At such times the wing shooter is afforded 

 better shots at geese. 



Harold C. Bryant 



1866 



