"The Killer Goose"

It was a cold day in January about 15 years ago. My buddy and I were in a goose pit on the eastern shore Maryland. We were calling geese in pretty well and were doing good on filling our limit for the day. In the distance we saw a flock coming our way and we both set to calling them into range. They decoyed to the set and came in. We both shot and 2 geese fell to the ground. I ran out to pick them up to bring to the blind. On the way back I noticed that one goose was huge, its head was dragging on the ground. I threw them to earl and he placed them into the pit floor and we waited for the next flock to come in.

About an hour passed and I looked toward earl. I told him that we were in trouble. The large goose was standing up looking like he had been the looser in a knife fight in DC. The goose started attacking earl with his beak and beating him with his wings. Earl was taking a bad beating and was looking for something to put the goose down with. Nothing in the pit for him to grab but a 3/8" dowel rod with about a square foot of black cloth on it we used to flag geese in. He started to beat the goose on the head with it, finally it laid down. It was over.

Not quite yet. I looked at earl again about 30 min later and told him to look out. Too late, earl was getting a beating again. He started yelling at me to help but I was laughing so hard I could not help if I had wanted to. The goose was pecking him and beating him with his wings for all he was worth. This went on for a couple minutes before earl beat the goose down for the last time. Earl said it was the hardest goose he had ever taken. I mounted the goose foot giving earl the bird and gave it to him on Christmas that year. I thought it only fitting that the "Killer Goose" had the final word.

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