[JRC101]

I was at the driving range last night and there was a large flock of geese (about 50 strong) chillin in the middle of the range about 150 yards out. A few were on the green but didnt seem to care that golf balls were landing within inches of them. I wasn't getting the distance i wanted so i started messing with my swing plane and was topping the ball every few shots. Topped an 8 iron and it pegged one right in the breast (looked painful) but he shook it off and continued to chill.

After a bit i got my 3 wood out and was roasting'em. Then came the topped shot.... it travelled about 5 feet off the ground dead straight and hit a goose eating grass right in the middle of his neck. With a loud thud that startled all his friends, poor guy was running in circles with his head just hanging towards the ground flopping all around. Then he dropped to the ground and was trying to prop his head up on his beak by twisting his body. It was quite pitiful, and i allmost walked out there to to put him out of his misery. After a few minutes the movement stopped and all the other geese gathered round him in a circle and started yelling.

Then ALL of them turned in my direction continuing to yell (no lie, and i was the only person out there) and for a few seconds i thought they were going to come after me lol. But they got over it quickly and returned to eating grass. Went up to the pro shop and told the guy, he thanked me and gave me a gift card for a free 18 holes lol.

[Pondy]

lol. I will never forget the time Randy Johnson killed a pigeon with a fastball, or the time Dave Winfield got arrested in Toronto for killing some bird, lol.

I'm a nature lover, but I hate geese and deer. We have a resident flock of geese at my work campus and they intimidate the women walking out to their cars in the parking lot. They are walking poop machines, grrr. As for deer, I loved them until one committed suicide on the front end of my car one night. We also have a resident black bear at my work campus, and we see him running from the woods to the lake occasionally, but so far, he/she hasn't caused a ruckus yet, not even with the geese.

Good that you got 18 free, lol.

[smith5606]

Pigs with feathers!

[JRC101]

Im not a big fan of geese either, allthough i do find their FU attitude amusing. It was really weird seeing all the other geese gather around him. Like a goose funeral or somthing lol.

[blade_man]

JRC101, on Oct 24 2009, 07:52 AM, said:

I was at the driving range last night and there was a large flock of geese (about 50 strong) chillin in the middle of the range about 150 yards out. A few were on the green but didnt seem to care that golf balls were landing within inches of them. I wasn't getting the distance i wanted so i started messing with my swing plane and was topping the ball every few shots. Topped an 8 iron and it pegged one right in the breast (looked painful) but he shook it off and continued to chill.

After a bit i got my 3 wood out and was roasting'em. Then came the topped shot.... it travelled about 5 feet off the ground dead straight and hit a goose eating grass right in the middle of his neck. With a loud thud that startled all his friends, poor guy was running in circles with his head just hanging towards the ground flopping all around. Then he dropped to the ground and was trying to prop his head up on his beak by twisting his body. It was quite pitiful, and i allmost walked out there to to put him out of his misery. After a few minutes the movement stopped and all the other geese gathered round him in a circle and started yelling.

Then ALL of them turned in my direction continuing to yell (no lie, and i was the only person out there) and for a few seconds i thought they were going to come after me lol. But they got over it quickly and returned to eating grass. Went up to the pro shop and told the guy, he thanked me and gave me a gift card for a free 18 holes lol.

I would have had to ask "what will you give me if I take care of the whole flock?" Maybe a season pass!

[JRC101]

lol he said they produce four pounds of poop a day, that they have to clean.

[Pepperturbo]

JRC101, on Oct 24 2009, 06:52 AM, said:

I was at the driving range last night and there was a large flock of geese (about 50 strong) chillin in the middle of the range about 150 yards out. A few were on the green but didnt seem to care that golf balls were landing within inches of them. I wasn't getting the distance i wanted so i started messing with my swing plane and was topping the ball every few shots. Topped an 8 iron and it pegged one right in the breast (looked painful) but he shook it off and continued to chill.

After a bit i got my 3 wood out and was roasting'em. Then came the topped shot.... it travelled about 5 feet off the ground dead straight and hit a goose eating grass right in the middle of his neck. With a loud thud that startled all his friends, poor guy was running in circles with his head just hanging towards the ground flopping all around. Then he dropped to the ground and was trying to prop his head up on his beak by twisting his body. It was quite pitiful, and i allmost walked out there to to put him out of his misery. After a few minutes the movement stopped and all the other geese gathered round him in a circle and started yelling.

Then ALL of them turned in my direction continuing to yell (no lie, and i was the only person out there) and for a few seconds i thought they were going to come after me lol. But they got over it quickly and returned to eating grass. Went up to the pro shop and told the guy, he thanked me and gave me a gift card for a free 18 holes lol.

Goose is mighty taste. I hope you took it home; I would have. Then again, I am a hunter.

[aussieb]

My wife hit a protected heron on the range recently. Luckily didn't kill it, but it crappy flopped for 15 mins before he got up and limped away!!! She's a bid animal nut so she was very upset.

[Skaffa77]

Oh man! Whether you like geese or not...you (or at least I would) still feel bad for putting one of them through that type of misery. I just never like to see an animal in pain like that.

[sdiver68]

I love Dogs. and Dolphins. and Whales. and the various big Cats on safari.

Geese, not so much.

But what really chaps my butt are scams such as http://www.geesepeace.org/

Instead of trapping and killing these arrogant and destructive ex-dinosaurs down to a reasonable number, they use dogs to chase them from your property. Problem is, they just fly over to the next park or golf course. So that property hires them and off they fly to the next place. Repeat a few times and they fly back to the original place from which they were chased! It's a scam, and all the while the geese become more numerous so next year you have a bigger problem.

[Sawgrass]

Nice job writing up that story. You really made it come to life.

While I don't like geese, and prefer they would go somewhere else, it made me feel terrible.

I'm curious as to whether you think the guy gave you a free round becasue he felt bad for you because you had the unpleasantness of having to witness the death, or because he was celebrating the fact that you had rid him of a pest.

[JRC101]

He was happy that i killed it they have been trying to get rid of them, and truthfully i feel terrible about it and have been thinking about it all day. The suffering then all the geese gathering around it are burned into my mind.

[Pepperturbo]

No animal should suffer, still it's an animal. You shouldn't attribute feelings to it as though it was your house pet; besides you didn't do it on purpose. Get over it...

[zoso]

Golf is such a peaceful sport. That kind of mayhem must have been disturbing. Not to joke too much, but you may have killed their squadron leader

When I go out to Montana, I may play a few rounds and even try to get on a new Nicklaus course. But I may have to bring a 44 mag, I don't want a bear to eat me!

[Big Ben]

The world will not miss one less goose...BB

[Dr. Hook]

I probably would have felt really bad, too. Even though some animals are pests, I don't want to see them suffer. It's not their fault that they're pests and often is mankind's fault for introducing non-indigenous species to new ecosystems. We have many problems like that here in Hawaii (I recently posted in the "bizarre" thread about the wild pigs at one of our courses and the Caddyshack-esque guys in full camo hunting them on the course with compound hunting bows).

I exploded a bird a la Randy Johnson a couple months back at the range (same course). D*mn bird flew right into my target line on a full PW shot. I didn't even see him coming but the poor thing exploded, feathers everywhere. The guy in the next stall yelled out, "holy sh*t, that's one in a million!" The bird was DOA but I felt terrible, especially when another bird landed next ti him and started chirping and hopping around. Within a minute, yet another bird showed up and the two of them were chirping at each other and at their fallen friend.

I can only assume they were talking about how much of a jerk I am. Anyway, after a few minutes (with me desperately trying to avoid topping a ball and committing genocide), they took off.

[MrParr1Noid]

smith5606, on Oct 24 2009, 07:52 AM, said:

Pigs with feathers!

Blue feathers?

[longbal30]

Something is wrong with you people

[Pure745]

Great story.. I was dying laughing reading your descriptions! Not at the fact that you murdered a goose.. but the way you described it. Nice! Welcome to WRX!

[j0npeterson]

Geese are a nuisance on the course and range.

I think it's hilarious the guy in the shop gave you a free round, but completely understandable... sometimes that's all it takes.

[MB_Viking]

Big Ben, on Oct 24 2009, 09:35 AM, said:

The world will not miss one less goose...BB

No violence intended here but would someone miss you if I whacked you upside the neck with my 4-iron?

To the OP, yes, it was unfortunate. It did suffer but hopefully not too long.

I walked away from goose hunting many years ago when I shot a goose and watched it's mate trail it all the way to the ground. It circled us for an hour, making the most painful noise I've ever heard. I've never forgot it and never will.

Next time though, you have the choice to walk away and find another spot on the range or finish your bucket on the chipping/putting green.

[j0npeterson]

MB_Viking, on Oct 25 2009, 02:00 PM, said:

Big Ben, on Oct 24 2009, 09:35 AM, said:

The world will not miss one less goose...BB

No violence intended here but would someone miss you if I wacked you upside the neck with my 4-iron?

To the OP, yes, it was unfortunate. It did suffer but hopefully not too long.

I walked away from goose hunting many years ago when I shot a goose and watched it's mate trail it all the way to the ground. It circled us for an hour, making the most painful noise I've ever heard. I've never forgot it and never will.

Next time though, you have the choice to walk away and find another spot on the range or finish your bucket on the chipping/putting green.

While it is sad, I look at it from other other side.

If you've ever worked at a golf course that has ever had to deal with a geese problem... it is a PITA. The advice I always got was just to bother them as much as possible until they give up and find another place to go.

[goinglow72]

[goaliescott]

About 20 years ago I yanked my tee shot left into a tree and nailed a big crow. It dropped to the ground immediately. A bunch of other crows flew down to it, but they weren't in mourning. I played the same course the next day and walked by the base of the tree....nothing left but bones. The crow went from "one of the guys" to "lunch" in about 30 seconds.

[AcesAZ]

Yeah they need to do something about the geese overpopulation. At some of the courses I play you might run into a couple hundred. Not to mention all the goose dropping everywhere. The worst is when they get on the greens. Makes it almost unplayable.

[varsityhacker]

A few years back my buddy hit a goose in the neck with his driver. We thought the geese were safe because we were playing from the tips and they were close to the white tees. He hit a low worm burner and just tags the goose in the neck. It did the same thing the OP posted its neck broke and the body was walking in circles with head dragging on the ground and the noises the thing was making were crazy. Any way one of the worst things I have ever seen and now every time I see a goose I think of that day.

[JoeF]

Murder is too harsh a term. Involuntary Manslaughter at the worst.

[ABT]

I hit a bird while flying with a 6 iron at the driving range 8 years ago. It poofed like a powder in mid air.

[Pepperturbo]

This thread is a sad commentary for the city male species

[lkangsterl]

sad that the goose had to die, but the wording of the first two posters is hilarious.

i've seen one of those black birds that hang out by lakes that got hit directly on top of the head. the head caved into the body and left a hole the same size as a golf ball. lucky for the player, his ball didn't go in the water. unlucky for the bird. lucky for me my cousin saw it and took an 8 on that hole.

another sad one i heard is a friend's teammate tossed a ball and hit a squirrel on the head. the squirrel lost control of its legs and was trying to crawl up a tree with just its arms. it kept falling off obviously. their coach had to ends its life.

[sigmapete1]

Sophmore year of college, poor man's Spring Break in Myrtle Beach and a group of us decided to go golfing one day. The day prior, I got my bag of shag balls out of my trunk and a couple of us were hitting drives into the ocean (quite a fun experience by the way).

One guy (actually the best golfer among us at the time) tops one that screams along the ground where there wasn't a bird in sight, except for one unfortunate seagull standing on the sand about 100yds from our "tee". The ball missed his body but completely annihilated his legs out from under him. Obviously stunned that he was suddenly sitting instead of standing, he started to fly away but slowly started to keel over to the right until he was upside down and fell into the ocean. A moment of silence was held and that night we drank in his honor.

[TM golf guy 182]

Hilarious write up. Not necessarily the goose killing, but very well written. Thanks for the laugh. "50 strong" HAHAHAHAHHA.

[Sawgrass]

Pepperturbo, on Oct 26 2009, 12:01 PM, said:

This thread is a sad commentary for the city male species

Are you suggesting that feeling sympathy for an animal which is killed accidentally and in a painful way is unique to city dwellers? And that they shouldn't have sympathetic feelings?

While I suppose you could say I'm from the "city", it's been my experince that avid hunters I've met, some from rural areas, have great respect for life, and would not be amused by this animal's misfortune.

Or perhaps I simply don't understand your post.

[TimeToFly]

Skaffa77, on Oct 24 2009, 09:30 AM, said:

Oh man! Whether you like geese or not...you (or at least I would) still feel bad for putting one of them through that type of misery. I just never like to see an animal in pain like that.

same here....i wish i didnt read this thread :-(

[msuggs]

Reminds me of the office episode where Dwight runs over a goose:

Dwight: [bringing in a dead goose] I accidentally ran over it. It's a Christmas miracle!
He was already dead, and we Schrutes use every part of the goose. The meat has a delicious smoky rich flavor. Plus, you can use the molten goose grease and save it in the refrigerator, thus saving you a trip to the store for a can of expensive goose grease.

Jim: Wow. Win-win.

Dwight: Exactly, thank you, Jim.

Phyllis: I like goose. If it's already dead, is it so crazy if we eat it?

[msuggs]

goinglow72, on Oct 25 2009, 05:56 PM, said:

Who wants to see a picture of a dead goose? I see enough live ones on the course already. If my aim was good enough to take one or two out, I would blow a few shots every round to thin them out...

Attached File(s)

•  dwight.jpg (237.6K)
  Number of downloads: 17

[jaycajun]

Reminds me of the time 9 years ago while I was at the range. I hit a somewhat skanky worm burner (4-5 inches off the ground) and nailed a bird in the head about 20 feet in front of the tee line. The bird plopped over and its friends all walked up to up and started peeping/cooing (what ever) and this lady behind me starts to get upset. After a minute or so the bird, with blood on its head, gets up and starts to walk around. Then...it plopped over for good. Now this lady behind me starts to cry. At this time, I really can't focus on trying not to hit another skanker. My buddy is giving me a hard time, the lady is still crying, the birds are in mourning over their fallen friend. I just gave up and left.....

[Pepperturbo]

Yes, if anyone feels the kind of sympathy that’s expressed here for an animal that is NOT their pet they have attributed feelings to an animal that they have no emotional connection to; almost because doing so sounds good. It’s one thing to feel for the loss of a pet, it’s another for a loss of a goose that got in the way that you have no connect to; and feel the need to write about your feelings. I've lived in the city for many years, but will never lay claim to being a city dweller because they are the worst abusers of misplacing feelings.

You've also attributed a word that I did NOTuse or even imply; "amused". Even when I am hunting, I am never amused. It sounds like you're attributing thoughts and feelings to some hunters while not understanding what having respect for life and animals really means to them, or me? You're right you don't understand.

I grew up on a farm; hunted all types of animals since I was 8; never killed an animal for anything other then for the dinner table or meat market. Yes, hunting is a sport, but what happens during a hunt and to the animal is very important; its almost spiritual to some of us. Farm kids learn early what having respect for life and animals means because they feed and care for them, and subsequently have to kill and clean them for the kitchen table or retail.

There’s a distinction between wild animals, animals in the food chain and pets. Knowing that distinction is reason why I don't misplace feelings for animals that are accidental killed or for the OP. Still, I'll notice the animal lying in the road, even stopped traffic to place it off the road out of view. No where did I say I enjoyed watching an animal suffer either.

My explanation for saying city dwellers are sad is they lack understanding about where man is in the food chain, they haven’t killed to put food on the table or in the store, or maintain our way of life.

PS. The word "murdered" to describe the OP's actions reflects just how distored and misplaced the OP's feelings are. From Merriam - the word murder means to kill unlawfully and with premeditated malice; or slaughter wantonly. None of which applies to the OP.

[JRC101]

Pepperturbo wrote:

"PS. The word "murdered" to describe the OP's actions reflects just how distored and misplaced the OP's feelings are. From Merriam - the word murder means to kill unlawfully and with premeditated malice; or slaughter wantonly. None of which applies to the OP."

Dude.... the title was meant as a joke, which obviously went over your head. Next time i use a play on words i will be sure to consult "Merriam". The story was for the most part meant to be funny aswell, hence the way it was written. And caring for an animal that "you" accidently killed is not misguided. Im sorry that my respect for life has offended you you.

[ahl3bomber]

Terrible...thats all i got to say...we lost a brave soldier in battle\\\\