Many hunters don't realize that communication among geese is a combination of sound, body posture and action. The meaning of a call may be more related to body posture and action than to the sound of the call. Because it is difficult to duplicate body posture and action you need to understand the call in order to correctly recreate it. According to Dr. Cooper there are two primary factors that determine the meaning of a goose call: frequency and intensity.

Frequency (how often the goose calls) is related to the action of the goose, the faster the motion of the goose the faster the call. When a goose is calling on the ground to keep the family in contact it's calling is slow. When a goose is flying the calling is directly related to the downbeat of the wing stroke, which is when the goose contracts it's chest muscles and exhales. When a goose is flying in formation its call is a slow, measured honk. When a goose is pumping its wings rapidly during takeoff or landing it's calling is fast.

The intensity (loudness) of the call is related to the mood of the goose. The more excited, irritated or nervous a goose becomes the louder the calling gets. If a goose is attacking another goose it's calling is louder than if it is just threatening. Mating, attacking, landing and taking off are all intense times for geese, and their calling is louder than normal at these times.

There is another factor that affects the pitch of the call and the length of the individual notes of the call; the relative size of the goose. Generally speaking, the pitch of the call, and length of the individual notes of the call, are related to the size of the goose; the larger the goose, the deeper the call and the shorter the individual notes. The call of a Giant Canada is a long, low pitched herr-onk; the call of a small Cackling goose is short, high pitched unc.

Goose Vocalizations

Depending on how they are used, goose calls fall into six different categories: Agonistic, Contact, Intent, Mating, Parental/Neonatal and Social Status. Dr. Cooper refers to the contact calls as the "Here I am, where are you?" calls. While they are in the air geese call to each other to help keep the family, and especially the juveniles, together. When the family flies it forms a line or a "V" and the birds call to each other to keep in contact. When the family joins other families in a subflock the family usually flies in a straight line with the gander at the front of the family.

The calling of a goose in the air is directly related to the speed of the downbeat of the wing stroke, which is when the goose contracts it's chest muscles and exhales. While a canada goose is flying in formation the tempo of its call is a slow herr-onk...herr-onk...herr-onk. When a goose begins to land, its wing beat gets faster as it backpedals, and the calling is a short, loud, fast clucking sound (cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck) that slows after the birds have landed and regrouped. I have also heard geese make a quiet, drawn out herr-onk when gliding in to land.

While geese are feeding they perform a contact call hunters refer to as the feeding gabble, "singing" as it is referred to by wildlife biologists. The call is a deep guttural herr-onk-onk-onk-onk. It occurs while the goose's head is down and it may not be able to see very far. This call lets geese know where the other geese are, and helps to space the geese out while they are feeding. When young goslings use this call it is a high pitched peep-peep-peep.

Agonistic Calls

The Agonistic (as in agonizing) or Threat Calls of geese are intense and therefore loud, starting out slow and becoming faster. Both the male and the female often perform these calls at the same time, with the male's calls usually lower in pitch than the female's. The call is fast and may contain two different notes; herr-onk onk, herr-onk onk, or cluck-uck, cluck-uck. There are three different levels of aggression in geese, each level using the same basic call but defined by different body posture and actions.

Geese on the ground or water use the first level of aggression as they are approached by other flying geese. The geese on the ground or water extend their neck and head upward, with the mouth open and tongue out, and use a loud herr-onk onk. If the geese in the air do not land in the area occupied by other geese there is usually no further action.

In the second level of aggression the goose calls with the neck extended skyward, but the head is bent toward the ground, and the head is pumped up and down while the goose calls. The action is directed toward a subdominant goose on the ground or water, and the subdominant often moves away from the dominant.

In the highest level of aggression the neck is extended forward along the ground or water and the head is tilted slightly upward while the goose calls. If the subdominant goose does not move it is usually attacked, either by being bitten or slapped with a wing. During all three levels of aggression the mouth is open and the tongue is out.

When a predator or human approaches too close to a goose, especially when there are eggs or young present, the goose may warn the intruder with a hiss while the mouth is open and the tongue is out.

Intent Call

The Preflight call is usually performed by the gander while signalling its intention to take to the air to the rest of the family. The call starts out as a slow honk while the bird's chin is lifted, its bill points skyward and it shakes its head from side to side and flashes its white cheek patches as a visual signal to the other geese. The calling becomes faster as the goose prepares to take flight, and continues as the goose rises into the air, the calling in time with the wing stroke. Once the birds are in the air the calling slows with the wing stroke and may stop altogether.

Mating Call

The gander uses the Triumph or Mating Call in the spring when it has claimed a territory. The call is a loud series of honks performed with the head erect. This excited call starts out fast then slows down as the mood of the goose returns to normal. During the call the neck and head of the goose are extended upward.

Parental/Neonatal Calls

There has been little research on parental and neonatal calls of geese, but Dr. Cooper says that both parents respond to the soft peep-peep-peep of the young goslings shortly after they hatch. I have heard adults perform a soft, nasal unk while they were with the young, or as the family fed. I suspect that both these calls are a form of contact call used between parents and young.

Social Status Call

The Social Status or Greeting Call occurs between two family members after they have been separated, usually when the female returns to the nest, or after a male has driven off a predator or another goose that has invaded its territory. The call starts out as a loud, slow honk that becomes faster and quieter as the goose runs out of air. During the call the neck and head of the goose are extended upward.

Alarm Signal

Geese do not have an alarm call, but they do have an alarm signal. During alarm the head of a goose goes up into the sentry position so that it can see better, and it becomes silent. As other geese become alarmed by the action of the first goose, or spot the cause of danger, they raise their heads in the sentry position and also become silent.

Misconception

The biggest misconception in goose calling is that geese on the ground call to geese in the air to come down to feed. Based on his years of research Dr. Cooper says geese do not call to other geese to come down and feed. Therefore, you cannot call to geese in the air to come down and feed. This doesn't mean that calling will not attract geese, but it is not what the calling of the geese on the ground is meant to do.

When geese are in a large flock on land there is a lot of squabbling among families, accompanied by loud threatening honks and attacks. At the same time the geese that are feeding are performing the gabble. Family members that have been separated are also calling back and forth to each other, using the "Here I am. Where Are You?" in an effort to get back together. All these sounds together make up the sounds of a feeding flock of geese. The more geese there are, the more noise they make. There is not one single call being performed, it is a combination of different calls.

Geese on the ground or water do not pay much attention to geese in the air until it appears that the flying flock may land in the area occupied by the resting flock. The resting or feeding geese may then begin to use the double cluck threat call, telling the approaching geese to stay away and not land near them. The aggressive, threatening double cluck is what the flying geese expect to hear, because it is what they hear from other flocks every time they land. In fact, Dr. Cooper says that the louder, more aggressive the calling is, the more the geese in the air want to land. But, remember, when you are performing the double cluck, you are not asking the geese to come and feed with you; you are actually telling them to go away or they will be attacked. Your calling should be loud and aggressive, not friendly, pleading or begging.

While they are landing the geese are often backpedaling to slow their descent, and they call rapidly in a "fast cluck;" cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck. Many call manufacturers and professional callers refer to this as the "hut, hut." When approaching geese hear the fast cluck of the landing call, along with the double cluck threat call, it signals that geese are landing and are being threatened by geese already on the ground, which means this must be a good place to eat. In this sense these calls are like security calls.

Large flocks in the air do not call to locate other flocks, they are only calling to other family members within the flock to stay in contact with each other. But, there are times when geese in the air (usually juveniles) have been separated from the flock. When this happens the geese use a long, drawn out, pleading honk in an effort to locate their family; cluck-aaah, cluck-aaah. This is simply another form of the "Here I am. Where are you?" and is often referred to by hunters as the "comeback call".

The best way to understand geese and goose calling is to know what each call sounds like and what it means. Find someplace to watch and listen to geese. Watch the action of the geese as they use the call and the reaction of the other geese. Many hunters listen but they don't observe. If you don't understand what the geese are doing you may misinterpret the call. Pay close attention to the action of the geese while they call and you can learn. An excellent reference is the out of print book (that can be found in larger libraries) Handbook Of Waterfowl Behavior, by Dr. Paul Johnsgard.

Calling Geese

When you are calling geese remember that the geese on the ground or water do not call to the geese in the air to join them. They pay little attention to the geese in the air until it looks as if the geese in the air are going to land within the space occupied by the feeding flock. When the feeding flock does call they are actually threatening the flying flock, letting them know that if they land in or near the feeding flock and its food source they will be attacked. Some hunters refer to this threatening call as the Double Cluck Call. The Double Cluck is call should be loud and aggressive, getting faster as the flying flock approaches. Meanwhile the geese in the air are performing the fast "Here I am, where are you?" Contact Call as they prepare to land. These two calls together are what flying geese are accustomed to hearing as they approach a feeding flock. It may be that the louder, more aggravated the calling is, the more the geese in the air want to land!

When large numbers of geese are feeding there is a lot of squabbling over the best food places. Some geese perform the threat call, some the contact call and others the feeding gabble. There are the deep sounds of the males, the higher sounds of the females, and the broken voices of the young. All these sounds occur together and make up the sound of a feeding flock of geese. If you are trying to simulate the sound of a feeding flock of geese you need to use all the sounds; the loud aggressive threat call, the softer contact call and the still softer but deeper feeding gabble. Once the geese get close you can begin using the landing call the "fast cluck" as I call it. This is the sound of landing geese and may tell the flying flock that other geese are landing and give them a sense of security.

When you are calling, think of both the mood and action of the goose that would be making the call, then imitate it. Remember you are not calling to the geese, but trying to simulate the sound of feeding and flying geese under specific conditions. The best way to understand geese, and goose calling, is to know what each call sounds like and what it means. The best way to do this is to find someplace where you can watch and listen to geese. Watch the action of the geese as they call, and watch the reaction of the other geese to the calling. Many hunters listen but they don't observe. If you don't know what the geese are doing, or don't understand, then you may misinterpret the call. Pay close attention to the action of the geese while they call and you can learn.

When you are hunting geese pay close attention to the pitch and the length of the individual notes of the calls of the geese. Different species and even subspecies of geese make different sounds. If your call is too low or too high, tune it, or use a different call. While all geese may respond to the sounds of most goose calls, there are times when a particular species or subspecies may not respond to the call you are using. If the geese you are hunting use a slow quick call, and you are blowing a long, drawn out call; they may not respond. When they don't respond, listen to the geese, and then adjust the tempo, pitch, and length of the notes of your calling to match the calling of the geese.


T.R. Michels is a well-known researcher/animal behaviorist, outdoor writer and speaker, who has been studying game animals for several years. He is the author of the Whitetail, Elk, Turkey, and Duck & Goose Addict's Manuals. His latest products are the 2002 Revised Edition of the Whitetail Addict's Manual, the 2002 Revised Edition of the Elk Addict's Manual; and the 2002 Revised Edition of the Duck & Goose Addict's Manuals. For a catalog of booksand other hunting products contact: T.R. Michels, Trinity Mountain Outdoors, PO Box 284, Wanamingo, MN 55983, USA. Phone: 507-824-3296. E-mail: trmichels@yahoo.com