Illinois Has Lots Of Geese, But Can You Eat Their Eggs?

If it weren't for the stunningly high cost of eggs at the present time, there would probably be no need for questions like this.

But, when you need to pass a credit check to consider adding a dozen or two eggs to your cart at the supermarket, and a the new status symbol is no longer a renovated kitchen but instead having more than one plate with an omelet on it, we can all understand why someone might want to check the viability of going after another type of egg.

Illinois seems to be crawling with geese, so why not goose eggs?

It's Not That Goose Eggs Are Inedible, It's Just That There Are A Couple Of Problems With Eating Their Eggs Here In Illinois

Before getting into those problems, you probably want to know if goose eggs are any good to eat. It seems that, upon doing some research, the answer is both yes and no.

Mashed.com reports that not only are they larger and more intensely colored than chicken eggs, they're higher in fat, flavor, and richness:

NPR performed a blind taste test of several varieties of hard boiled eggs, including goose eggs, and the participants reported they were the least tasty of the bunch. While duck eggs were deemed, "creamy," and "really good," the group described goose eggs as having a "dense yolk," and said their flavor was "weird" and "funky." Chicken and duck eggs were the most popular, but the difference between duck and chicken eggs is the cost of feeding them.

Goose eggs have also been described as having a really "gamey" flavor.

Here In Illinois, The Predominant Goose Species Is The Canada Goose

In Illinois, you'll sometimes hear them called "Canadian Geese," but it's "Canada Geese," if you want to be accurate. I really don't care, since I'm of the opinion that something that poops as prodigiously on every horizontal surface it can find doesn't get to be picky about names.

So, bottom line, can you eat Canada goose eggs here in Illinois?

No, and here's why, according to WildLifeIllinois.org:

In Illinois, Canada geese, like all waterfowl, are protected by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the state Wildlife Code. It is illegal to kill or remove geese or to destroy, move, or disturb their active nests, eggs, or young without a PERMIT from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. In certain situations and settings, a permit may be issued to destroy eggs.