There was something wrong with those white geese. I am not sure they were edible, or even really should be called geese, and as much as he tore up my legs and arms during that encounter I felt the trash bag was a good fate.
They were not at all like the ‘normal’ looking geese, except in the shape and size of their body. And there were only 3 of them, one male, the deceased, and 2 females that looked more like ducks than geese.
The ‘normal’ geese numbered almost 20 including the goslings. I actually have a video of me feeding the geese. The goslings were so used to me that they would eat out of my hand. They seemed very placid and almost tame, but the main male goose in that flock would never get closer than 15 feet or so from me. He was very wary, but never aggressive.
On farms, its well known that geese are more territorial than even dogs. They are much better at area protection than dogs, because they won’t run off in chase of a skunk or other critter. They are strictly area defense, and do it well.
There are so many different kinds of geese, its hard to tell what you encountered.
The ones with the big humps on their beaks are the most violent.
They will bark at the slightest indication of danger. They will back a coyote up with pure aggression.
What you ran into was nothing more than one of the most violent fowl on the planet.
And oh, hey, those really beautiful swans? Give those buggers space too. They are as violent as they are good looking.