Goose Loads?

[Double Shot Banks]

What do you all use for goose loads?
We use 3 1/2 inch bb or bbb
although it seems that if the bird is too close the spread it too small and it its farther the spread it too wide (or maybe im just a bad shot :roll: )
Just wondering what you all use
Isaac and Banks

[pud123]

3" number 2's this year, both heavy metal and fed blue box. I've killed a pile of them with Kent 3" number 1's also. Nothing against BB but I've just not found them necessary.

[gotpointers]

I like the #2's when I can get them. It's a happy medium for still keeping a pattern without large holes since it has the higher pellet count. But still carrying enough energy for high Flyers. We use a full choke extended briley on the Beretta xtremea 2. And an extra full in the SBE but I cant read the maker if it anymore. But it was designed for steel shot and extreme distances. I'm not brave enough to try a turkey choke I've been shooting an American arm's 10 guage called the " waterfowl special" lately. I've had better resuts with it than the 3- 1/2 12ga guns.

[aulrich]

3"bb, typically Kent, 1500 fps. I was looking and 3 1/2 1.5oz BBB comes close to my old school 1 7/8 bb (Lead). But only 1 of our guns has a 3 1/2" chaqmber so in general we are worrying more about scouting, calling and the decoy set, and less about range. I personally would not run steel through anything tighter than modified, for fear of bulging a barrel.

[deke]

It all depends on how we are hunting I guess. If we are in the fields decoying the geese, I use black cloud 3 in 4 shot. But if we are out duck hunting and we might get a pass over shot, I will pull out 3 in bb shot.

[duckn66]

3" number 2 or BB.

[millerms06]

Been using 3 inch bb for a couple of seasons so far in both the Benelli and Franchi 12 gauges using a modified choke. So far so good.

[birddog1968]

Never shot a 3 1/2 in my life......

used to shoot 2 3/4, 1 oz #2's for years and kill geese just fine....now i lean towards 3inch BB.

Trick is don't skybust, shoot decoying birds in the lips......

[aulrich]

After years of body shots, it's hard to think head shot, but with steel in the long term it is worth while.

[gotpointers]

The only way to decoy geese here is with a John Deere with a rotary mower. Probably longer than I've been alive the snow geese fly from state refuge to state refuge to eat the freshly brush hogged corn and gain altitude quick as they come out of them. Luckily I have the 45 acres that borders one refuge. Tried decoys already and they are no use.

[birddog1968]

Snows you shoot at however you can, I was speaking Dark geese......


I think a gooses wings cause alot of people to shoot too far back, all that motion draws your eyes , swing thru and lead a little more and end up with pellet hits more forward.

[gonehuntin']

3" 12, BB, IC choke. Occasionally cyl.

[jimbo&rooster]

I haven't shot a goose or duck in 4-5yrs but my go to load was 3.5in BB of whatever was on sale. Usually winchester. I found that playing with big paper and choke tubes in the summer from 10-30yds at 10yd increments gave me a good indication of what to expect. I typically found that an imp cylinder or a skeet tube did good things with steel shot.

One early season I shot a bunch off heavy shot dead coyote Ts....... that was a little much. Haha


Jim

[slistoe]

Now that we have to use steel I shoot 3" #1's. Before it was 2 3/4 #2's. This is on decoying birds. Remember to swing through - as was mentioned that big body and wings are hard to keep your eyes from fixing on and then you are behind the birds, tickling their tail end.

Snow Geese decoy just fine - all you need is 1000 decoys.

[brewer]

Federal blue box 3" 1 1/4 oz BB

Almost all decoying birds.

[displaced_texan]

3" BBs here. Got a buddy that kills a few hundred in Canada every year with the cheap Winchester 3" BBs.

[AlbertaChessie]

I live in Canada in Alberta and have never fired a load bigger than 2 3/4 inch #2 at geese. And #4's at all ducks.

If you're firing at birds further than 35 yards, you need some more training with your decoy spreads.

[displaced_texan]

Decoys? Pond jumping FTW!

[nikegundog]

3 1/2" BBs

[birddog1968]

If they started making 4 inch shells folks would start shooting them, wouldn't make anyone shoot any better tho

[displaced_texan]

If they started making 4 inch shells folks would start shooting them, wouldn't make anyone shoot any better tho

Sad but true...

[HUNT 24/7]

Hevi Metal 3.5" BB's for geese & Hevi Metal 3" #3's for ducks. All shot through a Benelli SBE II with an extended range Patternmaster.

[HUNT 24/7]

If they started making 4 inch shells folks would start shooting them, wouldn't make anyone shoot any better tho

Then why isn't everyone shooting a 10 gauge?

[millerms06]

Then why isn't everyone shooting a 10 gauge?

That is my thinking with 3 1/2 inch for 12 gauge...

[displaced_texan]

If they started making 4 inch shells folks would start shooting them, wouldn't make anyone shoot any better tho

Then why isn't everyone shooting a 10 gauge?

Good point. A 10ga would give a better 3D pattern too.


I'd guess because of the cost/hassle of another gun.

[birddog1968]

If they started making 4 inch shells folks would start shooting them, wouldn't make anyone shoot any better tho

Then why isn't everyone shooting a 10 gauge?

Cause they're wimps

Seriously you don't need 10 ga's or 3.5 inch shells to kill geese.....more isn't necessarily better. 2 3/4 #2's work. Some use bigger ga and longer shells to make up for lack of calling ability or ability to decoy birds. I should say I detest skybusters too......

I guess all bets are off if your trying to kill snows, anything goes, but for me the joy of goose hunting is flaps down, back flapping in the decoys, in which case almost any load well shot kills geese. Cable TV and marketing isn't something I pay attention to.....

[displaced_texan]

Cause they're wimps

Seriously you don't need 10 ga's or 3.5 inch shells to kill geese.....more isn't necessarily better. 2 3/4 #2's work. Some use bigger ga and longer shells to make up for lack of calling ability or ability to decoy birds. I should say I detest skybusters too......

I guess all bets are off if your trying to kill snows, anything goes, but for me the joy of goose hunting is flaps down, back flapping in the decoys, in which case almost any load well shot kills geese. Cable TV and marketing isn't something I pay attention to.....

I've killed more decoyed Canadians with 2 3/4" #3s than anything, that's what all my decoy shooting is. The vast majority of my goose hunting is snows though.

[slistoe]

I went out for a morning hunt one time with my father. I bought a couple boxes of shells for him to use in his old 16 guage. We set up in the field for geese and then were going to move to the water to finish off the morning decoying some ducks. We had a good shoot and he killed his limit of 6 Greater Canadas. As we were packing things up I mentioned that he should leave the box of #6 shot accessible for the next shoot set up. "What? We had different shells?" he says. Sure enough, the #2 "goose" loads were intact and there were a dozen shells gone from the box of #6's.

[Double Shot Banks]

Hevi Metal 3.5" BB's for geese & Hevi Metal 3" #3's for ducks. All shot through a Benelli SBE II with an extended range Patternmaster.

My dad uses a Patternmaster, seems to work great but, if you use blackcloud ammo the wads get stuck.
Isaac and Banks

[gonehuntin']

How the bann on lead has changed the waterfowling picture......when we could use lead, we all shot 2 3/4" 12's loaded with 4's; duck, geese, pheasant, everything. One load did it all.

Key is, like others have said, you have to let your decoy's or decoy's and calling work. I don't think anyone needs a 3 1/2" unless they pass shoot, then I'd probably own one. I do enjoy pass shooting, but steel takes the fun out of it.

[HUNT 24/7]

Hevi Metal 3.5" BB's for geese & Hevi Metal 3" #3's for ducks. All shot through a Benelli SBE II with an extended range Patternmaster.

My dad uses a Patternmaster, seems to work great but, if you use blackcloud ammo the wads get stuck.
Isaac and Banks

Yeah, bad news if you don't notice the wad stuck & fire another round! Patternmaster makes a tube specifically for Black Cloud & other shells with flight control wads.