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Thread: Goose hunting

  1. #1
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    Goose hunting

    After seeing enough flights of Canadas fly over me while deer hunting, I think I'm gonna give it a go this year. I've never water fowl hunted for a lot of reasons, but I'm interested. I won't go out and get a boat, decoys, dogs and all that, but would camo up the best I can and hide 50 yards or so in from the water close to my main tree stand and wait. Any I shoot would fall over land, so recovery would be easy. Even a guy like me is smart enough to IS a Canada goose on the wing, so no danger of shooting the wrong thing.

    I have a Winchester 1300 and a Mossberg 835 which will handle 3" and 3.5" magnums respectively. No real idea what would be a good all around shot size for them. Any thoughts or words of advice?

  2. #2
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    labradigger1's Avatar
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    Size B or T in the 3-1/2" with a modified choke. Steel shot does not compress so no full chokes.
    Hevi-shot is the king but some years ago when the shot went from $7 a lb. to $20+ I was out.
    10 gauge and size T shot is the max bore and shot size.
    Have fun and you may want to try goose jerky or country fried goose steaks cut from the breasts.
    Life is so much better with dogs!

  3. #3
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    For large dark geese I use these:

    https://www.rogerssportinggoods.com/...uge-3-1-2.html

    Normally I shoot 70 to 80 large geese a season. I do not hunt lessers or snows but I do get 3 or 4 a season. For lessers or snows I would use BB's.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master Djones's Avatar
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    hahaha good luck patterning geese! I have been hunting them for over 20 years. Once you think that you have them patterned, something will come up.....that is unless you are hunting the local non-migrating type. Those are pretty dumb until they get shot at a few times. Good luck!

    I like F or T shot when they are up high. BBB or BB when calling them in close. With steel shot of any size, try not to shoot until you can see their feet.
    The road less traveled ain't for the faint of heart

  5. #5
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    watch the grain fields to see them feed in cut fields
    would do that and find one with a standing corn field next to it
    use the standing for cover and get close enough to get them flying over
    I used a 10 ga for my goose and turkey hunting
    fwiw
    my bil is a big goose hunter always asked me to go never had the inkling
    one time I gave in and went then I was hooked
    goose decoys,duck decoys boat and all kinds of waterproof gear
    it gets in yer blood
    Hit em'hard
    hit em'often

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    Quote Originally Posted by Djones View Post
    hahaha good luck patterning geese! I have been hunting them for over 20 years. Once you think that you have them patterned, something will come up.....that is unless you are hunting the local non-migrating type. Those are pretty dumb until they get shot at a few times. Good luck!

    I like F or T shot when they are up high. BBB or BB when calling them in close. With steel shot of any size, try not to shoot until you can see their feet.
    I don't know much about them, but I know I seem to have several formations of them fly over me when I'm on a deer stand close to the big lagoon there. I even have them fly over the house pretty often, at least last year I did, and not close to water. No reason I couldn't shoot them in the front yard, no neighbors for over a half mile.

    I'll swing by Wal Mart in the next couple of days and see what kind of goose loads they have on the shelf. It's about another $60 of tags and permits on top of what I've already spent, but I want to try it.

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    BB shot and improved cylinder will let you get them at 35 yds.
    1400-1450 fps is a good velocity to target, it provides enough energy through velocity to do the job.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master DrCaveman's Avatar
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    Steel shot BB and full chokes can (and probably will) cause problems with some old barrels. My buddy got away with it for a few years until last fall, when his Wingmaster displayed a ripped (burst) barrel after a pass shoot. He didn't notice, it was the hunting partner. Wish I had a pic but it definitely required a new barrel. Gun was probably from the 70s

    Cooking, my uncle swore that he had never had a serving of Canada Goose that he could eat. He's a bit picky and snow goose is low brow, speckle belly goose is the only good one to his palate. I cooked one up according to a Hank Shaw recipe, basically slow-roasted stuffed with buttered mashed potatoes, and it was as good as any roast beef. My uncle even liked it.

    Blast some of those suckers and experiment! I like the chicken fried goose suggestion too.

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    I'm a gun nut and hence, have several shotguns, but only two I'd really consider and both are made since the steel shot requirement and use interchangeable choke tubes. The Mossberg will even handle the 3.5" shells, but I'm hesitant to even try them without adding a bunch of weight to the gun.

    I have had goose, but don't remember it much. Looking at how to breast one, it seems like the swiss steak recipe I use for venison ought to do well with those too.

  10. #10
    Boolit Grand Master GhostHawk's Avatar
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    You never fool a goose twice the same way.

    They have eyes like hawks.

    I loved hunting them and had some great days. Limited out a couple of times.
    But it can be HARD.

    Before steel shot came along I loved dueces. Nice tight pattern and big enough that if you hit them in the head they were done. I've seen them shed #3 buckshot out of their feathers and keep flying.

    As said above T's and BB's maybe F's.

    Even a couple of deke's could make a big difference. They would not have to be in the water. Canadians love green grass, and enjoy taking a nap out of the wind on solid ground.

    2 or 3 shells and one of those wind powered "landing goose" windsocks could significantly alter your odds.

    Also keep an eye on large harvested corn fields. It can be a long belly sneak down a ditch. But it can be very rewarding.

  11. #11
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    Here in Saskatchewan we shoot alot of geese, I use a Browning Maxxus 3 1/2" mag. but find that 3" BBs are optimal and you can use the same loads for sudden ducks arriving......good luck!

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    they like the high spots in the wheat fields around here.
    it just has to be a small hump 2-3' higher than the surrounding 1-200 yds.

  13. #13
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    Fwiw I use a Remington sp-10 with 3.5" size t shot. I bat perhaps 400's. Geese are tough birds. The feathers are very dense and tough to penetrate. Sounds silly if you are used to shooting lead but consider lead is dense and heavy. Steel shot is neither dense nor heavy and doesn't have poo for energy at longer ranges.
    You will need to balance speed and max size shot. Speed gets your hitting force up. Larger pellet sizes help get the energy up but as you go larger you get less shot per ounce thus less pellets in the air.
    I feel most people prefer size B as fast as they can get for pass shooting.
    Since my ole lab of 14 years died in 04 I have only hunted our resident goose populations. Anymore I usually wade out to islands in the rivers at daylight and smack em when they fly up the river to feed grounds. Canoe hunting is very efficient here as well. Take bino's to see them before they see you. Get your path close to the birds and pull your paddles in and continue towards them from momentum or current. Geese will usually not fly doing this. When In range let them have it. Don't stand up in a canoe with a ten gauge. You get wet.
    Haven't seen it mentioned above but make sure your gun can only hold a max of 3 rounds. Only non tox shot in your possession. All migratory fines are dual violation, each fine you receive from the state you will also get one from the fed as well. I've never had any issues and don't want any either.
    Goose hunting is loads of fun. Very few here hunt them and it takes the birds a while to smarten up.
    Life is so much better with dogs!

  14. #14
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    Shoot 'em in da head! Seriously...and make jerky.
    "My main ambition in life is to be on the devil's most wanted list."
    Leonard Ravenhill

  15. #15
    Boolit Grand Master GhostHawk's Avatar
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    He's right, shoot em in the head. Takes a LOT of leade if they are moving.

    Took me years to figure out I was swinging on the lead bird and dropping the 2nd, 3rd or 4th bird back.

  16. #16
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    I been duck and goose hunting for many years now (50 years or so). I started out with lead shot, number 4 copper plated in my 3" 12 ga 870 for both ducks and geese. Never needed anything else. When steel shot was required I upgrade to the 10 ga . Tried a double SxS, 2 Browning BPS's and a Rem
    SP 10. Found they are too heavy to swing on ducks and we were limited to only 1 gun. We shot alot more ducks back then. I went back to the 12 ga and never regretted it. Found it works perfectly for both ducks and geese. Here in SE Michigan in the past 10 years I shoot an average of 75 geese a year on a couple of private farms near my home. We pass shoot them along with decoying them into both water and field set ups. (Get more over in Canada in the late season.) I've been using a Benelli SBE that I brought in 1992. I tried all different loads BB's, T's, 1, 2 both 3" and 3 1/2" and found when they are less than 50 yards, 3" 1 1/4 oz #1 out of an extended mod carlson's choke is the best for them and the mallards we shoot. That's as far as I will shoot with most taken around 40 yards. I shoot the inexpensive Federal blue box 1450 FPS about $110 a case from Rogers. If you hit them in the head and neck they drop. I shot 3 yesterday about 45 yards with instant kills in the air. All head, neck and broken wings. To cook them I breast out the geese. Cut up into 1" squares, shish kabob style and then marinate them in a zip lock baggie with Kikonmens teriyaki marinade over night. Next day drain out the marinade and wipe off the goose chunks, then cut up 1" squares of bacon strips. Put them on a skewer with the bacon on both sides of the meat. Grill them rare to medium rare on the barbeque and you'l think you are eating beef tenderloin. Even the ladies love them, but I don't tell them it's geese.

  17. #17
    Boolit Master 4719dave's Avatar
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    OH ,,MISS SHOOTING PUMPKINS OUT OF THE SKY ...have fun ..be safe .I bought a benelli sbe best wing shooter I own 3.5 bb's extended imp choke . PS SOLD THAT REM SP 10GA WAY TO HEAVY .
    Dave Biesenbach
    port charlotte fl

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by richhodg66 View Post
    After seeing enough flights of Canadas fly over me while deer hunting, I think I'm gonna give it a go this year. I've never water fowl hunted for a lot of reasons, but I'm interested. I won't go out and get a boat, decoys, dogs and all that, but would camo up the best I can and hide 50 yards or so in from the water close to my main tree stand and wait. Any I shoot would fall over land, so recovery would be easy. Even a guy like me is smart enough to IS a Canada goose on the wing, so no danger of shooting the wrong thing.

    I have a Winchester 1300 and a Mossberg 835 which will handle 3" and 3.5" magnums respectively. No real idea what would be a good all around shot size for them. Any thoughts or words of advice?
    My first reply was based on what I do and use. All my shooting is over decoys. I pick my shots carefully and goal is always to shoot a triple. We have 5 bird a day limit. Steel works well for me. Best percentage season was 64 killed in 68 shots. Last year was 76 killed in 85 or 86 shots.

    That being said pass shooting is a different game. Since you are not going to be shooting a lot I would recommend looking at heavy shot or the like for increased yardage.

    For ducks I use #2 shot steel. Occasionally when duck hunting geese coming in. With #2 shot some require a 2nd shot. When I clean them find pellets under the breast meat that failed to penetrate the chest cavity on 11 to 13 pound geese.
    Last edited by M-Tecs; 10-25-2017 at 08:57 PM.

  19. #19
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    I used to use a 10 ga. or 3" 12 ga. Always use Hevi-Shot. It's expensive but a few shells that work beat the dickens out of cheaper shells that don't. Now I use a 2 3/4 #2 shot, 20 ga. when I can find them. Sometimes I have to use 3" shells, but prefer the 2 3/4's. My hunting buddies all use 12's & 10's, 3" & 3 1/2" and I drop just as many as they do. Best of luck. It's a great sport. (and jerky is the way to go. I do have a recipe for Queen Victoria soup that is hard to beat.)

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by 725 View Post
    Now I use a 2 3/4 #2 shot, 20 ga. when I can find them.
    For pass shooting?

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BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
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GC Gas Check