What size shot do you use for geese?
Note: Steel #BBB (. 190") & HEVI-Shot #2 (. 150”) have exhibited the best all-around performance for taking geese; steel #3 (. 140") & HEVI-Shot #4 (.
A #4 shot has small pellets and a 0.13-inch diameter. This provides a dense pattern when shooting waterfowl, but it doesn't give you enough energy to take down geese. While you can use a #4 shot for hunting geese, you shouldn't rely on this shot size whenever you head out to hunt these birds.
Size 2 shot is a versatile load for situations in which you might encounter geese as well as ducks; otherwise 3 shot is a good all-purpose duck pellet. At ranges inside 40 yards, BB, 1, or 2 shot are good for geese; 2 or 3 shot works well on ducks.
4 shot pellets. The larger the number of the shot size, the more pellets in the shell. The more pellets in the shell, the denser the pattern and higher chance of a lethal hit on a duck or goose.
For ducks and geese that are close, improved cylinder or even skeet constriction choke work well. If the birds are farther out, a modified choke tube is better.
Winchester Waterfowl Shot Guide:
Three-inch shells are most common, while 3½-inch shells hold the most shot, but also generate more recoil for the hunter. Both of the larger loads deliver the best patterns when fired from a 12-gauge or 10-gauge.
Most experts say the best loads for geese are sizes 1, BB, BBB, or T steel shot. For most hunting situations, BB or BBB shot is the most effective shot size. Both have plenty of pellets, but still enough energy to bring down a goose. Guns are usually 10- or 12-gauge.
How far away can you shoot a goose? The furthest away you can shoot a goose with a shotgun is close to 100 yards. At this range, it makes it difficult to hit a fast-moving bird and also judge the lead required. Additionally, shot drop at longer ranges may require aiming 5-10 feet higher than the bird is flying.
12-Gauge Is The Gauge
ounces of lead. That means, you can use them to hunt everything from teal to Canada geese. Twelve gauge shells are also easy to find—especially ones loaded with the special shot the U.S. Government made mandatory for all waterfowl hunting a few decades ago.
Winchester 12 Gauge 2-3/4 Inch Shell, 2 Shot, 1400 Velocity, Shot At 25 Feet. The #2 is a heavy pellet and has an effective penetration at 40 yards. It is a favorite load for goose hunters.
What is the best age to butcher a goose?
The best age to butcher ganders and geese is between 9, 15, 20 weeks.
| U.S. Size | English Size | Diameter (in) |
|---|---|---|
| #5 | #4 | 0.12 |
| #4½ | 0.113 | |
| #6 | #5 | 0.11 |
| #5½ (m.g.) | 0.107 |
Number 4 buckshot is most commonly used for deer, coyote and other similar sized game and predators. The whole idea of hunting game with shot is debatable to some, and a given to others.
Size #4 shot is the best load for shooting ducks up to 35 yards away. Of all the shot sizes that have enough power to be effective at this range, 4's have the highest pellet density within a 30” circle.
The #4 lead is one of the best lead shot sizes you'll ever find for medium to large game birds. Lead flies very well and can keep a tight pattern for quite a long range, making it ideal for large birds in flight as well as runners.
They'll be dog-gone
The most effective way to scare geese away is with trained goose-herding dogs. Herding dogs convince geese they are not safe from predators.
They need grit in their diet in order to digest food. Many gosling's feeds come with grit: if yours does not, make sure to provide it in the form of sand, oyster shells, or tiny rocks. If your goose shows signs of disease, it is best to take them to a veterinarian who can prescribe antibiotics.
While most Canada geese are taken over decoy spreads, pass-shooting and jump-shooting are also effective hunting methods for these birds. Pass-shooters should scout to see where geese are entering and exiting a feeding field, then position themselves in cover beneath these flight lanes.
Heavy cloud cover during a full moon seems to negate the night-feeding behavior of Canada geese. The moon is truly full for only a day. Before and after that day, it's close enough to full to allow the geese enough light to fly and feed at night.
If you can handle the recoil, 3.5-inch shotgun shell (top) offers better performance over 3-inch shotgun shell. These super magnums quickly became extremely popular with waterfowlers, especially goose hunters.
What do you shoot geese with?
Of course, you'll also need two other basic gear items to shoot geese: a shotgun and ammunition. Your 12-gauge duck or pheasant gun will work just fine in the goose fields. Some folks go with 3.5-inch-chambered models to accommodate those larger shells, but 3- or even 2-3/4-inch-chambered guns work just fine.
Geese: Daily bag limit: 30, which may include up to 20 white geese, up to 10 dark geese, of which only 2 may be large Canada geese. Possession limit ducks and geese: Triple the daily bag limit.
The geese will be looking for a large flat field with the grain of their choice in. They like the large flat field because they will land at least l/4 the way down the field and start feeding against the wind. They like it flat because they can look in all directions for any predator.
Canada geese have a mild flavor that results in good eating; done properly, it resembles lean beef in texture. If they are not prepared properly, overcooking the breast meat is a common mistake, the meat can be tough and almost unpalatable.
Time of Day: It is believed that the best time to hunt for waterfowl is during the first hours of the morning after dawn. However that belief has been challenged by hunters who find their most successful hunts happen in the afternoon or early evening.
Barrier fences can be constructed from woven wire, chicken wire, plastic snow fence, corn cribbing, chain- link, netting, or a picket fence. An effective barrier fence for walking Canada geese uses durable material with openings no larger than 3 inches by 3 inches that is at least 30 inches high.
Pheasants, grouse, partridges, turkeys and geese I will hang 3 to 7 days, depending on how old they were. If you hang turkeys or geese you must eviscerate them, as they retain too much heat otherwise. Pen-raised pheasants, all quail, woodcock, snipe and ducks I only age 1 to 3 days, again, depending on size and age.
410 and the 12-gauge, the 12-gauge will win hands down every time, whether we're shooting small game, waterfowl, wild turkeys, or whitetails. The . 410's mild recoil just doesn't make up for its limited range and lower pellet count, especially when there are better options to choose from.
Performance. Because a 12 gauge shotgun shell has more volume than a 20 gauge shotgun shell, it fits more powder and bigger projectiles. This means you will get a harder-hitting shot at a greater effective distance with a 12 gauge than you will with a 20 gauge.
Winds gusting at 15 to 25 mph — or more — create a conundrum. Extra-blustery conditions certainly move ducks and geese, often to forcing them to relocate closer to leeward shores or protected areas.
What is #2 birdshot used for?
With a smaller pellet diameter than all other sizes of buckshot, #2 shot grants you a larger number of pellets per shot. But even though #2 shot is a versatile ammo choice, it isn't ideal for use when hunting deer, moose, bear or other large game. Most use steel shot for hunting waterfowl and predator control.
The flip side is that the larger the pellets, the fewer of them fit into a given payload. For example, in a 1 1/4-ounce payload of steel shot, No. 4s will give you a pellet count of about 240, but even bumping up to No. 2s drops that number to 156.
The universal recommendation is ten years, although there's no doubt that ammunition can last longer if stored properly. Aside from preserving the life expectancy of your shells, the key is to identify the warning signs that ammunition might have reached the end of its usable life.
All geese in the heavy and medium weight classes are good utility birds. The most common geese raised for meat are the Embden, Toulouse, and Pilgrim.
But of the geese, speckle-bellied and Canada geese are considered the best eating, though the snow goose is good too.
A goose can be up to 18 pounds (8 kg) big. But as there is a lot of fat on Geese which will melt off, you have to allow more poundage per person than you would for other poultry: about 1 ¼ pounds (575 g) per person. Wild goose is tougher than domestic goose, and has a gamey flavour.
As the names suggest, #4 Buck is intended to bring down a large deer, and so is often used as an effective home defense round, especially at close range. #4 Shot, on the other hand, is much smaller at about 3.30 mm (0.130") in diameter and is primarily used for hunting ducks and turkey.
Most shot glasses hold around 1.25 oz. to 1.5 oz., but there is no official standard size for a shot. Some shot glasses can be less than an ounce and others can be over 3 ounces, with the most common size being 1.5 oz.
A double shot uses 14g of coffee and produces around 60ml of espresso (about 2 liquid ounces). Double shots are now the standard in America and many places around the world.
James (Jim) Jordan was a 22-year-old hunter from Burnett County, Wisconsin when he shot the record buck on November 20, 1914. The Jordan Buck measures 206 1/8 net typical points under the Boone and Crockett Club scoring system.
How big is a #1 buck shot?
#1 buckshot pellets have a diameter of . 30 inches or 7.6mm. The number of pellets that can be loaded into a shotgun shell varies depending on the shotgun gauge being loaded, the length of the shell, the size of the wadding used, how much powder is used, and other factors.
#5 Lead Shot Ammo: #5 Lead Shot Explained
Since it's large enough to successfully kill at a range of 50 yards or more when used in a 12 gauge shell, #5 lead shot is a very popular and widely used load for pheasant and duck hunting around the world.
In this article, I'll talk about the science behind how far to lead a duck, and how much margin for error there is. A shooter needs to lead a duck by . 24-5.16 feet to make a clean shot.
In 1991, the federal government banned the use of lead shot for waterfowl hunting because the toxic material was seen as the cause of population-level declines. Those populations have bounced back since then.
A 20 gauge has enough power to shoot pellets with the required force (3-5 foot-pounds) to consistently harvest ducks and geese up to 40 yards away.
No. 4 Buck is smaller than No. 1 Buck, with the former having 21-25 pellets per ounce and the latter having just 10-12 pellets per ounce.
Hunting Use
The #6 is one of the more popular shot types for medium to large birds. Turkey, duck, grouse and pheasant are popular targets for this size round – as you can get a great spread at 30 yards with enough penetration to get through the largest turkey vertebrae, giving you a clean kill.
Open fields/water - depending on types of ducks or geese, drivers (fast fliers), geese slow movers I would only use 3" in BB, #2, #4 (ducks/geese) and install a better choke to extend initial (shot cup open) range and have the pattern open up past the 20 yard mark.
12-Gauge Is The Gauge
ounces of lead. That means, you can use them to hunt everything from teal to Canada geese. Twelve gauge shells are also easy to find—especially ones loaded with the special shot the U.S. Government made mandatory for all waterfowl hunting a few decades ago.
Its increasing popularity may have more to do with an aging hunting population than with any ballistics breakthroughs, but I see and hear of more hunters taking 20s into the field now, using them to bag everything from teal to geese. Within its limitations, the 20-gauge can be every bit as effective as a 12-gauge.
Is 4 shot OK for ducks?
Size #4 shot is the best load for shooting ducks up to 35 yards away. Of all the shot sizes that have enough power to be effective at this range, 4's have the highest pellet density within a 30” circle.
Niacin deficiency problems normally only occur when your birds are growing at their most rapids rates – from two to seven weeks of age. Therefore, supplementation is rarely needed past ten weeks of age.
After you shoot into a few flocks, though, things get dicey. Geese might return to an especially tempting food source, but they often wait a few days before doing so and are exceptionally wary when they do. Otherwise, birds might simply relocate to another field.
On average, the full choke . 410 shot about 88 percent patterns at 30 yards, while the 20-gauge shot around 85 percent. The higher pellet count and larger powder load of the 20 combined to put more pellets in the 30-inch circle than the . 410.
3 inch and 3 ½ inch are the most common for hunting geese. I have not seen a ton of difference in bird killing power between the 3 inch and 3 ½ inch. Again, this is from my personal experience. Many hunters swear by 3 ½ inch shells for shooting geese but either can be effective.
Performance. Because a 12 gauge shotgun shell has more volume than a 20 gauge shotgun shell, it fits more powder and bigger projectiles. This means you will get a harder-hitting shot at a greater effective distance with a 12 gauge than you will with a 20 gauge.