Worried about crippling ...

[blarby]

This is apparently not my season for Canada goose. My first season on the west coast, mind you.

What do you guys feed the geese out here, teflon and kevlar ??? :banghead:

I've been out twice by myself, and once with my wife.

We've tried kent fasteel in 2.75 "b", and hevi-shot in 3.00 "BB".

It's not working.

I'll preface this by saying that shooting at moving targets isn't foreign to me or my spouse.... While I cant shoot 25's at the 40 yard line all day, I can shoot 19-21 with some regularity. At the 30 and less it gets a lot better, even on sporting clays. I shot ducks as a youth on more than one occasion with success.

I digress....... today was the worst example.

I actually had a chance to stalk into a grounded flock. I got to within about 40 yards when they took flight. This time, they flew right at me about 150 of them or more. I raised and waited. And waited. Patiently.....picking my double....... at 20 yards I let 'em have it. two pops. I swiveled and took the last one on the backswing overhead at about 15 yards.

The sound all that hevi-shot makes slapping across those birds sounds like it would take down a flying tank....... but no such luck for me.

I've had a similar close encounter with my wife, and we've taken more than a few triple shots at distances in between 50 and the 20 today.

Now, I get that no ones a perfect shot........ but this is getting ridiculous, and today should have been the dinner bell.

So, in addition to not scoring, I'm wondering what the crippling chances are- and what if anything I can do to be a better hunter on this'n....cuz my best just isn't cuttin it !

 

[rcmodel]

I'd say at 15 & 20 yards you are so over-choked, you are just clipping them with the edge of the tiny shot pattern.

That would be the only reason I know of it wouldn't kill them deader then Elvis at that short range.

One things for sure, and thats BB Heavy Shot isn't bouncing off of them at that close a range.

rc

 

[wyohome]

That is why I used to use #4 Buck.

 

[blarby]

That is why I used to use #4 Buck.

I'd cast and use lead if I could !

 

[limpingbear]

Down here in Nevada in certain areas, we can get swan tags and shoot swans. Fist time out using a sabatti o/u and Hevi-shat hevi metal 3inch #4's had shot rattle off them at 30 yards and closer. Our secon time out I used a borrowed 1187 supermad and Hevi-shot 3-1/2 inch #5 turkey loads. Complete body passthrough out to about 50 yards. tough damn birds thats for sure. Just waiting for the geese to come down here....

 

[Liberty1776]

my gawsh, that Hevi-shot should have flattened them. What choke are you using?

 

[blarby]

Modified.

 

[newbuckeye]

I think you have fallen into the same mistake that we did for a long time. You need to pattern your gun. Period. You have no idea where that shot is going or how wide your pattern is. Get some 4 foot wide paper or cardboard (lowes and home depot have rolls of the paper) and draw a 30 inch circle. Black dot in the middle so you can figure out where your point of aim is compared to your point of impact....no, it is not always the same. Pattern EVERY load with EVERY choke in EVERY gun. Do not assume that because you have identical guns with sequential serial numbers that they will shoot the same. (we had 2 browning's like that.....) What ever load your gun likes, shoot that and stop wasting you money on other stuff. My mosburg 935 and my buddy's Maxus like the Remington sportsman's high speed steel 1's, 2's and 4's, at 1400 FPS. For geese, it's the Remington T's, again, at 1400 FPS. We got almost identical patterns with the 3 inch as the 3 1/2 inch, so again, we stopped wasting our money on the 3 1/2 inch. ($50 a case!) I have some Kent and some Winchester that is 1500 FPS that still goes in the truck in case someone needs more shells, but I ONLY shoot Remington.

 

[FITASC666]

Blarby,

I think you are starting to think about your shooting and this usually has the shooter measuring his lead and having a visual dialogue between the muzzle and quarry.
The most important thing when shooting is confidence and good technique. The latter has been demontrated the other must be remembered. The ammo you are using and the advise of patterning are all good. A light mod will offer a good range of shots and most often patterns well.
I suggest you allow yourself to approach each shot smoothly with continuous motion and, ah yes, keep the head on the stock when the Candy birds come in.
For what its worth, I shoot goldeneyes, canadas and whites with 12g/cc shot No 4 and kill em dead out to 45 yds no questions asked.
Go get them!!!!!

 

[blarby]

Much obliged :>

 

[blarby]

I suggest you allow yourself to approach each shot smoothly with continuous motion and, ah yes, keep the head on the stock when the Candy birds come in.

I think you are starting to think about your shooting and this usually has the shooter measuring his lead and having a visual dialogue between the muzzle and quarry.
The most important thing when shooting is confidence and good technique. The latter has been demontrated the other must be remembered.

Good advice.

I cant say thanks enough for the simple things...

Here's your internet reward :

 

[duck911]

Something to consider:

Geese appear to by flying at a slow, lumbering gait.

In fact, they fly as fast as or faster than many ducks. The average flight of a Canada goose is generally faster than a green-wing teal, a duck that some people erroneously think is the fastest in the sky.

When I first started to shoot geese, I always shot behind them. Even with BB shot, a pattern on the back 1/3 of the goose will not be an (immediate) kill shot.

I would pattern your gun, then consider a longer lead on your shots. A pattern hitting head, neck, and breast will bring a big bird down. My guess is that you are hitting too far back.

--Duck911

 

[BP44]

Nice work on the Canada, they are truly hard to knock down and even harder to kill than most folks think. I hunt a lot, LOT of waterfowl and the best thing I have come up with is a good choke and practice, and as far as I'm concerned the only answer is patternmaster. It sounds gimmicky but all of my buddies have ran them for years and had good results. I broke down this season and picked up a code black PM and it honestly hits harder and puts birds down.

 

[blarby]

I've patterned this load, in this gun, on enough paper to coat your house.

I don't shoot on a lark generally- and I certainly don't hunt on it.

The patterning advice is appreciated, but that path has been walked.

If it was pattern on paper that killed, I would have a freezer full of geese.

I hit this one out of a flock that like the last shots', nearly filled my field of vision.... by leading it about twice the distance I have when using this load on clays.

Apparently, it worked.

If this is the best that hevi-shot gives- there certainly must be better. I am appreciative for the bird, but thats far too much outlay for a single downed bird. And it didn't kill- I finished the bird with my knife.

 

[BP44]

Understood fully, I recommended the pattern master because it dumps the payload into the bird harder(much shorter shot string) check 'em out online as i wont be able to fully explain the wad stripping chokes very well.


Edit, I just noticed ya finished the bird with a knife....... Seems interesting and I'm sure effective but I'm a fan of the old fashioned bonk on the receiver or ring them. a goose has enough power to give ya a good wack with a wing when ya get hold of them.

 

[blarby]

Just seemed a little faster and cleaner.

I've killed a lot of birds with that knife......

A quick plunge where the vertebrae meet the skull, point down towards the beak.

I was honestly hoping that a shotgun would be sufficient to kill something smaller than a chicken once it was finished, but apparently they build 'em pretty sturdy up here.

After finishing it out, there was only one pellet that pierced the main body, and it wasn't a kill shot. I retrieved it from beneath the breast, against the bone. A standard .177 steel pellet from the hevishot load. So much for the "wounding pellets" that look like ugly rice-krispies.


Not that it's ever is far from me, but I'll make sure that spyderco stays right where it should be on future hunts.

Looked up patternmaster...... I guess they DO make a tube for me- but ouch on the price !

 

[blarby]

In a demi with shallots and grated orange.

A tasty reward !