Cranes & Geese Loads

[TTT]

What loads are good for cranes & geese over decoys?

Having been away from these hunts for over the last 10 years, I have not kept up with nontoxic shell development. I now have opportunities to hunt cranes and waterfowl. Coming up, we have a crane only day, and a crane/goose combo day.

Back then, we used # 5 lead turkey loads in west TX when hunting solely cranes, and steel BB when there were potential mix of cranes & geese.

I just read about BOSS shells, which I have zero experience wirh.

 

[KurtR]

2 and 3 shot steel. I hunt over decoys and inside of 40 I have no problem killing them.

 

[Jack321]

Depends on what you wanna spend?

Geese
Steel:
BBBs, BBs, 1s, 2s in will kill geese just fine

Bismuth:
1s, 2s, 3s & 4s

Tungsten:
2s, 3s, 4s

I shoot so many geese, I just use cheap steel BBs for my 12ga, but if I'm shooting sub gauges. I like 2 or 3 Bismuth for my 20ga and for my 28ga I like Boss #3s (if I can find em) or Tungsten Hevi-XIi #4s

Cranes:
Lead 4s, 5s or 6s

I shot cheap 3.5" #4s from Remington turkey loads based on the guides recommendation. However I blew thru 3 boxes in a day and a half and brought some 3" Prairie Storm #4/5/6 (can't remember what size shot) for backup. And I thought that did WAY better than the cheap turkey loads. I think the speed helped at 1350fps vs the 1100fps of the turkey loads. Once I switched over, it was game over for cranes in range.

Actually I liked it so much, I am using the Prairie Storm for my turkey loads this year. Compared to the price of TSS its a no brainer!

I still have 1 box of old original, 3.5" Hevi-Shot that is excellent. But I'm shooting my 3" gun this season and using Prairie Storm. I figure a face full of 1-5/8oz 3inch #5s will wreak havoc on 'ol Mr. Gobbler and ruin his weekend.