Training for a Goose Hunt

[Bidwell]

3 1/2 inch shells will hamper your ability to shoot, they have way too much recoil to recover from for a second or 3rd shot, drop to 2 3/4 #2
I hunt with a 20ga and #2 bithmeth , my hunting buddy shoots a 28ga
It’s not the size of your gauge it’s the shooting form and recovery time
Only advantage I see in 3 1/2 12 or 10ga is for sky busters trying to break a wing .
Practice by having your wife or kids punch you in the face to toughen your cheeks up , those big boomers kick pretty hard

I was thinking about a 20 gauge. Good to hear.

 

[Bidwell]

I’m going to reiterate what many have already said so bear with me.

#1 ditch the 3-1/2s they’re violent and rarely pattern well

#2 shoot or practice. Skeet is my go to for general practice because it’s repeatable and you will want a skeet choke. After that practice how you are going to hunt, layout blind (never barrel inside layout) or a-frame (a-frame will be close enough to a pit). Target shells are fine.

#3 pattern your shotgun with various chokes (aftermarket isn’t always better) and loads. Go buy a 48x48” roll of paper online and get a sharpie to record everything on the sheet you shoot at. You’re going to learn a lot from this whether it be your gun shoots high, max ranges of choke, holes in pattern ect. Remember in a factory choke steel shot “chokes up” ie a mod will be more like improved mod. Unless its late winter #2s is my go to with a light mod. I have also found slower loads pattern better contrary to marketing hype.

If you do buy aftermarket chokes Briley extended is my first choice for a few reasons but do your research. Extended chokes help protect the barrel even just from in and of case wear as a bonus.

As always keep that pie face down and don’t move when birds are working, a brimmed hat helps.

Let me know if you have any other questions

Good luck!


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Awesome, thanks!! I was wondering about what people use for chokes. Seems the general consensus is 3 1/2 shells are best case not needed and worst case a hinderence. Appreciate the notes.

 

[cacklercrazy]

First 34 years of hunting I used a 870 year wing master and didn’t kill more than the last few years when I bought a semi.

The gun doesn't make the hunter the hunter makes the gun a shooter! Especially in waterfowl hunting. I shot many limits of birds with a wingmaster 870 in high school.

 

[dallen]

Practice getting good a mounting the gun correctly and consistently. Geese over decoys…… if they are backwinging that first shot is almost a still bird,after that they can shift gears fast. I focus on the head/white cheek patch. Geese have pretty large light colored mid sections and that can really pull a shooters focus there on the shot which will often result in a tail shot or miss. Practice shooting at clays.

 

[86indy]

Awesome, thanks!! I was wondering about what people use for chokes. Seems the general consensus is 3 1/2 shells are best case not needed and worst case a hinderence. Appreciate the notes.

I use my factory Beretta chokes ic to mod and have filled the gaps with a Briley skeet and improved mod. Each has its own advantages, I went through a phase of using way too tight of a choke and was wondering why I was missing birds that were in my lap. I’m an average shot but the correct choke helps put the odds in your favor.

I only shoot steel in my 12 since I can’t justify the price of bismuth/tss in that volume. Again lower fps pattern better for me. The pattering will give you confidence too, you’re just ruling out more variables and then you’ll know you’re the problem


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[spur60]

Practice. One shot that many waterfowlers miss is a target that's quartering and dropping i.e. decoying. Another common shot miss is transitioning from a dropping bird to a bird flaring out of the decoys.

Select some ammo and pattern your gun. Figure out what works for you taking into consideration your tolerance for expense & recoil. Nobody can tell you if you will hate or enjoy 3.5" or even 3" rounds. Personally, my light 20 gauge kicks harder than my gas 12 shooting 3.5's but I don't shoot 3.5's through my pump, that just hurts.
You might find the cheapest load of 2 3/4" 2's is what you prefer, or you might find that 3.5" TSS 7's is the ticket at $9/round. Steel BB, 1, or 2 will get the job done though, and you should be able to find a cost effective load that patterns well with your factory chokes.

The biggest thing I cannot stress enough, especially on a guided hunt where you aren't going to be familiar with the other hunters's knowledge and capabilities is be safe. Pay attention to your gun and the guns of those around you. Sitting style blinds or A-frames are a comfortable and easy way to hunt, but you need to be aware of where the firearms are. They can easily tip and fall to your left or right if you aren't paying attention. Don't rush to get your gun up out of the blind at the expense of flagging yourself or somebody else. Shoot your lane. 10 to 2. Don't shoot over another hunter. Don't shoot low if the guide is running a dog and allows the dog to break. Don't spin around to shoot behind you unless the guide is clearly instructing all of you or one of you to target birds behind the blind.

 

[Bidwell]

Practice. One shot that many waterfowlers miss is a target that's quartering and dropping i.e. decoying. Another common shot miss is transitioning from a dropping bird to a bird flaring out of the decoys.

Select some ammo and pattern your gun. Figure out what works for you taking into consideration your tolerance for expense & recoil. Nobody can tell you if you will hate or enjoy 3.5" or even 3" rounds. Personally, my light 20 gauge kicks harder than my gas 12 shooting 3.5's but I don't shoot 3.5's through my pump, that just hurts.
You might find the cheapest load of 2 3/4" 2's is what you prefer, or you might find that 3.5" TSS 7's is the ticket at $9/round. Steel BB, 1, or 2 will get the job done though, and you should be able to find a cost effective load that patterns well with your factory chokes.

The biggest thing I cannot stress enough, especially on a guided hunt where you aren't going to be familiar with the other hunters's knowledge and capabilities is be safe. Pay attention to your gun and the guns of those around you. Sitting style blinds or A-frames are a comfortable and easy way to hunt, but you need to be aware of where the firearms are. They can easily tip and fall to your left or right if you aren't paying attention. Don't rush to get your gun up out of the blind at the expense of flagging yourself or somebody else. Shoot your lane. 10 to 2. Don't shoot over another hunter. Don't shoot low if the guide is running a dog and allows the dog to break. Don't spin around to shoot behind you unless the guide is clearly instructing all of you or one of you to target birds behind the blind.

Good safety tips, thanks!

 

[Bidwell]

Good news, I found a place that does sporting clays about 35 min from my house. It's kind of under the radar since its technically owned by a neighboring casino of all places but ill take it! Sounds legit though and they have a little hunt club with a pretty decent amount of land for quail hunting.

 

[Rich M]

I would never hunt geese with less than a 12 ga and 3 inch shells. Especially when you go guided and aren't getting season long hunting.

3.5 inch shells aren't as bad as everyone is making them out to be. The advantage is a larger payload of shot, more pellets on target and dead game. It isn't about stretching your shot distance - you do that with larger and heavier pellets.

Geese are flying every bit as fast as ducks, they are just bigger.

Slow down and focus on the white cheek patch and you'll do better. After the first shot, resist the urge to feel you need to put the next two shots out as quickly as possible - find your next bird, focus on the cheek patch and then fire. It should fall. Then the next if any remain in range.

It would be real nice if you get some birds that the guide lets almost land before he calls the shots. Just something about that magic moment, the flaps and feet are down, bird is almost still in the air and you watch it fold at the shot, then switch to the next and next, folding them all cause they are close and slow at the moment.

Most folks miss cause they flock shoot, don't shoulder and cheek the gun, shoot too fast - stuff like that. You will be in a group - don't get competitive - just focus on you and whichever bird you select.

Have fun.

 

[BigDuckHunter]

Lots of good advice here, but one thing I’d like to mention is that if you’re shooting geese over decoys they’ll be coming DOWN instead of up/crossing. I shot a lot of pheasants, doves, trap, skeet, etc. before switching to waterfowl and it was an adjustment to learn to lead them low. When I take new buddies out it seems like they most often miss them high when they’re over decoys.

Pass shooting people mostly miss behind them. I always tell guys if they’re having a hard time hitting where they are shooting, lead way more than they think they need to for the next shot. More often than not they’ll crush the next one.

I also would never shoot anything other than a 12 for geese. There’s guys out there who shoot 20s and 28s and love them, but if you run the numbers, you’re limiting yourself. That is unless you shoot one of the more exotic metals, and I don’t think paying $3-9 per shell makes much sense just to be even in performance with a 12 shooting shells that cost 75 cents. I’m also not that old and don’t have as deep of pockets as some guys so I understand those who make that choice.

Regardless, have fun and above all stay safe. Enjoy the time in the blind with your buddies. That’s what initially got me hooked on waterfowl.