Geese and a 20ga.

[fishinisgood]

My son and I are going on our first goose hunt on saturday and we only have access to a 20ga. for him.Will a 20ga. with #2 shot be sufficient.Thanks for your info.Dave

[Big Daddy Badger]

I'm far from an expert in goose hunting...I only got into that this year myself but (in my limited experience) I think you might be a little under gunned there... especially if you are shooting 2 3/4 inch shells. The darn things are tougher than they look and can really take a hit.

[sourdough doug]

A 12 with 2 3/4 are hardly adequate and unless the geese are landing in your pit it's best to leave the 20 at home, atleast on a goose hunt.. Take him for ducks with a 20, better yet keep it for upland.. I started with a 20 and unless there has been a dramatic change in the shells, IMO, it is just not there...

[densa44]

The 20 is fine but geese and the 12 ga. are made for each other. Due to their size they are farther away than you think. You need to shoot for the head or neck NOT that big body.

I think you need bigger steel shot, I'd get the largest that they sell for 20 ga. Does your shot gun shoot steel?

Have you done this before?

[whitetail Junkie]

Yes your 20 gauge will kill geese just fine with #2 steel shot.

[joeti7]

Originally Posted by whitetail Junkie

Yes your 20 gauge will kill geese just fine with #2 steel shot.

X2, Killed one 2 days ago. I was shooting 3" #2 shot. One shot, one dead goose.

[Zekeland]

If you are pass shooting at maximum distances the 20g would not work as well as the 12g.

If you are decoying waterfowl on land or water the 20g is fine.

I use 3" Kents #2 or sometimes the odd heavy shot shell.


There are a lot of myth's about 12 g vs. 20 g, most of them are from guys who have never used them much. I primarily field hunt here at home and have been using a M2 20 g for the last 2 seasons. Ducks, snows, Canada's all harvested with a 20g all season long.

[TangoKilo]

Ive seen geese killed with steel shot and a 20Ga.

Kent has a 7/8 oz load of #2 shot at 1550Fps that should do the trick.

The other option is to shoot Kent Tungsten Matrix if you can afford a few boxes. These shells hammer the geese every bit as hard as any load from a 12 Ga.

Good luck and make sure you take lots of pictures to share with us!!

[Lonnie]

a 20 ga. shoots the same distance as a 12ga. you just have less shot in the air. at one time it was considered that the guy that used a 20ga. for geese was a true sportsman and 12ga. hunters were just there to get meat with no screwing around about it. that was at a time when there were only 2 3/4 shells.

[catnthehat]

There is absolutely no issues with hinting geese with a 20 that I can see.
never had a problem bringing down dead geese with my 20's, no more so than with a 12, be it BP or smokeless.
Swing on the bill and put the shot where is should go ( the head /neck area) and they are hitting the deck - I do it every year with my O/U.
3" #2Faststeel works very well, but i have had very results over decoys with 2 3/4" Federal Premium #4's as well. I normally use 2's however.


Cat

[fishinisgood]

Thanks for all the info guys.I think we will give it a whirl with the 20ga. and if he's having issues I can let him shoot the 12ga. More about getting my son out there then the number of geese we get anyways.Thanks Dave

[aulrich]

Getting back into bird hunting with my boys was the best thing I have done, big game hunting is fun but is typically serious, and really best with only one at a time. But birds are more casual you don't need to be so quiet.

I don't know about the 20, so no opinon there but I would say try to get them closer than normal or if you can let them land so the boy has some eaiser shots.

[sourdough doug]

Of course you can shoot a goose with a 20. Anything can be taken. Bella Twinn, did a griz with a 22. But a 20 is not the one of choice espesially if one does not know the gun and if overall experience is not there. More cripples that cannot be retrieved, unless there is a dog. If you say, he can use your 12, why not set him up with one from the get go. Just like long range rifling, do it on the range first and don't go stretching barrels in the field, but that's just me...Hope you do have a pleasant day with your son, regardless..enjoy...

[Hunter Trav]

Originally Posted by sourdough doug

A 12 with 2 3/4 are hardly adequate and unless the geese are landing in your pit it's best to leave the 20 at home, atleast on a goose hunt.. Take him for ducks with a 20, better yet keep it for upland.. I started with a 20 and unless there has been a dramatic change in the shells, IMO, it is just not there...

I find this statement hilarious. If you can't kill geese with a 12 ga and 2 3/4" shells, you need to spend some time practicing with your gun. And if you couldn't kill them with a 20, you were either shooting at them to far away, hitting them in the ass, or missing altogether...

[Lonnie]

Originally Posted by sourdough doug

Of course you can shoot a goose with a 20. Anything can be taken. Bella Twinn, did a griz with a 22. But a 20 is not the one of choice espesially if one does not know the gun and if overall experience is not there. More cripples that cannot be retrieved, unless there is a dog. If you say, he can use your 12, why not set him up with one from the get go. Just like long range rifling, do it on the range first and don't go stretching barrels in the field, but that's just me...Hope you do have a pleasant day with your son, regardless..enjoy...

by your reasoning then one should use a 10 ga to cut down on the cripples. like using a big magnum for moose or elk . witch I'm sure accounts for more wounded game than any one wants to admit to because the gun is capable of shooting long ranges a lot try shooting long ranges that can't shoot long range. well shot gun is the same if you can shoot 20ga or 10ga makes no difference if you can shoot. 410,28,20,16,12,10, all shoot the same distance it just the amount of shot that verys. bigger guns do not compensate for poor shooting

[catnthehat]

For those wondering just why I do use sub gauge guns , it is not because I want some more challenge or I think I am a better shot than most - it's because for years I could not heft the weight of a 12 gauge gun and shoot it for more than a few shots .

The combination of gun mass and recoil was just too much , whereas I was able to shoot a 20 for the amount of shells needed for bird hunting.

I have been able to shoot a litle bit of 12 this year, and will in the swamps when doing a water spread, but in the filed I'll likely shoot the 20 as much or more than the 12.
Distance isn't an issue so much as hitting the bird properly, IMO.
Cat

[32-40win]

It would be nice to be able to get 1-1/4oz loads in steel for a 20, but it appears the 3" isn't avail with that load. The 1oz loads seem to be the "happy" medium for speed vs payload. I will be trying the 20 to see how I do with it using steel. I loved it with 1-1/4oz lead loads, but, my o/u wasn't steel compatible at the time, so had to go back to the 12ga. Not that it bothers me, but, I could live without the extra noise and recoil of the 12ga if it works out.
Just have to point it in the right place and keep it to a reasonable distance with the steel loads. How practical that will be, we shall see.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by 32-40win

It would be nice to be able to get 1-1/4oz loads in steel for a 20, but it appears the 3" isn't avail with that load. The 1oz loads seem to be the "happy" medium for speed vs payload. I will be trying the 20 to see how I do with it using steel. I loved it with 1-1/4oz lead loads, but, my o/u wasn't steel compatible at the time, so had to go back to the 12ga. Not that it bothers me, but, I could live without the extra noise and recoil of the 12ga if it works out.
Just have to point it in the right place and keep it to a reasonable distance with the steel loads. How practical that will be, we shall see.

You should have no probems with distance, I never seem to- unless you try to pass shoot them like the kid does with that big 34" barreled 3.5 " 12 gauge of his!!
1 1/4oz of steel? i don't think you can get that many pellets in there and still get the paload goig fast enough for it to do any damage!!
Cat

[32-40win]

Yea, I suspect that the case capacity for 1-1/4 just isn't there, nobody makes it, and I'm sure they would if they could.
The higher speed loads like 3/4 and 7/8 kind of spook me a bit, not too interested in those, 1-1/8 is too slow for my tastes with steel, except maybe for Hevishot ( don't think theirs are 1-1/8 loads), and it's a bit more than overpriced. I'll try a couple of boxes of Hevimetal out in it, then I will likely study some loads for it and see whether I can come up with something I can be comfortable with for it. The last time I loaded shotshell was late 80's.

[Big Daddy Badger]

Well.
I think I need that practice and the extra shot.
I'm a one shot wonder with a rifle but shooting these things on the fly is a whole new game.

Did OK last weekend...or at least I thought so....

Most were on the wing.

Just wondering...what would be a solid acceptable average number of shots per goose on the wing?
Obviously one for one would be desired but what would the average experienced goose hunter manage?

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by 32-40win

Yea, I suspect that the case capacity for 1-1/4 just isn't there, nobody makes it, and I'm sure they would if they could.
The higher speed loads like 3/4 and 7/8 kind of spook me a bit, not too interested in those, 1-1/8 is too slow for my tastes with steel, except maybe for Hevishot ( don't think theirs are 1-1/8 loads), and it's a bit more than overpriced. I'll try a couple of boxes of Hevimetal out in it, then I will likely study some loads for it and see whether I can come up with something I can be comfortable with for it. The last time I loaded shotshell was late 80's.

The speed of the 7/8oz steel is great , it's needed because the steel is lighter.
They work very well, but I tend to use the fassteel 1 oz loads most of all of them.
I shot a few geese with my 20 gauge and hevi metal this fall, but could not see the difference in killing between those and the Fassteel.

As far as averages go, Pesky, they only average I really look at is the number of birds I have lost in a season due to a bad hit , losing them to an eagle ( happens more than I care to think!@), or like the other day when I shot a drake mallard at it got swallowed up in the pond of swamp grass when it hit the water!!
Searched for him for a full hour ( the area was very small as well) in the canoe and could not find him. I even checked the area further out)
that
THAT really bothers me more than if I take two shots at a bird .
Jump shooting I use a few more than if I am shooting over decoys ,however.
Cat

[Big Daddy Badger]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

The speed of the 7/8oz steel is great , it's needed because the steel is lighter.
They work very well, but I tend to use the fassteel 1 oz loads most of all of them.
I shot a few geese with my 20 gauge and hevi metal this fall, but could not see the difference in killing between those and the Fassteel.

As far as averages go, Pesky, they only average I really look at is the number of birds I have lost in a season due to a bad hit , losing them to an eagle ( happens more than I care to think!@), or like the other day when I shot a drake mallard at it got swallowed up in the pond of swamp grass when it hit the water!!
Searched for him for a full hour ( the area was very small as well) in the canoe and could not find him. I even checked the area further out)
that
THAT really bothers me more than if I take two shots at a bird .
Jump shooting I use a few more than if I am shooting over decoys ,however.
Cat

Thanks Cat.

So 2-3 shots per animal harvested isn't so bad?

And I know your frustration my pal dropped a snow into a low spot on an otherwise open pea field and it just...disappeared.

I think the darn thing ran down to the pond before we could make it over the rise to grab it. Rest of em hammered in really hard though so overall...I'd say recovering them was easier than say...grouse in the bush and timber.

I think I'm going to have to get another springer and train her up...I might be addicted here....back out again tomarrow.

[catnthehat]

There have been days when I wished I had turbo gun!

some days 2 shells for me would be acceptable, other days I double regulalry , and when I have to use two on one bird I'm a bit pizzed because I know what I did wrong on the first shot!
Cat

[ShawnM]

Just bought a 20ga Benelli autoloader for the Fun-Buster. My hope is that she falls in love with it and I can convince her to come bird hunting with me. Although she hasn't tried it with hunting loads yet...

[elkhunter11]

I find it ironic, that of the people that I have hunted birds with, the people that seem to use the most ammunition, and miss the most shots, are generally the people shooting the largest payload of shot. The shooters using the smaller loads, or smaller gauges, generally kill as many or more birds, with less shots fired. Coincidentally, those people are also the people that shoot trap and skeet all summer

[wwbirds]

Went for a walk last night with a client and his dog just at last light looking to put the dog on a few loose pheasants that needed cleaning up. Busted about 30 big northern mallards from the ditch adjacent to the dugout and slough and both of us figured the 28 would be a great little gun with steel over decoys for ducks.
I have taken many geese on field shoots with a 20 gauge so have no reservations about it. If they are within 20-30 yeards I even think the 28 would bring them down just as dead.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by wwbirds

I have taken many geese on field shoots with a 20 gauge so have no reservations about it. If they are within 20-30 yeards I even think the 28 would bring them down just as dead.

I can tell you in no uncertain terms that the 28 can and has taken geese and ducks cleanly !
I don't use steel in mine however, but Nice Shot or Bismuth.
I much prefer the Nice Shot,, because i can simnply substitute the nickel plated shot I use for pheasants with the 7/8oz load of #4 Nice Shot.
Cat

[ShawnM]

Yeah and you also hunt with flint lock muzzle loading shotguns

Speaking of 20gauge I was looking to get some hulls for it. I've never seen anywhere a person can buy virgin hulls other than Nachez. Any place in Canada you can buy these for a resonable cost?

[32-40win]

I believe there are a lot of shots that are not as far as a person may think at times. Trouble is judging range on birds, seems to take a few tries in the beginning of the season every year, to get the picture in a person's mind of what is and isn't a makeable shot distance without good reference points. Plus add in the different size birds as the season progresses and locales change, it gets interesting. And the pattern density and string length of the 1oz load is different than what it is with the bigger gauge, so, a person has to shorten it up a bit to avoid the wingers. Had one mallard last yr that dropped in the pond, swam about 30yds to the far side, went through 20yds of reeds, Big Dog grabbed him about 30yds out into the field. And a honker that folded over the treetops, couldn't see it go down, searched the pond and the timber for 1/2hr, found it on the way back in another pond about 200yds away. Had to laugh , as soon as we came over the hill, the dog and I saw it about the same time at 100yds plus, I just said "eh, there's that $%#&% bird", he just beelined it to that bird, it was dead. Definitely a benefit to having a dog with you.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by ShawnM

Yeah and you also hunt with flint lock muzzle loading shotguns

Speaking of 20gauge I was looking to get some hulls for it. I've never seen anywhere a person can buy virgin hulls other than Nachez. Any place in Canada you can buy these for a resonable cost?

So what's wrong with that!

For vigin hulls, give Will Bilozir a call, he is a sponsor here


http://www.bilozir.net/
he sells primed hulls as well as all the other components needed to make tp shelf amo!
tell 'em the cat sent ya!
cat