Spring hunt, Snow Geese, shot size?

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BigCat

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Hi, i will try this hunt for the first time and was wondering what the pros use? I have a semi with 3" chamber.
 
Snow Geese have thick plumage so I find you need shot size substantial enough to penetrate through the feathers and down layer. We shoot between 600-800 geese a year in our group of hunters and most all of us use "BB" size shot shells or #1 size shot shells.

Often when you pick-up your downed geese you can shake them and pellets will fall out of the plumage because they did not penetrate if the shot size is too small. Good luck with your hunt. You need lots of decoys when hunting snows!

P7
 
the spank said:
I find snows soft and easily killed. Canada's can take alot more punishment. If you are shooting under 40 yards #2's are plenty. If you are going to push the 40-60 yard boundaries then BB's are probably best.
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This^^^^

IMO #4's are a little on the light side for snows...
 
I was using bbb last febuary and the birds were very well feathered like I never seen before ,it was minus 26 so that may be why thy had so much feathers but the bbb dropped them like flys ,three inch was all we needed ,Dutch
 
I've shot a lot of geese over the years, and have found a smaller pellet has better penetration on the heavy snow geese feathers and down.
I use nothing larger then #4's and usually 3 inch.
P7 makes a valid point.
 
hogiron said:
I've shot a lot of geese over the years, and have found a smaller pellet has better penetration on the heavy snow geese feathers and down.
I use nothing larger then #4's and usually 3 inch.
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I'm sure that makes perfect sense... in your head...

hogiron said:
P7 makes a valid point.
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Passengerseven's point contradicts your point... but you say he makes a lot of sense???
 
hogiron said:
I've shot a lot of geese over the years, and have found a smaller pellet has better penetration on the heavy snow geese feathers and down.
I use nothing larger then #4's and usually 3 inch.
P7 makes a valid point.
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Not a chance that 4's penetrate deeper than 2's or bb, you're not looking at penetrating just some feather but muscles and bone too. 4's simply won't penetrate well at the ranges snows are shot at, especially in the spring. Theres no comparison.
 
hogiron said:
I've shot a lot of geese over the years, and have found a smaller pellet has better penetration on the heavy snow geese feathers and down.
I use nothing larger then #4's and usually 3 inch.
P7 makes a valid point.
Click to expand...

I have shot geese numbering into the thousands, ducks too and a # 4 pellet does not have better penetration. What ot has is less surface area with which to pull feathers into the wound channel in comparison to a bigger heavier pellet. It does not however retain the energy of larger shot to penetrate meat, bone and entrails nearly as much. In fact if you have ever realiy hunted spring snows you know it's not a game of feet down, wings cupped in your face over the decoys action where a # 4 would work fine. Spring snows is a game of having the birds passing high over your spread slowly surveying the situation with a microscope at ranges that
the average hunter could not hit or kill the birds at anyways! I have hunted both the Greater Snows in QC and the Lessers here in SK and both are identical in behavior after being pounded at for 8 months straight since September come spring. Few good shooting chances happen under 60 yards straight up and even fewer at 40 or under. Hanging over the decoys 4 ft above the ground in spring snow hunting? Well you stand better odds of winning the 6/49. Spring Snow Goose hunting is a game of max range shooting with pellets large enough to anchor the birds without suffering too much pattern density so as to still get good kills and with good quality hard hitting ammo. I have a couple flats of Federal 3" Ultra Shok that are my "Snow" loads.
 
the spank said:
i have shot geese numbering into the thousands, ducks too and a # 4 pellet does not have better penetration. What ot has is less surface area with which to pull feathers into the wound channel in comparison to a bigger heavier pellet. It does not however retain the energy of larger shot to penetrate meat, bone and entrails nearly as much. In fact if you have ever realiy hunted spring snows you know it's not a game of feet down, wings cupped in your face over the decoys action where a # 4 would work fine. Spring snows is a game of having the birds passing high over your spread slowly surveying the situation with a microscope at ranges that
the average hunter could not hit or kill the birds at anyways! I have hunted both the greater snows in qc and the lessers here in sk and both are identical in behavior after being pounded at for 8 months straight since september come spring. Few good shooting chances happen under 60 yards straight up and even fewer at 40 or under. Hanging over the decoys 4 ft above the ground in spring snow hunting? Well you stand better odds of winning the 6/49. Spring snow goose hunting is a game of max range shooting with pellets large enough to anchor the birds without suffering too much pattern density so as to still get good kills and with good quality hard hitting ammo. I have a couple flats of federal 3" ultra shok that are my "snow" loads.
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x2...
 
the spank said:
I have shot geese numbering into the thousands, ducks too and a # 4 pellet does not have better penetration. What ot has is less surface area with which to pull feathers into the wound channel in comparison to a bigger heavier pellet. It does not however retain the energy of larger shot to penetrate meat, bone and entrails nearly as much. In fact if you have ever realiy hunted spring snows you know it's not a game of feet down, wings cupped in your face over the decoys action where a # 4 would work fine. Spring snows is a game of having the birds passing high over your spread slowly surveying the situation with a microscope at ranges that
the average hunter could not hit or kill the birds at anyways! I have hunted both the Greater Snows in QC and the Lessers here in SK and both are identical in behavior after being pounded at for 8 months straight since September come spring. Few good shooting chances happen under 60 yards straight up and even fewer at 40 or under. Hanging over the decoys 4 ft above the ground in spring snow hunting? Well you stand better odds of winning the 6/49. Spring Snow Goose hunting is a game of max range shooting with pellets large enough to anchor the birds without suffering too much pattern density so as to still get good kills and with good quality hard hitting ammo. I have a couple flats of Federal 3" Ultra Shok that are my "Snow" loads.
Click to expand...

You fail to take into account pattern density. A 1 1\8oz load of steel BB is 80 pellets, a 1 1\8oz load of steel #4's is 212 pellets. Head\neck shots require very little penetration to be lethal.
 
I shoot the occasional goose and I wouldn't run anything smaller than #1. My go to shot is BB (gunna try some B's this year)
I've killed way to many geese that have had old small shot in them to consider small shot consistently effective (on a side note I've started finding blind side pellets to). Small shot may work in close but its penetration drops off way to quickly for me. It can be real easy to mis judge distance when the birds are in the air.
Like I said, I recommend 1's - BBB but regardless of what you choose make sure you pattern it.
 
skhunter said:
You fail to take into account pattern density. A 1 1\8oz load of steel BB is 80 pellets, a 1 1\8oz load of steel #4's is 212 pellets. Head\neck shots require very little penetration to be lethal.
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How many guys do you know that can consistently centre a Snow Goose's head and neck in a pattern at 40-60 yards high pasding over with who knows how many variables thrown in such as winds, shooting from a seated position, heads jinking side to side as birds scan for anything wrong below so they can book out not to mention that they are booking out full bore changing their angle all together after the first shot rings out to put as much distance bewtween them and you? Pus the average hunter leads the bird as as a whole not the head/neck especially at higher or longer ranges. Yes, pattern density is critical, very much so. I shoot as small of shot as is practicable to fill that pattern in but the nature of what you are conveying tells me first hand that if you have ever hunted spring snows your sucess rate is very low if you have had any at all as you would have a hard time folding the white devils the way spring snows are hunted. You must be "shooting" them as in jump shooting them by ambushing them and even that has very limited results especially in areas like here lacking alot of cover for you to get close to 10,000 or more pairs of prying eyes!!
Since we are both in SK we should get together this spring and try to hammer a bunch?
 
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skhunter said:
You fail to take into account pattern density. A 1 1\8oz load of steel BB is 80 pellets, a 1 1\8oz load of steel #4's is 212 pellets. Head\neck shots require very little penetration to be lethal.
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I would rather miss the head/neck clean with larger shot, than pepper the body with non-fatal crippling smaller shot...
 
Forget BBB, T and even BB when hunting sngo/rogo and shooting tall over decoys - they won't hold a tight enough pattern at +40 yds. You certainly will kill some but patterns really open up at that range and your just as likely to miss. My preference is for 1 1/4oz #1's with .675 chokes, break the wing structure and let the dogs work. #3 & #4 just don't have the reach for most days, there're great for the odd group that lights over the decoys but shooting tall is the norm so I stick with the #1's. I will bring at least one box #4's just in case everything is working but most days it stays unopened at the bottom of my blind bag. Might be a little different this spring now that we get rogo in the spring season.
 
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