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Canada goose hunting is the fastest growing
hunting sport in Minnesota. Our state
harvests more geese than any state in the country.
Many hunters new to the sport are unaccustomed to firing at such a big
bird. More familiar with shooting ducks, they often fire with too light
a load at geese too far away. To improve hunters' effectiveness and
reduce the crippling of geese caused by ill-placed shots, the DNR has
begun teaching hunters how to shoot more effectively. Through a
brochure, "Get Your Goose," and seminars held each fall at Thief Lake
and Lac Qui Parle wildlife management areas, hunters are learning how to
improve their odds of bagging a honker.
Although it's a big bird, a goose has a relatively small vital zone. The
total area in which pellets will kill a goose is just one-tenth the
bird's total size. To ensure they hit the vital zone with enough
?oomph,? waterfowl hunters need to pattern their guns and find the
correct loads.
Most experts say the best loads for geese are sizes 1, BB, BBB, or T
steel shot. For most hunting situations, BB or BBB shot is the most
effective shot size. Both have plenty of pellets, but still enough
energy to bring down a goose. Guns are usually 10- or 12-gauge. Because
steel shoots tighter patterns than lead does, the best chokes for geese
are modified and improved modified. However, each shotgun choke is
unique, which is why hunters should pattern their particular guns.
To test loads, place a 40- by 40-inch-square sheet of paper at the same
distance as flying geese that will be shot at. (For most hunters and
situations, that's about 30 to 50 yards). Fire at an aiming point you
mark on the paper. Do this on five sheets. Then, on each sheet, draw a
30-inch diameter circle around the densest pattern area on each sheet
and count the pellets that hit inside the circle. This is the "pattern
density." Try different loads and chokes until one is found that puts
enough pellets (from 35 for heavier loads up to 55 for lighter loads)
into the circle, which ensures that enough will hit the goose's vital
zone for a clean kill. Another common mistake of beginning hunters is to
shoot at geese flying out of range ("skybusting"). This can cripple
birds, flare off approaching geese, and may cause approaching flocks to
fly even higher. Some exceptional shooters have the skill to
occasionally drop a bird "from the stratosphere," but for most hunters,
a kill at over 50 yards is just dumb luck and poor sportsmanship. A good
rule of thumb recommended by goose guides is this: If the end of your
gun barrel covers more than half the bird, it is beyond 45 yards and is
too far away for a clean kill.
It takes practice to find the correct lead for geese. The big birds have
slow wing beats that make them appear to be lumbering along. But
actually, geese move as fast as a mallard. Lead accordingly.
This article courtesy of http://huntingg.com.
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