Hevi Shot

use kent fast steel, #1=#2 shot keep it at 30 yards. dont become another skyblaster. feet first in your face=dead duck

The first thing to do is to learn how to decoy birds. Once you learn to decoy ducks and geese, I'd bet you won't ever want to sky bust or pass shoot birds again. Once the birds are in your face, that steel is much more effective.

That being said, I'm a huge fan of Hevi-Shot. I've gotten so that I use it almost exclusively anymore on geese and late season ducks. I hunt over on Lake Erie a couple times a year in late season for ducks and geese and I've found the Hevi-Shot helps bust through that thicker down that the late season northern birds have.

If your shooting is good, the Hevi-shot also virtually eliminates cripples. Birds just drop stone cold dead.

It is expensive, but is justifiable in my opinion.

1) At $2 per shell, you become much more selective of your shots.
2) There is virtually no need for follow up shots to finish off a bird.

It is an effective load for me for many reasons, not just because it is some "magical alloy".

I still use some steel, but that is mostly for early ducks on a couple beaver ponds that I hunt. The shots are short and sometimes wild shots are needed just due to the high pace of the action.

This past early goose season, I used a couple boxes of the Hevi-Steel in 3" #2's and was very impressed. A little easier on the wallet and seemed to put the knock down on the birds better than the steel my buddies were shooting.

I mostly shoot Kent fast steel, but if you think you will be more confident by all means go for it. I know of a guy who claims he hits every bird he has ever shot at :oand the hevi-shot still didn't help him drop those tough birds . I tend to believe if you miss with steel or hevi shot all the birds will fly off. ;D

I have seen where feathers have been pulled and a bird keeps on trucking, watch them as alot will die, have tracked some birds very long distance as they death glided.

Get a good pattern with birds in your face and steel is deadly. I have seen some fairly long shots (50-60 yrds) on geese with steel 1 and BBs killing them stone dead. Not a typical shot in our setups but one that is taken from time to time.

No skyblasting here.

I was with a group of very experienced waterfowlers. So the decoy set up and calling wasnt an issue.

I will admit, I did start to pull up on a passing goose and got a polite tap on the shoulder. I really thought that it was in range. That was the eyeopener.

Having been once I can say that it was a great time. Didnt see a lot of ducks but watching these guys get on the calls, turn the ducks and bring them into their spread of decoys was awsome.