Many hunters prefer bows or crossbows instead of a shotgun for their geese hunting, but this is not the norm. A shotgun hunter has an edge over the bow hunter regarding accuracy and range. However, the bow hunter may have better short-range control than the shotgun.
When hunting geese with a shotgun or a bow, you should know where to aim and how to take the shot, regardless of your weapon. Those spots where a shot will instantly kill the bird are the ones you’ll want to target to improve your chances of success.
How to Shoot a Goose?
Goose shooting is an art, and like any other form of artistic mastery, it requires significant time and effort to perfect. With these four pointers in mind, you shouldn’t have problems getting started.
Step 1: Mapping out your target
You must locate the bird as the first step in this process. Even if you can’t tell a goose apart based on its gender or weight, you can still go in for the kill if the target is close enough.
The Black Hybrid Mallard is an example of a rare bird that may fly over the reserve and out of the mapped area but return to its flock later or reappear in a new location.
Step 2: Preparing for the kill
There must be a good number of high-flying birds in an area before you can go goose hunting. Geese in the air may only land in your target area if they consider it large enough. In other words, stay near the fields and pitch your tents exactly where you see them.
Remember to aim for the most vulnerable areas of the birds so that you can kill them as soon as they touch down.
Even though birds, such as waterfowl, can detect your movements even from a distance, you can probably take the shot by lying on the ground or using a blind, both of which prevent birds and other species in the area from detecting your movements.
Step 3: Luring in the bird
Using decoys, simulating their sounds, or combining the two will also work well.
To find out which one works best, try out all the different noises a goose can make. The illusion will work, and the birds will come closer to you, so you can kill them if you use imitations in conjunction with decoys strategically placed in the targeted areas.
Geese can hear the quacking or honking of incoming flocks from about 60 meters above the ground. A long-range caller can call out a flock, but be careful because it’s difficult to tell how the birds respond to the decoys or calls.
In this situation, the worst-case scenario is that the entire flock passes by the decoys and the call without paying attention to them.
As soon as the flock senses danger, a few birds will lead them away from the trap and out of your firing range.
In this case, you may want to use specific short-range callers that mimic the feeding sounds of the birds in the flock to draw them to your chosen location and then use long-range calls to keep them from breaking away and fleeing.
Long-range callers may or may not work, but short-range callers are essential if you want to attract the birds.
Step 4: Taking the shot
If you want to shoot geese, you should consider using a bow or crossbow because it allows you to get a good shot, especially when the birds have landed in the target area, and it does so without frightening other species in the area.
However, shooting geese in the water or while flying can be challenging, especially for those just starting in the sport.
If you practice and perfect your aim until you get it just right, you should be able to kill them with your shotgun and some birdshot ammunition.
Where Can You Get the Best Shot?
There are a few different locations you can go to if you want to kill geese with a bow or crossbow.
Using large, guillotine-styled broadheads, aim for the head and neck since they only kill or miss, so don’t maim the birds. While most hunters use these firearms to take down turkeys, they’re also effective against geese and other birds of prey.
However, if your target is likely to panic as you take the shot, you may want to aim ahead to anticipate their movements.
You may also want to aim for the neck rather than the head when using guillotine-style broadheads when shooting geese, as the birds may keep moving. The base of the neck is the best place to aim because it is the only part that is unlikely to move.
To get the best shot possible, you should avoid aiming at the head when the animal is lying on its back. However, if you’re using a standard broadhead, you may want to aim slightly above the center of mass to get the best shot.
Preferably aim lower than necessary when making sausage to prevent slicing through the breast of the bird.
Closing Thoughts
Practicing the shots on something closely resembling geese would be beneficial before going for the kill. This way, you can practice your best shot and work out all the possibilities, such as flight, landing, and movement.
It is also possible to make your target so that you can practice shooting from various angles and distances. Using broadheads instead of standard hunting weapons for target practice is preferable because they alter the path of the arrows in the wind.
It’s possible to have a great time when you go goose hunting. When shooting at them while they are in the air, broadhead crossbows or shotguns with blind shot ammunition are your best bets.
To attract birds to the desired location, you should use both decoys and calls designed for short and long ranges, respectively.
