Q&A with Slayer Pro-Staff Mike Wec: Ammunition, and the early goose season
By M.D. Johnson
Back in the day — NOTE: I would define “the day” as the mid- to late-1970s, if anyone’s wondering — everything my father and I hunted, with the exception of whitetails and geese, was hunted with us using #5 lead shot. That’s it. #5 hand-loaded lead. Mind you, this was prior to 1991 and the non-toxic mandate, so mallards, blacks, teal, wood ducks, pheasants, ruffed grouse, cottontail, squirrels, the occasional woodcock … all #5 lead.
But, as S.E. Hinton wrote, that was then, this is now. Waterfowl hunters, and here we’ll stick strictly to ’fowl hunters, have available to them a wide array of non-toxic ammunition choices. This duck load. That duck load.
And goose hunters, too. Big stuff. Medium big stuff. Ammunition for the pellet count/pattern density folks — NOTE: That’s me! — and shotshells for the “big bullet guys.” If you have a goose-hunting ammunition need, it’s almost certain there’s one out there just for your situation.
Which leaves us pondering this question: How do we know what’s best? What’s the right ammunition to use for, say, September’s early goose season?
Fortunately, we here at Slayer Calls have access to guys like Mike Wec. Heralding from Central Falls, Rhode Island (“The Smallest Town in America’s Smallest State”), Wec, 36, is by trade a professional butcher; a pro-staffer for Carlson’s Choke Tubes; the, as he explained, first person in the state of Rhode Island to shoot a perfect 100 in the handicapped trap-shooting event; and, perhaps needless to say, an avid waterfowler. Wec recently slowed down enough to talk with us for a bit on the subject of shotshell selection for September’s early goose season.
Slayer Calls (SC): What’s the most common mistake you see or hear about, regarding ammunition choices for early geese?
Mike Wec: I think a lot of guys [during the early season] like more pellets versus power. You need to remember that geese have some hefty bones and lots of feathers, even during September. My recommendation, if you’re hunting geese, is that you can get away with something as small as #2 steel, but I find BBs all the time is just about right. You want to do as much damage as you can. You don’t want overkill, but I think BBs or #1 is what you’re wanting to use.
Author’s Note: If y’all don’t mind, I’ll jump in here. As I said, I’m a pellet count and pattern density guy. For up-close big geese over dry ground, I’m shooting 1-1/4 ounce #4 HEVI-XII (HV12) from Hevi-Shot; #2 over water where ‘chasing’ geese can really prove a challenge. There’s roughly 156 #4 HV12 pellets in my 1-1/4 ounce load compared to 108 steel #1s, BUT each of the HV12 #4 pellets packs the same ‘punch’ (kinetic energy) as do the #1s because of … well … physics; however, HV12 is a lot more expensive than steel, so there’s that variable. Will either work when combined with self-discipline? Absolutely.
SC: True or false, Mike. The 3-1/2 inch 12 gauge is the best way to go, especially if you’re hunting big Canadas?
Wec: I would say True. Maybe not the 3-1/2 inch, but the [3 inch] 12 gauge. No one wants to wound a bird. You want to get them down, and you want to recover every bird you hit.
SC: So to follow that up with this “opinion question” … What do you think about this trend to go small? The sub-bore shotguns for geese? The 20s and 28s and .410s. Thoughts?
Wec: I think it all comes down to going back to the range and analyzing your patterns. If you’re comfortable shooting a 20 … Personally, I can’t see myself shooting a .410, unless I’m trying to kill a bird at 10 … 15 … 20 yards. A 20 gauge is a great all-round shotgun, especially if you’re doing early season and the geese are in close. No problem, at least [not] with a 20 gauge. Still, I’m thinking the universal choice is a 12 gauge because you can reach out if necessary. As long as you’re staying within your [personal] boundaries, I think you’re fine.
SC: With all the new ‘designer’ non-toxics today, Mike, is steel shot a thing of the past for goose hunters?
Wec: No. Absolutely not. I think [non-steel] non-toxics are great, but I don’t think they’re for everyone’s budget. They’re expensive. Are they, in my opinion, better? Yes, I think they definitely have more power. You’re comparing them to lead, if not better at this point. Steel is lighter, but it’s still affordable. A lot of the guys I know are still shooting steel.
Author’s Note: I agree. I shot lead at waterfowl for 16 years before it was outlawed, and today’s designer non-toxics like tungsten are every bit as good, if not much better. But yes, they’re expensive … like $3.80 per shotshell for tungsten versus $1.40 or less per steel bullet; however, and here’s where I agree with the promotional component, I find I shoot fewer shotshells with tungsten. I kill birds more efficiently, with much less crippling and, because the bullets are spendy, I find I’m even more conservative in my shot selection than I usually am. So for me, the exotic non-toxics are the way to go.
SC: For September Canadas, Mike, what’s your go-to ammunition?
Wec: I have two. I either like the Fiocchi Flyway Series in #1s or #2 for close-in decoying birds. Or, if I’m hunting over water, I definitely prefer the HEVI-Steel in 3-1/2-inch BBs or #1s.
