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I have killed many geese at 80 yards with my 3.5 12 with T's, not ideal range but those Texas guides are screaming shoot shoot!
bill

When I shoot 1 3/4 ounce #2 and BB out of my AYA ten at paper at 60 yards, the pattern says "Shoot, Shoot". A teal couldn't escape from that pattern. Of course, some guns don't shoot as well, but some do.

Having missed more than my share of birds at all ranges I can state that most men can not accurately judge a 50 yard shot much less hit one at that range. If you place a soda can, a reasonable oversize substitute for ducks vital area, on a post and measure 50 yards you will see how small a kill zone looks.

Most 50 yard shots are more like 35. Worse too many measure where the bird came down to Earth instead of where hit by shot. If you shoot a deer at 50 yards and it runs for 200 after the shot it does not become a 250 yard shot. I have had ducks shot in a strong winds land from 20 yards behind the blind to well over a hundred away from the blind. None of these were more than 25 yard shot when hit and killed. Hit a bird at 25 yards and have it land at 50 does not make it a 50 yard shot but some seem to think it is.

Hits at long range are not all luck. You do have to figure lead and correct for shot drop, then you need a steady speed and path target, then you need for enough pellet energy with proper pellet placement to a vital area to kill a bird. If you do not figure it all correctly and do it correctly then your hits are just luck. Good luck for you and bad for the bird.

Digweed is for real. I think what is happening with him is an extreme ability to judge trajectory and lead. There is a center core of the pattern which remains fairly dense and Digweed is good enough to make use of it. The rest of us mortals have no idea what we are doing past about 40 or 45 yds. I belong to a Predator calling club and most of their shooting is accomplished with shotguns, big shotguns like the 3 1/2" 12ga and the 10ga magnum. Favorite loads are Dead Coyote hevishot in size T. They routinely kill coyotes to 80 yds with that stuff. While a coyote has a larger vital zone than a duck, it does demonstrate the capability is present, at least to me.

Besides true long range shooting, though, a one ounce load covers a LOT of ground. Once upon a time, it was all I ever shot, and would have made everything trap loads, with their hardened shot, if the shot sizes could have been bigger than 7 1/2. I love a 3/4 oz "killer bee" for doves out of a 12, but when it comes to pheasants without a dog, I want them a lot deader than really light loads have been getting it done...Steve

I just don't hate ducks or myself enough to use a 12ga or 10ga magnum on them. A 20ga is more than enough if you pick your shots correctly. And at the end of a morning in a beaver pond after Wood Ducks I don't need a bag of ice to treat my shoulder.

Drew's old ads show just how long the long range nonsense has been around. Bo Whoop was a great tool . . . in the hands of Nash Buckingham. And Digweed is . . . well, Digweed. The problem is, the vast majority of us aren't Buckingham or Digweed, and the heavier, faster loads are being promoted as the answer for EVERYONE. The real answer for everyone is to determine the maximumn range at which you can kill birds reliably, and to shoot within that range. Or, practice a whole lot more and make yourself a better long range shot.

As I heard a range NCO tell a recruit one day long ago (how long being confirmed by the fact that the question was "Sergeant, what's the maximum effective range of the M-1 rifle?"): "Soldier, a whole lot farther away than you can shoot!"

ChopperLump a couple of years behind you, but my mobility went south at 70 too. Have found that I can still kill ducks at 40 yds. over decoys with the proper loads in a 20 or a 2 3/4 12. Easier to tote, more responsive and a joy to hunt with. I worked the famous Horicon Goose Marsh during the lead shot era and the steel shot. The newere non toxic loads were not available yet when I retired in 88. The majority of shooters at Canada geese could not tell the difference between 100+ yds and 50 yds. Goose hunters killed their bird consistinly with lead or steel as they could judge distance.

KY Jon:
You have it about right, sir. The "real bird" is a small area. And at 50 yards, a damn small area. No matter if you're Percy Stanbury or not. Pellet hits kill the bird, regardless of the man behind the gun. And... there are bloody few pellets to hit that can at a real 50 yards... even if the gun were radar controlled.

As for nhcrowshooter, he betrays his ignorance of reality -- and classic shooting literature.

The English built some fine vintage shotguns...sadly most were built for the weak and wealthy.

Fact is most of the light load shooters like to talk about it more than actually doing it.

Heavy loads have been around since the beginning of cartridge shotguns the term "Magnum" just came with marketing.

Give me a gun with some kick and power.