What is the best gun for Canada goose hunting in MN?

Before a guided goose hunt, we make many preparations. We scout, we repair decoys, we clean guns and once we find the birds, we call clients and tell them where we need them, what time they need to be there, and what they will need to bring. A question I often get is what gun is ideal for shooting some giant Minnesota honkers.
The old ideology is the bigger the better. Till a few years ago my father (who introduced me to this way of life) would bring his 12 gauge for ducks and a 10 gauge for geese. With the introduction of the 3 1/2 inch 12 gauge shot, the playing field between a 10 and 12 gauge has been leveled. As far as shot energy down range goes there is no difference between 10 and 12 gauge loads. The only difference is the amount of pellets or BBs. A 10 gauge will offer more pellets on target down range than a 12 gauge will, but with the same effective range. It all comes down to shot placement, regardless of range.
Pick a shotgun that will fit you.
My advice to all my friends before they buy a new shotgun is, go to a gun range or gun show, shoot them all, pick the one you like the most.
When I was 15 I started shooting a Benelli Super Black Eagle. It was the best gun on the market at the time. I put literally thousands of rounds through that gun. When it came time for a new gun, I called my brother-in-law Andrew Arnold at Reeds Sports in Walker and Onamia Minnesota. Andrew sent me three guns to test. Andrew knew that I would put them through their paces and I would be able to give him a reliable  recommendation on which gun the average consumer should buy. I failed him.
Modern Autoloaders
Looking at advertising, every gun will claim they produce the “fastest auto loading shotgun” in the world. Andrew sent me three guns, the Benelli Super Vinci, the Browning Maxus and the Winchester Super X 3.  They’re all great shotguns.
Gun Testing
That first day I thought, “while I have this opportunity I am going to beat the living $hit out of these guns.” And I did. We hunted the Mississippi River north of Rogers MN in December. The first thing I did with these weapons (sorry Andrew, I may have forgotten to tell you this) was place them in the river for 15 minutes before pulling them out and letting them freeze. We shot 19 geese that day and no matter what I did, I couldn’t get any of those shotguns to malfunction. They passed the freeze test.
For most modern waterfowlers, we need our shotguns for more that just shooting ducks and geese. You need that shotgun to fit you. You need that shotgun to be reliable, and someday, you may need to use that shotgun as a paddle.
With all the great shotguns on the market it doesn’t matter which one is faster, which one looks cooler or what your friends shoot. Shoot the shotgun you like the most. My father is a loyal Browning A5 shooter. I shot a Benelli Super Black Eagle when I was 15 because my father bought it for himself and hated it. He shot it for one day and decided to go back to his 2 3/4 inch A5. This year he picked up the new 3 1/2 inch A5 and it was like reuniting with an old friend. I don’t know if loyalty or familiarity was behind me choosing the Benelli Super Vinci when it came time to retire my SBE, but whatever it was, that was the gun I liked and its the gun I bought.
Shoot a lot of guns. Try everything, keep an open mind. Shoot everything available to you then pick the gun you (not your friends, or your father) like the best and practice with it. Practice out of a layout blind, practice out of standing corn or out of your favorite duck blind. We owe it to the birds we love to take well placed shots.
When you take buying a new gun seriously and put in your time and due diligence, you will be a more confident shooter and that will equate to more birds falling in your decoy spread this year.  Good luck, shoot straight.

No Comments

Leave a Reply

MN Duck Hunting 2013 Opener Looking GreatHow to store your goose and duck decoys

NEED MORE INFO

CONTACT MAXXED OUT

OUR CLIENTS REVIEWS

MaXXed Out Guides
4.5
Based on 83 reviews
powered by Google
Sheri BrengmanSheri Brengman
22:17 07 Oct 22
I have hunted with Maxxed Out three separate trips, two early season goose hunts at their lodge in western MN and one snow goose hunt in Kansas. Graham, Andrea, Ashley, and the guides are great! They work hard to plan and run these hunts and it shows. I highly recommend their guide service! 👍🏻
Bill HarrellBill Harrell
14:29 05 Sep 22
What a great weekend. Graham and his crew (Mike, Hayden, Soren,…) were fantastic. Our group of seven had an awesome time and got to shoot a bunch of geese. The lodge was very nice. Although we didn’t really get to take advantage of the grill, fire pit, or sand volleyball court, it is a great place to stay. Highly recommend MaXXed Out Guides and Lodge! 👍🏻
Sean FoySean Foy
21:59 21 Mar 22
Our group hunted with Maxxed Out in Kansas and South Dakota this year. Had a great time in both states. Great housing accommodations. We’d hunt with these guides anytime. Already have dates booked for next year.
Patrick McAllisterPatrick McAllister
23:50 02 Jan 22
Tons of birds.Great guides.Accommodations are great.Always a good time.Wish we didn’t have to leave.
Jim DeanJim Dean
23:49 02 Jan 22
Second year with Graham and his crew in Kansas . Guides are a blast to hunt with and they get the birds in your face. Limited on mallards, Shot snows and darks the same day. Made memories with my sons they will never forget
Brady FrewenBrady Frewen
23:21 02 Jan 22
First hunt of the trip did not pull the trigger once and all the birds were a mile away. The next day we had below zero temps crazy winds, and Graham and his guys put us on a hunt of a lifetime that made every single penny worth it. Third day even though very few birds were killed, seeing the 10s of thousands of snow geese was an experience it’s self. I will be coming back and tell everyone looking for a guided hunt to go through graham and his guys.
Dylan HoflockDylan Hoflock
18:26 21 Nov 21
Had a great time with maxed out guides! Great people that put us on more birds then I’ve ever seen before!!
George LagoniaGeorge Lagonia
22:27 14 Nov 21
My group has hunted all over the USA and Canada for Waterfowl. My hats off to Graham and his crew. He runs a great show. Their gear is great, their efforts are greater. We are all about our retrievers, Graham made sure that was a priority. No other guide service has ever made sure the set up for our dogs was so important. Super grateful for that guys!!! We had a couple of magical days in S. Dakota with Maxxed Out Guides and will definitely be returning!!
Morgan Von SeggernMorgan Von Seggern
01:21 23 Sep 21
First time hunting Canadian Geese, and it was great time!!! Graham and his crew do a phenomenal job guiding and setting up for hunters. Hit our limit the first morning and did well the second day. They do their very best to scout and set you up for success, even though the birds might not always cooperate.I went on this hunt not knowing a single person and came back with a new group of friends! Will definitely be back for the hunt next year! 🙂
Robert LucasRobert Lucas
19:55 15 Sep 21
We had a great experience with Maxxed out! They are the best at what they do! As professional as it gets from arrival to clean up! Highly, Highly recommend these guys!
js_loader
BACKED BY THE BEST

OUR GREAT PARTNERS

To do what we do for 8 months out of the year it truly requires the best equipment in the waterfowling industry. These companies put the products in our hands that allow us to be successful day in and day out.
Call - 651.335.0780