How to Drop 300 Snow Geese in One Day
By Claudio Ongaro
From an outfitter’s perspective, I literally see things a bit differently than the average waterfowl hunter. Although I spend plenty of time behind the gun, I spend most of my time in the field behind clients calling the shot or “GO GO GO GO” as it has become known at my camp. This allows me to witness first-hand the impact ammunition has on waterfowl thousands of times per season.
Where I do most of my hunting and outfitting, the diversity in shot opportunity in a single morning can go from a young-of-the-year pintail at 10 yards to a 13-pound Canada goose crossing at 60 yards and just about every scenario a bird hunter can imagine in between. I need a shot shell loaded in the guns in front of me that I know will be lethal under any and all conditions.
When it comes to snow goose hunting, the same can be true as eager juvies will dance in front of you trying to set on your toes, while the adults can be more cunning and hang up, reluctant to come down any further. Each day, each hunt, each flock is different. The modern-day hunter must to try balance long range effectiveness with economy in a shotshell. HEVI-Hammer has done just that!
Since HEVI-Hammer has found its way into my inventory, I can trust that when we send those 3 inch #2s on their way, (if the hunters are on their mark) the pellets will do them justice. Never have I had such confidence in calling shots out to 60 yards under ideal conditions. Somedays waiting for that perfect 15–30-yard shot means missed opportunity on those 45-60 yard shots. Although my preference is to have the birds with their feet dangling trying to ease into the hole, we also know that it’s not always realistic and watching snows roll out of the sky "stone dead" at the edge of a shotgun’s effective range adds to the pile on most days.
This is not to advocate skybusting, and it’s far from it. What I’m seeing in HEVI-Hammer is modern-day ammo as a tool that makes that marginal shots instantly fatal, which adds opportunity and satisfaction to each day afield. My go-to concoction for all of my hunting needs has now become 3” HEVI-Hammer #2s launched from an IC choke. The open pattern and the steel pellets cover anything up close while the softer, heavier, bone crushing power of the Bismuth screaming at 1500 feet per second kills on impact. Enjoy dropping the Hammer on your next hunt… I know we will!
LINK TO EPISODE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or4Ijrind0U
HEVI-Hammer
The most appropriately named product on the market. At HEVI-Shot®, we’ve always been about density--it's our secret sauce. It leads to tighter patterns and more knockdown power. It flat-out increases your chance of success in the field. We’re now casting bismuth pellets in our foundry alongside our tungsten pellets right in Sweet Home, Oregon. Our HEVI-Hammer has 15% high density bismuth, layered over 85% steel pellets. The Bismuth layer is the same shot size as the steel. That small but mighty leading edge of bismuth packs nearly 50% more knockdown power than the steel layer at 40 yards!
- Leading 15% layer is our HEVI-Bismuth (1 shot size smaller than the steel layer to have the same ballistics!)
- 85% Steel layer
- Choose your favorite steel shot size
