# Best ammo for swans



## Truelife (Feb 6, 2009)

Every year I'm flabbergasted by some of the shots I see made on swans. Is it bullet choice, lucky shots........... ?????

What is everybody's ammo of choice for swans?


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## lunkerhunter2 (Nov 3, 2007)

3 1/2" black cloud in the BBB flavor. Has been since they came out.


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## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

I used 12 gauge 3 1/2" size B Hevi shot on my first swan. It was probably 45-50 yards high and it never knew what hit it. Nowadays I don't shoot quite as far but I still use Hevi shot. Even though it's expensive, I use it because I would hate to wound a swan and lose it. Also, I bought my first box of it 7 years ago and I still haven't finished it.


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

I've killed the majority of mine using 3.5 BB. Last year I got one with 3 inch #2. I took the shot because I could almost reach it with my gun barrel. As long as you have nice size shot and it's flying low or landing, you should dump it!


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## toasty (May 15, 2008)

Hevi Shot and Federal Heavyweight reloads in #4s is what I've used in the past. If I ever hunt swans again, I'll use TSS #7 which has more penetration than steel #F shot and 4x the number of pellets. Lots of great options from tungsten based shot.


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## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

28 gauge with HW13 4 shot or HW15 6 shot.



If you get them in close anything will work when you shoot them in the face.

You have to figure that with the size of the head and neck on a swan there is more total kill zone there then total on a large goose.

What you are seeing is a just a lot of head and neck hit swans. To bad the guys that are shooting at them 60, 70, 80+ yards don't realize that ya, one lucky pellet in the head or neck are bring one down, but they are crippling a ton more until they get that one lucky hit


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## Truelife (Feb 6, 2009)

Nice Hamernhonkers, and it only took one pepsi!


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## toasty (May 15, 2008)

Truelife said:


> Nice Hamernhonkers, and it only took one pepsi!


Actually, I think is was 9 bottles of pepsi, what you don't see is the empty 8 pack he already consumed earlier that day.

Last time out, Hammernhonkers shot 4 geese with his 28ga to my 3 geese with a 12ga. He proves it is more about the shooter than the gun and shot you use.


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## Truelife (Feb 6, 2009)

toasty said:


> Actually, I think is was 9 bottles of pepsi, what you don't see is the empty 8 pack he already consumed earlier that day.
> 
> Last time out, Hammernhonkers shot 4 geese with his 28ga to my 3 geese with a 12ga. He proves it is more about the shooter than the gun and shot you use.


Very nice!

I also proved that it's more about the shooter when I missed two chip shots at swans last Friday.

Wish I was better at proving it his way!


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

hamernhonkers is spot on.

If you have swan decoys and some calling skills it doesn't really matter. Hunker down, stay hidden until they set their wings and come in close. Set your decoys out so their landing zone is close to your blind, between you and the dekes or at the end of the spread.

I used a .410 on the 2010 swan hunt. I was that confident in my (our) decoying and calling skills. So my neighbor reloaded 3" .410s with #4 Hevi-Shot for me. I shot a box of clay pigeons with the homemade loads. I was ready.

We put the dekes out and within an hour a flock came in. I shot a swan as it tried to land in the decoy spread, less than 30 yards away. The bird was clearly wounded but didn't go down. My hunting partner let me shoot first and then he dispatched one with his 12 ga. I jammed the 870 pump I was using and couldn't get off a shot to finish the wounded swan that was still easily within range. (Note that pellets from a .410 move as fast as pellets out of a 12 gauge there's just fewer of them.) The swan flew off, obviously hurt, and landed amongst 25,000 other swans out in the no-hunting resting zone on the north end of BRMBR Unit 1. I punched my tag for that year's swan hunt. crap

Anyway, if you're over decoys good hunting skills trump super magnum 8 gauge thunderboomer guns and nuclear devices. If you're pass shooting use 3 1/2" Hevi-Shot #2s in 12 or 10 gauge.


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## silentstalker (Feb 19, 2008)

I use 12 ga. 3" B Hevi Shot. Works great.


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## drakebob01 (Jun 25, 2008)

I shot mine with 3" 2 shot steel. If you get them in range your regular old duck load works perfectly!


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Pictures fellas, pictures.


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## silentstalker (Feb 19, 2008)

this is from last year. My Son and I. Both shot with B shot over Decoys. Steel works great but I like having them hit the water and not even wiggle!


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## Longgun (Sep 7, 2007)

10Ga, 1 5/8oz BBB or T's

responsibly plan for close shots, then hold off for closer.


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

silentstalker said:


> View attachment 48322
> 
> 
> this is from last year. My Son and I. Both shot with B shot over Decoys. Steel works great but I like having them hit the water and not even wiggle!


that was a fun day.


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

i like shooting 3 1/2hevy shot number 2 out of a Carlson mid range choke.


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## Truelife (Feb 6, 2009)

Thanks for all of the tips guys. Of course getting close is always the best, however in todays world of 2 or 3 un invited guests near my spread every time I hunt, sometimes that's hard to do.


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## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

toasty said:


> Actually, I think is was 9 bottles of pepsi, what you don't see is the empty 8 pack he already consumed earlier that day.
> 
> Last time out, Hammernhonkers shot 4 geese with his 28ga to my 3 geese with a 12ga. He proves it is more about the shooter than the gun and shot you use.


Now to be fair toasty had to shoot at geese 5 to 10 yards further out then I did.

I had the close easy shots.


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