I'm going hunting for sandhill's this weekend. Whats the recommended shot size and choke. Shooting a 12g, 28" SA

I was folding then with my Beretta A400 Extreme, factory modified and kent 3.5" faststeel #2

thanks

Colorado may be different. But in Texas you can use lead shot for Cranes. If your only hunting cranes and will not be shooting geese. And as long as it is not an area restricted to non toxic. I would go with lead shot. Choke and size really depends on how your hunting, decoys or pass shooting for example.

Cranes are big tough bird but they have that long neck and like a turkey that is your target. It doesn't take a whole lot to break it. #2 steel will work fine #4 heavy shot has worked well also. Even killed some cleanly with #6 heavy shot turkey loads. Just shoot the head like it is a dove and you will do fine on cranes.

+1 Shots in the wing joint bring them down hard also then the impact of the ground since they're so heavy kills them. Killed several the last week with 3" #4 steel.

sniperJ has good point. lead if u sure no geese. steel 2s in mod are fine if
u can swing on a bird and hit in head. if you arent profficient in leading birds/head shots, then move up to steel 1s/bb through mod

Bump up to BB's! These birds are not easy to decoy. some of your shots might be far, so go with BB's. I use an extended modified.

You guys hunting over plastic decoys or stuffers?

If you are not going after geese, just cranes, steel is not needed. I use 2 3/4" shells loaded with #5 lead. It is a pretty hot load (but not too hot), it is the same load I use for pheasant. That load with a modified choke has more killing power at 50 yards than most 3.5" steel BB loads. I took a trip to Oklahoma last year and after 3 shots, I had my limit. Very easy birds to kill if you can get them to decoy. We were using "stuffers" (taxidermy sandhills). I killed all mine at 30 yards (I didn't want to ruin the meat).

This!

No kiddin, are y'all guys getting in your face cranes or what? These are some big birds.

#2 lead (if you can find it) out of a modified choke works best for us. I load my own, but have been using them for years on crane. If you have a chance, pattern your gun with a few different loads though.

Big birds, but a lot easier than geese to kill.

I will give Pitt this. When you hunt over stuffers, they are in your lap! When hunting plastics, most of your shots are fly-bys or further shots.

Nothing like havin 100-150 landing in the spread, it's a massacre!

whats wrong with hunting over plastics? we hunt over
250 rags and never have a problem shooting them in our lap.
all about windirection sun and which way roost is in relation
to feed field. its not hard.i guess some would rather shell
out $275 and hunt over stuffers with 12 guys in one blind.
its not safe and its not fun.whatever floats ur boat

Nothing wrong with hunting plastics at all. Stuffers are much better in my opinion. You dont need as many and obviuosly, way more realistic. But your comment about wind, roost, and feed is waterfowl hunting period. Not just cranes. But how is 10 or 12 guys shooting not safe? Is 5 guys in a blind duck hunting not safe either?

guides will typically fill a small blind with as many as possible to maximize their
profits. that means hunting with people u know nothing about.may not care about safety or shooting on their side of the blind. guns pointing across urs, not careful with where their gun is pointed at all times, etc. if u hav a blind that fits 12 people on a duck hunt then you probably got uncle si drinking too much tea making you a condo that is too big for the water your hunting. or flickman has lost his mind on fork and is running out of things to do

I hunted with a guide in Oklahoma. He charged $140 per hunt. He used stuffers and I was the only one there with him. I told him on the phone that I was not going to hunt with someone I didn't know. He was okay with it and did the hunt. Curt Wilkerson Guide Service.

BB lead and patternmaster. I have a friend up in LBK that guides for these things and takes me on hunts from time to time. They're also all over my buddy's ranch in Glasscock. With the guide we use silo-socks and a few soft foam full-bodies, but down in glasscock, we just set up on the fenceline of the field they're in and wait for them to come and go. With a limit of only 3, it's a quick hunt regardless of how you hunt them.

yea i figured that must be curt if u huntin OK crane.havent heard anyone
else guiding for them there. $140 great price especially hunting by yourself.
nice find. maybe sink can save some money next year

Maybe you can quit worrying about what Im doing!
Shut up Drew!

You boys kiss n make up

I've kilt a mess o' cranes with everything from 2.75" high brass #4s - 3" high brass #BBs. Shoot whatever patterns best out of your gun. I personally like #4s and #3s for goose/cranes.

I ran out of #3s on my last hunt and swaped to 3" #1s they do good also. I mostly shoot Kents, Winchesters, and a few federals.

EDIT** BTW I've only shot steel at cranes, I always hunt them and geese together.

-Matt

I've shot sandhills over my 20+ year old wind socks with the cheapest #2 shot on the market. If birds are in the area, limit every time. If you can think like a crane, you will kill the crane.

I dont know how many old timers are on this forum but my grandfather who was a federal judge(Leo Brewster) and a federal game warden named Don Krieble supposedly one of the first people to really start Sandhill crane hunting in the panhandle. As a young boy about the age of 5 my dad and grandfather would be dropped off in a field by Don and I would fall asleep in the decoy bags in the back of an old Jeep Cherokee that Don was driving. He would take me to Dairy Queen for ice cream and on a few busts(I think so unless he turned his siren on for fun)and then we would go pick my dad and grandfather up after the hunt. I will never forget that.