You are shooting over decoys and using standard steel shot. What is your preferred shot size for
1. large ducks
2. geese
3. sandhill cranes

As a general rule, I use #2s on ducks. I will switch to #3s if the wood ducks are flying good.

I use BB on geese.

#2 and #3

“Over decoys” means various things to different people, I’ve learned. For this discussion, my response assumes 40 yards and less.
1) #3
2) Light or dark? Light- #1or #2; dark - #1 or BB; BBB if giants.
3) BBB or T. Much prefer heavier alternatives (Tungsten) and smaller sizes on cranes (all waterfowl actually, but especially cranes.)

I’m more of an F kind of guy with a turkey choke

2s for almost everything, 1s for sea ducks. Never hunted cranes but probably would start with 2s

Lead 4s

Seriously though
Ducks bismuth 4s
Geese 2s, BB, or BBB
Cranes I've never recovered one though I’ve knocked feathers out of a couple. If I can’t have a rifle I guess same as I use for geese.

I'm a baited net weir sort of guy. Doesn't wake the neighbors. saves money on ammo, dont have to pick pellets out of the meat. Ive taken a lot more ducks and geese on the sit with a .22lr pistol or rifle than I ever shot at with a shotgun. On the water, they bleed out and drown really fast from a .22 hit. 10 seconds or less, sometimes 5 seconds or less.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFY0rsfDbfE

^^^^ this.

But I much prefer jumping ponds. Been doing that since I was six, it works for me. Have hunted over decoys some, too, and killed quite a few that way, but there is nothing like sneaking up on a pond and dropping a limit as they scramble to get out of there. You have to know where they are, and be able to get there without them being alerted. It’s a blast.

Ok, it's confirmed. You're a moron.

We kill a lot of ducks in the marsh in Southwest Louisiana. Shoot mostly 12 ga 2 3/4" steel 4s and sometimes 6s on decoying ducks with improved cylinder chokes. The location we hunt has had a blind for 60 years, it's in a place ducks want to be in. Don't get to hunt geese or cranes.

Seems just as many ducks and geese fly off using #2's or BB's.

Don't matter what you use, you gotta hit 'em good. Though I generally use #2's.

I do miss the #4 lead though. Those were awesome.

Ducks over decoys #2s or 3s. Geese BBs. Never had a chance at sandhill cranes but we shoot tundra swans over field or floating decoys with BBs. Main thing with geese and swans especially is try to shoot to break their neck, i.e. make sure you lead them. A crane or swan can kill a dog and if you wing one they can cover a lot of distance before you catch up to them on foot or by boat. If I were shooting sandhills I would not send a dog until it was stone dead....those beaks are weapons.

Pattern density is key. As the shot size increases, the payload needs to (in general) as well (+\- a tighter choke, necessitating better shooting.)
This is why the 10 gauge saw a resurgence among waterfowlers back in the ‘80s and ‘90s with the transition to steel shot - and before the 3.5” 12 became readily available. The 10s capacity allowed for enough of the BBB and T pellets to maintain pattern density (if choked correctly) for cleanly taking big geese out to 60+ yards.

The only bird my Lab ever dropped in the middle of a retrieve was a crippled goose that hit him across the nose with a wing. That's when force fetch training came in and on command he picked it back up and brought it to hand. Geese are hard to kill outright. I can't estimate how many of their necks I had to wring.

I shot 3.5” 12’s at em’ usin’ steel shot for a long time and it did OK. Then I started shootin’ 3.5” 10’s at em’ usin’ steel shot...no comparison. The 10 gauge flat-out killed way better, to me, than the 12 gauge did. Especially usin’ BBB’s and T’s.

3
2
No idea, never tried. But I'd prob use 2's

Depending on early or late season, but my standard:
1.) #2
2.) BB
3.) BB - but honestly they’re fragile and don’t take much

We kill a lot of birds every year, and these are pretty standard. I’d add more pictures but the file size is too big.

I bought a SP-10 and hunted with it for a couple seasons. I shot BBB in it. It killed them well enough but it was too heavy and handled poorly. I went back to the 12 ga and switched to Kent Tungsten Matrix loads with #1 shot. They killed them pretty well at the ranges we would shoot them. We didn't shoot until they were cupped up with feet down, coming into our set at about 25 yrds. My 12 ga handled much better than the 10 ga. I used a Franchi Alcione O/U for much of my waterfowling. It was a pain to load while in a tight blind with 3 other guys but I managed.

I remember one time when we called in a small flock of 8 birds and we put them all on the ground. Everyone picked different birds and we all got doubles. Ah, memories.

I use a 10 gauge for shooting greaters, or late season hunts where they’re a little farther out. It folds them up nice.

That is always an awesome experience and never gets old. Love it.

I went straight to a Browning Gold when I went to the 10. It handled very well for me, whether I was in a blind hunting a flooded rice field or layin’ in a field flat on my back camo’d up.

I concur.

Never shot cranes. For ducks and geese I shoot 3" 12 gauge steel in the swamps and 3 1/2" 12 gauge over the big water. Always 2 shot.

12ga 3" #2 Steel for ducks, 3.5" #2s for later in the season.

12ga BB-#2 3 or 3.5" for geese.

BPS 10ga BBB for late season geese, but not so much anymore. Don't need the shoulder abuse.

Everything changes with Tungsten and/or Bismuth. 2s or 4s for geese and 4 or 5s for ducks. If you haven't looked at BOSS shotshells, I highly encourage you watch some of their vids. Killing big birds with 6s. Good stuff.

Ribeyes of the sky! Are they are good eating as they claim? We never got any good shots at them in our trips to ND. It always sounded like they were right on top of you, only to look up and see them 200' in the air. Kinda like swans in that regard.

Ducks, 3" 2's or 3's.
Geese, 2's. If just targeting geese, which is rare, maybe BB.
Only Sandhill I killed was with a 3" 2 shot.

I patterned some 20 GA 2 3/4 boss #5 today. Great pattern with a full choke. We'll see how they do this year.

#2 or #4Black Cloud or Kent Fasteel BB .

I became a 10ga man after a morning of duck hunting in the salt marshes with a couple of Fire members when we all lived in AK. I was shooting ducks with my SKB 100 using 2 3/4” steel 4s and doing okay. All the sudden a pair of cranes came over low and right on top of me. I gave the lead bird both barrels and knocked feathers off him both times. Last time I saw him he was gliding out over Cook Inlet never to be seen again.

I went to a buddy’s gun shop two days later and swapped a 444 Marlin for an SP10 and a half case of shells. Next trip it was a whole different game. It will reliably crush birds out at 50-60 yards if you can figure the lead. The results on decoyed ducks with huge charges of bismuth are amazing to someone who missed the lead era of waterfowling.

I still have it and probably a case of shells, about half of which are Bismuth 4s. Don’t shoot many ducks and geese anymore but it’s hell on turkeys. Was thinking yesterday I may have to dust it off and kill some sky carp this winter. It’d probably make a heck of a blocking gun for SD roosters come December too with some of those 4’s.

I questioned it, but they really are good. Not exactly like steak, but the texture was actually quite close. They’re odd to hunt and decoy. Where we are they’re more difficult than ducks and geese. The decoys are actual taxidermied birds. They’re a blast to hunt, though.

Mine isn’t exactly the same as your experience, but it’s pretty close. Hunting greaters one year I shot my 12 with 3.5” BB’s and had a lot of birds sailing. My wife’s uncle collected 10 gauges and let me buy one from him. I shout it the next year and absolutely folded up the birds. No comparison. I’ve let a few others shoot it while we’ve been out hunting and they all leave saying they’re going to buy one.

I remember another morning with a side by side 16ga followed by you using my 12ga with 3.5” shells after my limit was done. That was pure comedy.

To the OP:

#1 - 3.5” 2’s
#2 - 3.5” BB’s
#3 - 3.5” BB’s if it’s a dedicated crane hunt. Usually opportunistic when I’m hunting and have killed them with everything from 4’s to BB.