We use to shoot the geese coming back into Black Water Refuge for years at a farm we had in the family. Then that person died and the farm was sold, the next owner got the bright idea to put several platforms up in the trees, to make the shots easier. Most likely they were surprised how close the geese were when you were in a deer tree stand. Lasted about a season until the made regulations to outlaw shooting geese from elevated platforms.
We, the family, had shot several hundred geese over the years by learning where they came across the tree line or a hedge row depending on the wind direction and then learning to lead them enough to kill them. Next group never learned how to lead a goose 15-17-20+ feet and got closer to them. After that one year, that farm was never hunted very much again. Heck, if they had asked me how far I would have shown them. We used H&R 10 gauge single barrels Model 6 or might have been the later 176, the old farm had three or four of them, short ten doubles and a Model 12 3". Lead shot too, to be fair, because it was still legal.
Those H&R were stout, single barreled guns, but not too heavy. Recoil never bother anybody unless they missed. Most of us could shoot and quickly reload and shoot a second time, sometimes three times, before the geese started to fly higher or move to the side. If they came in low and right over us we switched to number four shot and head shot them. At 30-40 yards, a tight 2 ounce pattern of 4's would kill a goose stone dead if hit in the head and neck area every time.
