The thing that I like about bowhunting geese is that they’re great for practice. You’ll get lots of opportunities for shots throughout the day if you’re in the right spot. They’re also delicious if you know what to do with them.
There are lots of choices for the business end of your arrows, depending on your budget, preference, and local law.
I will just say that before going hunting, you should ALWAYS check in to see what local laws apply to you. Often, there will be requirements outlined such as the minimum draw weight of your bow and the size/type of tips permitted.
For example, where I live, I need a broadhead with a minimum diameter of 7/8″ to legally shoot geese.
Here are some of my top picks for bowhunting geese.
Don’t Use Blunts or Field Tips!!!
Just to clear something up right off the bat: Geese are pretty big, and blunt tips won’t take them out like smaller grouse (grouses? greese?).
So DO NOT fire off things like blunt Judos or Snaros. They’re meant for smaller game than geese and you’ll just end up injuring birds that will fly off into the horizon.
And NEVER hunt for geese with field tips. It’s not uncommon to stick the arrow right through them without killing them since they don’t bleed out.
People will start posting pics of arrow-impaled geese on social media and there will be a total uproar against hunters. Be responsible.
Large Diameter Broadheads
The cleanest way to finish a goose is to hit it in the head or neck. It’ll be dead within seconds, and you don’t have to worry about it flying off with your arrow and horrifying non-hunters.
The challenge is that the head and neck are really hard shots with a bow.
The way around this is to use a large diameter broadhead. Some guys like to use the guillotine or bullhead style that’s common for turkey hunting. It makes it significantly easier to hit the neck for a clean kill that doesn’t damage the meat.
The downside to large diameter heads like a guillotine is that your effective range is drastically reduced. Generally, you’ll have a really hard time hitting a small target from over 20 yards.
Pros: Cleanest kill, most forgiving at close range.
Cons: Not a good choice for anything beyond 20 yards.
Tips: You’ll probably need slightly longer arrows to make sure that the tip is a safe distance away from you and your gear. Also, make sure that you tune your bow to these tips since they shoot different from field points.
You can pick up a few of these guys on Amazon here.
Expandable / Mechanical Broadheads
A mechanical broadhead expands on contact, opening up blades that do massive damage. They’re very effective at a quick takedown.
The vitals for a goose are actually pretty small. Expandable broadheads open up to increase your odds of hitting something important. Use them with heavier arrows and fast bows.
When flying, the blades are retracted. The advantage to these over guillotines is that the blades don’t mess up the flight of the arrow.
This means that you can effectively shoot them from further range.
One of the biggest differences between mechanical broadheads and large diameter fixed broadheads is that these need to be aimed at the body, not the neck.
In other words, you’re going to really slice up the meat with these.
This isn’t a problem if you’re making sausage or chopping the meat, but you won’t likely get two nice, clean breasts if you’re using these.
Pros: A really good solution for shooting at 40 yards, effective at a quick takedown.
Cons: They slice up the meat. They’ll occasionally fail to deploy on hit, and they’ll usually be damaged when they hit the ground.
You can pick up some really effective mechanical broadheads here on Amazon.
Regular Broadheads
Standard broadheads work perfectly well, you just need to be a little closer for a good hit. They’re generally effective for goose hunting at around the 30-yard mark.
The reason that I like name brand fixed blade broadheads is that they’re really durable. The other kinds of tips that we’ve talked about aren’t too hard to break, so you’ll generally go through them much more quickly than regular broadheads.
They have a smaller cutting diameter, which is arguably both a pro and a con. On one hand, you don’t mangle the meat nearly as bad. On the other, you need a better shot placement for a clean kill.
They’re ideal for lighter arrows and lower draw weights. These are really efficient cutters, but you’re almost always going to get a pass-through shot on a goose with a good chance of messing up your fletching.
They also do an excellent job of slicing through tough feathers.
Pros: Durable but still effective at 30 yards, great for low draw weights, narrow cutting diameter.
Cons: Frequent pass-through shots mean lost arrows and damaged fletching, narrow cutting diameter.
Budget Broadheads
Since you’re going to be taking a lot more shots at geese (compared to something like deer hunting) it’s nice to not break the bank for a few pounds of meat.
If you’re looking for something that will get the job done well enough, you can buy big packs of broadheads for cheap online. They’re obviously not as good as the higher quality ones from name brands, but they still work.
The main issue I run into with these ones, aside from inconsistency when shooting, is that the blades break off fairly often.
For goose hunting, I usually just pick up two packs of these on Amazon and go to town.
Pros: Really inexpensive, great choice for beginners.
Cons: Generally inconsistent, easy to break, blades break off inside fairly regularly.
Flu-Flu Vanes
I know you’re here to learn about broadheads for geese, but you should definitely look into flu flu arrows for any bird or small game.
They’re just like regular arrows but the vanes are much bigger. This slows the arrows down considerably at further distances, which means that misses don’t travel nearly as far.
They’re also much easier to find and retrieve compared to regular arrows. If you’re trying to bag 8 geese in a day, arrow retrieval becomes increasingly important, especially if you have expensive broadheads!
You can check some out on Amazon here.
Summary
Here’s just a quick and basic overview to help you decide which kind of tip is right for you:
Large diameter broadheads like guillotines and bullheads are excellent for neck shots, which don’t damage the meat. Effective range is generally only 20 yards because the large head makes arrow flight wonky. It’s a miss-or-kill shot, the goose almost always will either be unscathed or dead.
Mechanical broadheads are great for ensuring maximum damage at long range since the blades are tucked away until impact. You can effectively bring down geese from 40 yards, but this majorly slices up the meat. Use heavy arrows and fast, dual-cam bows.
Standard fixed broadheads work well at the 30 yard range for geese, and they’re very robust. Ideal for lower draw weights.
Budget Internet broadheads are good options for beginners, since losing arrows won’t be so expensive.