In 2001, I began waterfowl hunting in high school. Getting into the sport, I sought help from a number of mentors. They taught me how to call, set decoy spreads, and much more, but one recurring thing that always came up was how much they missed hunting with lead shot. They claimed it patterned better, they could use smaller shot, and sub-gauge shotguns (e.g., 20 gauge) were fairly effective for ducks and geese. While their assertions about lead’s performance are true, its significant detrimental effects on waterfowl and other wildlife is well-documented. Hence, lead shot has been banned for waterfowl hunting since 1991.
Since I began waterfowl hunting a decade after the lead ban took effect, my only experience with lead shot has been upland hunting—though, even where it is not required, I have largely switched to non-toxic shot. But, I have always been curious about the heavier shot— bismuth, tungsten, and assorted composites—and their ability to more effectively kill waterfowl.
While I tinkered with bismuth when I was just getting started in waterfowling, I’ve largely ignored innovations in non-toxic shot until the last few years. I’ve explored more environmentally friendly ammunition as well as loads that hit harder compared to steel, thereby reducing the frequency of wounded and unrecovered birds. With respect to the former, I have had good success with the Rio “Blue Steel” waterfowl loads, which use a water-soluble “zero plastic wad.” While it seemed a bit dirtier than my usual Federal ammunition, it patterned well and knocked down several mid-December mallards on a hunt last season.
But I have also been using other ammunition and shot types for turkey hunting, which offers more opportunities to test out various loads. For turkeys, I picked up some Hevi Bismuth for an old 20-gauge, bolt-action Mossberg my son started using and copper-plated 6s (copper on the outside; lead on the inside) for my 12 gauge. Through my turkey hunting experiences (where I am still very much a novice), I heard about this high-performance shot known as “TSS.” For the uninitiated, TSS stands for “tungsten super shot,” which performs significantly better than both steel and lead in terms of patterning and penetration. I figured this winter I would do some additional research into TSS, and then employ it this spring in hopes of bagging a tom.
What is TSS?
I hadn’t done any of my research into TSS when I connected with an ammunition loader out of Utah. I came across Salt Creek Custom Ammunition because a waterfowl contact—Matt Zvolanek, host of High Prairie Sportsmen YouTube Channel—has been using their ammo on his hunts. Not knowing anything about how TSS performs, the ability to learn directly from Salt Creek was exceptionally valuable.
What I didn’t know about TSS amounted to a lot. I told them I was going on a goose hunt in Central Washington and was looking to give TSS a try. I requested 12 gauge 3” shells loaded in BBB. If you know anything about TSS, you can imagine what those guys thought of my request. Succinctly, it amounted to “LOL.” They suggested size 7s, which they assured me were a metaphorical hammer for geese. Being a “seasoned waterfowler,” I scoffed at the idea. Size 7s are for quail and snipe, not for geese. But, they persisted, sending a few video testimonials depicting folks killing honkers with it.
Benefits of TSS
Here’s what else I learned from our conversation:
- TSS patterns are very tight. So, either skeet or cylinder chokes are recommended. Install as open a choke as you can to start, and consider holding your shot until the bird is beyond 20 yards. Anything closer, and your pattern is extremely tight (someone told me it is about as tight as a golf ball, but I have not independently confirmed).
- TSS is 60% denser than lead, so it carries energy much further than steel shot and thus penetrates feathers and tissue much more readily, even out to 50-60 yards.
- TSS is incredibly hard. Thus, it does not break traveling down your shotgun barrel. Fractured shot from softer shot types (e.g., lead, bismuth) creates inconsistent patterns, leaving tears in your pattern downrange. But because it is so hard, it is not recommended for antique guns. If you wouldn’t use steel in your gun, then TSS is not recommended either.
- TSS penetrates more effectively, so you can use smaller shot even on larger birds like big Canada geese or sandhill cranes. Smaller shot size also means more shot in each shell and better patterns. With a tight pattern to begin with, more shot is definitely better.
In spite of hearing this from Salt Creek, Matt, and others, I was still a little skeptical. But I was going to give it a shot, pun intended. Seeing is believing, right? I ordered a few boxes in 12 gauge and a few more in 20—all loaded with size 7 TSS.
In the Field
Just before Thanksgiving, I joined a group of hunters for a guided Canada goose hunt at Eagle Lakes Ranch in Othello, Washington. After setting up four dozen full bodies, our guide, Jake Bensen, got us set into a pit blind and gave us the plan: geese will come from a gap between the ridges in front of us, expect to see big geese, and wait for the signal to stand up and shoot. About 45 minutes after shooting light, a solo lesser trafficked in.
We tucked into the blind and closed the doors. Jake coaxed the bird from hundreds of yards up all the way down into our decoys. Giving us the signal to shoot, we dropped our doors and stood. I raised my Browning pump to be the backup to our teenage compatriot, who hit the bird on his first shot. However, the bird was clearly not hit hard as it was standing about 25 yards in front of me in the middle of the decoys.
Jake sent Delta, his yellow labrador, who made a beeline for the bird. It started running and flapping, slowly getting off the ground. Delta was on its tail, but the goose was pulling away. With the dog so close, I could not get a clear shot, so I waited a few seconds for the goose to rise. At about 50 yards, the goose clear of Delta, I pulled the trigger and watched it fold hard. One bird down, fifteen more to go for the four of us to fill our limits.
Minutes after this first goose, a group of eight big geese come lumbering into the spread. Again, Jake gives us the signal, and again we rise and shoulder our shotguns. Two birds are in my lane, and both fold on successive shots. I see two birds getting away, and I take a long shot and miss. With several cripples on the ground, I hop out of the pit and help Delta chase them down.
Then, I notice one of the geese coming back around toward our spread. Having reloaded before running out after the cripples, my first thought is just to get in front of it and hopefully get a shot. Jake yells, “Take a knee!” as he starts coaxing the bird back toward the spread. The goose swings over the spread about 60 yards up and then swings in front of me, presenting a left-to-right shot. One shot with the TSS, and it comes crashing down. Hoops and hollers from the pit blind ensue.
Final Thoughts
These two anecdotes demonstrate the value of TSS for waterfowl hunting. Both the escaping lesser to start the day and the straggler honker offered long shots, which would have been difficult with contemporary steel shots. At those ranges, steel is losing energy, the patterns are wide, and it’s a hope and a prayer to bring geese down. But, for TSS, this is its sweet spot where the pattern has opened enough to paint the target in shot while carrying sufficient energy to reliably kill birds.
There is no replacing being a good shot with whatever gauge or load you’re using. And I’m willing to wager that the cost of TSS as your everyday waterfowl load is a bit too high. That said, TSS for waterfowl hunting clearly performs very well, and in some circumstances, it might be your only option for lethal shots. For hard-to-kill birds like king eiders, cranes, and swans, TSS is a reliable option when the shot counts. It hits harder, patterns tighter, and has fewer inconsistencies than any other load on the market. These are significant advantages in shooting performance that may be the difference between bagging your birds or watching them disappear over the horizon. Perhaps most important to me is the surety that a pellet of TSS shot will almost certainly kill that bird, reducing wounded and lost birds that end up feeding the local eagles and coyotes.
If you’ve got some of your year-end bonus burning a hole in your pocket and want to give TSS a try, reach out to the guys at Salt Creek Custom Ammunition, Boss Shotshells, or other ammunition manufacturers offering TSS and buy a box or two. And good luck through the remainder of your hunting seasons, waterfowlers!
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Jordan Rash is a freelance writer, podcaster, outdoorsman, and conservation advocate in Washington State. He’s spent a career on and around the forests, mountains, wetlands, and rivers of the Pacific Northwest fighting wildfires, developing public policy, passing legislation, and leading conservation real estate efforts. He can be reached via Instagram at @jordan_rash1.
