The noise was deafening. The grip on my Maxus II tightened between beating wings and thousands of one-syllable honks. Snow geese are annoying. The honks are raspy and throaty and penetrate deep into the eardrums.

My goose crew lives for days like this, and we’d gotten fortunate. My eyes spied more juvenile birds than I could count. Their grayish plumage and pinkish-gray beaks were getting closer as the twister descended on us.

We’d done our work. The spread included a cocktail of rags, silhouettes, socks, and full bodies. We even added a few flyers for good measure. When hunting springtime snow geese, you can’t have too many fakes.

Deception is the goal, and these migrating north birds returning from the Gulf to Hudson Bay and northern Alaska have seen it all, even the juvies. 

Still, the advantage was in our favor. Our hide was excellent — shucked corn leaves and broken stalks made our layouts invisible. Thanks to liberal legalities during spring snow goose conservation, our e-callers were running full blast.

The Spring Light Goose Conservation Order’s goal, implemented in 1999, was to control snow goose populations through hunting. An estimated 5 to 8 million mid-continent snow geese were returning to their Arctic wintering grounds in poor health because of a lack of agricultural feed and overcrowding. More geese meant more pressure on the tundra, and with many geese already in poor health, problems arose.

With more grain and wheat fields planted in midwestern states and newly planted rice fields along the coast, feed increased, snow geese spread out and returned in much better health.

Though COVID-19 disabled snow goose counts and studies in recent years, and more bears and predators are being reported in the Hudson Bay lowlands, the snow goose population is branded as healthy, and spring snow goose seasons will continue, at least for the foreseeable future.

What does that mean for you? 

It means a season where electronic callers are legal, and, in most states, an unlimited bag limit.

Only four of us were on the hunt, but the 2 a.m. decoy placement and blind hides were about to pay off. With each circle, the snowstorm got closer to the ground.

The plug in my Maxus II Camo-Auric 12 gauge was out, making room for three 3-inch shotshells in the magazine tube and one in the chamber. My oldest son Hunter was shooting the A5 Wicked Wing with four 2 3/4-inch bismuth loads in the magazine and a single 3-inch Browning Wicked Wing XD 1-1/4-ounce #2 in the chamber.

I let over 500 geese land with another, what seemed like a million, back peddling mere feet over the spread of white imposters. The smell of burnt gunpowder disappeared quickly in the freezing air, but the whooping and hollering did not. We pulled 14 geese out of that first volley, and with more flocks on the horizon, it would surely be a magnificent day.

Browning’s Maxus II is my go-to waterfowl shotgun. I have two of them, and the latest model, released at the 2025 SHOT Show, is already on order. If you’re a snow goose goer, you can’t ignore the all-new Maxus II Solid-Stone's racy, sure-to-blend-in-a-white environment look. For now, though, I’ll keep stacking white bodies with my Maxus II Camo guns in Auric and Vintage Tan.

What makes the Maxus II line so effective for waterfowl goers is its bulletproof build and ability to cycle hulls even when not ultra-clean. Mother Nature typically creates wet and muddy fields of play in spring. I’ve taken my Maxus IIs apart many times and found bits of mud, chunks of broken and whole corn, and other nasty junk inside. Still, the ultra-reliable Power Drive Gas System keeps the action working.

Another Maxus II win regarding being a kingpin snow goose gun is the TurnKey Magazine Plug. Unscrew the fore-end cap, use a flat screwdriver or vehicle key, and remove the magazine plug in seconds. With the magazine plug removed, more shotshells will go into the tube. However, you must store the plug and re-insert it after spring snow goose season.

I also like the Maxus II in the fit and feel department. Spring is wet, and I love the feel of the SoftFlex cheek pad and rubber overmolded grip and forearm. The shotgun is quick to the shoulder and balanced to swing. If you’re shooting heavy magnum loads, which I don’t recommend for snow geese, the large exhaust ports in the gas piston effectively dump gases faster to shed felt recoil. Combine this with the Inflex II recoil pad, which collapses when the shotgun booms and the directional ribs pull the comb down and away from your face for more comfortable shooting and faster follow-up shots, and you’ve got a shotgun ready to handle any hunt. You’ll also applaud the oversized bolt handle and bolt release.

My love affair with my A5 duo hasn’t disappeared. Instead, my 19-year-old son, Hunter, confiscated them and locked both in his gun safe two years back.

His number one snow goose gun is the A5 Wicked Wing. He loves the oversized bolt release and the receiver’s Cerakote Burnt Bronze camo finish. The Cerakote protects metal parts from damage and reduces goose-spooking glare, no matter the lighting condition. He also feels he gets extended accuracy with the extended Invector-DS Goose Band choke tubes. I don’t argue. He’s a better shot than me, and the chokes give the shotgun a true waterfowl appeal.

The humpback receiver on all A5 models creates an ideal receiver-to-barrel rib alignment, and the Wicked Wing and Camo models feature a fiber-optic front sight and ivory mid-bead.

The Kinematic Drive System boosts rapid cycling and shot-to-shot consistency. At the shot, the Kinetic Drive harnesses recoil energy and converts it into the mechanical motion necessary to run the action. This means less shoulder abuse and a drive system that cycles everything from 2-3/4-inch shotshells to 3-1/2-inch magnums. Like the Maxus II, the TurnKey Magazine Plug is present on A5 models for more magazine tube flexibility.   

Browning never skimps on maximizing shot pattern performance and the A5 gets the benefit of the Vector Pro lengthened forcing cone. Longer forcing cones are a popular gunsmithing feature on competition over and unders, and Browning’s  Vector Pro extends the tapered transition between the chamber and the bore that constricts the shot column, creating less constriction stress as the shot passes into the bore. This results in less pellet deformation and keeps more pellets in the central part of the shot pattern.

Ergo Balance means a comfortable vertical grip and compact and narrow forearm, which places the front hand closer to the bore line for remarkable handling, quick swinging, and more doubles and triples.

Some “snow goose-specific" shotguns are out there, with extended magazine tubes, stocks, and fore-ends cloaked in white. However, if you’re in the market for a no-fail waterfowl wrecker that will serve you as well in the duck blind as it does in the spring snow goose fields and beyond, turn your attention to the Maxus II, A5 Camo, and A5 Wicked Wing.