Crane with a 28 GA

We were just over the border in Manitoba in early October and we spent some time one afternoon hunting cranes. We were working a bush line trying to pass shoot the cranes that were working back and forth between fields. My hunting partner got a Ruger Red Label 28 ga for putting in 25 years at his job. He was having a good time on our trip having already taken a sharptail, some mallards and pintails, and even a few lessor canadas (all field hunting and all in good range). Now he was taking a risk by not carrying his 12 ga, but he wanted to try. To make a long story short we had a bunch come over at about 30 yards max and that little load of bismuth did the job.