Shooting Tips

[JPS_Flock]

What are some shooting tips that you guys have. Someone once told me that when birds are inside 35 yds that you should start put your bead behind the bird and swing it up rite until you get just passed the head and then pull the trigger. When they are out 35 yds or more you should start out in front of the bird with a lead and shoot that way.

[scouttracker]

PRATICE! PRATICE! PRATICE! PRATICE! Have I made my point?

[Mark Spence]

Scouttracker said it brother....PRACTICE!!!

One thing that a wise old man once told me about wingshooting - think of it like this....pull up and through the bird thinking all the while - butt-belly-beak-bang.

Biggest mistakes people make when shooting are they either "peek" or they do not swing through the shot.

Hit the trap, skeet, and/or sporting clays range once a week and you will be amazed at how much your shooting will improve!!!

[Travis Wood]

Buy a PATTERNMASTER and aim for the head..

[Johnny McDonnell]

Be very careful to match the speed of your target loads with speed ofyour hunting loads. I made the mistake of shooting cheap-o target loads all summer on the range, and shot Winchester Supremes once the season started and shot in front of birds all season long. And screwed up alot of video along the way. Hope this helps, Johnny McDonnell

[Mark Spence]

Good call Johnny.....my loads match up so I didn't even think about it!!!

[GooseRefuge.com]

Think about how those birds are coming in... Eg., if the bird is dropping down, lead below it.

I guess the way you lead a bird is a matter of preference. I'd say I am more of a snap shooter -- I go straight for the lead position and pull the trigger. Some guys do better by following through the bird.

Like others mentioned -- Practice, Practice, Practice!

[hammer007911]

Good call Johnny.....my loads match up so I didn't even think about it!!!

Mark how do you get your loads to match up?

Do you shoot bb shot at the range?

Thanks

Hammer

[DUman84]

always heard bout the three B's, butt belly, beak, while swinging, also i heard that pretend like the duck has a cigarette in his mouth and when you swing through and you get to the tip of the cigeratte fire

[IowaMigr8tor]

BUTT>>>BODY>>>BEAK>>>BANG

[Mark Spence]

Hammer:

I have a buddy that reloads shells.....so I just have him reload my trap/skeet loads at 1550 fps (it only ends up being like 7/8 oz shot if that at about 1500 fps - close enough for me).

[dux_99]

One thing that I know costs me a lot of birds if i am not thinking about it is keeping my head down. make sure to keep your head down on the barrel and don't pick it up to watch the bird. You will shoot under your target every time.

Another thing I think a lot of guys over look is finding a gun that fits you right. Any given stock is made to fit the average height person at 5'9". Well I am 6'2". I had to add a 1-1/2" to the length of pull on my gun and it made a lot of difference. I was shooting low before I had it done b/c I was looking over the end of the barrel.

You should be able to put the stock of your gun in the pitt of your elbow and your finger should rest comfortably on the trigger. If it overshoots it add length and if it is too short cut some off.

[scouttracker]

OK IF NONE OF YOU GOT IT THE FIRST TIME I WILL SAY IT AGAIN. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. IF YOU DO NOT LEARN GUN CONTROL, SITE PICTURE AND SWING . SHOT , SHELL AND VELOCITY WILL NOT COME INTO PLAY. BUT IF YOU WANT THERE IS A PRAYER THAT I TELL MY PARTIES TO SAY. " IF THERE IS STEEL IN THE AIR THERE IS A PRAYER"

[hoosierhunter]

It's always amazing how much everyone is shooting at the end of the season vs. the first day out. You can't compensate for experience or should I say practice! Very good points on the practice, target loads matching hunting, gun fit, but the most important to me is form. Hard to shoot when you're contorting out of position or have bad form to begin with. And definitely learn to swing thru the target always, unless you're shooting trap straight out in front of you. The last point is to shoot better in the field, set up right to have them land real close and face first! :D

[Killer Miller]

JPS, you were talking about if the bird was less than 35 yards you pull just ahead of the head and fire. This is called a swing-through method, where you start your swing behind the target and push the gun hard in front of the target and fire when you believe you are in front of it enough to kill it. Another is the sustained-lead, where your swing starts at or just in front of the target. Then you just swing with the bird until you feel you are on it and pull the trigger. This is what I use. I try to bring my gun up so it is already on the bird, so I have more time to get my 3 shots off. I read in a magazine that an easy way to practice coming up right on your target is to focus on a corner of 2 walls and the ceiling. Focus on the corner, then bring you gun up trying to point it right at the corner. This will cut time trying to get on target and give you more time to try to possibly double or even triple! Load velocity, choke, gun fit are all factors that make you a better shot.

[cupped-n-locked]

find the gun that feels comfortable and mounts easily - the bit about the gun stock in the elbow and the finger on the trigger is an old wives tale.

just like the previous post says pick a target in the house - perhaps a picture on the wall - and practice mounting the gun rapidly -over and over till it always comes to the right spot. Try it with the hunting coat that you always wear so it's realistic. this exercise wil create muscle memory so that you can get on the target faster.

once you pull up on a bird and find your bead - never look at the bead again ( this makes you stop the gun for a split second which is very bad ) - swing past the target, keep swinging and shoot, don't think, just shoot

as said before PRACTICE - PRACTICE - PRACTICE

and most importantly - don't beat your self up over it just practice as much as posible and have fun

[JPS_Flock]

Thanks for all the tips fellas, you guys all seem to help me out.

[scouttracker]

Killer has a good point. But when you get that corner swing down where the wall meets ceiling to the next corner. If you can keep your bead in the corner you will have no problem keping on the site line. But pratice, pratice, pratice...

[Steve DeMaster]

your lead differs from the way the bird comes in or is flying by, plus you have to consider the choke, fps of the shell, shoot the shell at targets, come up infront of the bird and remimber if you miss you are usally behing the bird. Another thing is think about how fast the bird is fly and how close the bird is, just remimber at 25 yards, 3 foot lead, use a skeet lead. Shoot and shoot, you will learn a lot about this if you read and listen to very experinced shooters.