A few months after I was born in 1981, the late gun writer Gene Hill had a story titled “Why You Don’t Always Hit What You Shoot At—(Me Too!)” published in Gun Dog magazine. It was one of the first columns I recall reading when I decided to improve my shotgun skills as an adult. Hill was Harvard-educated but had an uncanny ability to connect with the common hunter, which is why his writing and instruction are so helpful to folks like you and me.
Many of us don’t understand why we are good shots one day and bad the next. I think it’s mostly due to the type of shot presentation. On the first morning of duck season, every bird may fly so that it is an easy shot for you. On Day 2, the birds may decoy in a manner that exposes all of your weaknesses as a shooter.
In that column, Hill wrote, “…until you learn why it is that you miss shots you shouldn’t, equipment notwithstanding, you can’t make much progress in determining just what you want or need in a shotgun.” Hill always did a fine job of simplifying the reasons why we miss. His advice helped me tremendously, and it will do the same for you.
Tricky Duck Shots
Long crossing and high incoming shots are two presentations most duck hunters have difficulty with. The reason is that you typically have more time to see the bird, which also gives you more time to make a mistake. Hunters often “ride the bird,” by tracking the target with a mounted shotgun for too long. The more time you are on the gun, the more difficult it is to keep the barrel moving. Most shooters slow or stop their swing and miss behind the crossing or incoming duck.
In the summer, I shoot a few sporting clays courses and always spend extra time at stations that provide these two presentations. The key is to find the right lead and practice it. I’m a lefty and have found that the left-to-right crosser requires “more lead” in my sight picture than a right-to-left crossing shot. When I shoot a bird coming in from the left, the lead needs to be the length of a canoe. If it comes from the right, I treat it as a snapshot and move the barrel past the bird as I pull the trigger.
I implemented this after reading Hill’s article. He said right-handed shooters needed to give birds coming from the left double the lead they give to birds flying in from the right. Even though I am a lefty, and this method should have been reversed, it worked for me. Why? My theory is that if you are a right-hander and the bird is coming from the left, the amount of lead you have to give the bird in your sight picture is more than you think it is.
When I was practicing crossing shots, it took several thrown clays to visualize how much lead was needed to break the bird. It felt unnatural to swing the barrel that far out in front of the target. But once you connect on the shot, it all makes sense.
It is not easy to break the habit of riding the bird. I still do it. But remember, a good shotgun swing is compact and should accelerate as you swing through the bird. It’s much like a good baseball swing. To connect with the ball, you need to be short to the ball and long through it. In shotgun terms, that means a short swing to the target and follow through after you break or kill it.
Focusing on Where to Shoot
Upland shots are often more of a surprise than the ones you take at ducks or clays. When the old dog goes on point, you never know if he’s going to flush one or 10 birds. If it’s one, that might mean you take too much time because you want to be sure you kill it…and whiff.
This is similar to riding the bird in duck hunting. You’re not moving the gun in a short, quick motion. If multiple birds flush, then it can be hard to focus on one, which is what you should do, and simply point your muzzle in the direction of the bird and hope for the best.
When you miss an upland bird, it’s often because you are not anticipating where the birds may fly once they spring from cover. Many of us look at our feet or at the dog on point. You need to look at the space above the dog because that’s where the shot will happen.
How you hold the shotgun matters, too. Hill’s suggestion is to place the buttstock under your shoulder as you approach a dog on point. This makes it easier to mount the gun, and there is less barrel movement. If you hold the gun with two hands across your body, you will increase the barrel movement and your chance of missing.
Shotgun Feel
The best shotguns are the ones that feel like an extension of you. If you are constantly looking down the rib of the shotgun and not the bird, that’s not a good fit for you. Don’t look at the bead (I actually take most of the beads off my wingshooting guns); look at the head of the target and try to find its eye or beak. If you focus on something that small, you will have more success.
You can practice this anytime you take the dog for a walk, as long as there are birds around. Track robins, cardinals, doves, etc. Find their head, then look beyond it to the open space in front, and visualize pulling the trigger. These “dry” reps will translate into better shots on clay birds and more clean kills this fall.
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