Shooting woes

ditchparrot19

ditchparrot19

Member
My shooting has gradually deteriorated over the past several years. There's a good reason for that -- I hadn't been practicing it at all.

Two events occurred almost simultaneously in early 2009: 1) the gun club I was a member of and had easy access to closed its gates due to environmental issues; and 2) my wife gave birth to a baby girl. Something had to give time-wise, so I chose to drop clay-shooting since I already had an excuse (the club closing) to do that anyway. That way I could maintain most of my hunting and fishing excursions.

All the shooting I did after that was at live birds of one sort or another, and that amounted to two to three boxes of shells per year. I didn't really take note of my prowess going downhill until 2012. On my trip to Montana this year it was particularly poor and got to the point where I wouldn't even fire at birds that forced me to swing to my left. Most right-handers have an easier time going to that side, but I've always been the opposite.

I was never a serious competitive shooter, but I began shooting at age 10 and was well-schooled in my early years. Less than a decade ago I was a regular member of a trap league and my scores for a round from the 16-yard line would almost always fluctuate between 20 and 23. One time I ran 25 straight.

After I got back from Montana last month, I shelled out $150 for a membership in a club that I don't really like anything about, but they shoot trap there on Tuesday and Saturday mornings and I badly needed to start putting some rounds through my guns. I bought a 100-pack of target loads Monday night and went out there yesterday morning.

My results were predictable: 17, 13, 16 and 17.

As the morning went on I was able to hone in on a couple of key concepts, like achieving a hard focus on the target and not glancing back at the barrel, the sensation of "pointing" at the target with my left index finger and keeping my cheek glued to the stock. At my final station, which was No. 1 on the field, I ran all five birds and let out an audible "Yes!" when the final clay shattered.

It'll take a few more 100-packs to get back to the level I was at before, and then regular maintenance after that. Once I get out of this current funk, I'm determined never to fall back into it.

I owe that to my dogs -- and the birds I pursue with them.
 
I owe that to my dogs -- and the birds I pursue with them.
I dunno ditchparrot......do you really owe it to either of them? I get what you're saying, but just getting my pups out in the field is what they really want. They seem to be just as happy on conditioning runs as bird hunts :) And I doubt the bird that you just missed is thinking you owed it to him to thump him :p

I've had my bad days too. I don't do as much sporting clays as I used to, and my field shooting shows it. On the days when I can't seem to hit anything early, I've found if I wait a few moments longer to bring my gun up on a bird and then pull up for a quick shot, my accuracy improves. Perhaps I don't have as much time to over think things :rolleyes: but it works for me.

Best of luck to you the rest of this season :cheers:

Brett
 
My problem is I start thinking about it. For me hunting with flushers it is instinctual more than anything else. This is my 38th year of bird hunting. I have probably made and missed every shot possible by now. I have to shoot like I have never missed, even though I go through bad spells from time to time.
 
MiUplander said:
And I doubt the bird that you just missed is thinking you owed it to him to thump him
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What I owe the birds is to kill a high percentage of them cleanly and, as much as possible, lessen the chances of them escaping as a cripple. No dog in the world is a 100-percent guarantee for bringing the wing-tippers back and losing one flat-out ruins my day afield. It occasionally happens to us all, but I hate it.

I used to have full confidence that I could make clean kills at a better-than-average rate. At the moment that confidence isn't there and I badly want it back. I'm sure it'll come, but more trigger time is needed.
 
carptom1 said:
My problem is I start thinking about it. For me hunting with flushers it is instinctual more than anything else. This is my 38th year of bird hunting. I have probably made and missed every shot possible by now. I have to shoot like I have never missed, even though I go through bad spells from time to time.
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I'm in my 39th year and that time has been split about equally between flushing and pointing dogs. I agree -- shooting is much more instinctual with the flushers. I have two of those currently, but one's too old (13 1/2 years) and the other's too young (11 weeks) to hunt this year, so I'm strictly a pointing-dog guy for 2014.

As I'm kicking around in front of a locked-up white dog, I'm doing way too much thinking about how I'm going to react depending on which way the bird comes out. I'm doing everything I can think of to prevent a right-to-left swing of the gun, and still I'm presented with that nearly every time, it seems.

I just need to get back to the point where I'm confident I can make the right move most of the time regardless of the bird's exit strategy.
 
If you're not practicing before the season, as I'm guilty of myself, I believe you tend to rush your shots. A bird flushes, you're excited and maybe a bit apprehensive because you lack the confidence from having done it a lot and you're too quick. Then as the season progresses and you get more shooting, you gain some patience and start connecting more.

I think patience is key. I shoot an O/U. When I bought it my brothers gave me all kinds of grief about having only two shots. Yes, there are times when I'm empty and another bird gets up. But those guys go through at least 3 times as many shells as me and I come back with more birds in the bag. They empty at everything they shoot at. One shoots an autoloader and he's the one that would benefit the most by going to a two shot gun.

I shoot better over pointed birds because they normally get up closer to me, inside 10 yards. When hunting flushers, those 30 yard ahead flushes mean you're shooting at 40. My success rate goes way down with all those long shots. close in, I know I can take my time to assess and execute the shot.
 
ditchparrot19 said:
What I owe the birds is to kill a high percentage of them cleanly and, as much as possible, lessen the chances of them escaping as a cripple. No dog in the world is a 100-percent guarantee for bringing the wing-tippers back and losing one flat-out ruins my day afield. It occasionally happens to us all, but I hate it.

I used to have full confidence that I could make clean kills at a better-than-average rate. At the moment that confidence isn't there and I badly want it back. I'm sure it'll come, but more trigger time is needed.
Click to expand...

In the words of the great Clint Eastwood. :D

 
Shooting percentages

I've hunted for 51 years and I know I don't shoot as well as I used to. Most of my misses come from shooting too quick. I get a fair number of birds on the second shot. I've always hunted with Springers and learning to read your dogs is essential to good shooting success. My newest dog is a Brittany and I find I miss shots over points just as easily as flushes from Springers. Sometimes hunting is like baseball and you get into a slump and have trouble hitting birds. Part of the problem is that with smaller bird populations you don't get enough practice to polish your skills. I seldom shoot blue rock. It never improved my shooting on Pheasants. I had a good year and shot 35 roosters, 2 quail, and 3 grouse. At my age I always figure that this year could be my last year.
 
sbode said:
I've hunted for 51 years and I know I don't shoot as well as I used to. Most of my misses come from shooting too quick. I get a fair number of birds on the second shot. I've always hunted with Springers and learning to read your dogs is essential to good shooting success. My newest dog is a Brittany and I find I miss shots over points just as easily as flushes from Springers. Sometimes hunting is like baseball and you get into a slump and have trouble hitting birds. Part of the problem is that with smaller bird populations you don't get enough practice to polish your skills. I seldom shoot blue rock. It never improved my shooting on Pheasants. I had a good year and shot 35 roosters, 2 quail, and 3 grouse. At my age I always figure that this year could be my last year.
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I would say the number one reason for misses are rushing the first shot. On close flushes I always try to use the 3 second rule. The second most common fault is having your feet out of position to allow your body to pivot/swing freely. 3rd may be pulling your focus off the bird back to your barrel to make it perfect like a rifle shooter and bad things usually happen when you barrel peek.

Foot position. For example: You should always try and step into the shot with your lead foot, left foot for right handers and right foot for lefty's.

e.g. If the bird is quartering away to your left, step into the direction of the bird with the lead foot, that way your body is a lot more free to move if it has to either left or right if the bird switches direction. When your all coiled up and can no longer swing one direction because your foot position is wrong, your natural tendency will be to stop the gun and a miss behind, if that makes any sense.

Practice does make perfect. If you have a skeet or trap field you can simulate hunting by walking and carrying your gun as if hunting provided the club management says is ok. Have the person release a target and practice stepping into the shot as was described above. Above all remember one thing, no need to get into a hurry, the pellets coming out the end of the barrel are traveling waaay.... faster than any bird will. If your reflexes are a tad on the slower side then choke up a bit to a tighter choke so there will be a good pattern further out.
 
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Works for me

I know for me the more frequently I shoot the better I am. The past few years I have made time to do more sporting clay shooting prior to going bird hunting. I find that it makes a notable difference for both myself and a couple of the other guys that do the same. We make an annual trip to some prime Pheasant hunting in N. Dakota. In years past I would struggle the first day or two before getting in the groove and starting to shoot well. Last year I made sure to get in at least one round of clays each week for roughly two months before heading west. It really helped my shooting, some of our group even remarked on how well I was shooting. It really helps my confidence as well. This year I made a second trip west but to S. Dakota for a quick three day hunt that I was invited on. This trip was four days after I got back from N. Dakota and I was feeling good about how I was shooting. I dropped a rooster dead on a shot that normally I would have passed on. It was near the end of a walk and I was wing on the outside nearing the end of the field. I was just placing a bird in my jacket when another busted out of the edge of cover. There was two blockers at the end of the field that each took two shots and missed the bird. It was quartering away with a good S. Dakota breeze at its back. It had to be 55-60 yards out when I took the shot and the bird just folded up and landed dead on the road. The other wing on the opposite side was maybe 25 yards from the bird when I shot. Based on how the bird had dropped dead I assumed that the other wing and I must have shot at the same time and he delivered the fatal shot. Well everybody started hollering great shot and I then realized I had made likely the best shot on a Pheasant I have made. I am committing to making sure that I get plenty of shooting in to keeps my skill / confidence up. Am going out to shoot a round or two of clays tomorrow.
Good luck all!!
 
Way to shoot straight , for me its always tough to do when there is an audaince , but even more special when you do connect !!!!

How was you hunts to the Dakaota's ?
 
During the season, it is difficult to shoot clays. Most ranges are closed, open only when you want to hunt or a long drive. To keep sharp, I practice mounting at home.

When a pheasant/quail gets up within forty yards, I do not lead it. I just focus on its head. I practice this at home. I put a bird feeder 25 yards from my mounting spot inside my house. When a bird comes to or leaves the feeder, I will mount while keeping my focus on the bird's head. Doing this on a sparrow is much more difficult than doing it on a pheasant.

Do not know where exactly the sparrow is when coming to the feeder, so you must move your feet before the mount.

When I travel to western Kansas, I practice mounting at home diligently. Last good year in Kansas went 17/18 on roosters. 24/29 on quail. That year, shot about 5 rounds of skeet in the spring.
 
My two cents worth, go see a gunfitter!. Everyone thinks their gun fits them but seldom is that the case. Shooting trap, fit doesn't matter near as much as it does in the field. Most fitters will give you some solid advise on mounting the gun, etc.

I shot a lot of trap before going to a fitter. Best money I have spent related to shooting. My shooting average on birds will back it up (don't get me wrong I still miss).
 
Dakotas

KSBrittman - we did very well in both Dakota trips. We limited out each day in both states. The hunts were notably different. In ND we have been hunting the same land for years and we do everything on our own. The trip to SD was a trip I was invited on from one of my businesses suppliers. The SD trip was at a location that caters specifically to Pheasant hunting and was pretty plush compared to what we do in ND. In SD all you had to do was wake up and eat and shoot, everything else was handled by the farm. I had last hunted in SD in 2008 as we moved to ND in 2009.
One thing that really stood out to me was that every single rooster that flushed in SD was cackling loud and proud. I would say that less than half of the roosters flushing in ND cackle. Anyone else notice that??
 
My first true double.

Men, I was glad to read that I was not the only one in a shooting slump. Since our return to Kansas from South Dakota I was 0 for about 10 shots, the past two Saturdays on pheasants. I did manage to to knock down a quail with my last shot yesterday as my 3 year 10 month old grandson watched as he helped his dad block the last 3 fields we walked. (I think we have a new bird hunter in the family)

The past two Saturdays we have hunted big fields with big groups & it is has been fun to watch. But boy it can humble a person quick if you have an off day. So today I went out on my own with just our big lab Moss to walk a few small spots. I was going to work on slowing down by using the 3 second rule that I read about on here last night. Less then 10 minutes into my favorite hunting spot Moss got very birdie, as he dug in the grass a big rooster came out, I do not know if I got to 3 but I did slow down and hit him hard. As the bird flew hurt he caught the 30 mph plus win and flew across the rode . I did not get a good mark on the bird because a second rooster came out of the same clump of grass. I knocked him down and Moss brought him right to me. I never took a step while all of this was going on. I thought there was no hope to find the first bird. Moss and I went across the rode to a bunch cattails he went right in and after a few minutes brought out rooster number one. I was a happy man, my first true double on pheasants. Maybe my slump is over thanks to you guys and your advice.

Another thing I have learned these past two weekends, KansasGsp has a great dog and his a good guy to hunt with.

Enjoy the last week of Kansas upland season.

Mike
 
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