Help with wild bird shooting

Bob Peters

Well-known member
I didn't grow up hunting, picked it up 3 years ago. Picked up a shotgun and learned how to shoot trap because I moved across the street from a trap club. I shoot a good amount of clays, around 5,000 shells a year. I do sporting clays as well and mix up my shooting both low gun and pre-mount. This weekend I grabbed a relative's dog and went pheasant hunting in southern MN. I have never got a wild bird in my life, 3rd year trying. Friday evening I paused to get the dogs attention and one popped up on my right, loud cackles and off he flew, low over the grass. I popped off twice but didn't cut a feather. The next day different spot I'm hunting a ditch with standing corn on a dirt road(got permission from property owner first) and dog takes off along the corn row and up jumps a rooster, cackling really loud, I don't think he likes golden retrievers much. He has to fly higher because the corn is in the way. I pull up and pop off two shells and two clean misses. The fist time I went to the game farm I couldn't hit anything. But the last two trips there I was really on the money. I take a duck hunting trip once a year and I do fine there, and some days I'm really on. Later that evening walking the edge of a bean field the dog runs off into the field a few yards and is chasing like crazy, running circles, zig zags, you name it. Finally a bird flushes out and I'm looking for color don't see any and it has a really short tail so I'm thinking hen. By the time I process this I realize that it had cackled the entire time it left the ground. I was so amazed by the dog work etc. that I never even raised the gun. 0-3 on roosters last weekend and I want so bad to get my first wild pheasant. All 3 flushes were very doable shots, I felt bad for the dog, really wanted her to get her first wild rooster retrieve. I still praised her for doing her part even when I failed on my end. Is there any tips you guys have for getting better at this? Maybe I am overthinking things. Either way I am excited to get out and try again as soon as I can. The first miss I think I was so surprised by the flush that I didn't get my cheek down on the comb and shot over top of him. Shooting #2 blackcloud steel through IC choke. Going to order some bismuth 4's and give those a go. Not blaming my shooting on that though, it was my own poor technique.
 
This may be off base, but make sure the birds are in range, say 40 yards or less. If your only experience is with clay birds, it's possible you're not judging range accurately with a much larger target.

This comes with experience, but try to relax. Most times, you have more time than you think. Take that extra 1.0-1.5 seconds (seems like a long time when a rooster flushes), get your feet set, & really see that bird. Try to focus on his head, or even his beak. Forget about that pretty, long tail. They cause you to miss behind. But really see the bird, such that your body & gun are moving as you mount the gun. You're so focused on the bird, that by the time your gun is completely mounted, its time to pull the trigger & you're prepared to do it. It's real easy to snap that gun up as quickly as possible. Hard to make a good shot that way.

Practice makes perfect. You'll get 'em. Good luck to you & the dog! Have fun!
 
Good advice above from A5.
For me, it's all about making sure I'm in front of the head/beak of the bird. When I miss, it's almost always due to shooting behind the bird.
Getting some bismuth 4's is a great idea, I would take those over steel 2's by a wide margin.
As far as choke, IC or Mod will both work fine. I split the difference and mostly use Light Mod.
 
When I’m having issues or people I’m with are. I remember that people don’t miss because they shoot to far in front of the birds. It’s a shot string. Also like what was stated above. You have time position yourself properly plant your feet. Aim small miss small. Glad you are finding some good opportunities. Keep at it.
 
My first answer was going to be practice on clays... which you are doing.

I have the opposite problem, I am not much of a gun guy. I love the dog work and the walking the field, but I could hardly tell you anything accurate about the mechanics of a gun. I rarely, if ever, touch my gun from the end of the season to the start of the next. I need to change that, say it every year...

Like others have said, there is more time than you think. I often hit the Rooster on my 2nd shot because every single time I rush my first one so much, then finally settle in on it for the 2nd shot. When I can tell via my dog that we are getting close to flushing a bird, I really try to relax - my entire body, breathing, etc., get an athletic stance, feet shoulder width apart, maybe find myself an area of shorter grass (if hunting a thick area) that allows me to easily see or move on a bird that may get up in any direction. I'm not sure what it is, but when I hit on my first shot it's almost like I have tunnel vision and what lasts 1 second seems like it lasts 10 seconds, somehow I tune out every sight and sound except for that bird. When I miss, it's like I was never in tune or relaxed and the whole thing happened so fast, what happened in 3 seconds seems to have happened in .2 seconds.
 
All good advice. Most important is keep your eye on his head/beak and keep your head down!! Just like shooting clays.
 
Bob P., you've likely already discovered this too, but when hunting w/ a flusher (e.g.: your golden), unless there's a bird in the air 10,000% of your attention (yes, that much) has to be on the dog (which is what makes it so fun, in my opinion). I also hunt w/ my gun at roughly a "port arms" position at all times. I've seen it happen too many times that people don't get a shot (or a good shot) because they weren't paying close enough attention to the dog, or their gun wasn't ready enough (down by their side; over their shoulder; etc.). A flusher will give you some warning most times (assuming you can see him), & a second is all the warning that's required for a guy to get good & ready. But they don't ALWAYS give you that much notice. It's probably partly why I'm a springer guy. Anticipation of a shot is high almost all the time. Not just when there's a point. (Please, pointer guys, I'm not trying to argue. It's OK that you love points & that I don't want/need them in my hunts.) When you can't see your flusher, thou shalt be prepared to shoot.

And the age-old advice that we all know, that has nothing to do with shooting, but everything to do with getting shot opportunities. We all violate it occasionally & kick ourselves after the fact because we knew better.....
and that is.....always trust your dog. If you know there couldn't possibly be a bird "over there"....go over there anyway, because often enough, you'll be proven wrong.
 
And the age-old advice that we all know, that has nothing to do with shooting, but everything to do with getting shot opportunities. We all violate it occasionally & kick ourselves after the fact because we knew better.....
and that is.....always trust your dog. If you know there couldn't possibly be a bird "over there"....go over there anyway, because often enough, you'll be proven wrong.

So very true. I have told my son this for years with his Springers. This past Sunday we were coming back to an area we had walked thru just 45 minutes earlier. Dog was going crazy and headed up the hill. I thought he was crazy and SLOWLY followed. Nice rooster jumped about 50 yards out from me. Had I done what I have always said that bird would have been half the distance and I could have missed it with 2 shots instead of not getting any off.
 
Here's something else to keep in mind. Anyone who shoots a lot of Clay's during the spring and summer is used to a target that starts out fast and slows down rapidly as distance increases. It's the exact opposite with live birds and especially Phez. Phez start out slow and increase speed with distance. So naturally the first few birds of the season you almost have to remind yourself to slow down. I can tell you from being a heavy sporting Clay's shooter myself that I've missed some of those early birds in front until I remind myself to slow down. As previously mentioned foot work is imperative. Unlike Clay's where you know when and where the bird is coming from, feathered birds can come from anywhere and if your feet are wrong as you trigger the shot it usually means a miss.
 
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I don't consider myself a particularly good shot. I'm kinda streaky. I'll miss several and then get hot and connect several times in a row. What I think causes me to miss is either not mounting consistently or more likely I put the end of the barrel/bead right UNDERNEATH the birds head/beak. I feel I shoot right under them. It's especially true when I get a straight away flush and see a foot dangling. I know I'm supposed to "Cover it up" but often times don't do it. When I swing thru and make sure that when i swing I'M SWINGING THRU THE BIRD and to it's head? DEAD BIRD.
 
Close your left eye, get a fiber optic bead sight, and go to a longer barrel.

I'm shooting with the dominant eye over the rib (left eye) the barrel is 28" long and the M2 does have a very small fiber optic bead. I did buy a larger fiber optic but don't use it because you're not supposed to look at the barrel.
 
If right handed, close your left eye, and get your right eye, looking strait down the barel.Make sure the gun is level, and not canted.
 
If you're shooting 5,000 rounds a year (assuming you're relatively successful), but you just haven't hit a wild pheasant yet (notice I didn't say "can't"), don't all of a sudden go changing the way you shoot. And your barrel is fine. My guess is it's mostly a matter of relaxing. Take a breath. Feet set correctly. Eyes (plural) on the target. Etc. Don't over think it. Your gun & shells aren't the issue. All you gotta do is relax & shoot the way you shoot. I think if you're in a hurry, you tend to not follow through & you also tend to lift your head off the stock to see that puff of pheathers (see what I did there?).

Another possibility....if you're wearing considerably more clothing while hunting than you do on the clays course, practice mounting the gun in your hunting clothes. Make sure all's good.
 
I don't consider myself a particularly good shot. I'm kinda streaky. I'll miss several and then get hot and connect several times in a row. What I think causes me to miss is either not mounting consistently or more likely I put the end of the barrel/bead right UNDERNEATH the birds head/beak. I feel I shoot right under them. It's especially true when I get a straight away flush and see a foot dangling. I know I'm supposed to "Cover it up" but often times don't do it. When I swing thru and make sure that when i swing I'M SWINGING THRU THE BIRD and to it's head? DEAD BIRD.

Mike, you have to be able to see the bird, unless it's a dead overhead, oncoming shot, or straight-away climbing bird (hat-tip goldenboy). My guess is that when your brain thinks the tip of your barrel is low, what's really happening is you're lifting your head (seeing more barrel & making it appear low) & actually shooting high. My experience has been (with birds dangling legs that have crash landed further on, or been knocked down w/ 2nd shot) is that a dangling leg doesn't necessarily mean their leg has been hit. I've cleaned lots of these birds that had absolutely nothing wrong w/ their legs. I think they just drop a leg sometimes if they've had a bb whistle through them somewhere. Also, when they're flying, the legs are tucked up & basically almost in line with vitals & stuff (as far as a shotgun is concerned). Straight-aways are just plain difficult if they're over 30-35 yards. Easy enough to hit; tough to kill. Pellets have to penetrate through a lot of crap (literally) to get to the boiler room & their heads/necks are well shielded.
 
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You need to concentrate on the red on their eyes, or the white ring on neck. Try not to concentrate on tail feathers, lots of folks fail to follow thru completely, the tail feathers make up over half the length of the bird, I just focus on their head, this helps me greatly.
 
You need to concentrate on the red on their eyes, or the white ring on neck. Try not to concentrate on tail feathers, lots of folks fail to follow thru completely, the tail feathers make up over half the length of the bird, I just focus on their head, this helps me greatly.
You cant focus on the head of a bird.
 
Mike, you have to be able to see the bird, unless it's a dead overhead, oncoming shot. My guess is that when your brain thinks the tip of your barrel is low, what's really happening is you're lifting your head (seeing more barrel & making it appear low) & actually shooting high. My experience has been (with birds dangling legs that have crash landed further on, or been knocked down w/ 2nd shot) is that a dangling leg doesn't necessarily mean their leg has been hit. I've cleaned lots of these birds that had absolutely nothing wrong w/ their legs. I think they just drop a leg sometimes if they've had a bb whistle through them somewhere. Also, when they're flying, the legs are tucked up & basically almost in line with vitals & stuff (as far as a shotgun is concerned). Straight-aways are just plain difficult if they're over 30-35 yards. Easy enough to hit; tough to kill. Pellets have to penetrate through a lot of crap (literally) to get to the boiler room & their heads/necks are well shielded.

Brent, I would buy what your saying about about lifting my head....thanks for the advice....Your so right about those straight-aways....I've POUNDED birds flying straight away thinking "That's a dead bird" and my dog ends up on an 80 yard retrieve.
 
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