Many of the best shotgun shooters were fortunate to be born with natural ability. But, for the rest of us, shotgun accuracy is always a work in progress. Becoming proficient with a pump, break-action, or semi-auto can take years. Typically, those who shoot clays and hunt ducks, geese, pheasants, etc., with regularity advance in skill more rapidly.
However, most folks don’t have blocks of time to dedicate to such pursuits. We’re busy working our 9-to-5s, carting kids from one sport to another, and trying to keep up with the fast pace of daily life. When we get the opportunity to shoot or hunt, it’s far more enjoyable to be proficient. There’s no substitute for practice, but there are ways to improve if you’re short on time.
Know the Species You’re Hunting
Doves are small and fast, which is not a great recipe for successful shooting, especially since dove season is in early September, one of the first hunts of the year. The mistake most hunters make is taking shots when doves fly fast, which is easy because doves are almost always rocketing over your sunflower field.
One way to make shots easier is to sit near a treeline that doves are using. Inherently, birds must slow down as they approach the limb of a tree, and that’s when you pull the trigger. It’s akin to shooting a mallard as it‘s about to light in the decoys.
But you don’t always have the luxury of a treeline, and not every duck (or goose) will settle down perfectly in the spread. What they all must do is turn, which requires them to slow down (in most cases). It also exposes more of their body, expanding the size of your target.
If I struggle to shoot accurately during a hunt, I’ll move so that I shoot birds as they swing around a spinning wing decoy (doves) or the decoy spread (ducks and geese). Preferably, the birds fly into the wind when they turn, slowing them down even more. Always watch how birds fly wherever you hunt. The patterns are often consistent, so when you start missing shots, you know where to move to catch birds on the swing.
There are different factors for upland birds. Ideally, you hunt with the wind in your face so the dog can pick up on the birds’ scent. This also helps the shooter because the wind blows against the bird, making it slightly more difficult as it springs from cover to escape.
Pheasants are not initially strong fliers. It takes them a moment or two to get going, so I like to shoot roosters (with an open choke) as soon as I can see blue sky, which means they are safely above the gun dogs. If you employ this method, use a smaller shot size (Nos. 5, 6, or 7), or there won’t be much left of the bird.
Smaller upland birds, like grouse, chukar, and quail, are harder to bag. They’re small, fast, and erupt from cover with more authority than a pheasant. Be ready to get a shot off at all times. Hunters casually walking through a field or forest won’t be able to get the safety off when the birds flush. But you have a chance if you’re locked in and can mount quickly.
Pattern Your Shotgun
Pattern-testing your shotgun with the choke and load you intend to hunt/shoot with (at various distances) is critical to becoming a proficient wing or clay-bird shooter. If you know what your pattern looks like on paper, you have a better concept of what your shotgun can and can’t do.
As a gun writer, I adhere to strict standards when pattern-testing shotguns, but for the average hunter or shooter, I suggest shooting twice from 20 to 50 yards in increments of 10 yards from a standing position. Start at 20 yards and move back after every second shot, changing the 35×35” sheet of pattern paper (a roll of butcher paper will work) after each shot. By the time you finish at 50 yards, you will have shot your shogun eight times and know its pattern density at each yardage.
That data set will be beneficial the next time you raise your shotgun to kill a grouse or break a clay. It will also show you that many shotgun-choke-load combinations are inconsistent past 45 yards unless you are shooting tungsten super shot (TSS) or a buffered lead or bismuth shotshell.
Focus, Visualization & Positive Self Talk
A few years ago, I had the chance to duck hunt with four-time Olympic skeet gold medalist Vincent Hancock. The first thing I learned from him was that focusing on the task at hand is paramount, even when buddy hunting. Sure, talk to friends and have a good time in the duck blind or at the range, but stay locked in. Retell old stories and poke fun at your buddies, but never forget that shooting a shotgun accurately is hard and takes all your focus to succeed.
Here’s where visualization comes into play. At the skeet or trap range, it’s easier to do this because the birds come from the same clay target house every time. See that clay leaving the house, and where you want to break it every time before you call for the bird. Hunting is more difficult because you never know when a rooster may spring from cover or a mallard will buzz the decoys. But you can use past experiences to visualize how to properly mount the gun, track the bird, and pull the trigger.
Pro athletes often use positive self-talk to keep themselves in the game, especially when things aren’t going their way. Shooting is more mental than physical, so you must consistently tell yourself that you’re a good shot (whether you are or not) to stay in the right frame of mind. Remember, negative thoughts only lead to misses.
I’ll use dove hunting as an example again. It’s easy to whiff on such a small, fast-moving target, and misses can add up quickly, causing you to lose confidence. You may also feel embarrassed or pressured if you’re hunting with a group and can’t connect on a bird. You have to tune the bad thoughts out and keep thinking of all the shots you have made in the past. Stay aggressive and be ready for the next bird that flies in range.
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