Break Bad Shooting Habits, Bag More Ducks

Video Tutorial on How to Shoot Ducks © 2007, Keith Sutton Looking through the branches and leaves that obscured our blindness, I could see dozens of mallard ducks as they circled through the woods, peering into the holes in the flooded trees. where we sit. They were still far from pistol range, but my hunting companion, Vernon Baker, convinced them to turn with a sharp hail. at Vern’s call. Vern turned one direction and then another, trying to keep an eye on the mallards darting through the maze of trees. The birds began to fly through the trees. They dashed into the submerged trees from a single point of the compass, wings cupped, feet spread, emerald heads of glittering curtains contrasting starkly with crimson and colorful orange of autumn oak trees. The soft whistle on their wings filled our ears. The ducks were right in front of us, just 30 yards away. “I can’t miss,” I thought. “That’s the duck for dinner tonight.” My heart pounded as I waited for Vern’s signal. Then suddenly he called out, “Get them!” The ducks are sky high. I quickly mounted my shotgun and fired. High Street! Two more times I was fired. I can still see those green heads swarming over the painted woods. Vernon looks at me rather suspiciously and smiles. I felt my cheeks turn red. “It’s not hard to beat ducks,” he said. “They are easy to miss.” I don’t think I’ll ever forget that old saying: “Ducks aren’t hard to hit; they are easy to miss. “I myself have used it once or twice when my hunting companions had a bad day shooting like I did back then. And the more I think about that old saw, the more I realize how true it is. When we have a day off, it’s usually our fault, not because ducks are particularly evasive or acrobatic. Well, often it’s not as simple as shooting more. Forget what’s going on and just keep hunting. After a few more shots, you should finally be able to connect. Then, after another dozen or so, you’ll start to come out of the slump. If you are, it’s never too late to change them.

1. Poorly mounted gun shot

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Read more: how to remove a broken drain valve Getting a good shot starts with having a well-fitting shotgun. If your gun doesn’t match your physical characteristics, you will never be a proficient winger. Surprisingly, however, many shooters give little consideration to suitability when buying a piece of chicken. Therefore, the guns they use cause many problems for them. The handgun you buy should feel comfortable, easily attach to your shoulder and orient like an extension of your arm. As writer Wade Bourne once said, “… a shotgun should be like a good dance partner and flow with your lead.” To test the shotgun you have, take it out of your gun cabinet, make sure it’s unloaded, and choose a target imaginary gun like a ceiling light or a picture on the wall. Now take a quick snapshot of an imaginary scene – both eyes open, not on target. Now close one eye and look down at the barrel. If you’re aiming sensibly, your gun is just close enough. If you see all crates or no crates, your health is over. If you have to move your head to correct your vision down to the barrel, your inventory is either too long or too short. But be sure to check the fit of your new gun when wearing hunting gear, including a parka.

2. Can’t focus

To cover a duck, you must focus on that duck and that duck alone. However, many hunters failed to do this. When a swarm approaches, we tend to aim at the crowd and shoot randomly instead of choosing a single target. But such efforts often lead to embarrassing slip-ups. Don’t even think about trying to win a double. If you miss, adjust, but keep the bird in place. Don’t try to pocket another duck. Take a dip in the water before thinking about the moment. Here’s another helpful hint: only load one capture at a time until your capture improves. Knowing you only have one shot at a time improves your focus and can make you a better shooter.

3. Analyze each scene

Many ducks are missed because hunters worry too much about the details of each shot. Take the lead, for example. Maintaining proper wiring is necessary for a clean kill. But if you try to calculate the proper accuracy in your head every time you shoot, you will get frustrated because every shot is different in angle of flight and speed. Some shots are going far, some are head-to-head and some are going through a 90 degree angle. Some shots show ducks running at full speed, while others show birds hovering over decoys. If you had to think soberly about how much lead to keep, you’d probably miss out. You shouldn’t waste time figuring out the answer. Let the unconscious reaction take care of the shooting. Focus on your target and track it with your shotgun. Your brain will automatically figure out how much lead to hold, and if the bird is within range and you’re in good shape, you’ll connect. In his book, Modern Water Fowling, John Cartier explains this better than I can. “We aim for rifles,” he said. “We pointed our pistols, the same way we point at a passing plane. The technique of handguns is exactly the opposite of that of a rifle. With a rifle, you place your only bullet with perfect aim and slow precision triggering. With a shotgun, you ‘throw’ a shooting cloud with a lightning response. “Practice shooting is perhaps the best cure for overly analytical hunters. Visit the shooting range as often as possible. Sports clay courses are especially good because they often feature stations with targets that simulate ducks hovering on decoys, flying overhead, and flying over at various angles. Shoot, shoot and shoot some more. The more you shoot, the more your instincts will take over.

4. Shoot the gun too far

A lot of duck hunters get too excited. They can’t wait to shoot, no matter how far the duck flies. Some buy heavy duty cartridges, thinking they will allow for longer shooting. But that is simply not the case. The chance of a shot not connecting increases with distance. Most of these “sky bombardments” miss or injure more ducks than they kill. It is important to wait until the duck is in good range before firing, and that usually means 40 yards or less. It was a shorter distance than most hunters thought. Sometimes fly out 40 yards and see. It can be helpful to place a marker of some sort in your hunting area to help you know the longer distances that you should not shoot. After a while, you will be able to judge the correct distance better in a split second. Focus on a single bird and quickly try to determine if it is within the proper shooting range. If you don’t think so, let it pass. Don’t waste shells on a bird or you’ll miss or get injured. Read more: how to make a viking helmet out of cardboard Another good method is to allow one person in your group – a good judge of the range of birds – to call all the shots. Usually, this is the main caller in the party. No one shoots until he says, “Shoot!”

5. Observe with your head, not your eyes

Ducks with sharp eyes would dazzle if they saw the hunter’s movements. Usually it’s the hunter’s head in motion, turning this way and that as he sweeps the sky the birds will see. When your partner whispers, “Don’t move! Three on the right! All instincts tell you to move your head to get a better view. But such movement often drives the birds away. “Learn to see with your eyes, not with your head,” said a veteran waterfowl player who coached me. “Hold your noggin and lean down; just move your eyes. Few ducks will spot you and more ducks will visit. “That’s good advice. It is also advisable to wear a full camouflage outfit, including gloves and a visor or camo paint. This is one more advantage that will improve your duck kill to shot ratio.

6. Don’t Research Your Quarry

Sailors who are good shooters in the field also tend to know a lot about the habits of the ducks they hunt most often. They know how their quarry will react to different weather patterns, the foods they are most likely to eat, their flight patterns will change throughout each day and every season, and , with a good yardstick to be sure, yes or no They know these things because they’ve made it a habit to learn everything they can about the ducks they’re after. They know that being a good hunter means studying even minute-by-minute details of your quarrying habits. They know what the birds will do, how they will approach the lure, how they will flare and whether they will go high or low. Thus, the knowledge gained allows each person to know approximately where he or she should point the gun before it hits the shoulder. This is why most of the great swingers are veteran hunters. And that’s also why many excellent spear and trap marksmen fail miserably to connect with game birds, such as the veteran mallard hunter. He knew a decaying green-headed guy would almost always stay upright as the gunners stood, reaching a point of near stillness before coming to a halt. Know this point and you have a near deadlock goal. Dashing ducks rarely jump when caught by surprise. They follow a wide arc, relying on speed to escape. The best shooters know how to adjust to differences in behavior. Pests such as pins, shovels and pigeons will jump up and rush into the wind immediately when released from flooded fields or potholes. This allows the gunner to focus his attention on a small arc instead of a complete circle, increasing connection rates. also in range. He then fired the first shot at a bird near the rear of the flock and the last shot at the forward birds still within range. High and fast crossing divers will often pass. So the hunter must be prepared to shoot at the exact moment the herd passes the nearest blind man. Knowing these things can prove to be extremely beneficial to the hunter. But the benefit is realized only if the hunter consciously studies the behavior of the birds he is pursuing. “Pay attention and learn” – that phrase summarizes the cure for this bad behavior. No possibility. There will still be times when you lower your gun and wonder how you missed a shot so easily. Even the best marksman in the world misses from time to time. And some days, they frequently miss. And being a better shooter is part of being a good athlete. We may not hit a thousand points every time we hit the plate, but true athletes feel obliged to try. That is the goal we should all aim for in our hunting. Read more: how to wrap a scarf around your head | Top Q&A