First-Shot Strategies

Nothing is quite so surprising as the thundering flush of a cackling ringneck, the explosion of a covey of bobwhites or trying to get on target on a flock of teal or pintails as they flash by the blind. Perhaps we connect on the second or third shot, but why not on the first? There are three reasons why we miss our first try on birds: 1) Failure to concentrate solely on one bird; 2) Rushing the shot; and 3) A poor gun mount.

It's easy to try to shoot the closest bird when hunting waterfowl, but in truth it's sometimes smarter to pick out an in-range but farther-out bird that will slip out of range more quickly. When I guided goose hunters on Maryland's Eastern Shore, I urged them to pick one goose, then shoot at it until it dropped or the gun was empty. Only when the first goose dropped should they shift to another. That practice--as opposed to shooting at one bird, missing, then shifting to another--induced them to shoot more consistently. The same goes for upland bird shooting: be selective, pick one bird, then narrow the concentration to the beak or head and keep it there as the gun comes up and the shot is made.

The most consistent shooters in the field are those who can concentrate solely on the bird. They never consciously see their barrel, much less the front bead. When I'm really on and shooting well, I can honestly say that I never see my barrel. Look at the barrel, and the chances of a miss rise astronomically.

Many veteran shooters know full well that, for instance, at 21 yards, a crossing bird needs three feet of lead. But do we recognize what three feet looks like? It probably looks totally different to me than it does to you. The picture really muddies when you consider shooters who swing through the target instead of sustaining a lead.

The point is that the human brain is a marvelous thing, and left to do its work independent of our interference, it will direct the hands and arms that move the shotgun to the right place if we let it. A little preseason clay shooting will get the brain and body on the same plane.

Some hunters deploy a tactic that guards against rushing the first shot when birds flush. Before mounting the gun and firing, they take the time to announce to themselves, "Oh, there he goes." This second or two delay gives the shooter's mind and body time to recover from the initial shock of the flush--and time to focus on a single bird. Extreme concentration on a single bird often compensates for certain other weaknesses, including incorrectly mounting the gun.

Work on your gun mount at home. Be sure, doubly sure, your shotgun is unloaded. Then pick a spot on the wall, and practice concentrating on that spot and mounting your shotgun so that it lines up with it. Try to ignore the barrel; concentrate only on the spot and mount. Check that your barrel is indeed pointing at the spot. If it's consistently off, then there's a gun fit problem, something I'll address in a later column.

After some mounting practice, focus on the seam between the wall and ceiling, and imagine a bird flying along that line. Mount the gun and swing along that line. Focus the eyes on the seam, move them along as if following the imaginary bird, then bring the gun along that line and swing, completing the shot.

A few minutes of these drills will help cement your relationship with your shotgun, and that added familiarity will help your first shot. A solid mount, along with concentration and slowing the first shot so that the focus narrows from the covey, flock or long roster's tail to one bird's head, ought to increase your first bird hits throughout the season.