Making a good shot is one of the great joys in waterfowl hunting.  Everything else – scouting in the off season, building blinds, setting decoys, calling, getting a flock to put their feet down in your decoys is what your building up to with all the hard work associtated with waterfowl hunting. 

How do you become a good shot? How can you turn misses into hits? What can you do to improve your accuracy and hold your own with more seasoned shooters in the blind or out in the field??

Good shooting is a mix of coordination, concentration and confidence. Good shooting is more instinctive than mechanical. It’s a skill that is honed by  coaching and lots of practice, similar to other athletic endeavors.

Here’s a list of some tips for becoming a better shot the next time you and your buddys are trying to stack em up!!

Tip No. 1: Make sure your shotgun fits.

Before buying any shotgun go through the motions, dont worrie about looking weird in the sporting goods store, practice swinging the gun to your shoulder, most sporting good stores have mounts all over, pick a mount and swing the gun like your going for the shot, make sure the sights are comfortable and the gun is the right length.  And alot of people dont think about the 25 degree mornings and how many layers they have on and wonder why there missing that honker coming feet down into the spread..as you increase the layers of cloths, your range of motion changes, so just a few things to think about when your looking at buying your new shotgun

Tip No. 2: Practice shooting in the pre-season.

Theres alot of hunters out there that think they can pull their gun out the weekend before opener and head into the field and put the smack down on some geese or ducks…. you might be hunting with one in your group.. hes usually the guy swearing alot.. complaing about the sun in his eyes.. or his sight must have been knocked around on the hike in…. But what it comes down to is being ready.  One of the best ways to get ready for opening morning is to dove hunt in the off season.. keeps you on your game trying to drop thoese tasty little guys out of the sky, but if you live in Michigan like I do thats not an option… damn hippies, so the next best thing is to grab a few boxs of shells and head out to the shooting range or to an open field with some buddys and shoot the hell out of some clays, you would be suprised once opening day comes and that first flock comes in feet down that you wont have a problem dropping what your after. 

Don’t get in a hurry.

So many hunters rush taking a shot, which most of the time result in seeing the butt of the bird as it flys away…..  Take your time… many hunter think if they dont quick shoot the birds will flare and you will miss your oppurtunity, but thats not the case at all, be patient pick your bird aim and let er rip!! When hunting out of a layout blind hunters tend to pop out of their blind uncontrolled and try to shoot throwing them off balance, when your in your blind keep your right hand on your gun and your left hand on the door, when your ready to take the shot lift the door with your left hand sitting up, dont worrie about the right door that will open with your body as you sit up, grippen your gun picking out that duck or goose and squeezing the trigger, you will find that you limit out alot more if you can learn to control your movements when your going for the shot.

Shoot one bird at a time.

I know Im guilty, ecspecially when the birds are right in your face and you just let the bb’s fly at the flock.. then I sit back scratching my head when I dont see a bird drop…. and in the heat of the moment its a hard thing to rember, when I first started hunting waterfowl I didnt have someone tell me that,  I figured the bb’s spread out.. and theres alot in there. I should be wrecking a few at a time.. hahha no.. you need to pick out a bird and stick with it, imagine that its the only bird in the sky, and once you see it bounce off the ground, swing and go for another.. dont take your eye off that bird till u know its down.. Ive lost a bird or two that way, thinking I rocked it then swinging to go after his buddys only to look back and watch the goose that I could have swore was dead fly off… not a good feeling

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Tip No. 5: Shoot the trailing bird in a flight.

Take the last or highest bird in an incoming fight. When ducks or geese are about to land, most hunters focus on the closest, lowest, easiest shot, and two or more hunters wind up shooting at the same bird.  while others flare off and get away, Instead, take a trailing bird with the first shot. Then your shotgun will be in the right place to shoot flaring birds on the second and third shots. Also, you’ll have the braging rights with your buddys because you dropped the birds know one else could shoot.. 

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Tip No. 4:

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Tip No. 6:  Don’t stop swinging

Stopping the swing with the shotgun is one of the most common reasons for missing ducks and geese. You have to follow through with your shot! next time your on the golf course.. try stopping your swing mid way and see what happens, it screws up your timing and coordination. The same thing happens when you stop swinging your shotgun. Keep the barrel moving after firing. follow thru and you will see more birds drop to the ground !!

 

Just get out there and try it, you can read books, tips, watch videos but intill you get out there and learn for yourself you wont know what there talking about.. it takes thoese miss’s on easy shots that you should haved dropped that bird,  takes getting busted by a flock coming right in, takes learning the decoy spread and what works with the wind condition.  am I calling to much? or not enough? am I flagging to much and their flaring?? But it will be the funest learning experience you will ever have !!!!!

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And the Biggest tip…..