I am pretty darn average in the dove field.

On my best mornings over a cut sunflower field or my sharpest afternoons near a stock tank, I've gone 10 birds to a box of shells. But on a typical shoot, my birds to box average is much closer to 5 to 1. And I try to forget the lower outliers, those days when the birds make me look foolish.

So shotgun sharp shooters - I want to hear from you. What big mistakes do you see made by dove hunters? How can the average shooter kill more and waste less lead? I know I'm often guilty of getting rattled by a big flock, failing to pick out a single bird, and somehow sky blasting with nothing to show. What other mistake do you see?

Also, I'd love to hear your methods for:
- Crossers
- Flying away
- Flying towards

Do you swing through? Take a sustained lead? Point and shoot? I know we have some real deal shotgunners that post here. Would love to hear from you.

I'm not all that great, but when I'm watching fields I'm amazed at how far out birds are when people start shooting. Unless you are Sean or Log, you aren't real likely to hit the 60+ yard shots (not kidding). The guys that limit out fast can shoot well, but also shoot at closer birds.

The biggest mistake hunters in general make is not practicing enough during the "off season".

I shoot better when I only have one shell in my gun. I found that one time when I accidentally brought a single half box of shells, I did pretty well.

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I shoot better when I only have one shell in my gun. I found that one time when I accidentally brought a single half box of shells, I did pretty well.

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i don't know if I shoot any better like that, but I damn sure don't waste as many shells. if I can't get him the first time, I'm very likely not getting him the 2nd time and I sure as sh*t ain't getting him w/ the 3rd one.

1) Pick a realistic target (i.e., a single bird - in range - say 30 yards or so)

2) Don't worry about being too mechanical. Different shooting strategies work for different people. Shooting a shotgun should feel natural. If you're worrying too much about 'why' you're doing something then you won't shoot well. I 'think' I'm a swing through guy, but honestly I'm not sure. I don't remember.

3) If you miss it's because you shot behind them 95% of the time. Particularly on dove. Double your lead and see what happens. Also, a big reason people shoot behind is because they fail to continue to swing their gun. Imagine what would happen on a golf swing if you stopped the club IMMEDIATELY upon striking the ball. Not good.

4) Pattern your shotgun before season with the shells you plan to shoot. A lot of shotguns throw a pattern in a certain direction (usually a little high, maybe 60/40 above/below your target). Know this.

Birds flying away should be the easiest ever (and they are) but for high flying dove that fly directly over your head remember you actually need to shoot under the bird to get the pattern out into his flight path. It's a very natural shot to me, but odd in concept if you over-analyze it. The opposite is true for an incoming bird.

this video is kind of cool because it shows barrel-cam views of where he is aiming relative to what he is shooting.



I also like this dudes demeanor. all his vids are pretty good; even the basic ones.

One issue I see some people having is not keeping their cheek on the buttstock, which keeps their eyes level with the gun barrel. Another could be not shooting with both eyes open. I was adamant I could shoot dove well with one eye closed until my dad somehow convinced me to shoot with both eyes open. Depth perception is crucial when shooting flying targets.

I don't profess to be an expert shooter but my general rule of thumb is to only take two boxes worth in vest out in the field and that's it. Sometimes I come back with quite a few left over, sometimes it's only a handful, and it's not often but if be lying if I didn't say there's sometimes when there no extra that comes back with me.

You already touched on it in the OP but learn to not get rattled by a big group or even just a small group of three or four. Clearly pick a target out and only move on to the next one after you hit the first. Focus and sight in on only one target at a time.

If it's flying across your body at pretty good speed, lead the bird by a little more than you think you should. Pellets are fast but there is still significant time in between the trigger pull and a bird 15-20 yards out before the shot gets there. I see a lot of shots behind birds as they zip across.

Like was said above practice as much as possible, I love to shoot clays and don't get out as often as I should myself. And don't just use a mechanical thrower station in the middle and throwing directly away from you, those are easy shots. Get a hand thrower where people can mix it up and give you some hard shots and stand off to the side so they can throw across you.

Lastly it's also just plain luck. If I'm in a spot where a lot of birds are just out of range and we've been there awhile, I will start to try and make more difficult shots that have a low probability of making. It's human nature and just takes some discipline. Last year on opening day we were in a good spot but just all the shots were far and difficult for the first hour or so. All of a sudden they started coming over in groups of 20-30 or more directly overhead and I was the only one to limit out because of having ammo left. The other 5 or 6 guys could have easily done so if they had been more patient with their shots. Don't be the guy who tries to drop all his birds at 60+ yards, know your effective range.

I'd like to think I'm above average in the dove field. The biggest mistake I see from myself and hear from others, is not following through as you pull the trigger. The lead is something I've found comes with practice and your instincts eventually know how fast a bird is flying (in any direction) and the lead that should associate that bird.

The distance thing is another biggie. It seems like most people don't even try as hard on far out birds, they just throw the gun up and blast. It takes so much more concentration and focus to make a 40 plus yard shot on a bird. Following through, lead distance, etc. are all that much more crucial and most shooters (myself included) shouldn't be taking near as many long shots as they do.

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One issue I see some people having is not keeping their cheek on the buttstock, which keeps their eyes level with the gun barrel. Another could be not shooting with both eyes open. I was adamant I could shoot dove well with one eye closed until my dad somehow convinced me to shoot with both eyes open. Depth perception is crucial when shooting flying targets.

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Proper mounting of the gun is absolutely critical

Based on my last sporting clays shoot - look at what I do, then do the exact opposite.

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One issue I see some people having is not keeping their cheek on the buttstock, which keeps their eyes level with the gun barrel. Another could be not shooting with both eyes open. I was adamant I could shoot dove well with one eye closed until my dad somehow convinced me to shoot with both eyes open. Depth perception is crucial when shooting flying targets.

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Proper mounting of the gun is absolutely critical

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Agree 100%

Back in my learning to shoot skeet days I had a bad habit of lifting off the stock and missing.

Hell I don't think you can really follow through either.

My dads best friend and our instructor had me sit on a station and shoot I **** you not 4 boxes of shells with my head on the stock and reloaded the semi auto shotgun for me.

Cured me of that problem and made my accuracy skyrocket.

The pattern advice is also underated for sure. I shoot two different shotguns for dove (beats keeping them in the safe). My old auto loader is strikingly different than my Citori (I think its as much barrel length as anything)

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One issue I see some people having is not keeping their cheek on the buttstock, which keeps their eyes level with the gun barrel. Another could be not shooting with both eyes open. I was adamant I could shoot dove well with one eye closed until my dad somehow convinced me to shoot with both eyes open. Depth perception is crucial when shooting flying targets.

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Proper mounting of the gun is absolutely critical

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And the most likely "improper" mounting is going to result in the shooter not noticing how much of the barrel rib is visible, resulting in pointing high over the target.

This, and insufficient lead/swing through, should be the focus if you're wondering "how in the he!l did I miss that bird?"...been there, done that

Lead the bird more than you think you need to and follow through

When I lived in AZ, I met a guy who owned a giant dairy. All day long the dove flight was ridiculous into this dairy. Thousands and thousands of birds. Collared dove and pigeons would be around 5 birds per minute.

That was the best shooting practice I ever had. The best I ever did was 47 birds out of 100. What makes good shooters good is shot selection and depth perception. Good shooters are good because they let birds fly inside of 30 yards until they shoot. Also, good shooters have practiced enough to judge if a crossing bird is 20 yards away or 30 yards away and adjust their lead accordingly.

Took a lesson with Leon Measures years ago so a few tips here. Follow thru already been mentioned. Like a golf or tennis swing. He recommended shouldering your gun looking into a mirror. Shouldering the gun at least 50 times a day so that when you put the gun up your image in the mirror is looking FLAT down the barrel where pretty much the reflection is the open barrel with your eye at the end. You put that gun up so many times that it is the SAME every fricking time. After you perfect mounting the gun, FORGET ABOUT IT. FOCUS ON AND WATCH THE TARGET. Don't get caught up in watching the end of the barrel and thinking about my lead should be 2ft, 3ft 3.5ft etc. SHOOT the durn target. We went thru all kinds of different exercises, shooting ping pong balls with open sight bb guns. Shooting bb,s at 5 ft with open sight bb guns. Shooting a sheet of paper at 5-8-10 ft with open sight bb guns. Shooting the hole in the typing paper you just made with your previous shot. The main thing is the main thing. Learn to set the gun up exactly the same every time. Then forget the gun, watch track and shoot the target. Your eyes will get you on target. Should you ever miss, you were behind.

Pick a single bird not a group, and focus on a small part of that bird, i.e. his head.

Pattern your gun, giant holes in the pattern matter but a bigger issue is Point of Aim vs. Point of Impact. I think this is easily the most common problem facing most shotgunners. Lots of guns don't shoot exactly where they are aimed, and while your shot pattern being off by 6-8" isn't a big deal if you are centering your shots but if you aren't it is a missed bird/clay. Usually a big discrepancy in POA vs. POI is caused by a poor mount, a bad fit or both.

Practice your mount. It is easy to take your time shouldering your gun to make sure everything lines up in the store but seeing a bird bust over a tree line and rushing the gun to your shoulder and pulling the trigger usually results in bad mounts if it hasn't been practiced. Put on your shooting vest/shirt and stand a room, face a corner from across the room, close your eyes shoulder your gun with the intention to put the bead in top corner opposite you, open your eyes, practice until you can do it consistently.

Keep your head on the gun, lots of people want to look up to see the target, it changes your sight line which changes your POI.

I find that if you practice you should practice like you play. I do so by practicing shooting while sitting on my tailgate with the radio on football and a beer in one of my hands.

My advice, slow down take your time aiming, but don't be scared to let the lead fly.

There is a sale at dicks right now. 20% off value packs of the Winchester X-Heavy load shells.

Downsize your gun. I hit a higher % and more doubles with my 28ga than I ever did with my 12. The gun is lighter, faster, and less recoil. Add it up and it all leads to faster target acquisition and re-acquisition.

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I find that if you practice you should practice like you play. I do so by practicing shooting while sitting on my tailgate with the radio on football and a beer in one of my hands.

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I'm starting to feel a little rusty. Can I come practice with you?

your dove average is about the same as mine .... two birds for every five shots..... this changes a lot with conditions

At many stock tanks, your location makes all the difference. There will usually be one or two spots around the tank where the shots are much easier due to the direction of the flight.

My average goes up the more I hunt. But it hardly ever gets better during the course of a single day. And for some strange reason my average on my second and third day of hunting always seems to be my lowest..... first day OK, second day...TERRIBLE, third day STILL TERRIBLE, fourth day.... Coming OUT OF THE SLUMP. I have never been able to analyze the reason(s) for this happening, but it definitely has something to do with practice and recognizing where you missed your shots.

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My advice, slow down take your time aiming, but don't be scared to let the lead fly.

There is a sale at dicks right now. 20% off value packs of the Winchester X-Heavy load shells.

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My local Dick's Sporting goods has 25% off of all shotgun shells right now.


Also, lighter guns can be helpful IF the weight/fit of the gun is your problem in the first place. For me I shoot a heavier gun much better. ...and I like long barrels. I want that weight way out on the end. Helps keep me smoother through the shot. I like a light 20 or 28 for shooting quail or woodcock, but I much prefer a heavier gun for most situations. To each his own I suppose.

Great thread.

I consider myself downright awful on the dove field or duck pond. However, I am mediocre on the skeet, trap, and sporting clays.

My biggest issue is knowing the range of my gun to increase accuracy. I have a hard time gauging the distance that would make a high percentage shot and end up looking foolish. LOL!

I need to practice more as I enjoy Dove/Duck hunting 100 times more than deer hunting.

lead more. u cant lead enough.

Somtimes I think my dove shooting percentage would go up if I could use one of my 22s. Some days even one of my 22 pistols.

This was a useful thread.

I would say not leading enough and not continuing to swing the barrel after the first shot are probably two large reasons for missing the bird. It's already been mentioned, but choosing one bird out of a group instead of just shooting into the group is a helpful tip as well. Quail hunting really sharpens that skill when you have a split second to pick out one bird and take the shot once they flush.
Also, the third shell is usually a waste and a desperation shot at best

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Proper mounting of the gun is absolutely critical

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This

Also you should never be focused on the bead, watch the target with both eyes and continue to swing through the shot.

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Downsize your gun. I hit a higher % and more doubles with my 28ga than I ever did with my 12. The gun is lighter, faster, and less recoil. Add it up and it all leads to faster target acquisition and re-acquisition.

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and the ammo is triple the price of 12/20, so that might be in the back of your mind when selecting shots

1. Move the gun and keep it moving.
2. Bury your check into the stock and do not lift your head.
3. Shoot an over and under. The 3rd shoot is almost always a waste.
4. Spend a bunch of time on a Skeet range.

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3. Shoot an over and under. The 3rd shoot is almost always a waste.

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Or put 2 shells in your pump/semi.

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One issue I see some people having is not keeping their cheek on the buttstock, which keeps their eyes level with the gun barrel.

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This. This. This.

I'm not a great shot. Average, at best. But when I get into a lull, I stop and shoulder the gun several times and then quickly realize I'm not keeping my cheek pressed against the stock, which prevents me from looking down the barrel properly. Fix that little issue, and I get back into the groove.

I understand shooting is much more complicated than just that, but I try to KISS.

Oh, and don't try to shoot that bird at 75 yards quartering away flying mach 3.

One other thought. Friend hunted on the Olin Farms. (You geezers like me who may remember Winchester was at one time Winchester-Olin) Their across the board shot recommendation for dove and quail was 7.5 shot. They have seen hundreds of thousands of shots made. Percentage is significantly higher with 7.5 compared to 8's and 9's. Still got to make the shot but 7.5 has pattern and momentum to be the most effective in their opinion.