Tips on shooting wild upland birds

[NVDesertHunter]

In my 2nd year of bird hunting in Nevada/California/Arizona and my shot to hit ratio is pretty low.

Wonder if anyone has shooting advice for wild chukar and quail mainly crossing at 30-40 yards at full speed.

I try to make my shooting as instinctive as possible but I primarily use the "sustained lead" shooting technique.

However since you cant practice shooting a wild chukar, I am not sure if the lead I have is correct. (35yd crossing bird = 4ft of lead...anything under 25yds = 1ft)

Thinking about switching to a "pull away or swing through" method in order to match the flight path and speed of the birds. Perhaps its not the lead I am incorrect on but the flight path (most birds either flush perpendicular or downhill from me)

Shotgun Target Leads – Four Techniques Explained

There are four types of lead that can be used in shotgun shooting in order to break a target or hit a bird, they are; Spot Shooting, Swing Through, Pull away, and Sustained Lead. Each one of these can be effective given the right situation. In this piece, I will go over what type of lead is best...

www.gunsamerica.com

any tips would be appreciative.

cheers,

 

[cwitherow]

Skeet shooting or find a sporting clays facility. I used to shoot trap exclusively but struggled with any shots other than straight away. I like that sporting clays have different stations with different shot types from rolling on the ground to coming straight at you. I for me personally I became a much better wing shooter when I was exposed to the variety of shots. YMMV.

Another thing to check out is does the gun fit you.

 

[MThuntr]

For me slowing down is actually a little helpful and swinging through butt-belly-beak-boom.

It's been forever since I've dropped the hammer on upland birds so I can't help with much else.

 

[morley.tyler]

More lead. If you're gonna miss them, miss them in front.

 

[300stw]

1st step figure out were your pattern hits at the range your shooting, big piece cardboard spot in the middle, mount the gun and shoot like you would in the field, dont aim the gun , like shooting a rifle, see were the gun shoots vs. what you see over the bead,,,,,,

 

[BrentD]

More lead. If you're gonna miss them, miss them in front.

I'm not a pro upland bird shooter. But I hunt birds a lot. I think your 4 ft sustained lead is too much. On a skeet crosser, maybe so, But they are WAY faster than any quail or chukar ever was. Real birds are real slow - compared to clays. It just seems like they are fast.

Slow down and make the first shot count. Don't plan on shooting a second. Get the first one to land first.

I shoot more or less "pull through" because many species are not in view long enough for the sustained lead thing. Don't much care for either term, but I think of it as sweeping the birds out of the sky with a broom. I break the trigger as I pull past the bill with the broom. Try to shoot the bird's bill. Yeah, I know it is small and hard to see, but focus. Most of bird shooting is in your head, starting with mental focus.

Where is your head on the stock when you shoot birds. Probably not where it is when you shoot clays. Most of us have our heads up too high to see the bird better and we end up shooting over (in addition to too far ahead or behind).

See the bill (or where it should be), shoulder the gun PROPERLY, sweep it from the sky, mark, and retrieve.

Don't forget to pat your pup on the head.

 

[Irrelevant]

But they are WAY faster than any quail or chukar ever was. Real birds are real slow - compared to clays. It just seems like they are fast.

I can't disagree more. I've made some 40 yard shots on a bombing chukar where I lead it at least 10 feet. AT LEAST.
There's a line in The Old Man and The Boy about shooting something, I can't even remember what bird anymore. But the Old man advises to lead it as far as you can, until you just can't take it anymore then fire. That can be chukar. They can also be quite normal requiring almost zero lead. But a bird bombing down from above, wings tight, is moving incredibly fast.

I recommend just shooting more. Skeet is probably best, but having a buddy hand throw is pretty good too.

 

[BrentD]

I can't disagree more. I've made some 40 yard shots on a bombing chukar where I lead it at least 10 feet. AT LEAST.
There's a line in The Old Man and The Boy about shooting something, I can't even remember what bird anymore. But the Old man advises to lead it as far as you can, until you just can't take it anymore then fire. That can be chukar. They can also be quite normal requiring almost zero lead. But a bird bombing down from above, wings tight, is moving incredibly fast.

I recommend just shooting more. Skeet is probably best, but having a buddy hand throw is pretty good too.

We all have our experiences. Personally, I would wager than he is shooting high because of poor gun mount and probably to far forward. But this is a keyboard analysis and they are notoriously erroneous. Nevertheless, no game birds is anywhere near as fast as a clay bird out of a regulation house.

I'll add to that that real birds start slow and accelerate. Clay birds start fast (by the time we see them, and decelerate). They are much different. I shoot real birds a whole bunch better than clays, esp skeets.

 

[manitou1]

Get your mount and foot placement correct and accuracy will follow. Don't rush your shots. Put your feet where they need to be and mount the gun correctly. All else is supplemental.

 

[Sawtooth]

Having a gun that fits well is the first consideration to good shooting. When things are going well, I feel like I can just look straight ahead and follow the bird with my eyes, as I am bringing the gun up. If the gun is up correctly, I am not looking at the bead or the barrel, but just swing through the bird and pull the trigger. I find that the minute I start worrying about lead and beads and barrels, the whole thing falls apart and my hit to shot ratio goes out the window. I like @BrentD 's descriptions of sweeping the bird out of the sky. That is similar to what I try to do.

 

[nastynate]

I feel like a lot of people shoot shotguns poorly in a lot of different ways (myself included). My brother has a shotkam, and learned he was shooting too high over everything, which lead him to modify his stock and he started shooting somewhat better. Shot a lot better at the range. Somewhat better in the field.

Any way you can get to a range with a spotter to see if your missing consistently above/behind clays or something to diagnose the problem?

 

[MTLabrador]

I’ve decided the best method for shooting chukar is a 12 gauge with an extended magazine stuffed with 3” 2 ounce Turkey loads of 6 shot. Just fill the air with as much lead as possible and hope for the best.

In all seriousness they are hard to hit.

 

[Birdbander]

Dove hunt more early in the season.

 

[Irrelevant]

We all have our experiences. Personally, I would wager than he is shooting high because of poor gun mount and probably to far forward. But this is a keyboard analysis and they are notoriously erroneous. Nevertheless, no game birds is anywhere near as fast as a clay bird out of a regulation house.

I'll add to that that real birds start slow and accelerate. Clay birds start fast (by the time we see them, and decelerate). They are much different. I shoot real birds a whole bunch better than clays, esp skeets.

While a skeet target comes out of the house at ~48 mph, it immediately decelerates. While the opposite is true for birds, though there max speeds are likely 40 mph on level ground. I found claims that chukar have been radared at speeds over 60 mph I couldn't find the actual evidence for this. Also, chukar almost always flush down vs up, which makes them a difficult shot to practice.

Some good tips for the OP here:https://www.fieldandstream.com/story/hunting/how-to-shoot-fast-flying-birds/

 

[AlaskaHunter]

For crossing shots with me the key is mounting my gun so I start in front of the target.
By mounting the gun in front of the target, the perceived speed of the target is much less,
then simply maintain the same speed as the target speed.

I also find that I shoot much better if I take my time and shoot only one barrel at a single.
If I miss, I focus on that picture and want to know why I missed.

 

[duckhunt]

The first lesson I got when I started shooting trap is keep both eyes open. I always would shoot with my left eye closed like I was shooting a rifle. That's how my dad taught me to shoot all guns when I was a kid. The more experienced guys with shot guns told me not to aim the gun but to point the the gun with both eyes open. Basically look and shoot wich I thought they were crazy. I tried it and I started breaking more clays. The next lesson I learned myself. With the lead I would lead to much or not enough. I know trap isn't live birds but with trap I would lead to far. Also when you pull the trigger keep swinging your gun. Don't stop. That motion spreads your shot pattern. That's all the basic dumbass experience I can give you.

 

[Don Fischer]

Skeet shooting or find a sporting clays facility. I used to shoot trap exclusively but struggled with any shots other than straight away. I like that sporting clays have different stations with different shot types from rolling on the ground to coming straight at you. I for me personally I became a much better wing shooter when I was exposed to the variety of shots. YMMV.

Another thing to check out is does the gun fit you.

I think I would go along with sporting clays but not skeet or trap. Knew a few guys that were terrific competitors in trap and skeet that were about the absolutely worst game bird shots I ever saw! They told me the problem come in on trap and skeet knowing about the track the trap bird will follow!

 

[NVDesertHunter]

I'm not a pro upland bird shooter. But I hunt birds a lot. I think your 4 ft sustained lead is too much. On a skeet crosser, maybe so, But they are WAY faster than any quail or chukar ever was. Real birds are real slow - compared to clays. It just seems like they are fast.

Slow down and make the first shot count. Don't plan on shooting a second. Get the first one to land first.

I shoot more or less "pull through" because many species are not in view long enough for the sustained lead thing. Don't much care for either term, but I think of it as sweeping the birds out of the sky with a broom. I break the trigger as I pull past the bill with the broom. Try to shoot the bird's bill. Yeah, I know it is small and hard to see, but focus. Most of bird shooting is in your head, starting with mental focus.

Where is your head on the stock when you shoot birds. Probably not where it is when you shoot clays. Most of us have our heads up too high to see the bird better and we end up shooting over (in addition to too far ahead or behind).

See the bill (or where it should be), shoulder the gun PROPERLY, sweep it from the sky, mark, and retrieve.

Don't forget to pat your pup on the head.

Thanks!...this advice is great...I've shot 1000's of rounds of skeet and was shooting at chukar like they were coming out of the high house at #4 stand.

 

[Brittany Chukarman]

On long crossing shots I see it as the bird flying into the shot pattern instead of the shot pattern hitting the bird. Swing through and don't stop the barrel. At 40 yards I lead what I feel is 8' or more.
The more I try to aim or think about it the worse I shoot. I just have to react to each chance. It's never the same twice.

 

[huntingman121]

If your a newer shooter the Sustained lead can tough and many guys shoot behind because they slow down right before the shot. Pull through can be easier to teach shooters to not stop or slow down.

Wild birds are different than clays in that clays slow down as they leave the trap and birds speed up as they get up. That said clays could help you greatly.

Alot of great tips to you, but I would say beware of overload if you try to change too much. So I will leave you with only one important point.

One shooting instructor told me and I always told my students was that when you start low gun, start pointing at your target as you are raising your gun. As you are shouldering, point at your target. As shouldering your gun be smooth, and focus your eyes on the bird before the gun gets to your shoulder. I know many great shots that have this down to a science and can kill birds and clays exactly at the same time as the gun hits their shoulder. Probably not good for you but my point is point as your shouldering. I watch people shoulder then look for the bird, then chase the bird, then ride the bird. Too much time, shots at longer range, and way behind. Good luck and have fun.