Doing every thing Right, No hit.

Hunter456

Shot at a few ducks awhile ago don't think I gave them enough lead but to me it felt right i don't look at the barrel i look at the target my method of lead is swing through. But yet I can smack a rabbit at 40-50 yards and its stone dead. Would you think my is problem is a gun fit issue or not enough lead on the bird.

cookimonster

Taken from an older post.......


This is so subjective, a lot depends on combinations of cartridges, chokes, angle of target ( crossing, quartering) speed of bird, size of bird (big birds such as geese look slow but are traveling very fast), background (judgeing distance, speed) and light conditions. Very importantly your stryle of shooting ie maintained lead, swing through or combo of the later.

But as a rule of thumb the following can be seen as consistent

These are the figures from BASC website.

Lead required for a slower, 35 mph, bird:
* 3 feet at 25 yards
* 4-5 feet at 30 yards
* 6-7 feet at 40 yards
* 8 feet at 45 yards

Lead required for your typical 40 mph bird:
* 4 feet at 25 yards
* 5-6 feet at 30 yards
* 7-8 feet at 40 yards
* 9-10 feet at 45 yards

Lead required for a faster, 50 mph, bird: Pigeon, some clays, many wildfowl
* 5 feet at 25 yards
* 7 feet at 30 yards
* 9-10 feet at 40 yards
* 12 feet at 45 yards

Make sure you have a good gun fit, then ensure your fundamentals are sound as any and all things can have a negative impact when shooting moving targets

Eddie B

Might just be the day thats in it! Ive had days when i could hit nothing, and days when i'd miss nothing!

It can be a confidence thing! After a bad miss, you can start to question your shot placement, resulting in giving too much lead, or not enough fir that matter!

Hunter456

after the frustrating duck hunt i took a walk around the permission to get a rabbit for the dinner and the first rabbit i seen ended up in my bag 30 yard shot with a no 5 lol. i got another three after that i know my gun fits because i'm hitting what i shoot at (not the birds) it isn't low or hit but not perfect either as the shot pattern varies. i just cant get my bloody head around it i was tempted to trade in the shotgun dis-morning.

useurowname

cookimonster wrote: »

Taken from an older post.......


This is so subjective, a lot depends on combinations of cartridges, chokes, angle of target ( crossing, quartering) speed of bird, size of bird (big birds such as geese look slow but are traveling very fast), background (judgeing distance, speed) and light conditions. Very importantly your stryle of shooting ie maintained lead, swing through or combo of the later.

But as a rule of thumb the following can be seen as consistent

These are the figures from BASC website.

Lead required for a slower, 35 mph, bird:
* 3 feet at 25 yards
* 4-5 feet at 30 yards
* 6-7 feet at 40 yards
* 8 feet at 45 yards

Lead required for your typical 40 mph bird:
* 4 feet at 25 yards
* 5-6 feet at 30 yards
* 7-8 feet at 40 yards
* 9-10 feet at 45 yards

Lead required for a faster, 50 mph, bird: Pigeon, some clays, many wildfowl
* 5 feet at 25 yards
* 7 feet at 30 yards
* 9-10 feet at 40 yards
* 12 feet at 45 yards

Make sure you have a good gun fit, then ensure your fundamentals are sound as any and all things can have a negative impact when shooting moving targets

Well if you can remember all that, can judge the distance, speed of target and it's distance and work out precisely where to place your shot when a mallard is coming hammering in out of the darkness well then your Username should be Terminator or Robocop!!
Fundamentals of gun fit and footwork are paramount to good shooting though.
My advice; get down to a good clay ground and get plenty of practice on your swing with crossers, get cartridge/choke combination that suit you and stick with them and the gun you've been using, I always find I'm a way better shot in January than in November.

dodderangler

I've had days when I couldn't hit a rabbit at 20 yards with a shotgun and other days dropping crows or pigeons with 45 yard shots or more and thinking how the fcuk did I hit him.
It's the day that's in it I think. Yesterday I done some vermin control of corvids and missed my first two at a magpie but after that I was hitting doubles to beat the band till I ran out of cartridges.
Also I don't have a bead on my shotgun. I'm just used to know where to aim

Hunter456

i don't expect to hit everything i aim at but its so annoying and frustrating.

Eddie B

Are you knew to hunting? A duck is a much more challenging shot than a sitting rabbit! As said earlier, an hour or two at clay's might be what you need!

Hunter456

being shooting awhile now but on the odd rabbit and clay's but got my own shotgun last year i was on the crows a few months for an hour or 2 and knocked 20 i thought i got the gist of lead then but i know ducks and crows are different.

dodderangler

Hunter456 wrote: »

being shooting awhile now but on the odd rabbit and clay's but got my own shotgun last year i was on the crows a few months for an hour or 2 and knocked 20 i thought i got the gist of lead then but i know ducks and crows are different.

Crows are a lot slower and ducks are fly very flat so unless they're right above your head they're tricky t shoot.
Are you any good on pigeons?

Hunter456

never went at them but fast birds so i think at this moment i would struggle to be honest.

dodderangler

Hunter456 wrote: »

never went at them but fast birds so i think at this moment i would struggle to be honest.

That's why I asked. Pigeons are fast and so are duck so if you were ok on pigeons you'd be alri on duck.
I've not much experience with duck shot a few but I've seen them in full flight and know the patterns they'd take and the speed.
Maybe your been to excited with the shot and rushing it abit

Hunter456

dodderangler wrote: »

That's why I asked. Pigeons are fast and so are duck so if you were ok on pigeons you'd be alri on duck.
I've not much experience with duck shot a few but I've seen them in full flight and know the patterns they'd take and the speed.
Maybe your been to excited with the shot and rushing it abit

ya that could be whats wrong i'm most likely rushing to get the bird down and in the bag. i use 4 and 5 like they carry a massive punch and maybe require more lead as they are a heavy shot.

dodderangler

4s are most common ones on ducks but there's good lads on this site that have taken duck with 7 1/2 aswell.
Reading your posts your basically only new to the hunting scene so I'd put a lot of down to 3 things.
1. With little or no experience shooting ducks or fast birds
2. Rushing the shot to fill the bag
3. Not enough of a lead on the bird which would also be put to lack of experience
Don't take offence to it mate. We all started off somewhere. A lot like myself started hunting with our fathers at a very young age and had to carry all the game that was shot by our fathers but we grew to love it and learned it all from our fathers or relatives.
I've taught a few lads how to hunt and two of them I took out now have deer licences. I don't
Do you have a more experienced lad with you when your out to guide you on your faults?

Hunter456

being hunting along time but i'm gone mad into it the last 2 years got my shotgun last year duck and game bird shooting is new to me.

cookimonster

My previous post is to illustrate the recommended lead as many lads under estimate the lead needed.

I would also recommend a couple of days pigeon decoying and after you build your confidence have a go at more taxing shots. The pigeon is the ballerina of the skies and will present some challenging shooting especially on windy days.

Although not the same as game shooting get out and bust some more clays but this time around shoot starting from the low mount (if not already ) as this will aid your fundamentals.

The lads here are spot on, duck shooting especially flighting birds is difficult and is chalk and cheese compared to shooting rabbits etc. Keep at it and definitely don't think of selling the gun until every thing else has been sorted out