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help shooting ducks
#6472788
09/28/16 11:33 PM
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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8
LUguy08
OP
Green Horn
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OP
Green Horn
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8 |
So i need help shooting ducks. I can drop dove no problem but have a harder time with ducks. i have a Rem. 870 with a modified choke. Any tips or maybe new choke or ideas? I don't shoot at anything over 40 yards but seem to miss all too often. Any help would be appreciated.
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Re: help shooting ducks
[Re: LUguy08]
#6472812
09/28/16 11:51 PM
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 5,432
RayB
red bone Bob
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red bone Bob
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 5,432 |
Two pieces of advise, go to the skeet or sporting clays range and practice after you see what kind of pattern the set up with the shells you use throws. What shot size are you using on ducks?
There is time, and you must take it, to lay your hand on your dog's head as you walk past him lying on the floor or on his settle, time to talk with him, to remember with him, time to please him, time you can't buy back once he's gone" GBE
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Re: help shooting ducks
[Re: LUguy08]
#6472911
09/29/16 01:06 AM
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Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 513
kman2017
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 513 |
I lightened my choke up from modified to improved and it did wonders. Steel shot shoots a tighter patter, so if you are using a modified with steel shot it's like shooting an improved modified with lead.
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Re: help shooting ducks
[Re: LUguy08]
#6472918
09/29/16 01:14 AM
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 548
FWBanger
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 548 |
Kman2017 is right about using a more open choke. Also, aim for the beak. Ducks are tough birds and their insulating feathers are thick. They can fly off from a solid hit to the chest as if they're wearing flak jackets. Head/neck shots improve your odds of dropping them dead.
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Re: help shooting ducks
[Re: FWBanger]
#6472935
09/29/16 01:29 AM
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Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 949
MoTex
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 949 |
Most misses when wing shooting are from shooting behind and not following through. If missing give more lead.
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Re: help shooting ducks
[Re: LUguy08]
#6472977
09/29/16 01:54 AM
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 6,659
Hopedale
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 6,659 |
What shells are you using?
Winchester Xperts had me wanting shooting lessons. Two weekends and a row and couldn't hit a dam thing.
Switched to Kent Fast steel #2 1560 FPS 3" and dropped everything I pointed at.
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Re: help shooting ducks
[Re: LUguy08]
#6473018
09/29/16 02:21 AM
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Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 513
kman2017
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 513 |
I think shells are more of a mind game. But definitely agree with where you shoot ducks. Was hunting in timber with a buddy in Arkansas two years ago and damn near every duck we picked up we could shake and have pellets fall into the water.
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Re: help shooting ducks
[Re: LUguy08]
#6473027
09/29/16 02:34 AM
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Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 4,753
Nathan Nelson
Extreme Tracker
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Extreme Tracker
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 4,753 |
Pattern your gun. Shoot some skeet and follow through. Most guys shot behind ducks because they pull up short.
Speed Kills...
I shoot a Carlson LM in my 870s and they work fine.
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Re: help shooting ducks
[Re: LUguy08]
#6473151
09/29/16 07:02 AM
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Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 915
pervis
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 915 |
I'd go with a nice quality she'll. 3 in # 3 hevi metals will knock em dead. Love those loads. Shop around you can find deals on cases of em w free shipping too.
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Re: help shooting ducks
[Re: pervis]
#6473260
09/29/16 12:46 PM
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,387
john paul
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,387 |
Just shoot the same shells you are shooting at dove at ducks...
I'm with GK because I like salty old dudes.
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Re: help shooting ducks
[Re: LUguy08]
#6473264
09/29/16 12:48 PM
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 10,645
garrett
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 10,645 |
watch the duck, it'll tell you where your missing
Attention rickym, this is not a troll post, just a good hearted fun type of post
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Re: help shooting ducks
[Re: garrett]
#6473471
09/29/16 03:05 PM
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Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 5,594
Featherduster
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 5,594 |
watch the duck, it'll tell you where your missing
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Re: help shooting ducks
[Re: garrett]
#6473551
09/29/16 03:46 PM
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 11,788
wal1809
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 11,788 |
watch the duck, it'll tell you where your missing Yep!
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Re: help shooting ducks
[Re: LUguy08]
#6473555
09/29/16 03:47 PM
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 11,788
wal1809
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 11,788 |
I would venture to say you're not continuously swinging through the trigger pull. That is a very common reason for missing.
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Re: help shooting ducks
[Re: wal1809]
#6473556
09/29/16 03:51 PM
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Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 8,319
Herbie Hancock
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 8,319 |
I would venture to say you're not continuously swinging through the trigger pull. That is a very common reason for missing. Yep, gotta get that practice time in.
It takes beer to make thirst worthwhile - J. Fred Schmidt
The internet is an I.Q. Test, people post their scores in the comment section.
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Re: help shooting ducks
[Re: LUguy08]
#6473559
09/29/16 03:53 PM
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 10,645
garrett
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 10,645 |
I have a tendency to over lead ducks that are finishing
Attention rickym, this is not a troll post, just a good hearted fun type of post
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Re: help shooting ducks
[Re: LUguy08]
#6473627
09/29/16 04:39 PM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 19,282
Judd
#1 Creedmoor Fan
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#1 Creedmoor Fan
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 19,282 |
If you're dropping dove and having troubles with ducks...you're shooting in front of the ducks. You don't have to lead them as much they aren't near as fast as a dove, cut your lead in half for what you think you need would be my guess.
Don't let your ears hear what your eyes didn't see, and don't let your mouth say what your heart doesn't feel
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Re: help shooting ducks
[Re: Judd]
#6473671
09/29/16 05:02 PM
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,387
john paul
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,387 |
If you're dropping dove and having troubles with ducks...you're shooting in front of the ducks. You don't have to lead them as much they aren't near as fast as a dove, cut your lead in half for what you think you need would be my guess. Especially since most dove loads are around 12-1300 FPS and most steel loads nowadays are 1500 FPS
I'm with GK because I like salty old dudes.
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Re: help shooting ducks
[Re: LUguy08]
#6473878
09/29/16 07:46 PM
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 5,045
David Maas
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 5,045 |
My guess, is, you actually aren't judging 40yds accurately. 40yds is a long way with steel shot. Then take into consideration that steel patterns tighter than lead with a given choke, you miss by feet, not inches.
I would buy a I/C or L/M extended, spring for some "better" shells, those with, better wads, more spherical shot, better powder and less velocity, the faster the rabbit runs, the quicker he tires. I don't like anything over 1450fps or 1475fps, they become more finicky and harder to get uniform patterns from.
NRA Endowed Patriot Life Benefactor GOA Life Member TSRA Life Member NSCA Life Member
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Re: help shooting ducks
[Re: LUguy08]
#6474040
09/29/16 09:44 PM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 19,282
Judd
#1 Creedmoor Fan
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#1 Creedmoor Fan
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 19,282 |
^^^^ I'm of a completely different opinion on speed. I'm a firm believer of speed kills when it comes to stupid steel shot. I don't use hypersonics but I'm always over 1500fps. Some of my hand rolled ones are right at 1600fps. I do believe in patterning so you know what shoots better. Example...my LM choke will put more pellets in a 30" circle than my IM will.
Don't let your ears hear what your eyes didn't see, and don't let your mouth say what your heart doesn't feel
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Re: help shooting ducks
[Re: LUguy08]
#6474550
09/30/16 11:17 AM
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Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 324
Charlie817
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 324 |
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Re: help shooting ducks
[Re: Judd]
#6474707
09/30/16 01:37 PM
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Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,440
BDB
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,440 |
If you're dropping dove and having troubles with ducks...you're shooting in front of the ducks. You don't have to lead them as much they aren't near as fast as a dove, cut your lead in half for what you think you need would be my guess. Winner winner with duck for dinner
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Re: help shooting ducks
[Re: Judd]
#6474715
09/30/16 01:40 PM
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Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 4,075
aerangis
Extreme Tracker
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Extreme Tracker
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 4,075 |
If you're dropping dove and having troubles with ducks...you're shooting in front of the ducks. You don't have to lead them as much they aren't near as fast as a dove, cut your lead in half for what you think you need would be my guess. It's more likely than not that he's missing shots from too little lead than too much. The shot string from a typical 3" 12 gauge shotgun shell containing #6 steel shot moving 1400fps, is '6 to 8' inches in length as it exits the barrel, growing in length the farther it travels through the air as it moves towards the target, at a velocity averaging 1100fps and 5'-8' feet long in length at 20 yards, slowing to 750fps and 12'-16' in length at 40 yards. Steel shot doesn't deform like lead, resulting in a shot string with a smaller diameter than that of lead shot, A steel shotstring is roughly teardrop in shape, point facing forward, like an inverted cone, with the bulk of the shot at the rear of the shot string. Lead shot is easily deformed and mishapen individual lead pellets are prone to take wildly divergent paths, the reason lead patterns wider than that of steel when shot using a given size of choke. Both the length and width of the shot string significantly increase the chance of hitting a bird. One reason we don't hunt hunt waterfowl with rifles. When fired, the shot in a shotgun shell is significantlly larger in volume than a bullet, increasing the odds of hitting the bird. The birds path can intersect that long cloud of shot at any point along it's path, the front of the cloud if the shooters lead is short, or the rear of the cloud if the lead is long. bird expands longitudinally and widens as it moves toward the target, in a long, thin, teardrop/cigar shaped pattern, growing wider and longer the farther it travels until gravity and drag take affect. I've seen high speed video of ballistics tests on various gauge shotshells fired at static gell targets, clays and live, flying birds. The videos were enlightening to put it mildly. It put to rest any doubts I had of the importance of patterning the shotgun, chokes, and shotshells you intend to use in the field to baseline their performance and determine where POA needs to be to acheive a specific, consistent POI. A specific brand and spec shotshell that performs well with a specific shotgun brand/model/choke , may not shoot worth a damn in a different shotgun. It doesn't take much time and effort to find a combination of shell/choke that works well in your shotgun. When you get it dialed in, hitting what you're shooting at is almost effortless. Winchester Ballistician E.D. Lowry ("The Effect of a Shotstring," American Rifleman, November 1979) Gerald Burrard (The Modern Shotgun, Chapters V and VI) http://www.gunnersden.com/index.htm.shotgun-shotstring.htmlBob Brister (“Shotgunning, The Art and Science”, 1976) http://randywakeman.com/lowryshotstring.pdf
Last edited by aerangis; 09/30/16 02:31 PM.
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Re: help shooting ducks
[Re: aerangis]
#6474766
09/30/16 02:13 PM
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 10,645
garrett
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 10,645 |
If you're dropping dove and having troubles with ducks...you're shooting in front of the ducks. You don't have to lead them as much they aren't near as fast as a dove, cut your lead in half for what you think you need would be my guess. It's more likely than not that he's missing shots from too little lead than too much. The shot string from a typical 3" 12 gauge shotgun shell containing #6 steel shot moving 1400fps, is '6 to 8' inches in length as it exits the barrel, growing in length the farther it travels through the air as it moves towards the target, averaging '5 to 8' feet in length at 30 yards. The shot in a shotgun shell moves toward the target in a long, thin, teadrop shaped pattern, growing wider and longer the farther it travels until gravity and drag take affect. I've seen high speed video of ballistics tests on various gauge shotshells fired at static gell targets, clays and live, flying birds. The videos were enlightening to put it mildly. It put to rest any doubts I had of the importance of patterning the shotgun, chokes, and shotshells you intend to use in the field to baseline their performance and determine where POA needs to be to acheive a specific, consistent POI. A specific brand and spec shotshell that performs well with a specific shotgun brand/model/choke , may not shoot worth a damn in a different shotgun. It doesn't take much time and effort to find a combination of shell/choke that works well in your shotgun. When you get it dialed in, hitting what you're shooting at is almost effortless. aerangis, my friend, welcome back, I hope your over wanting to rip my head off and poo on it While shot string and patterning of shotguns is a very important step and thing to understand it also can not be forgotten that shotgunning is also a lot about instinct. Normally I would agree with you that there is not enough lead, after all thats pounded into our heads from an early age. The fact that the OP is "dropping dove" with no issue is something that needs to be taken into account in this situation. In shooting dove its displayed that he understands the importance of lead when wing shooting. Now, as I previously stated I have a had habit of over leading ducks on the first few hunts. It takes a little bit for me to get it into my head that I dont have to lead finishing ducks much at all. Butt, bill, BOOM. Now every single post on this thread is purely speculation, and one would need to shoot with this gentleman to really know where the issue lies. Like I said before, the duck will tell you how your missing, you just have to listen. If you shoot at him and he pulls his neck back and tries to sit up your out in front of him and he is trying to avoid the shot string. If he kicks it into high gear head down your behind him.
Attention rickym, this is not a troll post, just a good hearted fun type of post
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Re: help shooting ducks
[Re: LUguy08]
#6475317
09/30/16 10:46 PM
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Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,908
Gacman
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,908 |
I don't miss ducks. Ducks miss me. Even when I'm not hunting them, they miss me.
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