Curious about my crow shooting scores, on a per hunt basis, I sit down with my crow shooting record, and trusty calculator, and figured my total score for 19 hunts. The only criterion employed was that I killed at least 20 crows each day. Not to skewer the results, I included my best days (highest scores) and worst days (lowest scores) for the 19 hunts that I kept a record. I had estimated that I was shooting about 77% on a year to year average.
Here is the result:
Kills Shots % score
79 113 70
40 54 74
26 34 76
21 29 72
26 35 75
57 70 81
50 62 81
22 25 88
82 105 78
44 57 77
25 32 78
71 103 69
30 37 81
24 39 61
26 31 84
102 128 80
27 35 77
42 55 76
55 73 75
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849 1,117 76.0 %
I was pretty close to 76% with my estimate of 77%.
If you have been keeping score of your crow hunts, you realize that it is an additional fun part of hunting, and adds a little zest to your days afield. If you have'nt kept score, you might want to give it a try for a few hunts. Scoring your hunts will let you know how proficient you are, and let's you know if your are a good wing shot, mediocre, or plain damn miserable as I sometimes am. It tells you if you should practice more, shoot more clay birds, pattern your gun with different chokes and shells, or for more excitement, just hunt more crows! I like doing all three!
Another factor is taking them as they come and not just waiting for just gravy shots. Many times when it's windy ( 20 mph or more) you only get one decent shot and after you fire the gun "they are gone in a hurry" one flip in that wind and they are gone! My average suffers because I still try to get that second bird and as a result my average is lower than if I exercised more self control.
Here are some averages from this season and they vary depending on how well the birds react and weather conditions.
503 Dick & I wind - south at 10 - 20 mph. My average was 66% I used 400 trap loads for 265 crows.
144 Dick & I wind - NE at 10 - 15 mph. My average was 58% that day for 73 crows.
267 Dick & I wind - calm. I got two with one shot on this hunt! 59% was my average for 132 crows.
327 I was solo. Wind - NW - 10 - 15 mph. 70% average that day using trap loads in # 8 shot.
321 I was solo. Wind - south at 5 mph. 68% average that day with trap loads in # 8's.
285 Dick & I wind - SW - 10 - 20 mph. I got two with one shot again on this hunt! I made one quadruple on this hunt. 54% average with trap loads for 135 crows.
370 Dick & I wind - SW - 10 - 20 mph. 69% average for 190 crows with trap loads.
352 Dick & I wind - NW - 10 - 20 mph. 65% average for 178 crows using trap loads.
117 Dick & I wind - SW - 15 mph. 73% average for 58 crows using a trap load.
81 Dick & I wind - E- SE - 10 mph. 61% average for 43 crows using a trap load.
176 Dick & I wind - N - NW - 10 - 15 mph. 67% average for 86 crows using a trap load.
187 Dick & I wind - SW - 10 mph. 79% average for 100 crows.
60 Dick & I missed the flyway! Wind - N - 10 mph. 70% average for 35 crows. Trap load in 8's.
171 Dick & I wind - N - 5 - 10 mph. 59% average for 91 crows, trap load.
213 I was solo. Wind - S - 5 mph. 68% average using # 8's in a trap load.
Another factor is taking them as they come and not just waiting for just gravy shots. Many times when it's windy ( 20 mph or more) you only get one decent shot and after you fire the gun "they are gone in a hurry"
Bob,
I agree with you on just taking "gravy shots" or shooting as they come. I am shooting as they come in shooter, If they are in range I shoot. I don't worry too much about my average , I like shooting and not watching them come in and waiting for a fluff shot to watch them leave with out a shot.
Ken that is some phenomenal shooting, I doubt very few people can achieve a 76% average on over 500 crows, congrats that is really impressive. I do think there are a ton of variables at play that make comparisons hard, wind, cold (extra clothing changes gun fit), blind setup, fresh migrant crows or hunted crows, hunting alone or not, type of gun used (doubles are empty after the two choicest shots), how many crows are taken fist shot vs. shots after the birds flare to name a few. I have my ups and downs like everyone, I believe in biorythems, some days it all comes together, the mind and body are in sinc and you just can't miss, other days you just seem to struggle, I saw it in competitive trap shooting. In trap singles the days I would shoot 97 and up it felt like I could close my eyes and pull the trigger and get the target, everything came easy, the days of 91's and 92's I felt like I was working hard and every hit felt "lucky".
I took a look at my last 5 years of shooting records, winter, spring and fall, that is a lot of days afield and in every possible situation I encounter. In that time I shot thousands of crows and thousands more shells with a five year shooting average of 61.8%. It's an average, half the time I was shooting better than that and half the time I was shooting worse than that. The good days always feel good, the off days not so much. I do know when the migrant crows come through my average goes up, the shooting is definitely easier.
All any of us can do is the best we can, some people are just better shots than others no matter how much they practice. I saw people who shot for years and were ATA career D and C class shooters. Other people would show up and after five shoots they were classified AA and stayed there. Most people can improve with practice, others need it to keep the knife sharp, practice for everyone is fun. In summary if you didn't have a bad day now and again you would not know what a good one is.
Ken that is some phenomenal shooting, I doubt very few people can achieve a 76% average on over 500 crows, congrats that is really impressive. I do think there are a ton of variables at play that make comparisons hard, wind, cold (extra clothing changes gun fit), blind setup, fresh migrant crows or hunted crows, hunting alone or not, type of gun used (doubles are empty after the two choicest shots), how many crows are taken fist shot vs. shots after the birds flare to name a few. I have my ups and downs like everyone, I believe in biorythems, some days it all comes together, the mind and body are in sinc and you just can't miss, other days you just seem to struggle, I saw it in competitive trap shooting. In trap singles the days I would shoot 97 and up it felt like I could close my eyes and pull the trigger and get the target, everything came easy, the days of 91's and 92's I felt like I was working hard and every hit felt "lucky".
I took a look at my last 5 years of shooting records, winter, spring and fall, that is a lot of days afield and in every possible situation I encounter. In that time I shot thousands of crows and thousands more shells with a five year shooting average of 61.8%. It's an average, half the time I was shooting better than that and half the time I was shooting worse than that. The good days always feel good, the off days not so much. I do know when the migrant crows come through my average goes up, the shooting is definitely easier.
All any of us can do is the best we can, some people are just better shots than others no matter how much they practice. I saw people who shot for years and were ATA career D and C class shooters. Other people would show up and after five shoots they were classified AA and stayed there. Most people can improve with practice, others need it to keep the knife sharp, practice for everyone is fun. In summary if you didn't have a bad day now and again you would not know what a good one is.
I would say yes to all you said, good day with bad and really bad days , over all I would say that avg. is spot on with out looking at records and doing the math.
Interesting topic on many levels. It seems that there are many involved with our sport/obsession who keep score. This was first demonstrated to me by Jerry Tomlin on my first crow hunt. Man, is he a numbers guy!! Obviously both Ken and Bob are, too.
If you hunt with a partner, it is often difficult to separate out who killed what. In addition, if you shoot someone else's wounded bird, that impacts your average. I rarely shoot alone, so I treat it as a community effort and don't try to keep track of percentages. For me the most important number is TBC.
Do you take long shots? I enjoy the occasional 60 yd. shot, but my average is not the same as if they are 15 yards out. Another reason I don't keep score.
Shooting competitive sporting clays, the NSCA keeps averages for everyone. This year, shooting almost 7,000 targets in tournaments, my averages range from 77 to 84%. The difference being in various disciplines (Standard sporting clays, FITASC, sub gauge, etc.). Tournament shooting is not the same as hunting for fun. The pressure of the scorecard is real!
For me crow hunting is easier than competitive clays in that most of the shots are closer. On the other hand, a clay target won't duck and dive once it knows someone is shooting at it. All things considered, I'd guess my averages are the same for both clays and crows...75-85%
Demi
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The man who thinks he can, and the man who thinks he can’t are both right.
I like nhcrowshooter's take on this, I don't keep shot averages but can see it would be interesting to know. Im usually not far off with my estimates and know when I'm on, or so-so or can't "hit the side of a barn" as what happened today. Will post about it later with some interesting pics.
Many times as mentioned before when hunting with a buddy its hard to tell who killed that bird. I really don't care as long as the bird goes down. I hate to say it but the last 4 times I've gone by myself and my shooting is awful. I'm gonna to confess to my little crow buddy that I shoot a lot better when he goes. My percentage is way lower(probably 45%). It goes way down on the 2nd or 3rd bird.The "candy bird" shots are probably 90%
On a good day I blow it awaiting a crow to be at a better shot angle or "the gravy shot"....and underestimating the distance and the speed hallucination. The latter means the crow is flapping like crazy appears to be flying faster than it really is. As in flying into the wind after getting nicked especially or just bailing with no wind. I find with partners either they got to wait until you shoot for back up(who ever shoots first) or two shots on one crow occurs and I really hate that.
Especially when every shot has to count.
But such is the nature of crow shooting. I had a few sweet shots where you see one approaching from a mile away and doesn't flair is always a sweet shot. It's those ones who came in from behind then blitz on by that are frustrating, or as you are picking up in comes the cavalry where it's hot time after waiting and waiting suddenly they trickle in...
By the way thanks for the photoes to all who posted. That one with the crows every where to the horizen is particularly fascinating. I 'll look at that one a lot!
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Top Cat Statutes never replaced or rewrote the constitution!
This is why when I hunt with another shooter we take turns so you know what you shot that day. When it's your turn you can pick the multiple kills in any order you choose too with out the fear of a bird getting blown out from under you by you're partner.
I got complaints to be sure: the NH federal "representatives" are generally gun control advocates despite there being around 20,000 gun restrictions in the country!
"Gun control" is a catch phrase suggesting guns are out of control as if the fire arm has a mind of its' own. Now our "enlightened": politicians call some fire arms "assault rifles" or "assault pistols" even though all they do is sit in the gun cabinets! But some one in history wrote or said:"You repeat a lie often enough it becomes the truth!"
I think common sense is totally bankrupt in this country!
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Top Cat Statutes never replaced or rewrote the constitution!
I got complaints to be sure: the NH federal "representatives" are generally gun control advocates despite there being around 20,000 gun restrictions in the country!
"Gun control" is a catch phrase suggesting guns are out of control as if the fire arm has a mind of its' own. Now our "enlightened": politicians call some fire arms "assault rifles" or "assault pistols" even though all they do is sit in the gun cabinets! But some one in history wrote or said:"You repeat a lie often enough it becomes the truth!"
I think common sense is totally bankrupt in this countr
Given how far off topic your post is vs. the subject and subsequent replies can I ask if you smoke dope or drink a lot?
"off topic"? How true but not meaning to be annoying. I am grateful at your insight regarding shotguns and what I ought to do or need to do. And I like the way you nput it. I think one of you Dover Doubles asked about my "drinking" or commented before on it. Well thios may surprise you as I don't drink but sometimes think I ought to. "dope"? No. Come to my town in summer walk around and see why....
I do apologize for not providing pictures of my shotguns however; particularly the BPS. It is the "field Model 24"..whatever that is supposed to mean. All I know is it's an older model but nice. It has a vent rib which I like.
It doesn't have that camouflage stuff all over it. By the way you did a real classy job on your 870 a friend of yours gave you. Jaw dropping nice.
About shooting? I don't shoot more than twice at any given target. My technique is shoot at first target then rapidly track another. A third if I can (utterly rare). That is of course when several come in all at once. When you shot at your string last season that is ideal to be able to singles one after another like that how they come in here in NH given their late Autumn behavior all at once idea. So you hit them right on the money idea.
Do you get a lot up Maine way? I have read quite a few haunt the coastal regions. Last season here was a bust. But if they behave that way bin 2017 I might have something for bragging rights. As of right now? So it goes! Another lesson...
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Top Cat Statutes never replaced or rewrote the constitution!
I love your satirical insight about my comments.