I need all the help I can get. I have killed exactly two crows (one sitting in a tree and the other came in very low) and have shot at 40. I hunt small game, coyotes, deer, varmints and normally shot real well but I can't hit crows to save my life. I have never been a bird hunter of any kind but I shoot trap quit well. I really like crow hunting and its exiting as heck when you see them coming in to the e-caller. I don't know but its getting frustrating, anyways happy to be here.
-- Edited by oldshotty on Friday 22nd of December 2017 02:25:04 AM
-- Edited by oldshotty on Friday 22nd of December 2017 02:26:48 AM
when i started i had the same problem, after doing some googling on how to lead birds i use the tail , feet , beak lead . pretty simple & easy. also need the right choke & shells.
There is a big difference between shooting varmits with a rifle and birds with a shotgun. Most riflemen close one eye, but shotgunners SHOULD keep both eyes open. Are you?
When you close an eye, you loose your stereoscopic vision needed to hit a moving target. You can get away with one eye in skeet and trap because the targets & distances don’t change much so they are predictable. Birds in the wild are totally unpredictable so you need both eyes.
My advice would be for you to find a good sporting clays instructor and invest in a lesson. It may be an eye-opener (pun intended)! They can watch you shoot and explain how to correct many bad habits. Well worth the time and effort if you want to improve!
Note, too, that it is VERY difficult to self-diagnose shooting problems. It is also hard to learn new shooting techniques via internet advice. Take a lesson... you won’t regret it.
As a Master Class tournament shooter I still have slumps that send me back for occasional shooting lessons. Tell me where you live and I might can connect you with a good instructor.
Hope this helps.
Demi
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The man who thinks he can, and the man who thinks he can’t are both right.
Wing shooting is about 80% art and 20% science, you can't learn it from the internet. People have different techniques and no two people judge distance and lead the same. The best thing to do is shoot skeet, 5-stand, and sporting clays during the off season. Watch out for common mistakes, lifting you your head, stopping your swing etc. Listen to what experienced good shots tell you as they watch you shoot. Try different things until more clay targets are breaking than being missed. Good luck.
I lived about a mile from a huge starling roost and the flyway was right over my very rural front yard...this type of shooting helped me considerably in fine tuning for crows
There is a big difference between shooting varmints with a rifle and birds with a shotgun. Most riflemen close one eye, but shot gunners SHOULD keep both eyes open. Are you?
Thanks for all the great info Demi and everybody else. I hunt everything with a shotgun anymore and I do keep both eyes open. I think your right on the money with practicing skeet and five stand as the crossing shots with lead are quit apparently my problem. Trap doesnt seem to be helping me because after missing about 6 crows the other day I stopped buy the shooting range and shot a box of shells and probably hit 21/22 out of 25 but a low straight away trap clay is pretty easy for me to hit, but I went out this morning and once again was missing birds. After I missed the third one which flew directly across in front of me I called it quits. I tried shooting skeet a few months ago and sucked at that as well so obviously I need more practice. The more I think about it I think I stop swinging the gun when I pull the trigger instead of following through while I'm pulling the trigger. I'm probably missing Way behind them.
-- Edited by oldshotty on Friday 22nd of December 2017 12:07:18 AM
-- Edited by oldshotty on Friday 22nd of December 2017 12:10:29 AM
I tried shooting skeet a few months ago and sucked at that as well so obviously I need more practice because I have been reading articles and watching youtube but I am still struggling with lead.
that could be it Too much lead. I do the same thing all the time, too far in front,they fly slower than the clay birds. as soon as you catch up with the bird , keep swing as you pull the trigger
-- Edited by 10gacrowshooter on Thursday 21st of December 2017 11:45:23 PM