Your Toughest Shot -- Bird and Setting

[Bill Murphy]

I have nothing to say because all of my "problem shots" have been enjoyed on this thread already. How entertaining, especially Charlie.

[stumpstalker]

Yes, Charlie’s toughest shot experience I will continue to reflect on the longest; missing the bird was just the beginning. And he never even got into what happened to the gun.

The thread has worked nicely as an encounter group for bird shooters, entertaining and therapeutic, too.

[Woodcock survey]

Picture an abandoned barnyard, overgrown with brush and red cedars, wet and thick. A grouse is seen at 10 yards behind a 10 ft. red cedar and flushes using it for cover. I step to the left to clear the cedar and hang my foot on 2 strand of barb wire, take the shot while falling forward. I was not hurt the gun was not hurt and the grouse was unharmed.

[mobirdhunter]

Originally Posted by Daniel Carter

Picture an abandoned barnyard, overgrown with brush and red cedars, wet and thick. A grouse is seen at 10 yards behind a 10 ft. red cedar and flushes using it for cover. I step to the left to clear the cedar and hang my foot on 2 strand of barb wire, take the shot while falling forward. I was not hurt the gun was not hurt and the grouse was unharmed.

Daniel, substitute tree limb for barbed wire -- all too familiar. It's comforting to know that there's some universality in missing shots.

[Gerald McPherson]

Well here's mine. Bird is a very large dove. Setting is among several round bales on a three legged dove chair. Shooting is slow as we sit and chat. Suddenly there is a bird about ten feet coming in for a landing on my hay bale. I see the bird the bird sees me. The bird throws his brakes on and stops in mid air at about four feet with its wings spread very wide.I do the fastest gun mount ever seen and pull the trigger. Me and the chair tumble backwards with me upside down missing a hat and glasses. The bird goes on its merry way. My friend laughs his fool head off. He likes to tell the story in large crowds. That bird had a wing span of about three feet when he hit reverse.

[mobirdhunter]

Originally Posted by Gerald McPherson

Well here's mine. Bird is a very large dove. Setting is among several round bales on a three legged dove chair. Shooting is slow as we sit and chat. Suddenly there is a bird about ten feet coming in for a landing on my hay bale. I see the bird the bird sees me. The bird throws his brakes on and stops in mid air at about four feet with its wings spread very wide.I do the fastest gun mount ever seen and pull the trigger. Me and the chair tumble backwards with me upside down missing a hat and glasses. The bird goes on its merry way. My friend laughs his fool head off. He likes to tell the story in large crowds. That bird had a wing span of about three feet when he hit reverse.

Gerald, what a great account of a miss...and better yet that you can tell it on yourself. (BTW, I have long ago gotten rid of my three-legged stool for dove hunts.)

[charlie cleveland]

that made me laugh for a while...charlie

[Stan Hillis]

Toughest wild bird shot? No question ............ wood ducks coming into a little beaver pond at first light. They land on the water at, what seems to be, at least 50 mph, dodging between trees, darting back and forth, until finally plopping down within 5 yards of you oftentimes.

I've shot doves for 60 years here and South America, wild quail in Georgia and Arizona, green timber ducks in Arkansas and Mississippi, but nothing is as consistently tough as those woodies coming in to land in a little beaver pond in timber in the predawn light.

SRH

[Ed Norman]

I forgot about another tough shot I had hunting. A couple I got to know back in the 70's helped me train my first beagle. They offered to take me grouse hunting with their bird dog. I think it was a wire haired griffon? I remember watching the dog quartering, I remember him going on point, Bob directed me to an area to the right of the dog, Bob walked in towards the dog and several grouse flushed, maybe 5 or 6 if I remember correctly. My first wife had just gotten me a browning over/under 20 gauge for my birthday, and this was my first hunt with that new shotgun. I aimed at a grouse, took my shot, 2 grouse fell, the dog went and retrieved both of them. Bob was standing there with his mouth wide open, his wife Patti was just smiling. I tried to act like it was no big deal the next shot I took was one of my toughest shots ever.

[Joe from MO]

Shot at a Goldeneye on Truman Lake back in the 80's.... I still remember it like yesterday.

I was shooting south of the blind coming towards us with a nice tail wind. I lined up pulled away for the lead, and just as I squeezed the trigger, it made a hard left, as only a goldeneye with a tailwind can do... Because the bird was out my end of the blind, my dad had not even pulled up his gun, and was just watching me for the shot... He just started laughing and said, I think you missed that bird by two counties....