Your Toughest Shot -- Bird and Setting

[Gary Laudermilch]

I have to concur that the grouse leaving a tree is my most difficult, if not impossible. After 50 years chasing them I am not sure I have ever connected with a tree flush. And not because I did not know they were there as my dogs will routinely point them up in a tree.

The second most missed shot is a grouse that flushes in front but flies quartering to the rear. Instead of moving my feet I seem to insist on getting corkscrewed into the ground.

[Phil C]

Fast high flying pigeons give me the most challenging shots. When you do connect what a great feeling. They can be dead in the air and still sail for a long way.

[Ron Scott]

I think any fast crossing bird over 30 yards out is very tough shot. That happens mostly with ducks for me, occasionally I'll get that type of shot at a pheasant, more often with doves. I find those long passing shots tougher than quick flushes in close -- what I'd call snap shooting -- you sometimes hear the bird before you see it, the gun snaps to the shoulder and fires. For some reason I do pretty well on those -- it's all instinct with no time to think. But if I see the bird coming and then it passes in front of me out there a ways, I have too much time to think and try to figure out the lead and I would most likely miss. I'm better at that shot now that I shoot sporting clays a lot. But it is still the toughest shot on the course.

[chris dawe]

As a young teen ,I wasn't really permitted by law to hunt not until I was 16,but the old single shot behind the porch door when I got home from school each day was too tempting -my older brother had always told me to never load the gun, just carry it cracked open with a shell in the chamber -so I did ...

My buddy Pete was over after to school to tag along for this "illegal grouse hunt " -doing bad stuff was cool !....the winding river behind the house was frozen solid ,but we had little snow and after a little walk as we rounded the corner, the exclamation of "Grouse !" rang out -it was standing about 10 feet from me ,I cocked the gun before I closed it holding both the trigger and the hammer ,closing the gun as I was bringing it up ,at about waist high I let go the hammer but in my excitement still holding the trigger ...it went off ,from the hip taking the head right off my first grouse ! my buddy thought I was a crackerjack ,I said there was nothing to it -it was the first grouse I ever shot and I can take you right to the very spot today.


Another time , my older brother would take me on the barrens with our old setter Ben,( not to be confused with my modern Ben ) lead shot was the norm and we could use it on anything that jumped up ...I would carry at least two full boxes of 12 gauge imperials ,and with my trusty H&R single I got the shit kicked out of me and couldn't hit the broad side of a barn ,most days running out of shells, it was pitiful -our favorite quarry were Ptarmigan and snipe ...this one lone snipe gets up over a point at least a gunshot away ,my brother yells " don't shoot!" ( because of course I was running low ) ..the bird keeps getting further and further ,im lining it up ...boom !! there was a moment of hesitation it fanned out flew straight up about 3 feet and dropped dead -one pellet in the back of its head .

There was also my first day in Arizona with Phil Carr,jump shooting ducks from puddles on the way to the mountains for mearns ,the first puddle held a few we thought ...it was actually hundreds ,when it settled down I had five ducks laying out there ...I only fired two shots !

[mobirdhunter]

Chris' story of the head shot snipe reminded me of the rare occasions that I have shot a bird and a pellet hit it in the head (by chance of course). On each occasion -- and it's happened with grouse and quail -- the bird towered very high, straight up, and then plummeted straight down...dead. I believe the bird was "dead, but didn't know it" as my father used to say. It's an interesting phenomenon.

I've also shot birds that have flown on as if not hit, only to discover them (well, the dog discovered them) some distance away, quite dead. I remember an Iowa pheasant in particular that I shot at and, not thinking I'd hit it, followed up with the dog to see if we could get him up again. I'm sure that bird flew at least 400 yards and we found him quite dead with no sign of a hit.

In another "weird shot" incident, I took a Hail Mary shot at a flushing Fall turkey with my Ithaca magnum 10 gauge. The bird dropped dead at 77 paces. I never did find where it was hit. My wife told me that it probably died as a courtesy to my "reputation."

[birddogdoc]

Mearns quail in the oaks on steep ground. I also can't hit them if they fly towards me and then over my head where you have to spin around and shoot!

[Dean Romig]

Take 'em as incomers. I did that with a woodcock once - stupid mistake on my part...

I never did find the majority of that bird.





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[Gary Laudermilch]

How ironic this thread. Although our grouse season is closed, today was just too beautiful to pass up; 15 degrees, light wind, sun shining, and just the right amount of recent snow for good track looking. So, off I went with the dogs to some grouse cover to get us all some exercise and enjoy the day.

Near the end of the first real good cover I saw four sets of fresh grouse tracks. The dogs were working out further so I waited for them to get everything covered. Yep, they found them. When I walked in both dogs were locked up looking skyward. And away they go from about 15 feet up the tree. I am absolutely, positively sure I would not have connected with any of the four birds. It seems they are going mach 1 as soon as their feet leave the branch.

A bit later they nailed one on the ground. Now that is a different story. That bird is lucky I did not have my Parker repro. Oh well, maybe next year we'll meet again. At least the dogs had fun.

[Mike of the Mountain]

For me, doesn't matter what species, if it flushes unexpectedly and goes hard right, almost beyond 90 degrees. That's my toughest shot. Having replacement parts makes that harder. I tend to do what Gary Laudermilch does, instead of stepping to the shot I too corkscrew myself into it and run out of swing. I know better, but in the heat of the moment my brain takes a vacation!

[mobirdhunter]

Originally Posted by Mike Koneski

For me, doesn't matter what species, if it flushes unexpectedly and goes hard right, almost beyond 90 degrees. That's my toughest shot. Having replacement parts makes that harder. I tend to do what Gary Laudermilch does, instead of stepping to the shot I too corkscrew myself into it and run out of swing. I know better, but in the heat of the moment my brain takes a vacation!

Yup, Mike, I can corkscrew on a shot with the best of them...and, of course miss. Hey, when the bird gets up, especially without "prior notice," the old muscle memory frequently forgets. Having said this, I've made some memorable shots from the ole corkscrew method. Luck is as luck does.