January Duck Float

In October my friend Ben and another hunting buddy of his had floated a stream in the laurel highlands in pursuit of ducks.  On a crisp beautiful October day they drifted down the stream flushing wood ducks with some regularity and shooting several of them.  Now that deer season was over and duck season  open Ben suggested that we float that same stretch in his canoe.  We could take turns, switching about as bow gunner and canoe pilot.  The small ponds in the area had some ice on them but the stream was ice free, so, he reasoned, ducks would be drawn to the open water of the stream.

Since the Pittsburgh weather man that I had listened to was gushing about unseasonably warm weather for the day with showers not moving in until late that afternoon, I decided to go with a lighter cotton camo jacket rather than my bulky waterproof camo parka.  As soon as I stepped from my car in the mountains I was pretty sure I had made a mistake.  The temperature is always lower in the highlands than it is in Pittsburgh, and I should have figured on that.  When we dropped off  Ben's truck at the takeout point, we saw ducks swimming downstream from where we parked.  They were far off and downstream from our takeout point, but it was encouraging to know that there were ducks in the area, and they were on the stream.  We drove my vehicle back up to our launch point and set off shortly after 11:00 a.m.

At 11:15 it started to rain.

Ben had us well prepared.  He had camo netting for his lightweight canoe, some decoys,  and a black, short barreled 12 gauge pump, which I soon realized was very well suited to what we were doing.  My standard size walnut stocked semi seemed visible and cumbersome by comparison, especially when we had to get out of the canoe to drag it through shallows and pass it over or through "strainers" which blocked our progress down the stream.  About all I really contributed to the effort was a camera and a thermos of hot tea, which turned out to be a welcome addition.  Ben had the sense to wear a rain jacket.

The rain was little more than a sprinkle at first, and I pretty much ignored it.  That worked for a little while, but as we floated along marveling at our surroundings it began to rain harder and more steadily.  My cotton gloves were the first thing to become completely soaked and totally useless, I wrung them out, but finally decided that I was better off without them, so tossed them aside.  The camo ball cap that I wore does not mention gore-tex nor claim to be waterproof anywhere that I can find on it, but it certainly seems to be.  It kept my head nice and warm and dry.  I decided to concentrate on that.  The rain and accompanying mist made visibility a little tough as I studied the stream ahead for ducks, but when a wild turkey launched from some hemlocks on the left bank about a hundred yards ahead of us and flew across the stream, it was clearly visible.  When we got to about 50 yards from the trees, a couple more turkeys followed, then a few more, then a steady stream until 43 had crossed in front of us all told.  For a few minutes the woods ahead on our right were full of turkeys running around, a fascinating sight, then they were gone.

About that time I was beginning to think we were not going to see any ducks, and noticed that I was starting to get wet through my coat.  Then, all of a sudden there were ducks up ahead!  I could see three ducks swimming around and it was clear that they had crested heads, but with mist, drizzle and heavy overcast, I saw them pretty much as silhouettes.  We had a brief whispered discussion about whether or not they were mergansers, beautiful birds but noted for their poor table qualities.  If so, I was not interested, no matter how exciting it might be to shoot at them.  Then they flushed.  Mergansers get off the water by first running on the water to get airspeed, it is a very distinctive and recognizable approach.  These ducks just flushed right from their swimming posture.  Wood ducks!  As Ben excitedly called out the I.D., I pulled the gun up but didn't shoot and muttered "too far".  Then we had a brief discussion about whether or not that was the right call.  I like to think it was.  Regardless, I figured we would encounter them again and, since I had not shot, we would likely get closer to them next time.  Both of us have had that experience on previous non-hunting floats.  These ducks apparently were unaware of that policy and never let us get that close again before flushing!
They also avoided being ambushed by always staying in spots where they could see both up and downstream, so we could not sneak around a bend and "get the drop on them".   It was frustrating to get excited seeing them up ahead, only to have them get up and go before we were in range, but it did help take my mind off being cold and wet.

Passing the canoe through a fallen tree

Our hopes rose when we spotted a flotilla of mallards far down the stream, but they proved to be even spookier than  the woodies, and flushed well out of gun range in a line that spanned the stream from bank to bank.  My hopes for a gun emptying shoot 'em up dashed, I noticed that I was shivering pretty steadily and suggested that we pull over and have a hot cup of tea.We both agreed the tea was a wonderful lift.  While I gulped some down to get the warmth in me as quickly as I could,  Ben tossed out a few decoys and blew on a duck call in an effort to bring the ducks back.  We hid under the low branches of a streamside hemlock, but when they did not return after a while we got back into the canoe and set off down the stream.  We had a few more duck spottings but never were able to really close the distance enough to get any shooting.  As frustrating as that was, it was all in all a great day, and a bit of an adventure.  We congratulated ourselves on getting out, even though conditions were a little tough. Next time I plan to err on the side of overdressing.

A good day, gun fit, gauges and loads

My Brother John and I had a good day about a week before Thanksgiving.  I gave him a call Thursday evening to see if he was free the next day and, if so, if he'd like to go hunting.  I knew he had been working 4 ten hour days some weeks, but wasn't certain if this was one of them.   I don't usually hunt Saturdays and like for him to have an opportunity to hunt with Sunny, since he had helped me train her as a pup.  Turns out he was off Friday and up for some bird hunting, so off we went.  We headed to a State Game Lands in Armstrong County where we sometimes hunt pheasants and grouse.  We did not encounter any grouse that day, but both got our 2 bird limit of Ringneck roosters.  While I won't say we didn't have any misses, I was proud of our shooting, which I felt was pretty impressive overall.  We set up the above I-phone photo to commemorate our day.

Guns that fit are guns that hit

Both John and I have made adjustments to our shotgun stocks to make our shooting more instinctive and consistent.  John made his "home made" adjustment to his Winchester pump years ago after realizing that he was consistently shooting too high and missing birds by shooting over them.  He determined that his stock was too short and did not have enough "drop" to line up his eye with the rib when the gun was shouldered.  Being a resourceful and self-reliant guy, he fashioned a wooden spacer that also dropped his recoil pad a little.  He immediately started shooting better, and is one of the most consistent wingshots that I know, especially when using his "custom fitted" gun.

I started hunting with a 20 gauge over/under last year.  I liked carrying the smaller, lighter gun (compared to the 12 gauge that I had been using), but was pretty inconsistent with it.  When I decided to pattern it at the beginning of this season, I found it a real challenge to get my pattern down to center it on the paper.  I was shooting considerably too high.  Rich at Economy Gunsmithing, Inc. (724-266-0232) watched me mount the gun a few times, then installed an adjustable butt plate/recoil pad, after first shortening the stock so the length of pull would not be changed.  In this case, too, my shooting immediately got better.

Our "customized" stocks

John had a good idea of just what he needed, and seems to have nailed it right off.  My gun can be adjusted by removing the pad and loosening and re-positioning the plate with an allen wrench.  When I picked it up from the gunsmith, I felt that it looked like too much adjustment.  He had the pad dropped considerably and the bottom of it kicked out a little away from my shoulder (toe out I believe this is called).  I brought it to my shoulder and, to my delight and surprise, it seemed perfect!  Shooting it showed that I was hitting a lot more consistently than before but hitting a little low, so I made a tiny adjustment and it now seems just right.  Somewhere I read or heard that you should make 2-3 fine tuning adjustments at most then throw away the wrench, so you aren't tempted to keep messing with it.  Seems like good advice.  Sometimes missing is just missing, your fault, not the gun.  Set it and forget it.  Thinking about it (or thinking about anything, for that matter) is the enemy of instinctive wingshooting.  Use the force, Luke!

A lot of people seem to keep trying different shotguns in search of that magic one that they will shoot well, or dreaming about getting a stock custom made to their dimensions.  Neither approach is within my financial reach, nor, I'd imagine, that of a lot of other folks.  If you are fortunate enough to have a gun that fits you well, that's terrific.  If not, It is not that tough or expensive to get the stock that you have shortened, lengthened, or otherwise modified to your needs.  John even did it himself - and more hitting is a wonderful thing!

Gauge, Chokes, Loads, etc.

Several years ago I started shooting clays with a group of work friends.  I was consistently the worst, or at least one of the worst shooters.  I determined to change that and started getting out to practice more.  While practice did not "make perfect", it certainly helped, and I made the leap from "poor" to at least "decent", though erratic or inconsistent could also apply.  As I became more interested in shotgunning, I began to read and research in an effort to enhance my performance and enjoyment.
I read a lot about chokes, gauges, types of shot, etc. and tried to pursue a policy of "doing and using what is best.  After considerable time, effort and experimentation I've arrived at the following conclusion:

Good shooting trumps everything.

Everything I read advised that the use of more open (Imp. Cyl., skeet, or even cylinder) chokes would increase your chances of hitting by allowing more "margin of error", especially at shorter ranges and that the harder shot in premium quality (read expensive) ammunition was a big advantage.  I don't doubt that either of these things are true, it is just that neither is anywhere near as important to the simple act of hitting rather than missing than basic good shooting.

The two most consistent wingshooters that I have the good fortune to hunt with are my friend Ben and my brother John.  Ben shoots a vintage Fox 16 gauge side by side with double triggers.  For reasons of personal ergonomic preference and long term habit he shoots the rear trigger full choked barrel first.  He rarely misses, even on close shots.  John hunts with an improved cylinder choke in his gun and I have seen him kill birds with #5 shot at distances that I would have thought would be out of range.

Choke selection can have a real impact on "how" you hit.  A full choke hit at close range can be quite dramatic, for instance. Whether or not you hit seems to me much more a result of how you handle the gun than anything else.   A good shot can make long shots with an open choke because even though the bulk of the shot spreads wide, there is still a relatively tight cluster in the center "core" of the pattern to do the work.  Obviously, this same "being ON" allows a good shooter to hit at close range with a tight choke.

Good shooting is far more important than what choke or shot quality you put in your gun, or even what gauge it is.  Shoot poorly, or incorrectly and it won't matter what you use.  When I rush my gun mount and shoot without bringing the stock up tight to my cheek as I often do (a flushing bird still causes me to go to pieces!) I miss.  Sometimes I empty the gun and watch a bird fly off unharmed, still well in range, so I know that I rushed my shots unnecessarily.  Taking a moment to get it together and calmly and correctly bring the gun to your cheek is far more important than any decisions that you might make concerning choke and load.  I've learned that taking my time and "cheeking" rather than "shouldering" the gun first makes a big difference.  Think of it as bringing the gun up to your cheek (and therefore your eye) rather than planting the butt into your shoulder then trying to get your head down onto it.  The gun should hit your shoulder last, not first.

I believe that having a gun that fits you and shooting it correctly makes gauge (except for .410) almost irrelevant.  I 've been getting more birds hitting them with a 20 gauge than I did missing them with a 12 gauge!