The first step to take in achieving successful shot gunning is to make sure that the shotgun you choose fits you properly. Shotgun manufactures put a standard stock on there production models. So with that being said one stock will not fit everybody out there due to people’s different height, and length of pull in their arms. When choosing a shotgun consider first being able to fit it to you before you start drooling over its great features. Some shotguns have fixed composite stocks with no room for adjustment by a gunsmith.  With these types of shotguns we have to make sure they fit us before we purchase them. Make sure to check them completely for stock length and pitch. Some of the most current waterfowl shotguns provide composite shims to adjust the stock pitch to fit most shot gunners this is definitely a plus when it comes to fitting.  (Shotgun stock pitch is the angle at which the shotgun butt stock fits to your shoulder. This is very easy to detect if you have improper fit. When you fire the shotgun if it flips the muzzle up or down the pitch is wrong. With the proper pitch the shotgun will recoil straight back into your shoulder.) It is always best to purchase your shotgun from a shop that has a well trained staff or an in house gun smith experienced in fitting shotguns for hard at it bird busting folks.  Here at North Sound Waterfowl we are great fans of Kesslerings Gun Shop.

One way you will know if a shotgun fits you is when you pick an aiming point at a fair birding distance then you throw the gun up 4 to 5 times as is if you would when hunting. Doing this with your favorite hunting jacket on is a great extra step to take when doing this because the bulk of clothing changes things. When doing this if you have to make any adjustments to your body such as bringing your head to the stock or readjust where the butt pad contacts your shoulder every time you throw the gun up, or you are seeing the top of the sighting rib on the barrel,

IT DOSE NOT FIT!

Fitting your shotgun is a crucial first element for successful instinctive wing shooting to become fluent in the field.

Instinctive wing shooting:

What is Instinctive Shooting? It is a combination of the fundamentals of stance, posture, gun mount and technique that enables a shot to be taken without conscious thought.

When a shotgun is fitted properly good shooting posture becomes effortless with the shotgun coming in to the cheek securely and the butt pad finding its home in the pocket of the shoulder. Notice I said shotgun coming in to the cheek not the cheek coming into the shotgun. If we are bringing the cheek into the shotgun we are then hunching over the gun instead of standing straight up with good posture. This will also produce canting the gun and diminish our accuracy.

With instinctive wing shooting the most important element is keeping the stock to the cheek. The stock to the cheek serves the same purpose and the rear sight of a rifle; it’s your rear anchor point much like in archery.

The second and most equally important factor in instinctive wing shooting is fixing your eyes on the target and not the bead of your shotgun.

It’s Opening day of the duck season you are drawing down on a teal that is doing mach- 1 through your decoys you are aiming and swinging with the bird , you drop the hammer on him and you miss the first shot being behind it when you swear you where right on it. This happens when we mechanically try to calculate lead by aiming with the bead and by the time the signal from the brain to pull the trigger reaches our finger we are already behind the target….The second shot usually hits the bird because the thoughts have gone out the window and instinct takes over.

Once we have got the feel for the proper lead on various targets at the practice range your instincts record that in your brain in the form of muscle memory. Then the next time it is required on a target it dose not require thought it then becomes instinct allowing you to focus on the target. Your hands and body will automatically do the rest and over time your instincts will become stronger provided you don’t start thinking about what you are doing to the point you start aiming again, this is the enemy to instinctive wing shooting.

The last element that I feel a need to mention is to maintain proper balance of the shotgun by where you place your hand on the forearm of the shotgun. We do not want to be to far forward being over extended or too far back and being under supported. Find that sweet spot on your forearm of your shotgun and then practice to lock it in the brain housing group.

In closing folks I hope this article helps you become the efficient wing shooter you want to be and that it enriches your waterfowling experience putting more birds and memories in the bag season after season.

Contributed by Shane Rossen North Sound Waterfowl Guide and founder of Callers For Christ