I'm wondering, if you could sum it up in the simplest terms, what method you use to take most of your wild birds?

See and identify the bird, verify shot is both safe and likely to be successful,shoot bird, place bird in bag. Sorry if my answer sounds sarcastic. Your question has a very broad stroke.

Let my dog locate and point them, walk up to where he is pointing and flush birds, identify birds, then shoulder gun, and shoot them.

What I think Riley is asking is a survey of what type of lead technique successful bird hunters use.

For me, it almost exclusively starts out at least in my brain, as swing through; with a "move, mount, shoot", component built in.

Of course, one identifies the target (hen vs. cock; good duck vs. bad duck etc.); and ALWAYS...is the shot safe?...where are your partners, what's in the background.

Experience, opportunity, and repetition are paramount educational components in all of the above. I said I "start out as swing through" because that's what I've drubbed into my self taught unorthodox technique being an avid bird hunter for nigh on 55 years. That said, I do much more clays shooting than feathered shooting lately except for dove. I can hit with pull away, and to a lesser extent, purposeful sustained lead.

Even when I think I'm swinging through, in reality, somehow I'm getting the shot cloud into the path of the bird. I've killed lots and lots of birds of many types, in many different environments over the years. I'd venture to say I've experienced just about every general major type of shot available to N. American wing shooters. My bucket list dream would be real driven grouse in the British Isles or Europe but that will almost assuredly never happen; so I'm content reading and watching videos of those.

Since I've been coached in clays the past couple of years, if I were to think about and analyze my hits, whether they be clay or feather, they seem to almost all look like I pulled away or swung slightly through.

As you hunt more and more, your muscle memory will build and you'll likely be feeling your experiences closely mirror those of the previous posters. Wing shooting is an almost indescribably rewarding blessing. Enjoy it!

If luck in having my preference of a flat-shooting scattergun, then some close form of the ever-popular....butt-belly-beak-bang.

Kind of like asking a juggler to explain how he does it--easier to do than explain.

One thing I don't have to do is determine whether it is safe to shoot or not. I've already done that, with every step I take in the field. If there's any question about it, the gun stays put and I watch the bird fly away.

Butt, bird, beak, bang.

Swing through. Hunting flushing dog so you always need to be ready when the tail starts going.

Whatever technique I felt was required to make the shot. No circumstance is truly the same and even in those that appear to be the same, whim may have me decide to use one method rather than another.

The varied shot opportunities are why there are different techniques used to take them. Being familiar and proficient at a couple different ones will allow one to bag more birds than being a master of just one.

I very carefully assess what technique of developing lead would be most suitable. Wait for perfect moment to smoothly mount and shoot. Cuss a lot and wonder how anybody could be SO inept and still alive! This is my proven methodology! Sheesh!

Churchill's method is probably the least useful technique for me, I find some technique that involves inserting the barrel in front of the target rather than behind to be much easier, quicker, and much more effective. Bobby's method probably worked well with the light, short barreled guns he touted but gun type and shooting knowledge has changed in the 60 some years since he published his thoughts. Getting a good running start provides enough gun speed to help prevent stopping the swing but so does a bit more weight out front with longer barrels. Or, a more aggressive move on the pull away method accomplishes the same affect but with less motion and time.

The rare occasions I catch myself using the pull through method typically sees me surprised and far out of position at the flush which has me playing catch up with the bird. The other occasion is for an incoming bird which is not very common in the uplands but is seen regularly waterfowling.

Swing through, I miss birds more trying to use maintained lead. Pass shooting and flushed Birds are usually accelerating rather than slowing down like clay targets. (Except for decoying birds)

If you shoot swing through and miss and then increase your lead and hit the bird have you switched to pull away or are we still swinging through?

Gentlemen,

If you would like a good book on the subject, purchasing Ken Davies Better Shooting book and read the H&H method, then practice it. H&H still teaches Kens's methods even today. There are few people in the world that gunned wild birds like Ken Davies. Having gunned a lot of Grouse myself, each situation is a little different, crossers, in coming, straight aways and over head flyers are all a learned experience, techniques differ on each. There is no one technique that covers all the different situations, and each depends on how far away the wild bird happens to be from you the gunner.

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

Or as Digweed likes to describe it. Bum, belly, beak, bang.

I always like to look for and focus on the birds head (beak if you can see it). The eyes drive the gun and if your focused on the head the gun will follow. For instance on a Pheasant that white ring around the neck stands out to me if the bird is presenting a side or incoming shot.

If it's a longish crossing shot I may mount and insert the barrel to the birds head and slowly pull away as I fire the shot. To be clear... it's not measuring how far to pull away but more of a feel. When the lead feels right trigger the shot. As with anything practicing these techniques on a skeet or sporting clays course will gain you experience on how this works.

I think it is important to emphasize that you mount the gun into the bird. This as opposed to mounting the gun and then chasing the bird all over the horizon and blasting away. Put the barrel on the bird, mount the gun, and pull the trigger as you swing through the front of the bird.

To much thinking on how to make the shot you will miss him every time, the churchill method is the best for the novice shooter.

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