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Redhat
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Post subject: Off Season Practice Posted: Wed May 06, 2020 9:22 am |
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Joined: Sun Mar 26, 2006 1:06 pm Posts: 99
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I was just wondering how many of you wing shooters practice in the off season or maybe just do a tune-up right before season opens?
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painter*
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Post subject: Re: Off Season Practice Posted: Wed May 06, 2020 10:25 am |
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Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2017 9:08 am Posts: 2417 Location: Central NH
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I shoot 5 stand, and trap, year round, including during hunting season. It's been curtailed by the stay at home orders in my state.
I'll do a tune up with my hunting guns in early fall at 5 stand.
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geometric
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Post subject: Re: Off Season Practice Posted: Wed May 06, 2020 10:50 am |
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Joined: Tue Jun 15, 2004 11:55 am Posts: 5496 Location: Hemingway, S.C. 29554
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My feelings are that the best practice for bird shooting is shooting birds, however, any practice is better than no practice. Crows were good practice but now you can't shoot them in the off season. I never liked the idea of shooting anything when they are nesting anyway. Nuisance birds like starlings & feral pigeons are always good if you can find them in shootable concentrations. Other than traveling to S. America, clays are the only other alternative I know about. So, a few years ago I bought a trap. I am always happier when I'm shooting!
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Tidefanatic
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Post subject: Re: Off Season Practice Posted: Wed May 06, 2020 11:17 am |
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Joined: Sun Dec 17, 2017 9:04 am Posts: 2995
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I shoot ( or used to ) informal skeet as practice pretty much year round. Don`t shoot " regular " presentations (doubles ), just have the puller throw multiple singles from more realistic angles.
_________________ Fabarm L4S Initial Hunter Remington 870 Super Magnum Turkey Remington V3 Walnut Remington 870 Express (Realtree Xtra camo)
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oldshotty
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Post subject: Re: Off Season Practice Posted: Wed May 06, 2020 10:56 pm |
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Joined: Thu Feb 01, 2018 2:38 pm Posts: 204
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geometric wrote: the best practice for bird shooting is shooting birds. Crows, sparrows, starlings, pigeons are always good Yup
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Patently Obvious
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Post subject: Re: Off Season Practice Posted: Thu May 07, 2020 7:31 am |
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Joined: Mon May 27, 2013 7:19 pm Posts: 1928 Location: Indian Head Country Wisconsin
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When I can’t shoot birds I shoot clays. My preference now is sporting, but I’ve shot skeet, and trap too. Skeet according to original rules with a low gun and up to 3 second delay for the bird upon call is probably the best hunting practice. It’s the reason the game was invented. Trap with premounted is not as useful. Sporting has many obtuse targets now that don’t resemble hunting shots as much, but low gun and no show birds on each station can replicate that surprise type flush. I guess what to shoot depends on what you hunt. There is not much that replicates lying on your back, punching up through a door and sitting on your butt like field hunting waterfowl unless you sit down while shooting clays I guess.
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lossking
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Post subject: Re: Off Season Practice Posted: Thu May 07, 2020 11:21 am |
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*Proud to be a* |
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Joined: Sat Feb 19, 2005 7:25 pm Posts: 9278 Location: Louisiana
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I don't have much opportunity for upland birds, but year around skeet, 5 stand and sporting clays sure did improve my duck shooting.
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Tidefanatic
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Post subject: Re: Off Season Practice Posted: Thu May 07, 2020 11:25 am |
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Joined: Sun Dec 17, 2017 9:04 am Posts: 2995
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Patently Obvious wrote: When I can’t shoot birds I shoot clays. My preference now is sporting, but I’ve shot skeet, and trap too. Skeet according to original rules with a low gun and up to 3 second delay for the bird upon call is probably the best hunting practice. It’s the reason the game was invented. Trap with premounted is not as useful. Sporting has many obtuse targets now that don’t resemble hunting shots as much, but low gun and no show birds on each station can replicate that surprise type flush. I guess what to shoot depends on what you hunt. There is not much that replicates lying on your back, punching up through a door and sitting on your butt like field hunting waterfowl unless you sit down while shooting clays I guess. Yep, dove mostly for me. Well, and turkey, but....
_________________ Fabarm L4S Initial Hunter Remington 870 Super Magnum Turkey Remington V3 Walnut Remington 870 Express (Realtree Xtra camo)
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Perdiz
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Post subject: Re: Off Season Practice Posted: Thu May 07, 2020 12:39 pm |
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Joined: Tue Sep 13, 2011 8:12 am Posts: 196
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Clays (sporting, 5-stand, skeet, wobble trap and variations like skrap) year-round. I belong to a small private club and we have our own ranges, so we can do a lot of interesting stuff. Pigeons and starlings when we can find them, and I take at least one trip south of the border for dove/pigeon every year. Hunting season just means we shoot birds too as well as clays!
For dove practice, agreed on low-gun skeet. For flushing birds, low gun trap/wobble trap works well too.
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Kannoncocker
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Post subject: Re: Off Season Practice Posted: Thu May 07, 2020 1:15 pm |
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Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2014 9:46 am Posts: 841 Location: Nawth Bama
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All good responses here. I shoot as often as I can, consistent with work, honey-dos and range access.
I've been limited previously by the need to use a Trius trap. It's better than nothing, but it's laborious, and offers virtually no variety in target behavior.
But I've just assembled a Raven 50 clay trap on a wobbler. Haven't used it yet, but I plan to fix that this weekend. Hope I'll be able to get that beast on the truck!
_________________ Cocker
Drang nach Alger Flats!
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oldbirdhntr
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Post subject: Re: Off Season Practice Posted: Fri May 08, 2020 4:17 pm |
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Crown Grade |
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Joined: Sat May 07, 2011 8:17 am Posts: 2650 Location: Piedmont North Carolina
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oldshotty wrote: geometric wrote: the best practice for bird shooting is shooting birds. Crows, sparrows, starlings, pigeons are always good Yup Absolutely. Pigeons and sparrows with small gauge guns are sporty and a lot of fun...as was mentioned, when you can find enough.
_________________ "I'll take mine in Caroline" - Havilah Babcock
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oldbirdhntr
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Post subject: Re: Off Season Practice Posted: Fri May 08, 2020 4:20 pm |
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Crown Grade |
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Joined: Sat May 07, 2011 8:17 am Posts: 2650 Location: Piedmont North Carolina
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Duplicate - sorry.
_________________ "I'll take mine in Caroline" - Havilah Babcock
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rubysue
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Post subject: Re: Off Season Practice Posted: Sat May 09, 2020 7:20 pm |
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Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2010 6:14 pm Posts: 160 Location: SW Georgia
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A friend and I just finished setting up our own 5 stand as we live over 50 miles From the closest range. We have 11 machines of which 2 are rabbits one battle, one wobble and a teal. Two elevated stands with machines on them and lights for night shooting.
I also shoot sporting lays when I can.
BUT, nothing takes the place of live birds. IMO
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The Happy Kaboomer
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Post subject: Re: Off Season Practice Posted: Sat May 16, 2020 8:42 pm |
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Joined: Mon May 25, 2015 10:42 pm Posts: 389 Location: In The Woods Of The SC Low Country
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I built myself a skeet field 140 yards from my front door in my field out front........I shoot several days a week.
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uglydog
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Post subject: Re: Off Season Practice Posted: Sat May 16, 2020 10:15 pm |
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Joined: Mon Jun 09, 2003 12:52 am Posts: 5712
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Its been several decades since bird numbers and season lengths allowed one enough shooting to learn on wild birds. That is why I shoot a lot of clays. There is no other way to put in the trigger time needed to learn to shoot well and no better way to consistently replicate opportunity types that give one trouble. I shoot a fair number of crows, starlings, pigeons, training birds, and the like but clay pigeons are what gets me in my best shooting shape.
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Pine Creek/Dave
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Post subject: Re: Off Season Practice Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2020 2:23 am |
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Joined: Fri Mar 01, 2019 1:36 pm Posts: 999 Location: Endless Mountains of PA
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Redhat,
For a very long time I had a corporate membership to the Nimacolin Shooting Academy, here in Western Pa, did a lot of teaching for Grouse gunning and shot a lot of clays each week myself. I gave up the membership a while back, and now only shoot on occasion. I do train Grouse dogs and shoot a lot of training birds which keeps my muscle memory intact for gunning wild birds.
Pine Creek/Dave L.C. Smith Man
_________________ L.C. Smith Man Pine Creek Grouse Dog Trainers Charlton Heston NRA Speakers Bureau Member NRA Life Member/NRA Instructor
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gunner76
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Post subject: Re: Off Season Practice Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2020 5:32 am |
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Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2007 2:26 pm Posts: 345
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I shoot sporting clays weekly during the summer.
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