This will be the first in a series to talk about technique in shooting the different presentations that one would face in shooting Game Birds of the World. As the title suggests we will be discussing techniques as well as practice before going on a wing shooting safari.
There are a variety of different flushing birds, and each could offer its own set of circumstances – from terrain to different dog work. But most of all flushing instances, the bird is going away from the hunter in some direction or another. While each species will vary in speed, as they flee they could differ greatly in line and distance in front where they flush. And going forward, we will cover some of the most often hunted species and talk about variances between them.
Perhaps the most common flushing birds to us would be quail and pheasant here in the States, as well as perdiz (partridge) in South America. The most common first reaction to hunting perdiz is how a bird the size of a very large quail could hide in such short grass. In any flushing situation, the dog work will eventually catch your eye. And it should – because good dog work in a flushing situation can make or break a great hunt, either from the pointing side of the flush to the retrieving side of the shot.
So here is our first Game Birds of the World tip on flushing birds: when approaching the point always focus on something at a distance, not on the dogs. Keeping your eyes very still and focused on something 30 to 50 yards out in front of the dogs will allow for you to pick up the movement of the flushing birds in your periphery and allow for a much quicker move to focus on one of the birds. Once you have focused on one bird, then move and mount your gun to the bird, inserting just a touch underneath. As soon as you know the direction of the bird, move the muzzles up just in front of the bird and take the shot.
We said a lot in the last two sentences, so let’s review and add some “whys” with the comments. Your eyes come back in focus in one move and they take two moves to focus farther out. This can be seen by simply setting up two objects, one at distance, 20-plus yards, and one close – say, five yards away with both objects closely in line with each other. Now focus on the distant object and then quickly focus on the close object. As your focus comes back to the close object, you will notice it was instantly sharp. Now stay focused on the near object and then focus quickly on the far object. As your focus moves out, you will feel your eyes make two moves: first to acquire the distant object, and then to focus on it.
The reason for this is that the muscles that focus the eyes from far to near tense up to move the focus from distance to up close and those same muscles must relax to focus at distance. Now make a fist as quickly as you can, and note how quickly it happened. But hold the fist tight for a few seconds; now as quickly as you can, relax every muscle that is tense in your hand and arm. Do you see how quickly the muscles can tense up and how long it takes for the muscles to relax?
So, as a flushing bird hunter, always focus on something at distance, keeping your eyes still as you approach the flush, letting your eyes go to the movement of the flushing birds. You will be shocked at how quickly you will pick up the birds and how easy it will become to focus on one bird!
When we hunt quail on the 74 Ranch in South Texas, Vicki does what she calls “Sexing the Bird” before she mounts to the bird. While it is not always possible, this does lead to many one-shot kills for her and her 28-gauge. When the birds flush she will look intently at the head and will know whether the bird is a male or female before she mounts to the bird and takes the shot. If you can make yourself focus on the head, you automatically know which way the bird is going, because the head always leads the way.
We both shoot K-20s with 32” barrels choked IC under mod with #6 shot when we go after quail. That’s right, we said #6 on quail. If you are a quail hunter and you are not using #6 shot, then two things are happening to you. First, after you shoot your quail are scurrying around on the ground and the dogs have to chase them down, wasting precious time after the original flush. And second, you end up with shot in the meat when enjoying your game at the dinner table. When you use #6 shot, the birds bounce when they hit the ground and are waiting on the dog to pick them up, and there will be no shot in the bird because they either go through the bird or lodge against the breast bone. Gil will typically be using a 20-gauge and Vicki will typically be using a 28-gauge, but both will be using #6’s and both will have their share of one-shot kills because they both practice their gun mounts before leaving for the ranch.
We will touch on home practice for flushing birds in the next epistle. But for now, let’s continue with some shooting tips for the field on flushing birds.
We can still remember 15 or so years ago when Gil brought 28-gauge #6 shot to the 74 Ranch for a quail hunt with owner George Robinson and hunting manager Milo Abercrombie. All were using 28-gauge side-by-sides, and at first, the guide expressed his concern (disdain) with our using #6 shot and how we would be tearing up all the birds. In his opinion, it just would not work.
Well, the time came for the first afternoon hunt and the guide was still “thin-lipped” about the #6 but he held his tongue. As the hunt began, certain things began to be more than obvious. It was irrefutable that the birds were hitting the ground dead and the dogs made the retrieves instantly. It was easy to shoot our three to four birds per covey and move on to the next one. While we all shot well that day and the birds were plentiful and were holding really well, it was amazing how many one-shot kills we had and how no birds were flying away with a leg down!
On that hunt we finished about 20 or 30 minutes early and were back at the lodge before the sun went down all with limits of birds. And not one wounded bird got away. As we were gathering our stuff off the quail truck, the guide came over with his hand out. “Well, if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would not have believed it,” he said as our hands met. “Mr. Ash, three limits with almost all one-shot kills. No lost birds that hit the ground and absolutely no wounded birds that flew off with a leg down!”
We both overheard George telling Milo that they needed to get some #6 soon!
In order to really enjoy a hunt like this, there are certain things that you need to understand about becoming proficient with a shotgun. The first one is that if you can’t move and mount the gun consistently without thinking about it, you are not going to experience much success or consistency.
George, Milo, and Gil all are experienced wing shooters and as a result this one simple change of using #6s could make a huge difference in their success. When we say “experienced wing shooters” we mean that they can move and mount the gun without thinking about it or looking at the gun to see if it is in the right place. You see, in wing shooting the shooter must know where the gun is pointed without looking at it in order to focus on the target as it is moving away in a flushing situation.
In the next issue, we will talk about home practice and getting ready for shooting flushing birds. Stay tuned!
