Leading Doves!!

I do it by feel. I couldn't begin to tell you. I pull ahead and when it feels right, I shoot.
 

Nitro

Banned
Shooting a few rounds of Five stand and/or Sporting Clays a year will make you a much more competent wing shooter.

Have a good season.
 

TreeFrog

Senior Member
Speed, distance, angle... too many variables to give you an answer. The best thing is practice. You shouldn't be thinking about your lead, you should just be shooting when it feels right. A few rounds of skeet will go a long way to improve your skills.

Of course, that's if you choose to shoot doves while they're flying. I find it's way easier to hit them when they're on a limb or powerline sitting still.
 

Dustin Pate

Administrator
Staff member
I think even more important that leading is following through. Make sure you keep moving when you pull the trigger.
 

Hankus

Senior Member
Dad shoots em close and he uses butt, beak, boom

I aint too patient so I leave a little slack in the beak, boom sometimes :bounce:
 

General Lee

Senior Member
Shooting a few rounds of Five stand and/or Sporting Clays a year will make you a much more competent wing shooter.

Have a good season.
No comparison.The real thing is 10 times tougher...........
 

easbell

Senior Member
There a 3 basic leads. A little, a lot, and a whole bunch. Start with a little. If you are missing go to "a lot". A "whole bunch" is for those guys that really know how to shoot. One guy on our field was dropping birds at 60 plus yrds and I asked about the lead. His comment was..."about a school bus". To me thats a whole bunch.
 

pine nut

Senior Member
Everything said above is correct! I probably missed more than all of yall. I tried every lead imaginable and it made no difference cause I was shooting over them. Get that gun in tight on the shoulder and get the haed down on the comb of the stock. On an incoming bird if you can see the bird when you pull the trigger you will miss it period! Blot him out with the barrel and you might catch him falling into your hand. That's the easiest one to hit most of the time. Keep the head down and don't stop the swing. Look for color on the bird and shoot at the head end! It takes shooting to get the feel of it. Good luck yall. Wish I was going.
 

emtguy

Senior Member
I think even more important that leading is following through. Make sure you keep moving when you pull the trigger.


2 heck with a lead, this is right...9 outa 10 people who are leading a bird are stoping when they pull the trigger....basically shooting hoping the bird flies into their pattern is whats happening, you have to start a fluid motion swing from behind the bird, catch up to him, pass him and pull the trigger AND KEEP MOVING, if you ever stop your swing you miss!
 

Eugene Stinson

Senior Member
There a 3 basic leads. A little, a lot, and a whole bunch. Start with a little. If you are missing go to "a lot". A "whole bunch" is for those guys that really know how to shoot. One guy on our field was dropping birds at 60 plus yrds and I asked about the lead. His comment was..."about a school bus". To me thats a whole bunch.

That sounds like me. I was once told by a military guy on the field about shooting high bird and leading them about the lenght of a school bus. I watch him and he was right!

The lead is a calculation your brain has to do accounting for all the variables at every bird you draw down on.
This is my advise to the ones that tried different leads to no avail. Use the lead that feels good and try different shells. A shell with 1 oz of #8 shot gets to the bird faster than one with 1 1/8 and slower than one with 7/8 of #8s. Look real close at what you are buying. Super speeds go fast cause they have about the same powder but less lead. 1 1/4 oz of #8s has about 120 more pellets than super speed shells but takes alot longer to get to the bird. I am talking about 12 gauge here.
 
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Open choke, on a crossing bird, flying a cruising height and their normal cruising speed, I would try 2 bird lengths. If they dive then you may be shooting in front of them. No reaction usually means something is out of wack. Faster birds require faster swings. Shoot the heads off the slow, looking for a place to land birds. But then importance of keeping the barrel moving after the shot cannot be under estimated.
 

homey

Senior Member
Look at the bird.If you look at lead you're screwed.When you take your eyes off the bird your gun stops.That's why people think you have to follow through.Look at the bird with your eyes and your hands will do the rest.Most people look at those silly glowing sights.
 
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