My shooting/hunting perceptions and skills have changed dramatically over the years. When I started hunting at age 12 and up to about age 35 (It's embarrassing to write this), I was mostly an unsuccessful sky blaster for waterfowl and a 3 shot no matter what for upland game. Friends an mentors took me under their wings and changed my whole hunting/shooting perspective. One guy took me skeet shooting and after a while had me shooting low gun to simulate hunting conditions. Another friend taught me to call ducks and geese to within easy shooting range and as as result of what those two guy taught me I became a successful hunter and not just a bad shot and bird crippler. They also taught me that 1 1/4 oz. of lead, when lead was legal is more than enough for both ducks and geese. I shoot pheasant, Huns, sharp tail and blue and ruff grouse with 3/4 oz. loads. I spend a lot of time on my pattern board when I'm attempting to evaluate a new load or perfecting an old one. A person can use as much shot and gun that they feel is necessary, but crippling birds at extreme ranges makes no sense to me and in the case of waterfowl, when you learn to call close shots are the norm.
Does crippling birds at
CLOSE range make more sense?
Crippling ducks, or any other gamebird that may be occasionally shot at a longer distance, is not exclusive of short range shooting.
SRH
Good grief, how did you get that I endorse short range crippling?
My point is: Know what is coming out of your barrel(s) and how effective it is at the distances you shoot; all of which can be accomplished by pattern and penetration tests.
When you know your barrel(s)/loads and their effective ranges, crippling can be held to a minimum.
Jim, I wasn't implying that you endorse short range crippling. It's just that no one
EVER mentions the crippling that occurs from poor shooting at shorter ranges. Crippling seems to be always blamed on "long range" shooting. I have chased ducks from pits, floating blinds, boats, waded beaver ponds where we shoot woodies at handshaking distances, drifted rivers and creeks jump shooting them, and squatted on the edge of ponds in the bushes.......... and I've seen a whole lot of ducks shot at within 30 yds. that had to be finished. No one ever mentions them.
As I stated earlier, crippling ducks is not exclusive of short range gunning.
All my best, SRH
