I have worked too hard to teach my sons good shooting manners to take them to a tower shoot or for that matter a bad opening day dove shoot. We call the later zoo shoots here as you see all kinds of animals at the shoots. You know, monkeys, asses, pigs, hogs, morons of all types.

Back to the question of shot and chokes and the real point that needs to be mentioned is range. It took me years to teach range first to the boys. Know 30 yards in different types of conditions and you will consistently kill just about any type of bird with moderate loads and fairly open chokes. If you keep shots within 30 your shooting ability goes way up and cripples go way down. I made them count every crippled bird as a dead bird against their limits. It forced them to take better shots and mark every bird well. Cripples are almost always found if marked well and a good dog is around to recover the hunters mistakes. Besides it gives the boys a chance to see and appreciate good dog work. A good dog, that likes hunting cripples, is a joy to watch.

We take doubles with .005-.010 and .020-.025 chokes most of the time, sometimes .015 and .030. Adjust the pattern by changing loads or shot size. If long range shots are needed perhaps one of us will take a double with i/c and full chokes. Like most here I have tried to each my sons that your penis is not judged by your long range shooting nor is life only good with a full bag limit. Shoot, have fun and get outdoors with friends and family as much as you can. Life is too short and no good dog, friend, family member or farm will last forever.