Some hunters and shooters are convinced that people go with open chokes because they're poor shots. In the case of woodcock, especially early in the season, you either take close shots or you don't shoot at all. No choke at all is plenty, except maybe in the 28ga, where you might need some to make sure the pattern isn't too thin. If you use anything tighter than IC, then you'd better be using a light load of larger shot or you're going to do the bird severe damage--even if the pellets pass through the meat. 7/8 oz 9's or 8 1/2's--a standard skeet load for the 20ga--is a good choice. A 25 yard shot is long, and what works for skeet shooters will work just as well for woodcock hunters. Not as true with quail, because you can often wait a little before you pull the trigger. But you can't do much waiting to shoot at woodcock until the leaves are down, other than the rare bird that allows you an unobstructed look for very long.

Interesting discussion. Making it clear once more than there are different strokes for different folks.

Last edited by L. Brown; 08/03/21 06:51 AM.