If you want to shoot more birds with a shotgun, it starts with wingshooting fundamentals. That’s what you’ll get from this short video to make you a more successful bird hunter, whether you’re targeting upland birds or waterfowl.
Shotgun Fit
A shotgun needs to fit properly in order for you to shoot to full potential. There are three primary components that you should pay attention to. Length of pull: distance from trigger to where the butt plate mounts into your shoulder. Comb height: the height of your butt stock where you make a cheek weld to look down the barrel or rib. Cast: orientation of your butt stock as it relates to the barrel, which can be offset for right- vs. left-handed shooters.
Target Focus
Target focus is an important concept to grasp as a wingshooter. Unlike shooting a rifle or a turkey gun, where you need to focus on aiming at your target with your sight system, being a successful wingshooter is far more instinctive. Mount your shotgun, look down the barrel or rib and keep the bead(s) in your periphery, and focus on the target as you pull the trigger. If your shotgun fits, knocking down the bird should happen naturally.
Follow Through
Swing, swing, shoot! And keep swinging! Following through with the movement of a bird is critical. If you stop swinging your gun as you pull the trigger, odds are your bird dog will be extremely let down and you won’t be tucking any feathers into your game bag.
HIVIZ Sights
Even though wingshooting is mainly instinctive, incorporating a shotgun sight system that glows under all light conditions can help you improve your accuracy. HIVIZ offers aftermarket fiber-optic sights that can be mounted to just about any imaginable shotgun model. In fact, because of their popularity and reliability, you’ll find that HIVIZ sights come standard on many shotguns directly from the factory. In addition to giving you peripheral confirmation that you’re staying on birds in the air, you can rely on your HIVIZ sights if you use the same shotgun for predator or turkey hunting.
