doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Shooting Skills relative to Hunting Skills

I always considered myself a bird hunter first, shooter second. Clay target games were always a mean to an end - making me a better wingshot. But I have to concede that hunting really is mainly an excuse to go play in the woods with a dog or two.

And to paraphrase Haig-Brown, if it's just an excuse, I'm glad I thought of it.

Both.

I grew up as a hunter, like most poor country kids in that time and place. I could not afford to shoot, nor did I know anyone who could. One was expected to produce food if shells were expended. As my career progressed and my kids became more and more expensive with cars, tuition, weddings, etc, I worked a lot of 80 hour weeks. Time to keep and train dogs, to hunt extensively, etc, became hard to find. Strictly as a form of mental masturbation (weak substitute for hunting and dogs), initially, I took up competitive shooting. I shot competitively for about 25 years and that eventually transformed from mere mental masturbation to an end in itself. My wife and I went all over the place in our motorhome attending shoots. During that time, I was fortunate in my career, so I could afford to shoot quite a bit.

At age 50, I looked around to realize that my kids were married; that my land and other things were all paid for; and that my business was well-established and no longer needed my constant attention. So, I got back into being a dogman/hunter – even took a job as a guide which we do a day or so a week when the dogs and I are not out hunting wild birds. I’m 60 now – have been doing this for 10 years. We get to do a good bit of bird hunting. For example, the dogs and I just returned from spending three full weeks camping in the Nebraska Sandhills and hunting greater prairie chickens and sharptails in the early season. See pics:









We’ll chase local ruffed grouse this weekend; then phez open next weekend. Newfoundland ptarmigan are next on my motorhome trip list. We hunt hard seven months out of the year – when all the wild bird seasons are over, we hunt pen-raised birds at my hunting club. Mostly, I enjoy my dogs and hunt for my dogs – if I didn’t have dogs, I wouldn’t bother to hunt.

As part of that mid-life epiphany, I gave up serious competitive shooting. I was in stuck AA and AAA classes and quitting was like stopping beating my head against a wall – didn’t realize how much better I felt until after I quit. I still shoot a lot, but only little local SC and skeet shots and the occasional box bird. Shooting still is an end in itself for me, plus it helps me maintain my wingshooting skills. However, now the competition is just with myself and maybe a few friends and I don’t get all upset if I miss a target now and then. I wouldn’t hunt if I didn’t have dogs, but I would still shoot.

I’m lucky enough to own some “fine” guns – both target and field. They are all used extensively – I am not a collector. I figure their makers intended them to be used and I know that I can’t take them with me when I’m gone, so why not?

Five dimensions to Shooter's profile.

I'll add a 4th dimension. 4th = Guns. I've finally come to understand that for me it is really about the guns.

Further, shooting needs to be broken down into "for fun" and "for score/competition."

See chart above - got the post order backwards.

This is the kind of thing engineers do when they wind up with a few minutes between meetings.

Hey! I believe I've shot over Greg's dogs... Flying Feather sound familiar? Keenan... McClure... Same Greg???

Russ here from Michigan. I seem to recall some simply outstanding Brittanys...

I must confess that I have worked more than one dog while I left the gun in the truck. Truth is the dog and I both had about as good a time and the birds faired much better.

If I have to hear a gun go off and see birds die I can always go shoot a few rounds of skeet, sporting clays or trap.

If I want to be humble I go shoot a few teal or try pass shooting dove with a 30 mile per hour tail wind.

If I want to get serious about duck hunting I call up my old hunting partner who eats, sleep and dreams duck hunting at the least 50 weeks a year. Some of the rough hunts we have been on would make you wonder how or why we bothered to get an education. This is the same fellow who tied flies to look like fish food pellets so he could catch more released trout to re-release. Correctly pointed out that the trout though of pellets as normal food and bugs as snacks.

Rocketman:

I supouse that the engeneering mentioned is from Chrysler....

Regards,

Jose

You're not living if you're not having fun---that means hunting birds with a dog for me; the clays are subordinate as tune-ups. As for the glories of nature, I live in the woods: great pines, black, white and red spruce, deciduous maples, beech and birch, ponds, lake, harbour and bay accessible from front or back door, 500 metres from the nearest road.

I find two aspects of the sport most interesting. First, I grew up prowling the woods by myself and learned there is nothing more tranquil than sitting against a tree, gun in hand, watching daybreak in anticipation of seeing game. Can't explain it, just know when I am doing that the rest of the world and it's problems are fully dimished and I feel great. I don't need to shoot game, just need to have the possibility to dial in the right sensitivity to the woods around me. The other thing I enjoy is upland hunting with a few select friends and my dog. Again no need to shoot much, just enough to satisfy the dog's work. Shooting clays or skeet is just a tune up for hunting.

Hunting vs Shooting. Here's a little different perspective for you. I grew up in Oregon, started hunting at 9 or 10 yrs old. 80% of my hunting from about that age till about age 31 was deer. In western Oregon you hunt huge clearcuts over pretty rough terrain. You are constantly moving, up and down ridges and valleys pushing bedded deer into the open. Almost all shots were running deer at between 100 and 200 yards. We sighted our guns in at 220 yds. Fast forward, I move to Texas and then Florida. Started a family, moved a lot in construction management. As I only get to shoot at the preserves so hotly discussed lately I think I can relate to the guys who disdain preserve hunting because I feel the same way about deer hunting in the southern states (generally speaking). At age 54 now I have no interest in sitting in a tree stand waiting for a deer to walk by below and then shoot it. Nor do I have the urge to shoot a deer standing at a salt lick. No offense meant to anyone who hunts this way, it's a product of living in country that is mostly dense underbrush, I just have no interest.
Rather than not get to shoot the old doubles I've taken an interest in since receiving my 1st Parker I will shoot on preserves when my employer invites me along several times a year (free!) but no southern deer "hunting" (read shooting) for me.