# Is there a chart for leading ducks



## mallardgoose (Oct 11, 2010)

I know ducks fly at different speeds, and you need alot of practice to get a feel for how much to lead a duck in flight. However, is there a general chart that shows how far to lead a duck at different distances, with average ammo, at an average mallard speed, etc. When I miss the ducks I know that is my major problem.


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

No chart that I know of. Its hard to say with all the variables that go into it. I would suggest finding the best load (patterns well, effective killing power, within your price range) for you, and then really practice with it. You can try learning on ducks, but your best bet is to hit the sporting clays course. In the end, you'll save money on shells, and time, as well as cripples and frustration from shooting like crap. And practice with this all year round. That's the best way. I didn't shoot much with my 12 ga before the hunt, and it showed last week. I missed several shots that should have been slam-dunks.


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## InvaderZim (Sep 7, 2007)

In your brain !


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

InvaderZim said:


> In your brain !


+1


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## Dave B (Oct 1, 2007)

Butt Belly bill (keep swinging) BANG!!! There you have it!


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## 1BandMan (Nov 2, 2007)

A skattergun is a pointing utensil not an aiming one. Dont out think yourself or you wont be able to hit squat. If I think about it, I can't either. 
It comes with practice and as mentioned is more instinctive thing than a thought process.

For me, Its kind of like compounds vs. recurve shooting. Compounds you aim, judge distance put the correct pin on the animal and release. Recurve is more an instictive draw and shoot.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

I think a hunting buddy is a lot of help. Sometimes I miss a shot and Chaser will tell me I shot behind the bird or in front of the bird (because he saw the wad fly). Then I can adjust accordingly by his feed back and learn what distance the bird was and what adjustments I need to make


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## mallardgoose (Oct 11, 2010)

That is all good advice. I need to work on going with somebody, I've been hunting waterfowl alone. You think somebody would come up with a general chart. 40 yds aim 1 duck length ahead on a passing shot and so on? What do you guys think as far as duck length, on passing shots? Or am I just thinking too much about it?


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## jason411 (Feb 8, 2010)

Ill show ya how to kill em this weekend bud!


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## mallardgoose (Oct 11, 2010)

jason411 said:


> Ill show ya how to kill em this weekend bud!


Nice. It takes me a box of shells to drop 5 ducks. I don't know if I get duck fever, or I lead them to much or to little.


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## APD (Nov 16, 2008)

mallardgoose said:


> That is all good advice. I need to work on going with somebody, I've been hunting waterfowl alone. You think somebody would come up with a general chart. 40 yds aim 1 duck length ahead on a passing shot and so on? What do you guys think as far as duck length, on passing shots? Or am I just thinking too much about it?


ducks don't fly at their max speed all the time. they fly different angles, twist and turn and are different distances away from you. that's just a couple of hundreds of variables that go into it. you just can't make a chart that would be worth a turd.

shooting consistently the same way will get you a lot more birds than that chart. whether it's the sustained lead, swing through or static point and shoot, just pick one and be consistent.

fwiw, teal look faster and further than they are. mallards and geese look slower and closer. adjust accordingly.


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## Mojo1 (Sep 8, 2007)

Don’t think about it at all, see the duck, shoulder the gun, swing the muzzle through the duck while keeping your eye on the ducks' head( do not look back and forth between the duck and your muzzle as this will cause you to slow down your swing), as his head starts to pass behind the muzzle, pull the trigger. You will be amazed at how often you connect versus riding a target. It might help you to go a skeet range and fire a few rounds of skeet or sporting clays.


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## mallardgoose (Oct 11, 2010)

as soon as his head passes the muzzle or the bead/sight?



Mojo1 said:


> Don't think about it at all, see the duck, shoulder the gun, swing the muzzle through the duck while keeping your eye on the ducks' head( do not look back and forth between the duck and your muzzle as this will cause you to slow down your swing), as his head starts to pass behind the muzzle, pull the trigger. You will be amazed at how often you connect versus riding a target. It might help you to go a skeet range and fire a few rounds of skeet or sporting clays.


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## Anaconda Pintler (Oct 29, 2007)

Butt, Belly, Bill, BANG! ...and dont forget to swing


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## Pumpgunner (Jan 12, 2010)

A few things I've picked up over the years-
On crossing birds you almost never will miss in front, 98% of the time if you miss it's behind.
Always cover a high incoming bird with your muzzle, if you can see it when you shoot you'll miss.
Same for jumping or rising ducks, if you can see more than the duck's head over your muzzle you'll miss.
It's easy to lead too far under a duck dropping into the decoys, and shoot under it.
Divers, besides being great fun to shoot, are fast as heck and when you see your pattern hit the water 10 feet behind the bird you shot at it really shows you just how far you need to lead.
A stiff wind will move your pattern about 5 feet at 40 yards.
Sporting clays are great practice, especially if they'll let you shoot sitting down
Grouse in heavy cover and chukar can make ducks seem pretty simple to shoot
And the #1 thing-nothing is more valuable than practice. The more you shoot at moving targets, the less you need to think about it and the more you just react. The more you react without consciously thinking, the less chance you have of missing! Good thing practicing shooting is fun!


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

Anaconda Pintler said:


> ...and dont forget to swing


Good advice! Its like a golf swing.

Mojo1 makes a great point as well. It really needs to become a fluid motion that you arent over thinking.

Chaser and I spend a lot of time shooting clays and I think that would be a good help for you. Also using those lighter target loads might make you focus more on your shot as opposed to other factors.

Maybe we can work out a day to get out and practice on some clay pidgeons (especially birds flying from side to side instead of straight out


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## KennyC (Apr 28, 2010)

Although I am slightly embaraced I shot about 2 boxes of shells last night because of this very issue. End result, a ton of fun and NO Ducks. Yes that right no ducks, but I was struggling with the wind factor and distance. I noticed that if the duck was coming to me and the wind picked up it appeared the ducks would stall and I would shoot infront of them ect. I have a different plan for my next trip out so I will see if that will produce any carnage.


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

mallardgoose said:


> am I just thinking too much about it?


Your thinking about it and worrying to much man. Just go out and hunt.Not all ducks fly the same speed and not all shot are going to be the same.


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

mallardgoose said:


> as soon as his head passes the muzzle or the bead/sight?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Don't use the bead. If you have to acquire your target, look at the bead, line it up, and then pull the trigger, you'll end up more frustrated than ever. I switched out the front bead on my Benelli to a brightly colored fiber optic one. Not so I could get a good look at it when shooting, but just to have a peripheral point of reference as I am swinging the gun. Also, it helps to practice mounting your gun at home. Make sure it is empty, and aim at the corners of the room where the walls meet the ceiling. Look at the point as if it was a bird, then follow it over to the other corner, as if that is the spot where you would pull the trigger. Don't AIM, per se, but just shoulder it and follow the lines to practice. If you can consistently mount the gun the same each time, and focus on the target, then follow through, like the others have said, you'll start smacking them good,


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

KennyC said:


> I noticed that if the duck was coming to me and the wind picked up it appeared the ducks would stall and I would shoot infront of them ect.


When a bird is coming directly toward you from the front, I think most guys will miss. That is a very tricky shot to pull off. I struggle with that one myself


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## nickpan (May 6, 2008)

Make sure when you shoulder your gun and looking down the barrel all you see it the bead and not the top of the barrel. Your brain is a pretty good judge and hitting moving targets, alot of it is pure instinct. Just try by starting at the back of the bird, swing through the body and once you move past the head pull the trigger when you think you should and keep swinging, don't "look" to see if you hit it or you will more than likely pull your gun off mount and miss.


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## Mojo1 (Sep 8, 2007)

KennyC said:


> I noticed that if the duck was coming to me and the wind picked up it appeared the ducks would stall and I would shoot infront of them ect.


That's a common misconception when shooting, targets never actually stall out (stop flight) fully, they are always continuing to move to some degree. Depending on their direction of travel, if you shoot right at them, you either shoot behind or in front of their path.

It took a lot of sporting clays to mostly cure me of this defect, but I still occasionally do it. :lol:


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## UtahWineOh (Sep 10, 2007)

So there is definitely a math problem here...but the variables are so many that it's virtually impossible to create any sort of meaningful chart.

If you were to start with a set list of variables such as:
Duck flying at 40 mph
Crossing shot at 90 degrees across the front
Distance of 30 yards
Shooting 1500 FPS shells

You can figure out a lead of 3.51 feet.

As soon as you change any of the variables though...it changes very quickly.

One thing not figured into the variables above is that as soon as the shot leaves the barrel, it starts losing speed. So is it really 1500 FPS at 30 yards?

I say throw all this out...and practice.


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

UtahWineOh said:


> So there is definitely a math problem here...but the variables are so many that it's virtually impossible to create any sort of meaningful chart.
> 
> If you were to start with a set list of variables such as:
> Duck flying at 40 mph
> ...


While I applaud the math skills, don't forget that the velocities printed on the box of shells are MUZZLE velocities. Your shot will negatively accelerate the closer it gets to the target, so that velocity is not consistent all the way through. Plus, like you said, other variables. Unless you handload, there will be variations from one shell to another in a box of factory ammo. Its just not worth trying to figure out! Just go shoot some ducks!


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

Chaser said:


> Your shot will negatively accelerate the closer it gets to the target, so that velocity is not consistent all the way through.


I think he is trying to say the load decelerates.... :lol:


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## RobK (Jul 3, 2008)

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/AMM800-1.html


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

Bax* said:


> Chaser said:
> 
> 
> > Your shot will negatively accelerate the closer it gets to the target, so that velocity is not consistent all the way through.
> ...


Not according to Dr. Rudloph of the physics department at the U. He always used to say "there is no DEceleration! Only acceleration in the positive or negative direction!" But yes, for those of you without a physics background, the pellets are slowing down.


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## Fowl habits (Dec 4, 2007)

I think it was alluded to earlier, but one of my biggest mistakes i make is that i look over the barrel instead of down the barrel and i am pretty sure it stems from the fact that we are trying to see and we have the barrel hangin out there right in the way. I like what the guys have said about practicing shouldering your gun it will help you learn where it should land on your shoulder, and your cheek, it will help you see if your making mistakes. It always seemed like i was shooting over the top of everything, and come to find out it was cause i wasn't looking down the barrel, those hi-viz sights are really worth it also, the other thing i was taught from a pro trap shooter was that during your follow through you should learn to "slap" the trigger instead of "squeeze" the trigger, this helped me a lot

You should talk to GEE LADOUCHE that guy is spot on, he rarely misses and knows his stuff.


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