The mallards are sliding into the decoys, what are you looking at as the gun is being brought to shoulder? After the initial volley and the others are flaring upwards, what are you then looking at?
The head of the bird I want to kill. The head of the next bird I want to kill. I normally have the second bird chosen before I fire the first shot. Easy to do when their toes are reaching for the water but it sometimes costs me.
In theory, I should be assessing which ducks are closest to us and which ducks are further out as they work in. When I am mounting the shotgun, I should be looking at ONE of the DUCKS that furthest out and where it WILL be while letting my brain adjust the lead under it accordingly. After the initial volley, I should be looking at one of the Ducks that was closest in and where it WILL be on the rise and letting my brain adjust the lead above it accordingly. If I think things through whether at the range or in the woods, my brain does the rest automatically. Keep in mind all of my hunting is done in flooded timber where the Ducks will land like a helicopter when they decoy. If you don’t shoot under them as they come in, you shoot above them and vice versa. Passing shots are a unique challenge since I hunt in thick cover versus traditional “ holes “.
If they are back pedaling in looking for a drake in the back that's about to hit the water after the ones in front are on the water so my shots are close as possibly... my main focus is that green head not the body or if it got a band... just that green head swing through boom
My side of the flock, usually picking out further birds so the ones that are closer now I can have a shot at as they peel out.
Pick out the third closest bird, kill him and then kill the second closest bird and possibly the closest bird (initially) if the other gunners have whiffed on the candy bird. At distance, when you watch the flaring birds from a decoyed flock, observe the flight line of individual birds. Rarely, do they elevate in a vertical line rather, hooking of slicing away with the wind. This is what Sir George called getting the line. If they are hooking/slicing away, point/shoot the outside of them. That’s where they’ll be when the shot cloud reaches altitude. The Brits figured this out eons ago.
