Developing Wing Shooting Skills!
Jul 18, 2021 18:06:51 #
Just how does one develop wing shooting skills before they are allowed to shoulder a firearm? Well, my cousin and I had a lot of practice with sling shots. We had what was then called by a name that is not longer acceptable in polite society but was something we made ourselves. It consisted of a forked stock, two bands of rubber that we had cut from an old inner tube of an automobile tire, and a leather pocket, usually cut from an old shoe’s tongue. If you are from the south, you know the former term for our home-made weapons.
Now, some might get this terminology confused with the weapon that David slew the giant with in the Old Testament. This is not that kind of sling shot. Much later in life, when I was really too old for such instruments, I discovered that ¼ inch surgical tubing made perfect elastic bands for such a sling shot, but much too late for me to use and practice any more.
But as teenage boys living out in the country, we regularly roamed the woods hunting and just exploring. We often carried a Red Rider BB gun. It wasn’t much but was all we were allowed to use at the time before graduating to either a .22 rifle, or a single shot scattergun.
But back to developing wing shooting skills. We knew where a junk heap was located which was located at the head of a box canyon. This was a convenient place where folks disposed of trash and garbage they could not burn in a burn barrel. This dump would have a lot of tin cans and glass bottles and glass jars which we found ideal for targets. One of us would throw a bottle or jar skyward for the other to try and hit with our slingshot.
We took turns and would usually continue until we ran out of rocks with which to shoot the jars and bottles. This provides a good training method for two reasons. 1) you are able to follow both the path of the bottle and the path of your fired rock. 2) If it is too low, too high, or is in front or behind the target you could follow both in your vision.
We would take turns until we either ran out of rocks or available jars and bottles, or we just plain got tired to shooting. We would exchange places on a regular basis so each would be able to get in a lot of practice. And with a lot of practice, we got much better at the game and when a rock hit a jar or bottle, there was a very satisfying explosion of glass as a reward for a solid hit! I have head of folks training for wing shooting with a BB gun, because you can see the pellet as it flies from the barrel toward the target, allowing you to mentally calculate any correction if you have missed. Believe me, it takes a lot of misses before you begin to start hitting any flying target.
I do not know if there are still junk piles available for aspiring shooters today, either with a sling shot, BB gun, or other. I expect a well-equipped gun club would be the next step with clay pigeons and shotguns would be necessary, but more expensive. Regardless of the tools, a lot of practice is absolutely necessary. You cannot assume to have or develop the skill without a lot of basic practice. In other posts I have related how my shooting crows as a wing shooting practice was preparation for dove and quail hunting later in the year.
Wing shooting is a blood sport. Unless you intend to do your practice on live game, you must get it prior to the appropriate hunting season. When I was an active hunter, shooting crows was my method of getting that practice and sharpening my eye to target coordination. But it all was on top of the preparation I had with practice with a sling shot and busting bottles and jars! Just Sayin…RJS
Now, some might get this terminology confused with the weapon that David slew the giant with in the Old Testament. This is not that kind of sling shot. Much later in life, when I was really too old for such instruments, I discovered that ¼ inch surgical tubing made perfect elastic bands for such a sling shot, but much too late for me to use and practice any more.
But as teenage boys living out in the country, we regularly roamed the woods hunting and just exploring. We often carried a Red Rider BB gun. It wasn’t much but was all we were allowed to use at the time before graduating to either a .22 rifle, or a single shot scattergun.
But back to developing wing shooting skills. We knew where a junk heap was located which was located at the head of a box canyon. This was a convenient place where folks disposed of trash and garbage they could not burn in a burn barrel. This dump would have a lot of tin cans and glass bottles and glass jars which we found ideal for targets. One of us would throw a bottle or jar skyward for the other to try and hit with our slingshot.
We took turns and would usually continue until we ran out of rocks with which to shoot the jars and bottles. This provides a good training method for two reasons. 1) you are able to follow both the path of the bottle and the path of your fired rock. 2) If it is too low, too high, or is in front or behind the target you could follow both in your vision.
We would take turns until we either ran out of rocks or available jars and bottles, or we just plain got tired to shooting. We would exchange places on a regular basis so each would be able to get in a lot of practice. And with a lot of practice, we got much better at the game and when a rock hit a jar or bottle, there was a very satisfying explosion of glass as a reward for a solid hit! I have head of folks training for wing shooting with a BB gun, because you can see the pellet as it flies from the barrel toward the target, allowing you to mentally calculate any correction if you have missed. Believe me, it takes a lot of misses before you begin to start hitting any flying target.
I do not know if there are still junk piles available for aspiring shooters today, either with a sling shot, BB gun, or other. I expect a well-equipped gun club would be the next step with clay pigeons and shotguns would be necessary, but more expensive. Regardless of the tools, a lot of practice is absolutely necessary. You cannot assume to have or develop the skill without a lot of basic practice. In other posts I have related how my shooting crows as a wing shooting practice was preparation for dove and quail hunting later in the year.
Wing shooting is a blood sport. Unless you intend to do your practice on live game, you must get it prior to the appropriate hunting season. When I was an active hunter, shooting crows was my method of getting that practice and sharpening my eye to target coordination. But it all was on top of the preparation I had with practice with a sling shot and busting bottles and jars! Just Sayin…RJS
Jul 18, 2021 19:42:03 #
About the time you figure you have skeet shooting down, some open field dove hunting with a Texas wind behind them will reveal you have a ways to go….
Jul 18, 2021 19:59:42 #
You have that right! There are always variables that can mess you up. I have never been invited to a Pigeon shoot, but I understand the guy throwing the pigeons can pluck some feathers out of the bird's wing to make it fly erattically. You have to drop the bird inside the circle to count. It is a big money gambling event and only shooters who have big money and willing to gamble are invited. Just Sayin...RJS
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