Waterfowl hunting is unique from all other wingshooting, however the goals of every hunt should be safety first and bird harvest second. 

Story and photography by John Gordon

Five small Canada geese rapidly approached the decoy spread from the northwest, sliding down quickly against a southeast wind. The guide watched intently from 10 yards behind the shooters; there were five of them, and he envisioned a quick Canada limit in one volley.

The distance closed until the birds were locked up and inside 20 yards, easy chip shots — no problem. “Take ‘Em!” The five hunters rose to a seated position among the windsocks and opened fire.

All those geese would have tumbled to the ground in a perfect world. I guided that hunt, and what happened remains a vivid memory. It’s hard for me to remember the great shots, but retaining the epic misses is easy.

Every hunter emptied their shotgun, and not one feather was ruffled on those geese! I couldn’t believe it, no way at least one should have taken a direct hit. The problem, those hunters weren’t prepared to take those shots. I have witnessed it countless times since; hunters spend thousands on guns, ammunition, trips, and gear and are not able to hit targets when the time comes.

At the very least, every one of those hunters should have practiced shooting from a seated position. Then, they would have known how to swing a shotgun from that posture and maneuver their bodies before the shot for success.  That’s the key to knowing how to hit flying objects from any hidem — practice from it before birds drop into the decoys.

No other form of wing shooting is like waterfowling, where different platforms are used to hide hunters. Sure, some guys and gals shoot from the same blind all the time. But it’s rare, especially when traveling around the country and even across the Lone Star State pursuing ducks and geese.

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