Q I have been struggling with all types of teal targets. One day I can hit them, another day I miss the same target four times in a row. Some good shooters have given me tips and I had a lesson just for teal. I hit a few more but after a week or two I’m right back to missing more than I hit. Can you help?
Connor Phillips, Bedford
A To give a real life example; acting as a loader on an estate in the UK I was assigned to a delightful gentleman, who took lessons before each season. Watching him, I began to wonder what they taught at the school – unless the bird was coming toward him he was hopelessly off balance with no control of his feet, posture or body movements.
I asked if I might offer some advice; I put him through the positions needed to stay balanced, overcome the effects of the terrain and control the muzzle. After a quick review at our peg for the third drive, away he went! On the first two drives he had 12 birds for 65 shots and every kill was a straight driven. On the third drive he had 13 birds for 35 shots. He said with a grin, “astonishing, I learned more in 15 minutes than in 25 hours, I had no idea how important using my body was to shooting.”
I could give you 10 tips on shooting teal but in two weeks you would be no better than you are now. Real improvement will only happen when you make the effort to properly learn and master the fundamental body movements required for good shooting. Mark Brownlee
Leave a Reply