These hunters have their shotguns in ideal pre-shot positions.

I've been in the blind with guides who didn't pick up their gun until after their client's first shot went off. And I've seen such guys shoot exceptionally, even at long-range ducks and geese. Of course, I've also been with guides who shot before his clients, but let's not go there.

My objective here is to convince you that the more you have your shotgun in the right position initially, the better your chances are for connecting. Sporting clays competition no longer requires a dismounted gun, which is a shame because proper gun mounting is a big part of successful and consistent shotgun shooting. Of course, there's a great deal more to making a proper gun mount than meets the untrained eye. But let's not go there either -- at least for right now.

F.I.T.A.S.C. (another formal, competitive clay target game) does require the shooter to start with the gun well down off the shoulder, so these competitors have to make a consistent gun mount to achieve any kind of success. If you ever have a chance to watch a F.I.T.A.S.C shooter, or a person who shoots sporting clays with the gun down, try to be extra observant. These shooters do their level best to put the muzzle in the most advantageous position. They also start with the lowered buttstock in exactly the same position time after time.

How do we relate what clay target shooters are doing to hunters in the duck blind, the goose pit, from behind cypress trees in the timber? Obviously, in hunting situations we don't always have the opportunity to get the gun's muzzle where we want it right from the get-go. Further, we often aren't holding the gun in the best position for executing a proper gun mount.

But sometimes we are. I think having the gun in the proper position can often be attained when duck and goose shooting. The birds are in the air, as opposed to being totally or partially hidden by vegetation. Often we're watching them, so we know where they are at "Take 'em" time, which sometimes allows us to start off with the gun's muzzle in a great position. Since we can anticipate shooting at any second we can also have the buttstock in perfect position to make a consistent and proper gun mount.

How do we pull all this off? It's best to experiment with your gun mount, with an unloaded gun, and do it over and over again. What works as an easy gun mount for one person may not be as great for another. Here's what works for me. Give it a try. If it doesn't work so well for you, experiment some more to see what does work best.

I like to have the top part of the butt of the shotgun tucked just a bit inside my armpit. If you're worried about gun movement when birds are working, and we all should be, maybe you can get the stock just inside your armpit as the birds swing behind the blind. This position used to be too high in sporting clays before the new rules came into effect, and my suggested position is also too high for competition F.I.T.A.S.C. But, no matter, we're after ducks and geese. The advantage of this pre-mount position is that you know, mentally and physically, the position of the buttstock. Often we waterfowlers are wearing lots of clothes, making it all the easier for us to hang up the buttstock as we mount, making a successful shot much more difficult. Starting as I've suggested, with the top of the buttstock tucked into the bottom of your armpit -- you can feel where it is -- you'll be much less likely to hang that stock on clothing as you mount. Of course, practicing your gun mount from this start position over and over, with an unloaded gun, is essential, especially if the positioning is new to you.

Now that we have the gun perfectly positioned, we can easily make a consistent and proper gun mount. What's next?

Continued -- click on page link below.