Nobody I’ve ever met can equate (or properly explain) how far the muzzles need to be ahead of – and inside – the bird’s line of flight to bring about a successful shot.
The biggest imponderable is the strength of the wind 30 or more yards up there, and which direction it’s coming from. In a light side breeze a good Shot might say he’s a foot or 18 inches inside the curl of the bird and eight feet in front of the beak. Yet in a really strong wind he might be as far inside the line of the bird as he is ahead of it!
Move to another drive on the same shoot and that wind might now be quartering into the pheasant, or coming from behind. If it is, the ‘picture’ that worked so well for you only half an hour earlier might now be miles off the mark.
Time to practise
The more often you shoot driven birds the easier it should become to adjust to the conditions. However an element of trial and error will still take place.
To kill the bird cleanly (which is of course the aim) the secret is to retain the pheasant/muzzle image at the time you squeezed the trigger, and repeat it for subsequent shots.
Crossers
If the wind is taking the bird away from your position you need to remember that as well shooting in front of the beak you also need to be underneath the bird. Even if your forward lead is right, if you simply swing ahead in a straight line without taking the wind into account your shot will miss over the top of the bird. Equally, you will need to shoot above a crossing pheasant that’s being pushed towards you in a strong wind. (Read more on shooting crossers here)
This article was originally published in Shooting Gazette in 2014 and has been updated.
