ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, September 1, 1996 TAG: 9609030131
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-11 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: Outdoors
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
The annual humbling affair that is dove hunting season opens Monday, when many gunners learn they aren't as good at wing shooting as they thought they were - or as they would like to be.
If you want to be a reasonably proficient wing shot, you need to pay as much attention to your equipment and technique as a first-rate golfer does to his clubs and his swing, said Billy Christy, a shooting instructor at Virginia Tech and an Orvis pro.
Many hunters do little more than grab their shotgun and head for the field. When they confront the radical aerial maneuvers of doves, frustration can follow.
``There are so many people who give up on hunting and target shooting simply because they go out and they buy even a very expensive gun, but they buy the cheap ammunition and they go out and start whaling away,'' said Christy. ``Golfers get help from pros and they go to the range and practice.''
There are places shooters can receive tips from pros, including The Homestead skeet and sporting clays range in Hot Springs or most sporting clays facilities - Buffalo Creek in Bedford County is an example. The Roanoke Orvis store has started shooting classes at the new Mountain County Center near Explore Park.
Then, there are simple things you can do on your own, Christy said.
One is to avoid buying the economy, promotional loads that fill the shelves of stores at this time of year. Economy loads generally use faster-burning powders and low antimony shot, factors that can rob you of performance.
``I recommend a target load,'' Christy said.
Size 71/2 shot will give you the cleanest kills at a variety of distances, he said. You won't go wrong with a 23/4-dram, 11/8-ounce load.
Gun choice can be a matter of preference. Many hunters use a 12-gauge, semi-automatic with a modified choke, which will adapt to a variety of dove hunting situations. If you are shooting close in, say at a watering hole, you might want to go to an improved cylinder choke.
Christy is not an advocate of a short - say 26-inch - barrel. He believes you will get a smoother swing with a longer barrel.
Too many hunters go afield with little knowledge of how their gun and load are performing. You can use sheets of newspaper to pattern your gun to make sure there aren't any 5-inch holes in the pattern or there aren't a lot of wild pellets flying outside a 30-inch circle. A simple change of a shotgun brand or load can solve these problems.
Checking the gun's point of impact is critical, Christy said. Take a bed sheet, put a spot of black paint on it, then step back to the range at which you will be shooting doves and fire several shots. A ragged hole will appear, representing the mean point of impact. If it is off the target, then you have a gun-mount or gun-fit problem that you need to adjust, he said.
Before you check for pattern or impact, determine if you are shooting with your dominant eye. If not and you are new to shooting, you may want to change shoulders. If you've been shooting awhile, try starting your shot with both eyes open, then gently close your non-shooting eye.
The more you handle your gun, the more skilled you become. Before hitting the dove field, it is prudent to spend time on a skeet or sporting clays range, Christy said.
You also can do some practice at home with an unloaded gun. Christy recommends using a room where the ceiling lines converge into a corner. The corner becomes your target. You mount the gun smoothly and track one ceiling line to the corner then follow through an equal distance down the other ceiling line without lifting your head.
``Those are two of the main reasons people miss targets: They lift their head and they stop the gun,'' Christy said.
Avoid rushing when you mount the gun, he said. Hunters often will mount their gun when they see a dove halfway across the field. Wait until it is about time to shoot, then do so with good rhythm.
LENGTH: Medium: 74 linesby CNB