Off-Season Improvement (also on website)

There is always something you can do to better you season as a duck hunter, and some can be fun for everyone. First make sure you dont forget how to shoulder your gun effectively. As a competative shooter for almost a decade I can safely say that one key to good shotgun shooting is gun placement on the shoulder. It only takes the gun to be a little off center to cause someone to miss. There are local ranges all over the US that have awesome Sporting Clays courses but even if they only have skeet or trap fields you can still have just as much fun and get the practice that will improve your shooting. Sometimes you may need to put a spacer in the stock of your gun to compensate for all of the clothes you may have on in the winter just make sure once it gets cold again to take out those spacers so the gun is not hanging up on clothes and ruining the good shot you worked on all summer.
You can also go scout for places that will be an interesting place to hunt in the winter, but since the ducks probably arent there yet take some fishing poles and run around rivers or lake systems looking for places with vegitation that ducks look for in the winter. It is also a great way to get kids into the outdoors and get them used to an area that they may end up hunting in the not so distant future.
Last I know many people don't have to read this but keep your calls near by. Call, call, call this is one thing that separates the men from the boys you may think you sound great when you pick up your call for the first time in months on opening day, but everyone else in the blind can tell you haven't picked up a call since last season. You can always get a tape from a pro or a cd and on your way to and from work throw it in and practice your calling it will definatly make a huge difference.

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