When the wheels fall off
Sporting Shooter|December 2020
Losing form on a day’s shooting can be infuriating, especially if you’ve been shooting like a god up to that point. Simon O’Leary looks at some common causes and how to remedy them
SIMON O'LEARY
When the wheels fall off

The wheels on the bus go round and round, or so they say, but sadly sometimes they fall off! “Last week I couldn’t miss,” you say. “I dropped birds left, right and centre!” So what happened? What caused this almighty shift, propelling the proverbial wheel off into the imaginary wilderness, while you, the shooter, stood dazed and confused?

My personal take on this sudden regression of skill relates to a number of factors. But, I hear you cry, surely it’s only due to pointing the gun in the wrong place? If only life were that simple!

A day in the field can be hindered even prior to your arrival. A night of lost sleep, work issues plaguing the mind, matters of the heart, etc, etc. The list of possibilities is endless, but if the head is not in the game, the game is well and truly over (quite literally, in fact, and unscathed!).

When wielding a shotgun, the harder you push, the more it will resist. Targets will seem tougher and further out of reach; a feeling of failure descends and the wheels have now detached. It’s a tough call to suggest a complete cure for such a situation, but you know you can shoot, you’ve done it before, so why not today?

Don’t look up!

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der December 2020-Ausgabe von Sporting Shooter.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der December 2020-Ausgabe von Sporting Shooter.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS SPORTING SHOOTERAlle anzeigen
RSPB gives mixed message on shooting
Sporting Shooter

RSPB gives mixed message on shooting

Having recently attended the RSPB’s virtual AGM, Conor O’Gorman discusses the outcome of the charity’s year-long review of game bird shooting

time-read
2 Minuten  |
December 2020
Causeway for concern
Sporting Shooter

Causeway for concern

Alan Jarrett’s renewed interest in reading takes him down memory lane to an offshore island duck flight that very nearly ended in disaster

time-read
4 Minuten  |
December 2020
Through a purple patch
Sporting Shooter

Through a purple patch

The Garrows Estate is taking a conservation-focused approach to restoring the wildlife populations and biodiversity on the Scottish heather moorland.

time-read
8 Minuten  |
December 2020
When the wheels fall off
Sporting Shooter

When the wheels fall off

Losing form on a day’s shooting can be infuriating, especially if you’ve been shooting like a god up to that point. Simon O’Leary looks at some common causes and how to remedy them

time-read
4 Minuten  |
December 2020
Beaches, books & bad behaviour!
Sporting Shooter

Beaches, books & bad behaviour!

The annual Kay family vacation to Northumberland offers a chance to give the cockers a blast on the beach – although they don’t always shower themselves in glory, as Ryan Kay recalls...

time-read
7 Minuten  |
December 2020
Using the Stop whistle
Sporting Shooter

Using the Stop whistle

Now you’ve instilled the basics, it’s time to up the ante with some more tricky distance work. Howard Kirby explains how to take the core Stop whistle command to the next level

time-read
5 Minuten  |
December 2020
The humble teal
Sporting Shooter

The humble teal

They may be tiny, but as far as Rupert Butler is concerned, the appeal of this little duck is huge. He recalls some of his most memorable nights in pursuit of these aerial acrobats

time-read
4 Minuten  |
December 2020
Fab all-rounder
Sporting Shooter

Fab all-rounder

Mike is impressed with the Fabarm Elos B2 Field Notte, which offers great value for money, is suited to fieldwork or clays and is future-proofed for use with steel in all choke constrictions

time-read
5 Minuten  |
December 2020
CALL OF THE WILD
Sporting Shooter

CALL OF THE WILD

Dom Holtam reconnects with one of the purest forms of shotgun shooting as he walks-up woodcock over pointing dogs in the Scottish Highlands

time-read
8 Minuten  |
December 2020
A yen for the Fens
Sporting Shooter

A yen for the Fens

Tony Jackson recounts a memorable duck flight over an area of Fenland in Norfolk with his friend and author, the late Alan Savory

time-read
4 Minuten  |
December 2020