Shotgunning: Making a Duck Hunter

Holly Heyser, information officer for California’s Delta Protection Commission, has turned several novices into full-fledged waterfowlers. Because mentoring takes serious commitment from teacher and student alike, Heyser starts with a simple screening system: “I tell people I will take them hunting, but they have to call me to set it up. That way I only get people who are motivated.”

Heyser takes her students one-on-one and focuses on teaching. “The hunt is not about you, and it’s not even about killing a duck,” she says. “I tell my hunters outright that duck hunting is hard. You won’t be good at it right away. That’s okay. You’re here to learn.”

It takes much more than one hunt to make a duck hunter. Heyser says she finds the mentoring process rewarding, but she also likes time to hunt ducks herself. “The best thing you can do for new hunters is get them in touch with a variety of people they can go with. It’s good for them to see how different people hunt, and it’s good to spread the teaching around, because to mentor properly, you have to give up your own hunt.” It’s a cliché, but it does take a village to make a duck hunter, and at one time or another, all of us should do our part.

Making a hunter’s initial outings enjoyable and successful requires commitment and extra preparation. Here are some things to keep in mind.

1. Guns

Length of pull is the critical dimension when you’re choosing a gun for a novice, because a stock that’s too long is hard to mount, and a stock that’s too short raises the possibility of recoil driving a shooter’s thumb into his or her nose. You should be able to fit two fingers between a hunter’s nose and the thumb of the trigger hand on a mounted gun. Also, a shooter with small hands can have trouble reaching a safety mounted in front of the trigger guard, so bear that in mind if you are choosing among several loaner guns.

Low recoil is important to new hunters because the kick from a mismounted gun can be extra painful. A 12- or 20-gauge gas semiauto matched with 2 3/4-inch shells is a good option. Pick an open choke, like improved cylinder, because ideally you will only let your student take close shots over decoys.

2. First Shots

Make it a rule that absolute beginners have to practice with you at least once before they can hunt. Although you’ll shoot one shell at a time in practice, be sure your hunter knows how to load and unload three shells in the gun and understands how the safety and other controls work. Rather than overwhelm beginners with safety rules, stress these three: treat every gun as if it were loaded, keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction at all times, and keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot.

An aspiring hunter should practice on clays while wearing a hunting coat. A skeet field is best, but a portable trap works. Choose light target loads. Shoot with a pre-mounted gun at first, but transition to starting with an unmounted gun so that your student will learn to mount it smoothly, pushing it out and away to clear the coat, and shooting without rushing.

3. First Hunt

Ideally, the first hunt is a one-on-one experience. In this case, you can bring your own gun. Your hunter may want to watch you shoot, and you may need to provide backup. Still, the focus should be on the student. Call the shot, and if he or she is too slow to react, call off the shot. Be absolutely sure that first-time hunters understand where they can shoot safely. If you have to correct a mistake, explain the safety rules calmly but firmly. If you’re taking your new hunter with a group, leave your own gun cased so that you can pay complete attention to your student’s gun handling.