i just got back into skeet shooting after 6 months off. i've been having a terrible time keeping my head down on the stock with all high house birds. i'm a left handed shooter. any advice or exercise to drop this habit. :deer:

An old friend told me that shooting skeet
is never like the real thing

because when your hunting the unexpected happens
like your takin a wiz and birds suddenly arrive

or a bird flies directly at your face

or your just grabbin a cup of coffee

the point being...

i learned to shoot whether i was kneeling ,
standing, sitting ,or laying down on my back...
( saying pull with gun laying on the ground)
to the point that i was "rarely surprised"

and could always grab (snatch)
my shotgun at a seconds notice
and snap it into place from any position.

i don't know if this suggestion helps
but it sure helped me
be ready in any situation

Are you calling for the bird with gun mounted or low ready? If low ready it might be a mounting problem.

Is it all high house or only second bird on doubles? Could be you're raising your head to look for second bird?

How laid back is the club you're shooting at? Hard-core follow the course of fire? My club will let you shoot however you like at non busy times, practice single station, all high house, etc. It may just take a little concentrated practice if possible.

Was this a problem before or just since time off?

I used to shoot 10+ rounds per weekend, year round for three years. I just went last week after about fifteen years off. Ended up shooting sporting clays for the first time. I think I found a new hobby!

i shoot with gun mounted, but am trying to learn from low ready position. and definately all hight house problems. my club is real busy on sundays and the only other day they offer skeet is on wednesday afternoon.

Yeah, I used to shoot with gun mounted. Every legal advantage counts. I used to worry about the time it would take to mount the gun and track the clay. After doing no shooting other than hunting for years, I realized time was not the problem, proper gun mount was.

You say it's all high house. High house birds are supposed to be easier for southpaws. Is it every station high? Is it incoming or outgoing only? Is it only second bird on doubles (assuming your club throws low first on stations six and seven)? Try to isolate as many variables as you can (keep a log of every round if possible). A little trick if you keep a log. Keep track of every single bird. Photocopy a score sheet and just copy your rounds at the end of your shooting. Just keep track of your hits and misses for about 20-30 rounds. Don't tally anything up until this time, if you start keeping track sooner, you will find yourself subconsciously making corrections and it will actually take longer to find the problem.

It's tough to get good practice at a busy club. A couple things to check and try. Have you verified that you are left eye dominant? I shoot right handed but am left eye dominant (I'm lefty at some things and righty at others). By the time I realized my eye dominance, it was easier to correct for it than to learn shooting all over, between mount, swing, sight picture, etc. Probably not a factor, but easy to check. You might be having a hard time picking up the bird on that side and lifting your head off the stock to help. If you think your right eye may be slightly dominant, just enough to screw you up on some shots get a pair of cheap clip-on sunglasses. Break the left lens off and use the clip-ons over your shooting glasses. The little more tint may be enough correction. If I haven't shot in a while, I break out the clip-on, even for hunting.

If it is strictly a mounting problem you can work on that at home. Get in shooting stance and mount the gun properly while facing a wall. Where-ever the sights set, mark the wall with a small piece of tape. That is your natural aiming spot. Now without adjusting you foot position lower the gun. Close your eyes, mount the gun and then open. If the tape would be dead, then good. What you are doing is practicing your mount. The main things in this exercise are make sure position is proper before doing it with eyes closed (try it a few times with eyes open), and make sure gun is NOT LOADED! If you can use a mirror instead of a wall, you can visually check your stance and head alignment, but you can check by how it feels.Once that gets comfortable and reliable then the next step. With eyes closed, mount gun, swing to left then back to center, then open eyes. Would the tape be dead this time? I used to practice gun mount about twenty times per day, not too much to become a nuisance. It took more time to prepare than to actually dry mount every day, but it really helps.

yeah, i've narrowed it down to high house clays on stations 2, 3, 4, 5. i thought it was likely because i shoot with both eyes open and watch for the clay to come out of the house with gun mounted. i let the clays pass the muzzle, then track and shoot with the right lead. i just might lifting my head and not keeping the gun mounted. because on low house when i turn and look for the clays it forces my face to really stay on the stock.

i'm definately left eye dominant. and i'll try that mount exercise with no ammo. :hee: thanks.