MUD-HOLES, AN EXPERIMENT WITH VISION

How can I be a better shooter?  How many times has that thought passed through our mind?  Maybe mud-holes could help you to be a better shooter?

In the beginning stages of shotgun shooting, the new shooter first learns the basic fundamentals such as a proper gun mount, proper stance and eye and hand co-ordination.  In the next stage, much time is spent learning various shooting techniques such as, gun insertion points, maintained lead, pull-a-way, swing through or come-from-behind shooting methods.  In the final stages of training, our best shooters seen to develop a mental concept of planning their kill strategy and then, implementing that plan.  It's as Daniel Schindler so well states, "develop a mental management program".

Just about every shooting book, video or personal instruction we come in contact with stresses the need to look exclusively at the target and I'm sure most shooters do just that.  This being the case, with the shooter's complete focus concentrated directly on the target, leads are determined by our peripheral vision.

Webster's Dictionary defines peripheral vision as;
The area of vision lying outside the line of direct sight

A "lead" is the distance to the point where the shot charge is estimated to contact the target.  We actually guess at leads because we are maintaining our (direct) eye contact on the target. This makes the lead spot to be an imaginary (ghost spot) drifting somewhere in front of the target's path.  It's not directly seen because it's outside our line of direct vision.

Ever think what would happen if we focused our (direct) line of sight on the estimated lead spot and not the target.  Please read on folks, as we are about to experiment with your vision, and in the end, maybe making you a better shot.  Remember now, at this point in this article, the lead spot is still a (ghost spot), it's unseen.  Now, look at a clock or a watch, look at the 9 and then move your eyes over to the 3.  Now, while you have a direct, hard focus on the 3, notice how easily the 9 is still (indirectly) visible. Now, imagine that the 9 was a clay target traveling left to right towards the 3 and with the eyes still directly focused hard on the 3, notice how well you can still (indirectly) see the 9.  So now, at this point, as you can still see the 9 (indirectly) but visible within our peripheral vision area, your main concentration and direct focus is on the imaginary (ghost) lead spot 3.

Let's try the same eye experiment as above but with a different subject.  Looking at the back or front end of an automobile, let's do the same drill as above.  Focus directly on either the left head light or left tail light, now move your eyes over to the right light.  While you have a (direct), hard focus on the right light, notice how easily the left light is still (indirectly) visible within your peripheral vision.  Getting the picture now, can you see a possible (lead spot) clearly now?  Have you guessed what mud-holes are yet?

One goal for any instructor is to get the message across to the shooter in the easiest, best and quickest way he/she can.  One of the hardest parts of instructing is to identify how to verbally get the message across to different shooters.  Words that work for one person might necessary not work for another.  I'm sure you're heard the saying "one picture is worth a thousand words".  What better way is there to get a message across than with a visual demonstration, an explanation by example, or by a perception given by sight?  Are mud-holes coming into mind?


Maybe at this point we need a little better understanding of lead concepts.  So many times in this sport we have heard "you're measuring, don't measure."  Well, guess what?  This is a game of measuring.  Most of us know that leads are changing throughout the flight of any target and we should all be capable of estimating where the sweet spot would be to best kill a target in flight.  For some, it might be early in the flight while it has (spring) speed and a straight, true flight, or maybe in its gliding stage, slightly slowing down before it stalls. For others, that sweet spot could be immediately after the stall is recognized and lastly, the ideal spot could be taken in the dropping stage.  Regardless, a sight picture or visualization of lead angle and length should be created in your mind and memory, along with a precise plan to be executed to kill that target.  This is no doubt the hardest part of shooting, determining correct leads.  If we knew every target's lead, we would probably never miss?

One concept of estimating lengths of lead (think full crossers) might be taken from the often heard saying" a little bit of lead.. more lead.. a lot of lead" which works fine for some.  Another concept might be 1 foot at 10 yards, 2 feet at 20 yards, 3 feet at 30 yards, 4 feet at 40 and 5 feet at 50 yards which also works fine for some. Another concept is the often viewed finger measurement of inches as seen from the muzzle to target relationship.  This also works for some but in any case, getting good at determining leads can only come from experience.

At our Peace Dale Shooting Preserve, which is known for its long, tough targets, many presentations do require four foot or more in leads. Most shotguns are about 4 feet in length, more or less a couple of inches.  We should all have an idea of what a shotgun's length would look like if a person was walking by at 40 yards carrying one. That vision alone is a good guide to estimate and judge lead.  Another thought, most automobile tail lights or head lights are approximately 5 feet apart and no matter how far away you are from the automobile the lights will always be 5 feet apart, but the further the distance they are away from you, the closer together they appear.

Maybe at this point it's time to introduce the mud-hole/shot pattern concept into the picture. About four years ago, I was trying to get a shooter to increase his lead on a crossing target and was getting absolutely nowhere. Out of frustration, I tossed a shotgun shell casing out on the ground about 15 feet in front of us.  I asked for the shooter's shotgun and a couple of shells and fired a shot about a foot to the right of the shotgun shell.  Because of the wet, saturated ground from recent heavy rains, that shot-string made a nice, neat mud-hole about the size of a softball and about 12 inches to the right of that shotgun shell.  I then stated to the shooter, "that's where you keep placing the muzzle and you always end up shooting behind the target. Now watch this."  My second shot placed a nice, neat mud-hole just two feet to the right of the first mud-hole now a very clear three feet away from the shell casing.  Handing him back his gun, I said, "Now, that's where you should be placing/inserting that muzzle and shooting."   My next words were, "now, imagine a mud-hole out in front of that crossing target, inset on it and shoot it. Remember, there are two things out there now, shoot the one in front". That shooter looked at me, looked at the mud-holes on the ground, missed the next two targets, trying again, hitting the first and missing the second, and then broke 9 of the next ten targets. Because of this visual demonstration of shell casing and mud-hole, from that point on, this shooter understood visual lead.  From that day on, his weekly league shooting average went immediately from -25/50 to 35+/50.  Since that first "mud-hole" being observed on the ground nearly 5 years ago, I now can place a shot pattern at any position around that shell casing for determining and visualizing not only lead length pictures but also lead angles. Example, by shooting a 6 o'clock mud-hole below a shell casing for dropping teal, a 12 o'clock mud-hole for those straight up teal, or at 10:30 o'clock for a right to left climbing pheasant.

We can better understand angles by making a paper (clock) template.  From a piece of folded cardstock about the size of a postcard, place a quarter halfway on center at the fold and mark the half circle with a pencil.   Cut it out with a pair of scissors and unfold and you have a full circle, sort of like a hole in a piece of paper used for checking eye dominance. Now, just like a clock or watch, write in the 12, 3, 6 and 9 positions then between those numbers add the 1 & 2, 4 & 5, 7& 8 and 10 & 11.  On a large piece of paper, draw a line representing the flight of any target you are about to shoot. Let's draw a chandelle, climbing up from the left side, turning over at the top and dropping down to the right side.  Draw a make believe target on the line in three separate places, one before the top (11 o'clock), after it rolls over or stalls (1 o'clock) and the last one representing the dropping line the target is taking (4 o'clock.) Place the circle over each of the targets by putting the target in the center of the circle, where the hands would come together, note the line of travel from there and this gives you a picture of where the muzzle should be inserted.

During instruction, many times I will create drills for a student. For instance, lets say we're going to shoot a left to right climbing target at 10:30 with a 2 foot lead. On that same target while nearing it's peak, I might say, now shoot it at 9 o'clock with a 1 foot lead and a third drill would be in that target's dropping stage at 6 o'clock with a 1 foot lead. Get the picture?


Hope this is of help, Richie Sr.
Peace Dale Shooting Preserve
Peace Dale, Rhode Island