With the Arizona Dove Season right around the corner, I was lucky to get out a couple of times to break some clays and try and knock some rust off of my swing. My first opportunity was with a couple buddies after work, and by the time we had run through a couple boxes of shells, we were all doing pretty well.
I almost fell out of my seat when a couple days later, my wife asked if I could show her how to shoot the shotgun and teach her how to shoot clays. How could I say no to that? Grandma came and babysat while Mom and Dad stole away for a couple hours. After going over the basics, my wife was knocking clay birds out of the air with some surprising accuracy. She’s a natural.
A couple things to note:
1. Arizona Dove Season opens September 1, 2014. Know the Regs – 2014 Dove Regulations
2. Pick up your shells. Wether you’re hunting or target shooting in the desert, pick up your shells. It saddens me to say it, but someday the litter, shells, targets, broken glass and trash left by target shooters is going ruin it for everyone. We live in a beautiful state with very lenient rules for target shooters. Don’t ruin it by being lazy. Clean up after yourself.
3. I’ve always been a big fan of Hank Shaw. Check out his dove recipes. Some of them look amazing.
Looks like a blast! (pun intended)
Did your wife have any problems with gunfit? I have been searching high and low for a small gauge gun that will fit my gal properly ( 6’ft Volley ball player) and have been striking out.
She is trooper though, the stock on my A5 wapped her in the teeth a couple times and she kept trying.
Good luck on the dove opener.
PS you can throw doubles out of those little red hand throwers, even weak triples if you get good enough at underhand throwing.
Uplandish,
Thanks for the kind words. The Mossberg 500 she is holding did not fit her perfect. That gun was my grandpa’s and it was the one that I learned to shoot with. I don’t know what it is about it, but it is a very forgiving gun. Good luck on your search.
Ben
Come shoot the Tucson Trap and Skeet Sporting Clays range with me sometime. Score an 80 – no bird stands a chance.
I like it.
What kind of shotgun is your wife using in the last picture? If she starts hitting clays with that – look out! Looks like fun. Ben, what is your outlook on AZ quail this season?
Bryan C
Chippewa Lake, MI
Bryan,
She’s shooting an older 20 gauge Mossberg. To be honest, out of all the guns I have, I probably shoot it best. Like I said in another comment, it is an extremely forgiving shotgun. My wife is super competitive and anything she does turns into a challenge. She shot very well.
The quail outlook is mixed. Gambels isn’t going to be great, probably similar to last year. But Mearns is supposed to be on an uptick and should be a little bit better than last year.
Ben
Unfinished business. We gotta get you that slam!
Michelle’s stance looks solid and confident. I think confidence is half the battle in successful shooting. How tall is she? I’ve got a youth model 870 in 20ga you’re welcome to borrow any time.
Addendum, thanks for posting note #2. I’m glad you’ve expressed that on your site. It’s painful to see so much public land but not make it ten steps before walking over someone’s trash.