The "Black Cloud" post got me to figuring

[Faithful Retrievers]

Like the little boy told his father, how far did you lead him?, boy says, just enough.

I hope this little discussion isn't debating a kill shot at 40 yds. I am not saying its the most practical but in a pit your gonna have 40 yd shots all day long. It might be the lucky ones trying to escape after decoying. I am not going to sit here and GH22 it and say the duck was 75 yards but I been killing them long ways this year with this new setup. Think about duck is decoying 25 yards then hits the jet stream staright up quickly add 10 more your at 40 in no time. Now timber is a different story.

[Trykon]

Who said anything about a 40 yard shot being the first shot? Do i take 40 yard shots on the first shot no. Will i take one as a group is leaving? Of course i will. Killed ducks at that range many of times with no problem.

[swamprooter]

I thought you would know the answer Doc!.. .your pretty sharp on here...In all honesty to me thats really not a shot option a duck cruising at 40 yards 3/4 to full speed. I try to make this a close game with calls and decoys that I lug around. A crippled animal stills bothers me and when it doesn't, i'll quit. So it would be slick to say "yeah, I can make that shot everytime" but I know i can't even though I know the lead but i don't try, especially this day in age with steel and open patterns....

[mharville]

I personally like for them to get right above me (swimming) then I just reach up and grab there feet. then is when it gets tricky. I will use what ever shell I got be it black cloud, rem, winch, federali, slugs, buckshot. then while underwater I hold that shell out and it distracts the duck long enough for me to get him in position to wring his neck. But that is just me.

Definately not a topwater idea!

[RNT]

wow hahaha if you shot at a duck at forty yards out and it was going 50 miles an hour.. wether you hit it or not you would never hunt with me again haha

[ducman77]

if a duck is flying 50mph that means it is a scooter or a damn hooded merganser...

[deltaduckman1]

i think doc hit it right on the money..even though i wouldnt take a shot at this range though i might think i could im just glad to have some reliable insight from guys on here like doc and gc that have probably been at the game much longer than a kiddo like myself who is still finding new situations in the duck blind that have me saying "well what would be the best thing to do"

[BR549]

if a duck is flying 50mph that means it is a scooter or a damn hooded merganser...

Beg to differ with ya! Mallards have been clocked in excess of 90 mph. While they normaly don't fly much over 40 to 50 When they turn the afterbuners on they can move just about as fast as any duck there is for a short burst!

[adame]

[/quote]Speed Record - The fastest duck ever recorded was a red-breasted merganser that attained a top airspeed of 100 mph while being pursued by an airplane. This eclipsed the previous speed record held by a canvasback clocked at 72 mph. Blue-winged and green-winged teal, thought by many hunters to be the fastest ducks, are actually among the slowest, having a typically flight speed of only 30 mph.[/quote] who knew

[GordonGekko]

By the way, if Dan Moulder (MSDuckmen); Randy Dennis (Anatadae); David Melton (DeltaDuck) or Bankermane (Chan) say they can go clean on ducks at 40 yards, I would not quibble with ANY of those guys.

When I said top 10 wingshooters on this board them 4 and you make up the top 5. After that The next 5 would be interesting, but fun to try to sort it out.

I can add a few more that I have hunted with that would make the list and the shot more often than not, duckamatuer, Double R2 (personally saw him double at that distance last season but he was using hevi-shot), Tuel2...better add The Waterfowler to that list even though I don't have first-hand knowledge, his shooting ability precedes him....and a few others whose handles I have forgotten..... it takes a lot of practice, but it isn't unreasonable, it is gettin' a little far for steel though (at least from my gun)....

I've always wondered how you can "scientifically" measure lead...if you shoot sustained lead it will probably be the 12 feet you talk about, but a pass through or pull away lead may appear shorter to the shooter due to greater gun speed....but then again I don't know much of anything about killin' ducks.....

[swamprooter]

Another interesting note about leading a bird is shot string as it relates to a moving target, gauge and ounce load/powder. I use to burn some gas up traveling the country in the late 80's and early 90's shooting Traditional Archery. We shot alot of aerial targets. It really helped my shotgunning as it relates to "throwing the shot into" the target. I learned to focus totally on the bird and not the bead.

[goosebruce]

Ifn im on, I could kill 3 at dat range, and cripple another one with my ejected hulls.....

Ive been known to just open the flap on a box of shells, and the lead duck in a group simply give up and die from fright.

I typically don't even shoulder my gun unless they at 40. Under that, I hip shoot to give em a chance.

bwhahahahaha. travis

[GulfCoast]

By the way, if Dan Moulder (MSDuckmen); Randy Dennis (Anatadae); David Melton (DeltaDuck) or Bankermane (Chan) say they can go clean on ducks at 40 yards, I would not quibble with ANY of those guys.

When I said top 10 wingshooters on this board them 4 and you make up the top 5. After that The next 5 would be interesting, but fun to try to sort it out.

I can add a few more that I have hunted with that would make the list and the shot more often than not, duckamatuer, Double R2 (personally saw him double at that distance last season but he was using hevi-shot), Tuel2...better add The Waterfowler to that list even though I don't have first-hand knowledge, his shooting ability precedes him....and a few others whose handles I have forgotten..... it takes a lot of practice, but it isn't unreasonable, it is gettin' a little far for steel though (at least from my gun)....

I've always wondered how you can "scientifically" measure lead...if you shoot sustained lead it will probably be the 12 feet you talk about, but a pass through or pull away lead may appear shorter to the shooter due to greater gun speed....but then again I don't know much of anything about killin' ducks.....

Didn't mean to slight anyone when I made my list! Especially the Ghetto-Warrior Travis!

The "math" lead has to be the same for either pass through, pull-away or sustained lead. But it does LOOK a heck of a lot different depending on which method. Looks to me like almost nothing for pass trough, and 3 full ducks for maintained lead.

[swamprooter]

My buddy runs Kearney Park.....we ought to have a MSDucks ( Micah approved of coarse) Clay shoot/ Dog event and set up the 40 yard Smokin mallard and some other fun shots totally related to duck hunting. I could get him to set up hald dozen or so sizzlers.....money raised goes to charity or to HoeHandle for a private lease.!

[Doc & Nash]

I am in. Sounds like a great Idea,