friend who cant hit a barn

[Mil Dot]

I've run across a few things in this regard both in the field and at the range. One that applies to both occasional hunters and older hunters in bird hunters is chokes and distance. Sometimes the occassional hunter uses a extra full/full choke in his new shotgun and the ducks are coming in right to decoy so the pattern is very tight, hence easy to miss or you're blowing them apart. Older hunters in the same light may be using older gear and again may not be using a gun which opens up the spread to make hits a little more regular. Of course nothing replaces practice and knowing your weapons, but if you see regular misses on reasonably close shots you may be able to ask what choke are you using or be able to suggest a choke size adjustment. Chokes for me are like clubs in a golf bag, proper choke for proper distance or game.

Rifle is a little tougher, an offer to go to the shooting range prior to season is probably the easiest way.