Birds have always fascinated people, and were literally beyond our grasp as they took flight. They prompted our creative ability to develop some means to take them - bows and arrows, nets, trained birds of prey, and ultimately, in the XVII century, a firearm that shot lots of small pellets - a shotgun. Ever since, wingshooting has become the most popular form of hunting. In no other kind of hunting is there more diversity. Birds are found on every continent, and can be as small as quail or as big as a swan (ostrich is classified as Plains Game). On some hunts, like turkey, you’re lucky if you get to fire one shot. On others, like dove shooting in Argentina, you’ll need assistants to carry boxes of ammunition. On driven bird hunts you don’t get to walk for more than a few feet. Chukar will have you cover many a weary mile over mountains. Hunting released birds is rather a tame occupation; certain waterfowl hunts may carry more risk than Cape Buffalo. A lot of hunters can’t imagine wingshooting without the assistance of a dog. Pointers cover a lot of ground and, when they find a bird, stop at the very last moment before it is ready to fly off, giving the hunter some time to approach. By contrast, flushers, such as spaniels, raise the bird without command, with only a bit of yapping or tail wagging as warning; hunters have to follow them closely, which makes for a fast-paced hunt. Last but not the least, retrievers help collect the birds that were shot, and make sure no cripple gets away. With the exception of a few special hunts (such as turkey, or capercaillie stalking), it is considered unsporting to shoot a sitting bird. Consequently, perhaps the most essential skill for a bird hunter is hitting flying objects with a shotgun, which isn’t as easy as it sounds. Angles, flight patterns, and velocities differ; uncomfortable positions, branches and twigs, etc., get in the way, and so do fatigue and, above all, excitement. It’s not uncommon for a first-timer to spend all their ammo and come back empty-handed or with one hapless bird that just happened to be at the wrong place and time. A Sporting Clays, Skeet or Trap range is where you should be headed before you try wingshooting.