SECRETS TO TAKING MORE DOVES WITH TONY ROSETTI

Three More Secrets To Taking More Doves

EDITOR'S NOTE: Tony Rosetti not only has the reputation in years past as one of the nation's best shots but also has proved his prowess with a shotgun in national and international competitions. He was the United States International World Champion in1969, 1971 and 1972; the National Skeet-Shooting World Champion, an aggregate of all four gauges .410, .28, and .12, in 1970 and 1972; the World Champion in 1972 in .12 gauge and .410 gauge; the last person to win three of the five World Gauge Championships; a member of the Pan-American Games Gold Medal Team in 1971; the Silver medal individual winner in 1971; a member of the 1972 U.S. Olympic Shooting Team; and the past winner of the Mississippi State Championship and many other championships and big-gun shoots.

Point And Look At The Same Place At The Same Time: Rosetti believes most people look at doves with their eyes but don't point their guns in the same direction as they have focused their eyes. They bring their shotguns to their shoulders and follow the birds with their eyes. As they track the birds with their eyes, they keep their gun barrels down until they want to shoot, which causes hunters not to have the barrels of their guns pointed at the doves when they shoot.

"The first thing you must do when you see a dove is to understand where your barrel is in relationship to the dove," Rosetti explains. "Once you spot the bird, make sure you have the barrel pointed at the bird. Often a dove hunter looks at a dove and then brings his barrel to the dove. Instead, to sight and aim, look at the barrel first. Then bring the barrel to the dove, and pass the dove with the barrel. Although this suggestion may sound simple, if your barrel's not pointing where your eyes are looking, you can't shoot accurately. Practice looking at the bead on the barrel and swinging the barrel behind, through and past the dove. Once you have the bead and the dove in your sight picture, then and only then do you think about taking the shot."

Utilize The Lead Best For You: Most dove hunters use two different types of leads. With the sustained lead, you hold your barrel out in front of the bird during the aiming process. When you see what you believe to be the proper distance between the end of the barrel and the dove, then you pull the trigger. But as Rosetti reports, "The second type of lead, the swing-through method, is the lead I prefer. I come from the rear of the dove, swing past the bird and pull the trigger when I see daylight between my barrel and the dove. No matter which lead you like, you must continue to swing the gun after you squeeze the trigger. You can't just swing past the dove, and then when you're out in front of it, stop the movement of the gun and pull the trigger. If you do, you'll be shooting behind the bird, because the bird keeps on flying forward."

Shoot Trap, Skeet And Sporting Clays: "By shooting trap, skeet and sporting clays, you learn how to continue to swing past the target and make the proper follow-through to shoot correctly," Rosetti said. "Once your mind learns how to see the proper lead and to continue the swing-through, then leading and shooting doves will become automatic and much easier for you. If you're serious about your dove shooting, go to a trap, a skeet or a sporting-clay range. Have a qualified instructor watch you shoot. In 5 to 10 minutes, he'll be able to see the mistakes you're making and help you drastically increase your ability to shoot doves more proficiently."

TOMORROW: MORE DOVE-HUNTING SECRETS