Eyes fighting for dominance when aiming is common. That's why target shooters using blinders of one sort or another. I blocked my son's off eye with a card on his competition bb gun. His score jumped 20 points. According to him he never sees anything with the off eye, but obviously....

Get a gun that you can shim to fit. Make sure your pattern is centered where you POINT the gun. Never aim, look at the bird with both eyes wide open and instinctively point, swing and shoot. It’s just like throwing a baseball to someone that’s running. Do it several times and your brain automatically calculates the lead and speed you need without you thinking about it.

Good tips here. One thing I recommend to just focus on the bird and not your bead. Get on the bird when in range and let instinct take over. Adjust as needed. If you get tail feathers increase your lead a little. If you get nothing then keep at it. And practice with some clays as others have said.

Man, shooting doves sounds complicated. Lead him1-2" through your sight picture and start pulling the trigger till he folds.

Easiest way to kill doves is be in the field on opening morning before the birds have been shot at. After opening day they get smart and fly higher and faster.

Picture in your mind that the ball of shot is in a line. You are trying to put that line in the moving targets way. You're not actually hitting the target with the shot but the target is flying through the line of shot.

Once you figure that out it's easy. LOL

It *IS* terribly complicated for some of us who are wired up differently . . . and then again it's the simplest, most instinctive thing in world for many guys. I think there are people whose brain cannot relax and figure out speed, lead, distance, angle, stance, mount, and trigger pull all in one easy, subconscious motion.

But I fully believe the guys who say they just relax and throw up the gun without thinking or aiming. That's definitely a thing.

I've never had a problem hitting doves. I've literally killed truckloads and been shooting them since I was old enough to shoot a shotgun. I generally kill a bird for every 2 shots, sometimes a little better and sometimes a little worse depending on the day, how the birds are flying, and what I'm shooting (.410, 20 or 12 but I rarely if ever shoot a 12 any more at birds).

Try this. Do not raise your gun and follow the bird for any extended period of time, as it comes toward you or into range. Wait until the bird is in range and then snap the gun to your shoulder and kill it. Your instincts will take over and your brain will/should automatically calculate where the barrel should be when the trigger is pulled. Killing doves is not overly hard to do unless you really concentrate and try too hard. I very rarely miss birds that slip in on me and surprise me. I see the bird, think "oh crap, where did that one come from, gun comes to my shoulder, I point and pull the trigger and it folds. Most of the shots that I do miss, are birds that I see coming from a long way out, and mount the gun to my shoulder and track them for a long period of time and as they are coming toward me, I'm actually thinking about "well, how fast is the bird flying, how far out is the shot going to be, how much should I lead it". Doves dip and dart and there's no way to account for that so misses are going to happen. I just think you have lost confidence, are way over-thinking things, and that's probably 75% or more of your problem

I have no defined technique I just instinctively shoot. First you have to get good on a skeet range. Then you can move to hunting. I know a lot of people that can shoot very well on a range but when hunting can't hit the broadside of a barn. Typically that has to do with getting your head down on the stock IMO over 75% of the time this is the issue. When the excitement happens we shoot off our back foot and don't get head down on stock. That takes actual practice shooting at live birds.

One thing to practice at the house is start in a room and look at the right angle where the ceiling and wall meet at the top of the wall start at one corner of the room with your eyes and do along the top of the wall to the opposite corner of the room. Take your shotgun and as you move across the room left/right or right/left pick up shotgun and practice pointing it using where the wall and ceiling meet as your guide. You can snap the gun or not but you have to imagine the bird traveling. This helps with hunting IMO getting the gun up, mounted and head down. I hope that makes sense but it doesn't cost a thing and will make you a better shot.

All this takes practice.

You can't eat a skeet, so I don't shoot them but burning powder is key.

Some of y’all shoot without both eyes open?

BC I was fixing to post the same thing. Want to hit more flying objects then open both eyes 🤣

The KEY to the puzzle is.....Keep your EYES on the target and the Bead/Barrel remains in your Periferral (SP?) Vision....

A lot of people shoot at them too far, you gotta let them get in the pattern's "happy zone." I was taught not to lead them but pull across a passing bird and pull the trigger when it feels right. I always shoot an open choke and good shells.

Just shoot slightly in front of bird.it don't take long to figure it out
Call it lead or whatever y'all want.just shoot slightly in front of bird
Like someone said look at bird and slightly lead the bead in front of bird and you'll be hitting em every time.my first dove hunt by end of day I hit three dove with Three shells out of a 870 pump with improved cylinder choke .

Hardest shot for me is straight away.

Before you get too far into this check to see which eye is dominant. Make the Ok sign with your hand and "aim" at an object. Close one eye and then the other and the one lining up with the aimed object is dominant. Obviously left eye dominant should shoot left handed and right eye right handed. Those who shot right handed for years and are left eye dominant have to close an eye or miss a lot.

I started shooting doves with a single shot 20 gauge H&R when I was very young. I think learning things that are based on muscle memory and instinct are far easier when you are very young and your brain and body are still developing. I know that learning to play guitar, snow ski, etc are far easier for kids than adults. I think it's probably the same for wingshooting.

To bad we don't have the Dove numbers these days like I grew up hunting in the 60's and 70's. on into the mid-80's. These days if the field averages a limit per person it's good shoot. Back then the average bag per shooter was say 45 birds....and sometimes higher. Been going to Mexico once a year for the past 20 years in order to get my shoulder bruised so bad by the 3rd day I rub it down with a muscle linament.