A deadly method for flushing birds, and the one distance it can't handle.

First, believe me when I say this: this shooting method flat out works! And then it doesn't. And when it doesn't, the reason why is worth knowing. I learned this the hard way.

In my wingshooting lessons on "flushing" game over our favorite dogs, I teach the Churchill method. Named after the English gunmaker Robert Churchill, it's an instinctive method: eyes locked on the bird, the gun comes up to where you're looking, and you shoot.

Folks, it's pure magic on quail, chukar, grouse and early-season pheasants. My students love it because it's simple to learn and downright deadly. It's been proven successful countless times in the field by shooters young and old.

Take Jim, a retired commercial airline pilot. Jim could land a jumbo jet in a fierce crosswind, but put a quail in front of him and all bets were off.

He had a long history of missing quail and pheasants, and he was tired of his dog giving him that look.

His goal in coming to me was to learn a shooting method he could depend on. He wanted more than the method's steps; he wanted to make absolutely sure he understood how to execute those steps correctly. No more confusion, just a shooting system he could trust, like a good pre-flight checklist.

Two short hours later, thanks to his athletic history, Jim put on a show. Targets were breaking, his confidence was climbing, and I suspect his dog was revising its opinion of him.

As I said, the method is deadly. However…

Before any wingshooting student of mine chambers a shell, I share this story about Churchill. It applies to wingshooting and clays alike.

Early in my teaching career, for clay shooting, I was taught the Churchill method. Naturally, being younger and enthusiastic, I went out and taught it to my Sporting Clays students around the US.

They struggled with it, and not just once or twice, but again and again. That was not good for them, and it wasn't doing wonders for my reputation either.

Some time later, at the Nationals in San Antonio, I had lunch with a few instructors who'd earned their certification in the same class I did. Between bites, I confessed my concern and disappointment with the method I'd been teaching.

The table went quiet.

It turned out I wasn't the only one seeing inconsistent results.

Flying home, I had a decision to make. Should I ditch the method altogether? Some serious introspection revealed when it worked and when it didn't.

The real question became where to use it.

Over the years, as the Examiner in my instructor certification classes, I've taught the four basic shooting methods along with the pros and cons of each.

When it's time to teach Churchill, I do NOT reveal its shortcoming ahead of time.

This is a learning opportunity. In this case, I just believe a lesson my candidates discover themselves sticks better than one I tell them.

Here's the drill.

I plant stakes in the ground, marking the 20, 25, 30 and 35-yard distances. My candidates line up behind me at the 20-yard stake. My first shooter faces a basic, moderate-speed crosser thrown off a short tower against the sky.

Executed smoothly and correctly, all ten candidates break the bird.

Count 'em: Ten Xs!

They're genuinely impressed with this Churchill thing, and rightfully so. There's high-fiving and talk of how easy this game is.

We step back to the 25-yard marker. Same target.

Seven out of ten Xs.

The high-fiving gets a little quieter.

At the 30-yard marker, it's three broken targets and seven misses. Somebody starts checking their choke. A quiet look and shake of my head nixes that.

At 35 yards?

Zero Xs. Not one.

The line looks at me the way Jim's dog looked at Jim.

Is the method's fault just my speculation?

I've run this drill in twenty or more instructor certification classes, never giving advance notice of the method's one downfall. The results are the same every single class: as the yardage increases, broken targets decrease and misses increase.

You could set your watch by it.

The Right Method Makes All the Difference

So, here's the bottom line.

Churchill truly is an outstanding shooting method and well worth learning, provided you keep your shooting inside a reasonably close distance.

For flushing game-over dogs, executed smoothly, Churchill will impress you.

On the Sporting Clays course? Probably not so much.

And for "passing game" like doves, ducks and geese, there's another, very different and highly dependable method better suited to the job.

Knowing which method to use, when to use it, and why it works makes all the difference.

Explore the Paragon Shooting System™

The right method. The right application. Consistent results.

Churchill illustrates an important truth: even an outstanding shooting method has limitations. Knowing which method to use, when to use it, and why it works can make all the difference between occasional success and dependable performance.

For more than three decades, Dan Schindler has challenged conventional thinking about clay target shooting, helping shooters replace trial and error with clarity, structure, and proven methods through the Paragon Shooting System™.

His internationally respected book, Take Your Best Shot, introduced a forward-thinking approach to shooting instruction. To The Target and Beyond The Target build on that foundation, helping shooters understand not simply what works, but why it works.

That same philosophy guides Dan’s private Sporting Clays and Wingshooting instruction.

Through two private four-hour Sporting Clays lessons over two days, shooters—from beginners to Master Class competitors—develop dependable mechanics, learn to recognize and correct their own mistakes, and gain confidence in a method they understand.

For wingshooting enthusiasts, personalized instruction brings that same clarity to the field, including the proper application of Churchill for flushing game and other methods suited to different presentations.

The objective isn’t simply to break more targets during a lesson. It’s to become your own coach and break more targets consistently long afterward.

Explore Dan’s Books    |    Discover Private Lessons

1 Shell. 1 Target. 1 X.™

Clarity. Consistency. Confidence.

Paragon School of Sporting