What ShotKam Taught Me About Crow Shooting | By Rob Speed
Written By Rob Speed (Fieldsports with Speed)
Rob Speed of Fieldsports with Speed has spent years refining his crow shooting technique with a ShotKam mounted to his shotgun. In this guest blog, Rob shares how reviewing ShotKam footage helped him better understand bird lines, improve consistency, and capture some of his most memorable shots in the field.
Watch the full video below to see Rob Speed's approach in action and hear firsthand what ShotKam has taught him about crow shooting:
Where it all started.
I had to scroll along way back on social media to find out when I first used a ShotKam and it was back in 2017! To be honest with you, a ShotKam has been on my shotgun barrel pretty much ever since. It has become an invaluable piece of kit to improve all the shotgun shooting I do.
A lot of people will know me from my crow shooting adventures on YouTube, so let me tell you why and how a ShotKam has aided me in mastering my technique of shooting crows.
Wake it up!
The most important thing I learnt in the beginning of using the ShotKam was remembering to wake it up before taking the shot. This may seem obvious but for those that do not know, when shooting from a crow hide the shotgun is generally closed and lent against the netting so after a period of time with no crow activity the ShotKam will enter sleep mode. As a crow appeared into the decoys I found myself picking the gun off the netting, firing at a crow and I was not capturing the footage. As part of my procedure, I now lightly tap the ShotKam as I lift it from the netting to wake it from sleep mode and now I never miss a single bit of footage.
Line is Key!
I soon learnt from reviewing my ShotKam footage how many crows I was missing due to misreading the line of the bird’s flight. They are a very slow flying creature that changes direction very quickly. Being able to see where my shot was heading in relation to the bird allowed me to learn how I needed to change my shooting technique to enable more success. After many years of reviewing thousands of ShotKam clips I will happily share with you my method of shooting a decoying crow.
My Shooting Technique for Decoying Crows.
As a crow approaches the back of the decoy pattern I will grab my shotgun barrel, tap the ShotKam to wake it up and ready myself to raise the gun once it is within range. As the gun barrel steadily moves over the netting, I mount the gun approximately a foot under the bird. With a clear focus on the target, knowing my gun is below it, I wait for the bird to turn and as it does I move the barrel to the place it is heading and squeeze the trigger.
A lot of people worry about how much lead to give them, I would not worry about that so much as like I previously said they are a relatively slow moving bird and the shot out of your barrel is a lot faster than them! A slow moving gun with a clear focus on what the crow is doing and letting your hands move the gun where it needs to go will result in more success. I guarantee it!
Finish your shot
Those of you who watch my YouTube channel will know that I use the ShotKam footage within the videos so the camera has not just allowed me to learn from my mistakes to improve my own shooting over the years but also now to create the content for everyone to watch. I have received some very kind messages in the past saying how the footage has allowed them to get an idea in their head of what they visually need to do on various targets in order to bring them down. The biggest points being how controlled the gun is through the target and after the shot is taken. I always refer to “finishing your shot”, by this I mean staying in contact with the bird after the shot is taken and being ready for another shot if you are not successful with the first. I believe it is a great point to consider as it allows the shot to become smoother and more repeatable. It also reduces the likelihood of pulling the gun off line when you take the shot which would inevitably result in wounding or missing a target. It is paramount that I follow the target after the shot to guarantee I successfully capture footage for creating my videos so without knowing it, the ShotKam has taught me this technique works within my shooting and hopefully others too.
My Preferred Model
After 8 years of heavy use, the battery life on the old Gen 3 was failing so I upgraded to the new and improved Gen 4. I soon found out the difference between the two models is worlds apart.
I have used the Gen 4 a lot over the past 12 months at all the different shooting I do, clamped to many different guns and calibres, in all types of weather conditions, and can hand on heart say it has never let me down. The bracket on the Gen 4 is a lot more user friendly, the battery life has exceeded all of my red letter day shoots, and the 4K footage on the Gen 4 is so much more visually appealing than its predecessor.
There is the other option of the Gen 4 Mini that I have used in the past which has the same features as the slightly larger Gen 4 model which does have its advantages in theory because of it being lighter in weight it is not as noticeable on the barrel. However I will admit I do not feel the extra weight of the Gen 4 being a problem. The biggest issue I have with the Gen 4 Mini is the battery life is shorter which has gone flat on a couple of my busier days shooting. For this reason the Gen 4 is my preferred unit.
Conclusion
Having a ShotKam on my barrel has helped me understand and improve the standard of my shooting ability. Without having it I would not have captured some of my most memorable shots I have ever taken enabling me to share the memories with everyone on my YouTube channel and allowing me to relive the moments forever. I see the Gen 4 model being the better choice so you never miss out on any shots but can see the Gen 4 Mini being a good choice for shooters who want a lighter unit who are worried about the ShotKam affecting the handling of their gun or only shooting smaller days where the battery life is not so important.
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