Just Wing It: An Intro to Wingshooting and How It Can Relate to Investing

By J. Tyler Thompson, CFP®, CEPA®, AAMS®, WMS®

Wingshooting is an intellectually stimulating and challenging sport that I have loved for many years.

Like investing and making financial decisions, you need to have focus, a confident game plan, a steady hand, and patience. Lots of patience depending on how good of a shot you are!

What I love the most is how social it is. Wingshooting is a great way to spend time getting to know people, learning about their life, their family, their business and what they’re passionate about.

Unlike hunting for deer or other large game, you don’t have to be quiet or control your scent so you can laugh and have a good time while you shoot. In fact, I’ve even brought my 5-year-old daughter Charlie Kate wingshooting several times with me!

There’s a low barrier to entry, and the only gear you need is a good quality shotgun, ammunition, hearing protection, eye protection, an orange sporting vest, a sturdy pair of boots — and ideally

a good gun dog! My dog Rooney, while she is up there in age nowadays (almost 12), she is still eager to get out and retrieve.

Ideal shotgun gauges for quail would be a 20 or 28 gauge. While hunting larger birds such as pheasants or ducks, the 12-gauge is preferred and overall is probably the most popular among any bird hunters. If you really want to show off, bring a 410 shotgun — it’s the smallest gauge available, so your aim better be spot-on!

Gun safety and proper knowledge of when to shoot and what to do (and not do) in the field is critical, so if you’re not an avid hunter you should start with a training course on gun safety and maintenance.

If you’re interested in learning how to wingshoot, you can get a feel for it by starting with a sporting clays course so you can learn how to shoot at flying targets.

Then you can get in touch with a local bird hunting preserve that offers guided hunts. The guides will have their dogs to help find the birds, and give you tips and pointers to build your confidence and help you feel more comfortable.

There are several quail hunting preserves or plantations within a few hours of Atlanta, such as:

Burnt Pine Plantation

Redbone Farms Hunting Preserve

Highpoint Quail Hunting Preserve

Big Red Oak Plantation

One of my favorite organizations is Project Upland, which has a plethora of visually appealing articles to educate and help you learn more about the sport.

I traditionally go on a few bird hunts a year but visiting the “pheasant capital of the world”, South Dakota, is hard to beat. I go with a great group of business owners that get together every year and we’re usually able to reach our daily limit in just a couple of hours.

Compare that trip to another I took this past year with my father and brother where we were only able to land two birds out of three days of hunting. This was my first public land hunt in SD and we put in about 8-10 miles of hiking a day through corn, cattails, and tall grass just to have the birds seemingly out smart us. But we stuck with it and were able to bag two birds on the last day.

Bird hunting can have it’s good days and bad days, just like with investing in the stock market. Each time you step into a field, you don’t know what lies ahead. You could see several coveys and miss every shot, not see any birds, or you can be lights out with every bird that flushes.

It is reminiscent of the opening bell of the market every day, you never know what the day may hold. Everything may look like it should produce a positive day in the stock market but it seems to have a mind of its own and will perform the opposite. Or all may appear doom and gloom but the market bounces up. That’s why it’s critical to have a plan you are confident in, the patience to not react emotionally and ability to remain focused on the long-term vision.

Happy hunting.

Any opinions are those of J. Tyler Thompson and not necessarily those of Raymond James. Expressions of opinion are as of this date and are subject to change without notice.

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