How to Shoot a Quartering Target
A quartering bird angles across and away from (or toward) you — part crosser, part going-away. You hold a little closer to the trap than on a full crosser, with a soft focus close to the side of the gun the bird is travelling toward.
Waiting point sits about ⅓ out from the trap, adjusted to the bird's speed and your reaction time.
Right-handed
Left → Right- Stance
- Pivoting leg oriented at the breaking spot.
- Gun position
- Just below the flying path of the bird.
- Waiting position
- ⅓ out from the trap (adjustable to reaction time and speed).
- Head
- Slightly turned left, or parallel to the gun.
- Visual
- Between the gun and the trap, close to the left side of the gun (soft focus).
- Timing
- Low gun: start mounting once the bird leaves the trap. Premounted: start moving as the bird nears the gun.
Left-handed
Left → Right- Stance
- Belly button toward the trap, pivoting leg (right) oriented ⅓ distance from the trap.
- Gun position
- Just below the flying path of the bird.
- Waiting position
- ⅓ out from the trap (adjustable).
- Head
- Natural.
- Visual
- Between the gun and the trap, close to the left side of the gun (soft focus).
- Timing
- Low gun: start mounting once the bird leaves the trap. Premounted: start moving as the bird nears the gun.
Right-handed
Right → Left- Stance
- Belly button toward the trap, pivoting leg (left) oriented ⅓ distance from the trap.
- Gun position
- Just below the flying path of the bird.
- Waiting position
- ⅓ out from the trap (adjustable).
- Head
- Natural.
- Visual
- Between the gun and the trap, close to the side of the gun (soft focus).
- Timing
- Low gun: start mounting once the bird leaves the trap. Premounted: start moving as the bird nears the gun.
Left-handed
Right → Left- Stance
- Pivoting leg (right) oriented at the breaking spot (adjustable).
- Gun position
- Just below the flying path of the bird.
- Waiting position
- ⅓ out from the trap (adjustable).
- Head
- Slightly turned right, or parallel to the gun.
- Visual
- Between the gun and the trap, close to the right side of the gun (soft focus).
- Timing
- Low gun: start mounting once the bird leaves the trap. Premounted: start moving as the bird nears the gun.
Set up right and you'll break more of these. The library has the same breakdown for every other target — crossers, incomers, going-aways, teal, rabbit and more. See all guides →
About the method. These guides come from the coaching system of Bill Erdőss, an Olympic clay shooting coach — built on the fundamentals that decide every shot: gun fit, mount, stance, vision, and timing, with a precise, repeatable setup for each target.