Really struggling with duck hunting , mainly shooting. I have a Steoger M3000 which I know is not top of the line, but should get the job done. I have missed several times. I patterned the gun it seemed to be low/flat on the pattern board. Added shims, still low. Shot trap missed all but one. Shot skeet hit 4/25. Bought a comb cheek sleeve thing to raise the comb/poi. Now shooting high. It’s been a battle. Just curious if anyone struggled to put ducks in the boat in the beginning, and was able to turn it around. Good rifle shooter, decent pistol. I am seeing ducks. Nothing really landing in my spread most shots have been flybys.

Take a clay shooting lesson from a pro, preferably one that bird hunts. It will be the best money you ever spent. They will make sure your gun fits right, and have you shooting right. Otherwise you will be chasing a ghost.

Do you know which of your eyes is dominate?

THIS...no one can fix it over the internet

Right eye dominant. Definitely will be putting in time on the clay range.

Maybe take up golf?

What’s nice about shooting with a pro, they will tell you every shot if you are high, low, behind…That is a real time saver with improving your shooting.

It’s not really good either if you are trying to fix it yourself shooting clay, and you just keep missing and missing, you could really make matters worse. Some times practice does not make perfect, if you are practicing the wrong thing.

That’s not nice Greek!

Agree with everything said, and getting around someone who is really good with a shotgun will most definitely help to watch and see what you are doing and where you are missing. Some things to remember when shooting a shotgun vs rifle or pistol.

1) We all want to see if feathers buckle or clay dissipate. It is natural to want to lift your cheek off the gun to see if you hit your target. Biggest reason you will miss.
2) Lots of rifle shooters that move over to shotgun world stop their swing. They are so used to steady trigger pulls, they actually will be swinging and it is so automatic to just stop and pull the trigger. Resulting in misses behind the target.
3) Yips.... You shoot enough, you get yips or jerks. Only way to see if you do this, is have someone else load your shotgun for you and put a dummy round somewhere in the range of shells loaded in the shotgun. You go boom boom and then snap cap, you will physically see if you are jerking when you pull the trigger.

What I recommend is lots of clay targets, preferably with someone who is really good with a shotgun. If not make a day out of it with your kiddos and take turns throwing clay targets. Focus on two things, and that is cheek stays snug to the buttstock and you are swinging through the bird/clay. Let whoever you are with tell you if you are hitting the bird but I want you to focus on the swing and not the hit. It is the same concept as looking through a scope, focusing on breathing and crisp trigger pull. You aren't really focused on where the crosshairs are, because they are where they need to be, but instead on making that good shot so the bullet ends up where those crosshairs are located. You lead the bird, you pull the trigger and you keep swinging through, but do not for a second look back to see if there is dust or a folding bird. By doing this, you keep you cheek on the buttstock, you dont jerk when pulling the trigger and I bet you buckle feathers pretty quick once you figure out exactly how much lead is needed to make the shot.

Once you get good with swinging through the target. Open both eyes. You will soon realize that bead on the front of your shotgun isn't near as important as you thought it was. Remember you are shooting an area, it doesn't require pinpoint accuracy. Depending on choke you are throwing a dinner size plate at the target and you just have to figure out how to get that dinner size plate at the same location that the bird will be when you pull the trigger. I swear I became a better shooter when someone told me finally to open both eyes and focus on swinging through.

Nothing wrong with a stoeger. Lots of things I like about a stoeger. My group is brutally hard on gear and there are many stoegers running amongst the group. Let me tell you, we kill PLENTY of fowl with them. If I didnt find such crazy good deals on my 2 versamax shotguns, I'd be running a stoeger as well. Absolutely nothing wrong with those guns as long as you care for them here and there.

Are you shooting with both eyes open? If not that is a problem. Rifle/pistol shooters tend to shoot with one eye shut, and that is a major handicap with moving targets, like trying to hit a baseball or catch a football with one eye shut. A moving target, like a baseball or football, require both eyes focused on target, takes eyes off target you are sure to miss.

Are the birds your shooting at even in range?

You'll see guys all the time say they kill stuff at 40 yards, blah blah blah. Must guys can't hit anything at 40 yards. 40 yards is a long shot. I'd even say most people can't consistently kill at 30-35 yards, keyword there, consistently.

This!

We make our hole at 20-25 yrds. With outer most decoys being around 40 -45 yrds. Keeps it simple. If outside the decoys, most likely you will miss or wound will they will fall long.

Unless picking off pigeons on dairies with lead shot. Good choke and lead is unreal fun at longer distances lol. But we will keep it simple and what these gentleman are saying with range is very crucial. With ducks and geese, we get them in real tight. With pigeons on a dairy, if I think its a racer, I am pulling off long shots lol.

What's good about practicing on a skeet field is station 1 is 45 yards to station 7, you get that distance memorized.

I am a good albeit admittedly rusty shot with a shotgun and also started out missing a few until I had the thought that maybe I was shooting too soon. I started trying to let them work closer and when I thought I let them get very close I killed my first bird this year. I went to get it and was nearly over my waders because it was still 35-40 yds out. In other words, 25 yds with their feet down, seeing the green head, yellow beak, and white ring around the neck, seems very close but that is when I have decided to shoot and not before then. I have started killing more birds since doing this!

What others said is completely right. It sounds like you can hit targets and clays well enough to get the job done. You also said your shots are at passing ducks. That makes it a lot more difficult to hit than a decoying bird. Getting the ducks to cup their wings and have their feet start coming down is my favorite part of hunting. Means I really got them. Getting birds to slow down their circling and ease into the spread would probably make a heck of a difference.

Going to be a little more difficult for this final stretch of the season, but it can be done. Make sure you're really well hidden because they aren't going to come in if they can see you. Also let them do their thing and don't shoot at them right away. Maybe you are doing all that and they are just very decoy shy. Just some thoughts

Let those birds work. They might make 10 circles around you before they get down in the spread. Just stay still and hit the call only when you need to

I am willing to bet your gun is not shimmed correctly to fit you. Do the following and you may see a 1000% improvement in your hits.
Take a drinking straw and cut it in half. Tape one of the halves to the top of the barrel of your shotgun so you would be looking down the length of the straw If you shouldered the gun. MAKE SURE IT IS IN PERFECT ALIGNMENT WITH THE TOP OF THE BARREL OR RIB ON TOP OF THE BARREL. Tape it securely so it won't move.
Now, close your eyes and shoulder the shotgun as if you were about to shoot at a bird. Keep your eyes closed while you shoulder it. Once it is shouldered and in the natural position that it would be if you were hunting, open your eyes. When you open your eyes you should be able to see all the way through the drinking straw without moving your head or gun. Now adjust your shims until you can open your eyes and see all the way through the straw without moving your head. Once you have it shmmed correctly the gun will be custom fit to you and you will start hitting g what you are aiming at
Don't think, just throw the gun up with your eyes Closed so it is in your natural shooting position

I used to be in the same position as the OP if not worse, I bought my first shot gun with the same mind set…..I shoot a rifle and a pistol, how hard can this be! I’d shoot boxes of rounds for a single dove! I broke down and took a class by Steve Liberta. It’s amazing (really humbling) when you understand how much you do not know! This is sound advice!

What brand shells are you using?

I had a season like that. Couldn't hit a bird to save my life. Was ready to get professional lessons.
We still had a Sportsmen's warehouse in my area, and I picked up a box of Kent. I was shooting Winchester Xperts.

My next hunt with the Kent was amazing. I hit everything I pointed at.

Confidence is key and the more you think about it the worse you will shoot. All good info above. Take a lesson with an instructor and try to shoot as often as you can this offseason.

Agree about the eyes! I was having trouble for a while and started keeping both eyes open. Helped a ton. Something else that helps me is to not think too much about it. If I mentally "prep" for a shot too much, I whiff half the time. But, if I just look at my target, raise at the right moment, and just trust my gun to shoot where my eyes are looking, I'm pretty dang decent.

And, if you miss, just say, "dang, I still have my turkey choke in." That's what I do.

You shoot rifles with one eye, fundamentals 101. Both eyes needed for depth perception. Also, looking at your bead will cause you to stop swinging, shooting behind bird. Certain eye dominance situations will force some shooters to shut one eye, but overall, not recommended.