But I'm no expert and I hunt fine, but don't score well with clay games yet.
drvrage, it sounds as though you may be experiencing something similar to what I and many other shooters run up against. The effect, I believe, stems from 2 causes:
1) Each clay sport involves throwing targets at a particular speed. In addition, the elevations and angles at which the targets are thrown vary from one clay sport to the next. Clays come out of the trap at the highest speed they will attain, then begin decelerating from there. Live birds accelerate as they fly. Small wonder, then, how hunting for years can throw off your timing when you decide to try your hand at clays. (NOTE: Even within a sport there can be dramatic differences. ATA Trap targets fly at approximately 65 Km/hr; International Trap targets at approx. 95 Km/hr. The angles also differ dramatically.)
2) Secondly, bird hunting and clays shooting are both quick reaction sports. There's no time to analyze your stance, swing, etc. Working on your technique or getting coaching has value, but the lessons learned must become instinctive through practice, if they are to have any effect on scores.
Eventually, through practice, one learns to "switch gears" from one sport to the next, much the same way we adjust our driving style without giving it any conscious thought when we switch from driving a car to driving a truck or a bike.
I believe that, if you shoot reasonably well in the field, you are more than capable of good scores at clays, too. Sometimes we over think the challenge when what is really needed is to turn off our thoughts and ignore distractions in order to arrive at a place not dissimilar to the clean slate that is our mind at the moment when, in the middle of a daydream, we suddenly hear the thrashing of wings as a bird busts from cover.
