How to practice shooting game?

bencarter

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Billings, Montana
(Not sure where to put this thread as there is no "skills" forum)

I'm new to hunting with a rifle and taking shots at rifle distances. Prior to moving to Utah (I'm from Virginia) the longest shot I ever took was easily less than 50 yards and had only hunted from a tree stand with a bow. Last elk season I messed up a shot on an elk at 315 yards. Completely missed him. A number of factors are to blame for that, primarily myself. I could not calm myself down enough to take steady aim (hiking up to 10,000 feet did not help that much) even with my rifle across my hunting pack.

What do you do to practice shots like that so you can make them under pressure?
 
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Practice,Practice'Practice.Only take shots that you feel comfortable with.
If 350yds is too much then pass and try to get closer.I sight my Rifle 3in over
at 100yds/dead on at 200yds/3in. low at 300yds. after that no shots taken.
Good luck,have fun and Givem" H3ll! 😎
 
You need to get good enough at the fundamentals so they are automatic under stress. Position, breathing, trigger press (most important).

Practice at getting good at each of these individually, and then you will see things get easier under pressure.
 
Best practice I have ever seen is going prairie dog hunting.

You will get used to acquiring game, ranging, cycling the bolt, etc... A bolt action 22, 17, or 223 is great for this and as mentioned things will get automatic under pressure.
 
I agree with the fundamentals and practice.

I've seen people that aren't really that great shooting off a bench, but are very good at holding things together on game and rarely miss an animal.

I've seen people that are scary good off the bench, but cant hold their chit together on animals.

Seen some that are scary good off the bench, and equally scary on game...those types make it tough on game, both near and far. Almost isn't even fair.
 
Yep. You have to have the fundementals. Sometimes in the real world it takes those fundementals and actually being able to shoot a rifle when things are less than ideal. Hard to practice that stuff. mtmuley
 
Most of my range time is off my bog pod or my pack, the same it will be on a hunt. See how many shots you can hit in a row to build in pressure at the range. Know your range sitting, standing, on sticks, on a pack, etc. I have different max ranges depending on how solid my rest is. Shoot in wind when practicing.

The more familiar you are with your trigger, breathing patterns, your specific rests, etc. the easier they will be to manage under pressure. I do better if I've had time to watch an animal and calm down a little than I do on having to make a decision and take a shot in 30 seconds from the first time I saw the elk/deer. I'm likely to pass if the shot is too quick.
 
As a bowhunter, you know where to place the shot.
I know i'm still in PA, so if i were you, i'd get range time in at the elevations your going to hunt. Big difference from 1,000 ft to 10,000 ft.
If you have a chrono, use it. Then shoot at longer distance ( ideally 600 -800 yards) to true your ballistics.
I use Strelok Pro on my cell phone.

Visit your local bowling alley. Ask for their old bowling pins. (Mine cost me 25 cents each). Decently small target, and it's reactive. Plus they can take a beating!!

Then progress to other smaller targets, especially at "unknown" distances.
Practice with the ramge finder, and ballistic app. Old baseballs, tennis balls, even golf balls.
 
Let me know when you find out!

I have completely missed monster whitetails at 15, 30, 35, 40, and 115 yards. Only the 15 yard shot was bow-hunting. I can drive tacks on does, but put a giant bone hat on game and I feel like I'm going to die of excitement.

Some things I have been trying:

Walk afield with my weapon empty and practice setting up for imaginary shots.

Using the same weapons on small game and really mastering the fundamentals so I am not even thinking about any aspect of shooting when the moment of truth occurs.

I love hunting, so I guess I will just have to deal with my body nearly going into shock every time (going on 28 years now) the boss animal makes an appearance.
 
Practice certainly makes a difference. But I think watching animals in hunting situations, setting up for, and not taking a shot does as much to cure buck fever as anything. I became a much better hunter by hunting a specific deer causing me to be around a lot of other deer in hunting situations.
 
Best practice I have ever seen is going prairie dog hunting.

You will get used to acquiring game, ranging, cycling the bolt, etc... A bolt action 22, 17, or 223 is great for this and as mentioned things will get automatic under pressure.
For sure, the best practice for doing something is doing that thing. Small game hunting for any small game is the best way to get tuned up for big game. Plus, it's a lot of fun and provides some tasty meat for the pot.
 
That works good until you have a 400 inch elk at 35 yards

(-: ---as well as a coastal brown bear or cape buffalo--- at 35 yards

However I agee with Dirtclod, Jls, and others

Those of us who were raised on a farm and started "hunting" with our grandparents and parents at a young age already have/had 10 years of hunting under our belts by the time we were 17--20 years by 27--as opposed to those who have been "shooting", at a range or even an occasional weekend to the country to shoot a gun for a bit. It is important to practice, practice, practice, as has been said, but try as hard a you can to "hunt", there is a huge difference between hunting and shooting--Hunt everything, even upland and waterfowl hunting brings a different set of skills to you. Since your in Utah you can get to the country fairly easy. Carry a rifle up and down those mountains and occasionally stop and shoot a spot on a dead tree or whatever--different shooting positions, when your winded, tired, sweaty, cold, etc--also use snow shoes, great exercise and a fun way to hunt.

I would like to share this with the membership. This question was asked once and it was directed to the young first nation girl I know who subsistence hunts in the Territories of Canada. How do you practice "hunting" ? and she said "by hunting". Although it is easier for her as she does not have to get tags, etc. She hunrs and traps year round---but she is not wrong. "Hunt" something as often as possible .

Greyman posted as I was typing------He said basically what I was trying to say in my above post only better and with fewer words

Also, what Pat posted after my post is excellent advise. Pat, are you still in New Mexico ? Send me a pm if time permits sir
 
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As others have said, use your primary weapon to practice ALOT! Before my first elk/muley trip to Colorado in 1998 ( I lived in Ohio back then) I used my Winchester model 70 in .270 to hunt groundhogs the entire spring/summer. Learning to judge distance without a rangefinder, sit down, pick a small spot to concentrate, and squeeze was the best way to get ready.

When the time came that fall, I was tracking a small herd in the snow. Caught movement to my left and the herd was trying to sneak away and get behind me. I sat down, found a cow elk that decided to stop for a second and look at me, picked a lane to the vitals and BOOM. She tipped over dead. 153 paces away and through the aspens. I had maybe an 8 inch "hole" in the trees to shoot through. All those groundhogs that fell that year prepared me for that 10 seconds of range, pick an opening, pick a spot, and squeeze.

That same method then helped me secure my first Bull the following year ( shot him in his bed at 30 yards) and two Mule deer bucks the years after. All with the same rifle. Even though I now have a safe full of model 70's I still use that Classic Stainless .270 today as my primary rifle, 22 years after I bought it new. It literally is a part of me now.

Another good thing I like to do is cut out life size targets ( of animals ) made of cardboard. I don't put any bullseyes on them. I just set them at distance and shoot. Also helps you in range estimation. I use this on my kids all the time. This makes them find the front leg, etc... and set up for the shot.

If you know that a typical mule deer is 18 inches from the back to the brisket and at 200 yards 18 inches represents the same distance as the thin part of your vertical crosshair.... You now have a built in rangefinder. Only use this method if you have made up your mind to try and shoot the animal by using Bino's or other optics please.
 
IMO bench rest shooting is all well and good but not really hunting practice. This may be old fashioned but I have a bolt action 22 with the same scope and the same trigger pull as my bolt-action 308. Plink plink plink at spinner targets, beer cans, bottle caps. Prone, sitting, kneeling, awfulhand. Trying to get it all down to muscle memory. 50-100 rounds a session. Shoot the big gun often enough to be comfortable with it, but it's a lot easier to burn ammo with a rimfire.
 
Dry firing until you remain relaxed through the shot has help my family of hunters the most. You also need to have decent form or all the practice in the work won’t help.
 
As other have said, building muscle memory on the range in various shooting positions is key. Another way to help simulate pressure on the range is to simply get your heart rate up. Do a minute or two of some sort of exercise between each shot. I have an area out in the desert that I use for a range, so I will get my targetry all set up, put my rifle on my pack an go hike a mile, then when I get back to the range I make myself go through the whole process as quickly as possible. Any type of simple exercise will work, sprints, jumping jacks, push-ups. If you can on your range, have a partner go down range and set targets at various distances and angles while your back is turned and you are doing whatever to get your heart rate up. Then when they get back you practice going through your process, id the target, get your weapon in battery, and get a round on target. If there is a shooting club in your area that puts on competitions of some kind, that is another good way to add pressure to your target shooting. You can do that on your own with some buddies too, timed and scored engagements with some sort of prize on the line. The key to it all though is the muscle memory, when doing these drills you have to make yourself take your time and make the shot count. Building your fundamentals up through realistic training will allow you to overcome the pressure when the time comes.
 
As has been said, proper fundamentals are critical because they lead to great results if practiced consistently. Be precise, learn how to adjust for different distances, press the trigger consistently and directly back towards you when you reach the bottom of your breath, and get in lots of practice so you don't flinch.

There is also tremendous value in getting field experience. Go hunt prairie dogs, rabbits, etc... and do so while tired or under pressure. Sometimes there's nothing like actual hunting scenarios.

Keep at it and you will be amazed how much better you get.
 
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