antelopedundee
Well-known member
The last thing that you want to do is miss and end up with a 380 inch elk at 35 yards. Buck fever is tough to overcome until you've taken a few.
How to practice shooting game?
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The last thing that you want to do is miss and end up with a 380 inch elk at 35 yards. Buck fever is tough to overcome until you've taken a few.
Sask hunter
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Call and shoot coyotes all winter
MinnesotaHunter
Well-known member
A long time ago a guy told me "Fundamentals make you accurate, but what's in between your ears makes you deadly, and you have to develop both". Right to Buzz's point...
You need to develop the habits and muscle memory associated with the fundamentals, and the repetitions will help you get the mental game together. I firmly believe that you need to develop the skills separately as well. If you only practice under stress you will develop bad habits, and if you only practice fundamentals, you might fall apart when it matters. I have found that in training, and practice, introducing some pressure through competition, amping things up physically, and practicing in as real a scenarios as possible; can all contribute to your ability to perform under stress. None will 100% replicate shooting an elk, but aggregated together will build your ability to manage stress.
Example, put all your gear on exactly how you will be hunting, and practice getting from that condition, to down on your pack taking a shot. Not having your kit figured out, is a good way to introduce extra stress in the moment.
You need to develop the habits and muscle memory associated with the fundamentals, and the repetitions will help you get the mental game together. I firmly believe that you need to develop the skills separately as well. If you only practice under stress you will develop bad habits, and if you only practice fundamentals, you might fall apart when it matters. I have found that in training, and practice, introducing some pressure through competition, amping things up physically, and practicing in as real a scenarios as possible; can all contribute to your ability to perform under stress. None will 100% replicate shooting an elk, but aggregated together will build your ability to manage stress.
Example, put all your gear on exactly how you will be hunting, and practice getting from that condition, to down on your pack taking a shot. Not having your kit figured out, is a good way to introduce extra stress in the moment.
elkduds
Well-known member
Of all the valuable posts here, IMO the 2 most effective exercises are dry firing and live firing from hunting positions. When those are solid, go up a notch w jogging for a few minutes, then getting into shooting position and making your best shot in a hurry. When you are fast and accurate w that exercise @ shorter range, make those shots longer. Google Gunsite shooting drills for more on this.
All my shooting took a considerable step forward when I moved my butt off the bench and practiced the military sitting position (no bipod). It has several important elements that are present but less critical in other shooting @ game: body alignment angle toward target, solid base of support (butt, each foot), steadying rifle w elbows ahead of knees, use of sling, grip/hand placement, breathing control, trigger touch. You can practice getting into this position in you garage, yard, living room, then dry firing. By the time you get stable in the position (happens fast w practice), your brain is engaged in a step-by-step process w the shot as the inevitable conclusion. Much more effective than looking through the scope, then trying to correct or stabilize each shaky part while watching the target move around in the scope w seconds ticking away. A reference for this exercise is, IIRC: https://www.amazon.com/Shots-Big-Game-Craig-Boddington/dp/0940143895
If you practice w smaller caliber then lose accuracy when shooting your hunting rifle, you may be flinching from recoil and/or noise. If you flinch in practice, you know what happens when there is hair in the scope.
All my shooting took a considerable step forward when I moved my butt off the bench and practiced the military sitting position (no bipod). It has several important elements that are present but less critical in other shooting @ game: body alignment angle toward target, solid base of support (butt, each foot), steadying rifle w elbows ahead of knees, use of sling, grip/hand placement, breathing control, trigger touch. You can practice getting into this position in you garage, yard, living room, then dry firing. By the time you get stable in the position (happens fast w practice), your brain is engaged in a step-by-step process w the shot as the inevitable conclusion. Much more effective than looking through the scope, then trying to correct or stabilize each shaky part while watching the target move around in the scope w seconds ticking away. A reference for this exercise is, IIRC: https://www.amazon.com/Shots-Big-Game-Craig-Boddington/dp/0940143895
If you practice w smaller caliber then lose accuracy when shooting your hunting rifle, you may be flinching from recoil and/or noise. If you flinch in practice, you know what happens when there is hair in the scope.
Pucky Freak
Well-known member
Thanks all for the ideas of exercising prior to target shooting to elevate heart rate and mimic the adrenaline dump. I'll be trying this out during the off season. No hopes of curing buck fever, but I look forward to improving my shots under pressure.
Snow, mud, driving rain. Mirage, is there a stump, a log or maybe a dirt bank? Backpack, shooting sticks, bipod? Fast heartbeat after humping up and over ridge or two. In the snow, rain or heavy wind. Scope clear after all that? Gonna have to range the shot? Happens. mtmuley
TwistedSage
Well-known member
I believe consistency is the most important aspect of accuracy. Being as consistent as you can during practice will build that muscle memory for when conditions are not ideal and you need to improvise.
You can practice without going to the range. Sight picture(consistent cheek weld) and trigger squeeze will make or break accuracy. Two ways we practiced this in our "freetime" without any ammo was..
Place your rifle on a steady rest, usually prone with be sandbags or a box with a slot cut our for the rifle something of the sort. Have a partner sit straight across at least 10 yards away with a piece of cardboard or paper set in another rest. Crawl into your shooting position and get what you think is the most comfortable check weld and sight alignment. Walk you partner into your sight tip or cross hairs and have him mark it with a sharpie enough that you can see it. Crawl back from your rifle and sit up or stand. Get back on the rifle and get that same check weld. Check if you have the same point of aim. If you notice you are getting back in your position and you are no longer aiming at the dot you have changed your sight picture. Make references of every nuance of your check weld and sight picture. Do this enough so you can get up do whatever get back on the rifle and be at the same point of aim every time.
Once you have a consistent check weld practice your trigger squeeze. Get on your rifle and look down your sights to the target. Practice dry firing and concentrate on your point of aim and see if you are pulling the trigger right or left. You may have to change your grip or squeeze until you find a way to pull straight back every time.
Of course once you start firing live rounds and hearing the percussion feeling the recoil it is easy to forget your process. That is why you must practice as much as possible until it is muscle memory. It is a perishable skill for sure.
You can practice without going to the range. Sight picture(consistent cheek weld) and trigger squeeze will make or break accuracy. Two ways we practiced this in our "freetime" without any ammo was..
Place your rifle on a steady rest, usually prone with be sandbags or a box with a slot cut our for the rifle something of the sort. Have a partner sit straight across at least 10 yards away with a piece of cardboard or paper set in another rest. Crawl into your shooting position and get what you think is the most comfortable check weld and sight alignment. Walk you partner into your sight tip or cross hairs and have him mark it with a sharpie enough that you can see it. Crawl back from your rifle and sit up or stand. Get back on the rifle and get that same check weld. Check if you have the same point of aim. If you notice you are getting back in your position and you are no longer aiming at the dot you have changed your sight picture. Make references of every nuance of your check weld and sight picture. Do this enough so you can get up do whatever get back on the rifle and be at the same point of aim every time.
Once you have a consistent check weld practice your trigger squeeze. Get on your rifle and look down your sights to the target. Practice dry firing and concentrate on your point of aim and see if you are pulling the trigger right or left. You may have to change your grip or squeeze until you find a way to pull straight back every time.
Of course once you start firing live rounds and hearing the percussion feeling the recoil it is easy to forget your process. That is why you must practice as much as possible until it is muscle memory. It is a perishable skill for sure.
Guy
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- Dec 5, 2018
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- 446
I enjoy spending time at the range with my hunting rifles. I practice with the 22, yes, but as hunting season gets closer I start shooting the hunting rifles more. Once they're sighted-in and load testing is done, I just don't use the bench anymore. I'll shoot from prone, sitting, kneeling and standing. My son took this photo of me practicing at 300 yards, from standing, at our local gun club. There's a steel gong out there at 300, and I can hit it pretty regularly from standing after I've done a lot of practice. I practice from standing quite a bit, because for me, it's the most difficult. And no, I have no intention of shooting game at 300 yards, from standing. It's just challenging practice.
Most game I've shot though, has been taken from sitting, and I practice that a lot too. This is my 375 H&H Ruger Number One single shot rifle. I'm shooting at that danged 300 yard gong again!
Love whacking that thing with my hunting rifles! BTW, a 300 grain soft point rings the heck out of that gong!
When I practice from prone, I'll sometimes shoot using my pack as a rest because that's what I often do in the field. Toss the pack on the ground, range the animal, rest the rifle on the pack and drop the animal.
A hunting buddy snapped this just seconds before I shot a cow elk, resting the rifle on my pack in the snow, at 338 yards with my 30-06 rifle. Love that rifle! Quick one shot kill.
Consider getting some coaching from an experienced rifleman. A good coach can spot things you're doing wrong and help you work to correct them. Then practice a lot. Dry fire. Actual range time. Field positions. Use the 22 a lot to build marksmanship skills. Use your hunting rifle a lot as well. Don't go mucking around with 14 different loads for your rifle, find one and stick with it.
A couple of folks have mentioned prairie dog shooting and coyote hunting. YES! The unknown distances, smaller targets, sometimes moving... Excellent practice for big game hunting! I enjoy both varmint shooting and coyote hunting.
Best of luck this season!
Guy
Most game I've shot though, has been taken from sitting, and I practice that a lot too. This is my 375 H&H Ruger Number One single shot rifle. I'm shooting at that danged 300 yard gong again!
Love whacking that thing with my hunting rifles! BTW, a 300 grain soft point rings the heck out of that gong!
When I practice from prone, I'll sometimes shoot using my pack as a rest because that's what I often do in the field. Toss the pack on the ground, range the animal, rest the rifle on the pack and drop the animal.
A hunting buddy snapped this just seconds before I shot a cow elk, resting the rifle on my pack in the snow, at 338 yards with my 30-06 rifle. Love that rifle! Quick one shot kill.
Consider getting some coaching from an experienced rifleman. A good coach can spot things you're doing wrong and help you work to correct them. Then practice a lot. Dry fire. Actual range time. Field positions. Use the 22 a lot to build marksmanship skills. Use your hunting rifle a lot as well. Don't go mucking around with 14 different loads for your rifle, find one and stick with it.
A couple of folks have mentioned prairie dog shooting and coyote hunting. YES! The unknown distances, smaller targets, sometimes moving... Excellent practice for big game hunting! I enjoy both varmint shooting and coyote hunting.
Best of luck this season!
Guy
RobG
Well-known member
I don't think anyone has said it, but a good swivel Harris bipod probably extended my range 150 yards.... after I learned to stay relaxed by dry firing.
