Two years in - how good can one get?

jseandsje said:

Thanks.
Just thought you had to be interested in shooting (how well you shoot) in order to hunt (where you use your shooting skills) long range.

That's why my boys and I practice all types of shooting,

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LRNut said:

What's next? I would say practice in the wind. You can shoot from your back door. Every day try to put a cold bore shot into a 10" target no matter what the wind is doing - no follow up shots allowed. After doing this for the last six years, 600 yards is easy. Past this it gets exponentially harder but you will identify the conditions that result in a likely miss. And don't put a wind flag at your 600 yard target - learn to read mirage - way better than your Kestrel.

I think having the ability to shoot every day is a bigger advantage than having a super accurate rifle. But it can also result in over familiarity with the conditions around your house. It is always good to mix it up go shoot some long range rocks at locations you don't shoot too often.

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WYO300RUM said:

You want to practice in the wind come here. I'll provide the accommodations.

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LRNut said:

I am leaving for CO Friday - they just closed shooting on the NF around PHX. The wind in CO in the mountains is extremely erratic. Arizona is a breeze (pun intended) compared to CO. But my first goal is to kill a turkey - I struck out in April and the first few days of May.

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yobuck said:

Well im not opposed to people increasing their skills, what ever they might be.
But the fact is that shooting animals at long distances dosent really require much skill, except maybe in the minds of some who do it.
The type of equipment we use by way of shooting platforms eliminates much of the need for shooting skills.
And when i say we, im referring to a large group of people, not just our small group.
We dont practice at all thruout the year, only in the fall when the leaves come off of the trees.
And not a whole lot even then, maybe a dozen or so shots today, and maybe another day or so and thats it.
Its sorta like riding a bike, once you know, you know, how much practice do you need to be good enough?
And frankly, good enough is all thats necessary.
Mind you now, were not into trying to set distance records for killing a deer.
But we have killed a few over 1500, and lots of them at 1200 and under.
We rarely even hunt the locations where the extreme distance shots can be made, unless conditions are perfect.
And you know what? very few others do either.
Maybe a few who like posing for pictures standing next to their unused equipment.
Do you really shoot that far?
Oh yeah, we do it all the time. lol
Bull **** is everywhere you care to go.

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yobuck said:

Well im not opposed to people increasing their skills, what ever they might be.
But the fact is that shooting animals at long distances dosent really require much skill, except maybe in the minds of some who do it.
The type of equipment we use by way of shooting platforms eliminates much of the need for shooting skills.
And when i say we, im referring to a large group of people, not just our small group.
We dont practice at all thruout the year, only in the fall when the leaves come off of the trees.
And not a whole lot even then, maybe a dozen or so shots today, and maybe another day or so and thats it.
Its sorta like riding a bike, once you know, you know, how much practice do you need to be good enough?
And frankly, good enough is all thats necessary.
Mind you now, were not into trying to set distance records for killing a deer.
But we have killed a few over 1500, and lots of them at 1200 and under.
We rarely even hunt the locations where the extreme distance shots can be made, unless conditions are perfect.
And you know what? very few others do either.
Maybe a few who like posing for pictures standing next to their unused equipment.
Do you really shoot that far?
Oh yeah, we do it all the time. lol
Bull **** is everywhere you care to go.

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jseandsje said:

Do you ever miss at those distances?

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yobuck said:

Yes we do.
But then a whitetail buck is apt to smell the ground where the bullet hit instead of running off.
And then there are the tree limbs to deal with, especially on the longer shots where more trajectory is involved.
Which is a big reason we avoid doing them.
So there is usually an opportunity to learn something from the first shot that you wouldnt have known otherwise.
So consider a miss as you would a sighter shot and use the knowledge gained.
Also consider that the shooter is simply a person capable of making the shot.
But he isnt calling the shots.
The person behind him sitting behind the big glasses is actually directing the show.
And when he says show over, its over.
And if the shooter isnt happy with that, then there is always the opportunity to hunt alone.

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jseandsje said:

interesting.
What % of your misses hit the ground vs misses that hit the deer?

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yobuck said:

Well if your asking wether all of our first round hits are killing shots, i will say some are and some arent.
But the vast majority of them are.
And those that arent get finished with a follow up shot.

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yobuck said:

Well if your asking wether all of our first round hits are killing shots, i will say some are and some arent.
But the vast majority of them are.
And those that arent get finished with a follow up shot.
Now if you consider that to be inhumane, thats your right to think that way.
But then hunting isnt always pretty, regardless as to the species, or how we go about doing it.

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bamban said:

This ^^^ is what I heard. A quick follow up call by the spotter closes the deal.

Heck, what do I know, I am just a washed up sling shooter using irons.

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LRNut said:

I shot a monster moose in the Yukon in 2010 at 265 yards. The guide was astounded at the shot. I looked at him and asked, "What? It was 265 yards."

He replied, "I have never seen anyone sit down, put their arm in a shooting sling, and shoot like that."

Seems like nowadays, everyone needs a bipod or tripod to shoot past 100 yards. And when is the last time you saw a hunter with a shooting sling instead of carry strap?

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yobuck said:

Well all shooting slings arent created equally either are they?
And it does require a bit of experience in order to be successful using them dosent it?
Whereas a bipod has a very small learning curve required to improve the shooting of an average person.
And there are also ones that can be used from a sitting position.

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