Practical practice

[adk hunter]

As we head into preseason I was wondering how everyone practices for in the field or actual hunting scenarios? I can shoot at a range for distance once in awhile but day to day on the farm it is limited range. I "sneak" through the woods and shoot at my plate at varing distances but it is fairly close terrain. Going to set up a spot I can flop and shoot over my pack but again that seems ''canned".

I've been so focused on reloading and finding a load I don't want to lose focus on delivery. I'm great with using a tree for aid so hoping for some trees or boulders to steady against in '23. Thank you for any insights offered!

 

[matt_3479]

I started shooting 22 prs/nrl type field matches this past 2 seasons. It's taught me how to control my breathing in a higher stress situation then regular range use due to the heat of a competition and pressure from the timer. It's help me Learn to build a stable shooting position in a less then idea situation, learn to shoot off hand and left hand in weird positions, taught me how to hit a mover which is obviously good practice.

 

[dogbuster0006]

I'll second the nrl22 type shooting. You can find the stages on their website, it's great practice and much cheaper than full blown rifle shooting.
You can use the various positions, shooting off folding chairs, tires, buckets, step ladders. It's great odd position shooting, I keep a "know your limits" target set up and every chance I get to play will shoot it at different ranges. Putting a timer on yourself and keeping score will elevate the heart rate a bit and keep it fun.

 

[Roughrice]

Try a brisk walk for a hundred yards and back with your pack and rifle and immediately lean against a tree or shooting stick , or drop to a knee, or lay on a pack and fire at the target. Create as many different scenarios for shooting under stress as possible to be prepared for that surprise shot.

 

[Greyfox]

I also find PRS(both rim fire and centerfire) an excellent means to continually enhance shooting skills in the off-season. I also do a lot rimfire target/pest shooting at +100 yards.

 

[Reelamin]

We are very fortunate and can shoot at pretty much any distance you want within 10-15 minutes. We shoot paper and steel then switch to paper and rocks. We will walk and hike then range dope it and shoot. Rocks are best as you can be by yourself or your spotter/shooter can be with you.

 

[Greyfox]

IMO, while the "basic" shooting skills can be perishable, maintaining them does not require huge amounts of frequency, volume, or long range access. The skill that I concentrate on most in the off season is WIND management/shooting. Depending on where we reside, and the availability of time and access to ranges with sufficient distance can be problematic. I have found that an accurate rimfire( <1MOA to 200 yards), that is similarly appointed(scope/stock/trigger, etc) to my centerfires can be very effective for wind skill development. A 10 mph FV wind correction of a 1200FPS 22 cal is 1MIL at 70 yards. The same wind correction with my 6.5x284 LRH rifle 1MIL at 700 yards….A 1" target or pest with a rimfire at 100 yards vs the vital area(7 inch) of a whitetail at 700 yards….. A 10% scaling factor for target size and wind dope that is fairly linear for each cartridge. You WILL miss with a bad wind call in either case. Not perfect, but this form of wind practice is much easier, and more convenient for off season practice(at least for me) that has surely helped with my LRH success over the years.

 

[azsugarbear]

I shoot at rocks that are reflecting sunlight in early morning or late evening. Unknown distances, steep angles, different positions (prone, sitting, kneeling, etc.) all come into play with each scenario. I do this when scouting, whether I am driving or hiking. If rock is under 600 yards I do the dope, but only dry fire.

 

[BrentM]

I shoot all year and specifically train on positional and timed scenarios. I shoot in the mountains and look for situations to challenge my wind calls and awkward positions. Last weekend I had the wife time me on a scenario and give me feedback. I use a 223 running 88's for training and run 500-1000 yards generally with it. In this case I had her pick a target on the mountain and I had to run the drill with the rifle stowed in my utv. So ident target, range, set up rifle, shoot. My personal restriction was I had to use the tripod for this shot, not my bipod and prone. 1 min 23 seconds 1st round impact and follow up at 1 min 33 seconds for 2nd impact. 800 yards

 

[adk hunter]

That seems like a great day!

 

[Ekupp]

PRS is great practice, multiple position and ranges under time pressure. You quickly find faults in your gear, technique and dope.

 

[xsn10s]

Believe it or not chuck and yote hunting used to be how I got my exercise and practice for big game hunts. Getting up early on Saturdays and driving to my spots. Getting everything ready prior to going out there. Being quiet while driving and getting out of the car, well my rig lol. Hiking and glassing. And if I was lucky enough to spot something setting up for a first round hit. It all seemed applicable to me. It was fun. And it got me focused on the right mindset.

 

[BrentM]

Also, my neighbor has a ranch that we set up a range on. This range goes to 1550. It is mountain terrain and we do teach schools there occasionally. At any rate, we have barriers we use as training aids such as logs, trees, rocks etc. It is just a matter of setting up.

For you, I would look at doing something similar if you can and perhaps, depending on the layout, you can place steel at various spots and run shooting stations with aids such as rocks, tires, posts...... I would suggest maybe switching to a 22 for practice and look at the NRL22 shoots for ideas. A 22 on steel 100-300 yards is legit with small targets and shooting positional. Lots of fun.

 

[memtb]

As we hunt with shooting sticks that are always with us…..a few trips afield will give us the opportunity to get in some practice with the sticks or offhand, whether it be our hunting rifles or just our little varmint guns!

As there are no trees anywhere near our home, we have a small (about 3" dia.) post standing near our home shooting bench…..replicating a tree that we may use when deer or elk hunting! I may have to put a large rock near the bench as well…..as a daypack across a rock would be much like a bench in the field! Now to find a large rock that I can get to with my Kubota! memtb

The of course, sitting or prone can be used as well! For that matter, hold and trigger pull (dry firing) can be practiced right in the house. I advise to use an "unloaded" firearm!

I get a lot of dry fire practice with my S&W XVR while watching television. I work on quickly attain sight alignment, trigger pull, and build arm and hand strength (that anvil is heavy) all in the house, while "not" burning components! memtb