Hunting season target practice?

[bigboreblr]

Anybody do anything special to get ready for hunting season? Offhand practice, moving targets?

Doing a little spruce up of the camps shooting targets. I got a 6 inch and 1.5" 50 gong, a 6 inch 100 yard gong. and a 230 yard 10 inch gong. Being a bit generous for the average shooter. I got a 2 inch and 4 inch gong to put up. Debating switching one of the 6 inch gongs out to a 200 or next to the 230.

Got a picnic table to shoot from, need replacement though. Been tossing around a hybrid picnic / shooting bench. Like a wide shooting bench maybe.

What do you guys think is a good practice at 200 or 230 yards for most of us on here? I know there some snipers here. Lets say a 308 with regular ammo and a muzzleloader with the typical 100 grains triple 7 powder and 25-300gr sabot.

I shoot offhand often and utilize that 50 and 100 target alot with my flintlocks and 22lr's. Im about a bit under half of the time hitting that 1.5 chunk of metal with my iron sighted 22.

I think there's a line between the bench and shooting on the treestand or shooting shack. Anybody tailor their practice to that a bit?

Anybody got similar rifles to their hunting rifle. Like the same scope on a 22 or use a 223 that hit at range similar to a 270 for example.

Anybody recall an example of a bad shot when hunting that could of been remedied if you did something different at the range?

 

[Natty Bumppo]

Here in the Northeast shots at whitetails are rarely more than 100 yards....and I would say on average probably around 50 yards. For my TC Omega muzzleloader and my Savage 220 100 yards is a chip shot. Nothing special with those other than making sure they are sighted in before the season opener. When I am tracking in Mass. I switch to an Ithaca Deerslayer. And in VT tracking I use a Remington 7600. Both with peep sights. I do practice two special things with those to prepare for tracking. One, I practice a lot of snap shots....rifle carried in one hand at the waist and then bring it up quickly for the shot. A lot of that. And then we get an old tractor tire from a Farmall Cub and roll it down the hill slightly perpendicular to the shooter to practice shots at running deer. Taking shots at running deer is controversial, and I know that. It's simply part of the Northeast tracking tradition. Like anything else, the more you practice, the better you get.

 

[rocksnstumps]

When I am tracking in Mass. I switch to an Ithaca Deerslayer. And in VT tracking I use a Remington 7600. Both with peep sights.

Ahh old school. Deerslayer in 16 gauge?

Look really good driving to your hunting parking spot in your Blazer. Course we would need pics of that...

 

[Catscratch]

I used to put cardboard in an old tire, roll it down a hill and shoot it with my bow. Was also fond of shooting birds. Haven't practiced like that in a long time though.

 

[bigboreblr]

Used to shoot the rolling tire too. With a bow..... 30 ought bow maybe.

You get some weird things to shoot at when you do muzzleloading woodswalk competitions.

I hunt in the northeast too, been doing some AG field hunting. I'm not shooting over 250, though my only shot at a decent buck was 600 yards this year. No clue how high to aim that ones with a 308.

Got a gun or two with 1-4x scopes. Those come in handy wandering the woods. 10 years ago was going to fill my doe tag end of the season, Just about to pull the trigger saw a nice buck a bit behind her. No way I would of saw that with a 3-9x. Shot that buck, was tempted to shoot the doe too. Just kept staring back at him.

Area I am shooting at camp is 230 yards max, could squeeze a 250 in between the trees. Sometimes nice even numbers are good at the range.

A few slob hunters at camp, thats their only practice ever. Whacking those gongs. Small paper plate folks............

 

[Natty Bumppo]

Ahh old school. Deerslayer in 16 gauge?

Look really good driving to your hunting parking spot in your Blazer. Course we would need pics of that...

The one I use now is a 12 gauge. It was gramp's. Early to mid-60's vintage. I did buy an Ithaca Deerslayer II in 16 gauge back in the early 2000's when Ithaca teamed up with Lightfield Ammo to produce a limited run in that gauge. That shotgun and the 16 gauge sabot slug was hands down the most accurate slug gun / sabot combo I've ever used. A little more polite recoil than a 12, but better ballistics and harder hitting than a 20. What a sweet spot. The problem was Ithaca only used a single forend rail and it rattled like crazy. The one and only deer I killed with it heard the rattle of the forend when I pulled up to take the shot. I still got her. But sold that shotgun after that season.

Don't have a pic with my Deerslayer...but here's an older one I snapped as I headed to VT. That's a Remington 760 BDL with a peep.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

Got a gun or two with 1-4x scopes. Those come in handy wandering the woods. 10 years ago was going to fill my doe tag end of the season, Just about to pull the trigger saw a nice buck a bit behind her. No way I would of saw that with a 3-9x. Shot that buck, was tempted to shoot the doe too. Just kept staring back at him.

Yeah, I like a 1x4 in the Northeast too. I tried a Skinner 1x4 on my Savage 220 last year and really like it. Great glass. Illumintaed center dot on the crosshairs in red or green. And a quick throw lever on the magnification dial. That's a small detail, but one I like when you need to change power quickly with heavy gloves on. And a great price point for banging around the Northeast big woods.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

This drill. I don’t do it as much as I should but it’s probably the most hunting oriented drill I do.

 

[Barndog56]

On public, if I didn't shoot at moving deer I'd never get a shot. I've tried to get my wife to walk around the home range holding a target at arms length, but she won't do it!

 

[bigboreblr]

That looks like some good practice. I like string 3. Should be a bit more offhand for me in the northeast woods. Prone.... Good to practice, but about impossible for me to use. Kneeling down with your elbow on the knee. Thats one I have used. About 5 years ago walked in, got up to the stand, and saw I forgot my fall arrest tree strap. Got down off the stand. Almost off a nice deer at about 180 yards. Did the elbow on a knee thing. A little high, but worked fine.

First deer I harvested was with a muzzleloader 150 yards offhand. Looked all around for blood, except where I shot. Layed down on his tracks in a little dip on the hill.

I got a few treestands with no rest. I use shooting sticks. I think practice should be done with them if you bring one with you. Just use a single walking stick kind of one. No deer this year yet, but was dead on at 2 coyotes opening day. 175 yards or so.

 

[Maddog66]

I once rigged up a cheap RC car with a paper plate that was on a little bracket about a foot above the roof for practicing on moving deer. On my 3rd shot I pulled one low it was all over but the laughing.

 

[Mtyhunter]

Most of my bow practice off season is done with my recurve. A compound bow feels like a rifle after shooting my recurve 100 times, so only shoot it a few times, mainly because while I love luminoks, they can move around a little, enough to cause a bad shot. I actually paint numbers on my arrows when i practice, and the most accurate arrow every time is the one I load up when hunting.
I used to shoot my ml and rifle quite a bit before every season started. As I've gotten older, Im only compelled to do one shot, and if it's on, which it always is, I'm ready to go.
I use a single primos shooting stick, and it's critical for me to practice with it. But, same as my xbow, compound or rifle, most of my practice is done when that doe or spike shows up. I always make an effort to go thru my "get ready, here he comes checklist" and get a weapon in position to pull the trigger, when one shows up. Probably the best practice there is.
Shooting is kinda like my golf game. I'm pretty decent at both, and I know I could put in some work and be better. I've done that in the past, and honestly I don't get that much better considering the amount of work/money I put into it. Guess you find your limits when you get older.