Do you practice before going hunting?

[tahunua001]

i do not typically practice. I do try when possible to ensure that my gun is still zeroed, but the heat fluctuation where I'm at makes that difficult as it can be 100 degrees at the range a month before season opens and then 45 degrees opening morning. I should practice more in general, but time, laziness, and rising range membership prices makes this prospect more difficult to justify.

 

[reynolds357]

Who needs practice. Just put that cross where you want to hit and give that trigger a good yanking on. So long as your rifle is boresighted real good, you should hit what you pointing at. What you need to practice is working the action fast and reloading. That way you can shoot at that deer a bunch of times.

 

[Bottom Gun]

I set up a couple of my rimfire rifles that feel and point very similar to my centerfire hunting rifles for practice. I mounted the same optics and adjusted trigger pulls to mimic the big game rifles.

I practice various shooting positions (off-hand, sitting, kneeling, etc) all year round using these rimfires. The only real difference is the felt recoil.
I swap the rimfires for my centerfires about a month before the season opens and continue the drill.

I’ve found this method of practice to be VERY helpful.

 

[kenny53]

When I hunted I would take my deer rifle to the desert and hunt jackrabbits with it. You can get pretty good at quick shots doing that.

 

[BIGR]

I have not practiced as much the past few years as I normally do. Heck this past deer season I never got the chance to check the zero on my 7MM REM Mag., but it performed well on a 15 yard shot on a 8 point buck back before Thanksgiving. I know one should at least fire a shot before deer season to check the zero, but due to certain circumstances I just didn't get to the bench this year.

I have pledged to practice more in 2020 and to be ready for deer season 2020 long before it gets here. I have even been kicking around the idea of buying myself a new left hand rifle, it would be a first for me. All my bolt guns are right hand rifles. As always the new rifle will require some scope zeroing and some load development, that will be fun.

 

[pete2]

I confirm my zero on my deer rifle, that's all. I do shoot handguns and .22 rifle and handgun all year long. None of it off the bench except to zero or test loads.

 

[John8789]

Always; I think that you owe it to both yourself and the animal to be as proficient as possible with your firearm (or bow). You owe it to the animal to make a good shot and ensure that it dies quickly. You also owe it to yourself, as you don't want to spend hours or even days tracking a wounded animal (which you may not even find).

Like others have said, it is also important to practice shooting from a variety of positions (i.e. prone, sitting, crouching, leaning back against a rock/tree, standing, etc.).

 

[langenc]

Six or seven yrs ago I ended up at the DNR range on Nov 13-deer season on the 15th.
Dont ask why. It was a bad situation. Guns the wouldnt function. Lefty guys shooting off the right shooters side of the bench.

I did get about 100 once fired 30-06 brass.

One fellow had a sporterized 03A3 pretty much like mine. I said "nice 03" and he promptly advised me it was an "ought six." I didnt argue w/ him.

 

[410guy]

Not really. Most of my friends and me grew up with guns and hunting. So after about 50 years, we kind of know how to do both. So after firing a few rounds to make sure it’s sighted in, that’s about it. If I get a new rifle or shotgun, I’ll fire more rounds just to get the feel of it.

But that’s not to say we don’t shoot the rest of the year. Living in the country has its perks. Most of us can just go out back and shoot. I can’t recall being on a range since my days at Fort Hood, many years ago.

I have been shooting my 22 a little more this year getting ready for rabbit season, but the 22 gets shot a lot anyway. I’ve also been shooting more slugs lately. Mainly to get the feel of shooting in different shotguns, and I like shooting slugs.

 

[ms6852]

I always start practicing free hand shooting a couple of months before hunting season. I use a Remington 513T 22lr to practice shooting hundreds and hundreds of rounds every range session at 50 and a hundred yards. About a week prior to hunting I will shoot also shoot a few rounds of my 30-30 at 100 and 200 yards and my 30-06 I only check my zero at 200 yards. I don't use sticks or shoot prone so my practice is standing , kneeling and sitting cross legged free hand. Less stuff I carry the better I'm off. Still have some elk and venison in the freezer from my last hunts.

I shoot all year round all my rifles, I just concentrate free hand shooting standing, kneeling, and sitting more a couple of months prior to deer and elk season.

 

[aarondhgraham]

20 round equals 5 deer hunts,,,

20 round equals 5 deer hunts,,,
At least that's what my grandfather always said.

Three rounds to make certain the scope still was at zero,,,
One, maybe two rounds to take the deer.

He hunted every year as long as I knew him,,,
Always came home with a deer.

His "target practice" was shooting rats with a .22 at the local dump.

Aarond

.

 

[Double K]

I have no desire to wear the barrel out on my favorite big game rifle so no, I never practice with them. I shoot 2-3 rounds to confirm a zero and that's it.
I shoot competitions year round with similar guns and dry fire my big game rifles enough times to feel confident about hitting before the season.
Dry firing in many ways is more productive than live fire, it reveals trigger jerks and improper methods of holding the gun that are masked by the recoil of live fire.
Is dry firing as much fun as live fire....no, but it pays big dividends when the moment of truth comes.

 

[PocketCamera]

and it saves ammunition... when even cheapo ammuntion is $0.90 for FMJ... in .308 winchester..... you dont shoot much unless you reload lead bullets.


and have primers to spare.

no one considers the fact its easy to learn bad habits while practicings past a certain point of physical strain/exhaustion as your body starts changing how it does things, and then the brain relearns the task with that bad changes.

ie, get up eat breakfast, grab the bow fire a few arrows into a target and see how you are doing. position, etc. dont shoot once you start feeling strain or tired.

youll be fine.

shoot past that point, your body starts twisting and pulling the string back in ways that are not conducive to accuracy but your brain will relearn how to shoot with those bad techniques.

 

[Guggmeister]

I practise something weekly


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[7.62 man]

I'm changing deer rifles this season from my .300 blackout pistol to an 18" 350 Legend AR. I don't consider it practice I just get the scope zeroed then see how far it will reach out before I have to change something. That's just to to get me familiar with the gun & to increase my confidence in the gun.

 

[Jack O'Conner]

Yes, I shoot my 30-30 carbine throughout the year and go after wild hogs and deer when it cools down a bit. It's no fun hunting during 90 degree weather here in Florida.

Jack