Finding my hunting distance

[Chad44]

I've started going out 2-3/week and shooting only one shot each time. I started at 500 yds. I put a piece of 10x10 steel out and find that only giving my self one cold bore shot has really improved my effectiveness. I find I pay much more attention to the environmental conditions. It puts more "pressure" on me to make that first round hit as if I'm hunting. I'm out to 800 and just missed due to a bad wind call. I'll go out several more times at 700-800 yards. So for now I'd say my effective hunting range is under 700 yards. Seems to be a good way to test hunting situations. I'm laying on my pack in a field and can get different slopes and the wind is always blowing. Just thought I'd share because a lot of my friends seem to think they are lethal past 900 just because they hit a 15x15 piece of steel a few times. This is rarely a first round cold bore hit. I was one of those guys until I started giving myself one round a day.

 

[Sam Millard]

Great post! I like to separate my shooting practice from my hunting practice. I rarely limit myself to one shot, but like you, I treat the first shot like the real thing. I practice with my gear exactly as I would use it hunting and video the shot. When I really start ramping up, I'll get into the area I'll be hunting and make several one shot "kills" on 1 MOA or smaller rocks out to 1200 yards or so. I never put more than one hit on any rock while doing this. We don't get to shoot groups on critters, so I don't care how many I can lay in there

By the time I get done with a few of these sessions, I feel very confident in making shots in the 600-800 yard range, which is where I do most of my killing anyway. Practice hard, hunt easy!

 

[KHNC]

Thats some serious shooting. I have only taken one animal at 497 yds. Most have been under 300 when rifle hunting. I could barely see that whitetail with a Leupold 8x25 optic. Im sure that takes a great firearm and good knowledge of conditions. Nice job.

 

[Coyote Commander]

Back before I lived in town, thats how I practiced.

One shot a day. Sometimes in the morning, sometimes evening, sometimes at high noon. Did it come wind, rain, sleet or snow.

It'll make a shooter out of ya.

If I missed, I went in and thought about what I did and evaluated what I did wrong. I didnt make corrections and proceed to "walk" em on the target. You dont get to do that in the real world. Tomorrow is a new day, and a new shot.

Ive since moved out of town again (thank god, I was close to killing someone) and can shoot out to 1,325 yards off my front deck. And this is how I practice.



I realize this isnt an option for many. Nobody is gonna load up the truck and drive out of town to "practice" shooting one round. But I suggest guys take that long shot first. If they miss, move on to shorter targets, or bring a .22 along to plink with, and come back to the long target in a half hour or so and try it again.