- Location
- Calgary, AB
I still hunt and use a Cabelas tripod shooting stick. Works great and rock solid.
New big game hunter, shot placement and bullet choice.
- Thread starter g3arhead
- Start date
- Status
Licensed to kill
CGN Regular
- Location
- Peace Country Alberta
My point exactly (I initially misunderstood your post). Too many people “practice” from a bench thinking they are improving their hunting skills when, in fact, they are severely limiting them.
Hand Skills
CGN Regular
- Location
- In the 'heartland', southern SK
The bench is for load development, after that it's just a crutch that imbibes false confidence.
My favorite practice drill is called a Run Down there are many variations, but the idea is to practice different positions with an elevated heart rate.
Hard to do at a public range, but it's very educational if a suitable location can be found.
There are a few different variations, my preferred method is to setup 4 targets and mark out 400yd in 100yd increments.
The drill begins prone at 400 when the stopwatch starts, firing 2 rounds at the first target.
Proceed purposefully to 300yd, assume a sitting position and fire 2 shots at the second target
Proceed to 200 and fire 2 more from kneeling,l at the third target
Then head to 100 and shoot 2 offhand at the last target.
Stop Stopwatch, and proceed to evaluate targets. Time isn't really important unless you want to turn it into a competition
Knowing when NOT to shoot goes hand in hand with shooting ability, and this requires being humble and being honest with ourselves.
The 'run down' gets the heart going and taught me VOLUMES about heartrate management.
When it comes to shot placement I can speak from experience and say that I made a few poor shots starting out. I have poked guts and had to clean stomach contents and bile off the meat. I have obliterated most of both backstaps (mid spine). This was all part of learning for me, and if I encourage those I mentor to KEEP IT SIMPLE until they have gutted a few animals.
Wait for a (near) broadside presentation. Aim for the far leg, crosshairs 1/3 to 1/2 way up the body. Avoid extreme quartering angles starting out.
Getting HANDS ON with the internals gave me an intimate knowledge of the anatomy. It took a few though.
Keep shots below the blue line indicating the spinal cord - it dips lower than many hunters realize.
(Click to enlarge)
Cup and cores at MODERATE VELOCITY have been killing for over a hundred years, and do so effectively. 150gr-165gr in the .308 have worked great for me. With a good double lung shot, 'Time to Tip' is typically 8-10seconds.
Monos help cut down on meat damage but at lower velocity, wound channels can be small for my liking. This can result in delayed killing.
I like Copper bullets, but it's been my experience that they benefit from being pushed fast to create similar wound channels to CnC. The 308win can do this if one steps down to a 125gr bullet
My favorite practice drill is called a Run Down there are many variations, but the idea is to practice different positions with an elevated heart rate.
Hard to do at a public range, but it's very educational if a suitable location can be found.
There are a few different variations, my preferred method is to setup 4 targets and mark out 400yd in 100yd increments.
The drill begins prone at 400 when the stopwatch starts, firing 2 rounds at the first target.
Proceed purposefully to 300yd, assume a sitting position and fire 2 shots at the second target
Proceed to 200 and fire 2 more from kneeling,l at the third target
Then head to 100 and shoot 2 offhand at the last target.
Stop Stopwatch, and proceed to evaluate targets. Time isn't really important unless you want to turn it into a competition
Knowing when NOT to shoot goes hand in hand with shooting ability, and this requires being humble and being honest with ourselves.
The 'run down' gets the heart going and taught me VOLUMES about heartrate management.
When it comes to shot placement I can speak from experience and say that I made a few poor shots starting out. I have poked guts and had to clean stomach contents and bile off the meat. I have obliterated most of both backstaps (mid spine). This was all part of learning for me, and if I encourage those I mentor to KEEP IT SIMPLE until they have gutted a few animals.
Wait for a (near) broadside presentation. Aim for the far leg, crosshairs 1/3 to 1/2 way up the body. Avoid extreme quartering angles starting out.
Getting HANDS ON with the internals gave me an intimate knowledge of the anatomy. It took a few though.
Keep shots below the blue line indicating the spinal cord - it dips lower than many hunters realize.
(Click to enlarge)
Cup and cores at MODERATE VELOCITY have been killing for over a hundred years, and do so effectively. 150gr-165gr in the .308 have worked great for me. With a good double lung shot, 'Time to Tip' is typically 8-10seconds.
Monos help cut down on meat damage but at lower velocity, wound channels can be small for my liking. This can result in delayed killing.
I like Copper bullets, but it's been my experience that they benefit from being pushed fast to create similar wound channels to CnC. The 308win can do this if one steps down to a 125gr bullet
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Licensed to kill
CGN Regular
- Location
- Peace Country Alberta
Personally I won’t shoot at a running animal but if that animal was wounded I might. I can’t imagine a scenario where I would shoot at an unfounded running animal. I do know some guys that CAN shoot running game and do it well but that ain’t me and never will be me.
IronNoggin
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Port Alberni, Vancouver Island
Growing up on the Parries (and Western US) one learned right quickly how to take running critters.
Just for the recod, the 372 yard heart shot deer in my pics was shot while leaning against a power pole.
The buck that was shot at just under 200 was shot from kneeling, the doe just under 200 was shot offhand as were the other two.
The 372 yard shot was the only one that any amount of time was taken on.
The others were all shot within 1 second or so of the gun coming to my shoulder.
The only time I shoot my hunting rifles off a bench rest at the range is when working up loads or zeroing.
any other shooting is done offhand or
kneeling . That is how I practice with my hunting rifles.
I use a 1.5- 4X scope on that rifle excrot for the 80 yard shot when I had a fixed 6X on it.
Even my " long range" 280 single shot has only a 12x scope on it these days.
Cat
The buck that was shot at just under 200 was shot from kneeling, the doe just under 200 was shot offhand as were the other two.
The 372 yard shot was the only one that any amount of time was taken on.
The others were all shot within 1 second or so of the gun coming to my shoulder.
The only time I shoot my hunting rifles off a bench rest at the range is when working up loads or zeroing.
any other shooting is done offhand or
kneeling . That is how I practice with my hunting rifles.
I use a 1.5- 4X scope on that rifle excrot for the 80 yard shot when I had a fixed 6X on it.
Even my " long range" 280 single shot has only a 12x scope on it these days.
Cat
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Hand Skills
CGN Regular
- Location
- In the 'heartland', southern SK
Start with coyotes. Once I can hit those suckers on the run even half the time, then maybe I'll consider risking live round at a running game animal.
Haven't got there yet, though I do get lucky from time to time
Wounded game animal is different
Walking game animal is different
Even Warren Paige and Jack O'Connor recommended taking a rest whenever possible .
Cat
I did one running shot since I hunt, it was 2 years ago on a moose, totally instinctive no thinking, just doing. Moose was at 280m one shot double lungs. Didn’t think it was that far, didn’t believe it was that far but we ranged it several times with 2 different devices. Would I take that shot again probably not and I sure don’t suggest doing so. I never took a head or neck shot, don’t advocate it, but my bil does it every time he can on moose and bison so far so good.
Licensed to kill
CGN Regular
- Location
- Peace Country Alberta
LOL, it just occurred to me but while I will not shoot at a running animal, I won’t shoot a bird unless it’s on the wing (with a shotgun). Ive let deer go because they were on the move and i have walked away from grouse because I couldn’t get them to fly off a branch.
My scariest running shot was on an antelope... three in a row running broadside at about 220 yards... and the one I wanted was the last one. I held ahead of him slightly and it hit about 6 feet behind him... I held just in front of the middle animal and hit the third one in the chest.
The moose I shot above, when my crosshair found the chest, I move forward and when the crosshair was inline with the front of its nose I pulled the trigger but kept moving/follow through. I’ve read and seen in a few different places that the follow through is the most important piece of the equation. Mind you a running moose ain’t anything speed wise like a speed goat.
canadian hunter312
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County
We do deer drives every season and nothing gets the heart going like knocking down a double or triple of white tails, which would not be possible without taking running shots.
Just think of it like shooting ducks or rabbits. Lead them, anticipate their movements, and pull the trigger when it feels right.
I’ve got 2 triples and a handful of doubles using the Savage 220
No headshots. People around here don’t consider that an option and I’ve never seen or even heard of a deer taken with a headshot.
Do you think it’s much different from shooting a bird on the wing? That’s the experience I have with shooting a moving target.We do deer drives every season and nothing gets the heart going like knocking down a double or triple of white tails, which would not be possible without taking running shots.
Just think of it like shooting ducks or rabbits. Lead them, anticipate their movements, and pull the trigger when it feels right.
I’ve got 2 triples and a handful of doubles using the Savage 220
No headshots. People around here don’t consider that an option and I’ve never seen or even heard of a deer taken with a headshot.
Big difference, birds are not as hard to kill, and you are shooting a shot charge at them as opposed to a single bullet.
Cat
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lucky07
CGN frequent flyer
It's completely different as with a bird on the wing you're pointing the shotgun, not aiming it.
It's really dependent on the size of the target and the distance. A running/loping deer at 60 yards (where you can kind of just point like you would a shotgun) vs. running coyote at 200 some odd yards ... two completely different things.
I get that it was kind of a dumb question but I was thinking more so about the idea of adding some lead, swinging the gun etc.
My guess : amount of lead is minimal, if any.
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