Hunters who do not practice their marksmanship

Tompullings

Tompullings

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Since becoming a hunter it’s amazed me how many hunters aren’t members at ranges or don’t practice their shooting somewhere else at all. Some don’t even know if their rifles are zeroed. I see all the time on Facebook groups people asking if there’s a place they can bang off a few shots to see if their scope is dialled in since it’s been a few years since they checked. Shooting is a perishable skill and isn’t being a competent shooter part of being an ethical hunter? People say all the time about how they missed a shot last weekend better luck next weekend. I can’t fathom missing a deer completely especially not at Ontario distances. There’s enough yahoos out there launching bullets in the general direction of animals with nothing but hope guiding the trajectory that it makes me begin to understand why some countries force hunters to shoot a marksmanship test every year before you get a tag. I hope that never happens here but you can see why a gov might try to impose it.

Edit. My issue isn’t with hunters not having range memberships it’s with hunters who don’t practice at all. If you can practice on crown land or your own land that’s perfect.
 
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When I get my first gun I will be practicing a lot. I'm not a gun collector so it won't hang on the wall to be looked at and bragged about.
However, when I looked into joining a gun range (near Edmonton, AB) I found the cost to be exorbitant and you have to be a member for a year before you can use the ranges. And you have to book a spot a long way into the future.
I'll be practicing in the woods where it is allowed. That way I can get out into the woods and enjoy the day and start shooting.
 
Stand Up said:
When I get my first gun I will be practicing a lot. I'm not a gun collector so it won't hang on the wall to be looked at and bragged about.
However, when I looked into joining a gun range (near Edmonton, AB) I found the cost to be exorbitant and you have to be a member for a year before you can use the ranges. And you have to book a spot a long way into the future.
I'll be practicing in the woods where it is allowed. That way I can get out into the woods and enjoy the day and start shooting.
Click to expand...

When I lived in AB I wasn’t a range member either since there was endless crown land to practice on. Miss it sometimes.
 
Tbh, shooting at a range does not mean much if shooters do not practise realistic hunting shooting.

Range shooting, has a comfy bench, gun vice and such. Folks shoot tight groups and when they go hunting they do not have all the luxuries of their range with them.

Hunting is shooting of off hand with no support, shooting from tree stands, blinds, weird and uncomfortable shooting positions/stands and that is when real life hits them hard.

Sight your guns at the range but if you plan to hunt, practise field shooting…in my opinion of course ;)
 
I have sighted in Rf & CF rifles since I was 15 yr. old. @ 75 , that is a lot of shooting. Gun club membership started
@ 18 yrs. old @ Leaside Revolver Club in Toronto . During 20 yrs. of teaching the Hunter Ed. Course I constantly
drilled the students in the importance of sighting in & practice. Still as "Tompullings" says ,,,,,, too many hunters
do not follow this good good advice. I hope this changes as time goes on , but there are not enough Ranges to
supply all hunters , unfortunatley .
 
Stand Up said:
When I get my first gun I will be practicing a lot. I'm not a gun collector so it won't hang on the wall to be looked at and bragged about.
However, when I looked into joining a gun range (near Edmonton, AB) I found the cost to be exorbitant and you have to be a member for a year before you can use the ranges. And you have to book a spot a long way into the future.
I'll be practicing in the woods where it is allowed. That way I can get out into the woods and enjoy the day and start shooting.
Click to expand...

Both Sherwood Park and Camrose are quite affordable , you can use the ranges as soon as you have your gate card, which takes a few days, and you don't need to book times. I am a member of both ranges myself.
 
I've never been to a range, but shoot several thousand rounds a year. It's called Crown land gravel pits, where you can simulate hunting style shooting.

I remember a buddy of mine had his uncle here a couple of summers ago. He was really excited about shooting, had been a range shooter for years, but had never shot outdoors. I brought several different guns for him to try. He could only shoot from a sitting position, with the gun rested on something. I was quite surprised. He told me they weren't allowed to stand and do off hand shooting at his range. I don't know if that is true or not, but I'll stick to the gravel pits.
 
valczer said:
Tbh, shooting at a range does not mean much if shooters do not practise realistic hunting shooting.

Range shooting, has a comfy bench, gun vice and such. Folks shoot tight groups and when they go hunting they do not have all the luxuries of their range with them.

Hunting is shooting of off hand with no support, shooting from tree stands, blinds, weird and uncomfortable shooting positions/stands and that is when real life hits them hard.

Sight your guns at the range but if you plan to hunt, practise field shooting…in my opinion of course ;)
Click to expand...

Agreed. At the range I practice shooting out of my portable blind, shooting standing supported by a simulated tree trunk, shooting after doing push-ups so my heart rate is up, etc. To me it’s all part of being an ethical hunter.
 
During the season we had 3 deer shot at and cleanly missed under a hundred yards this year in open fields.

The problem is real, but the guys don’t listen.

Ryan
 
At 3 to 4 bucks a shot, I doubt the average hunter is going to shoot enough to be a great shot.
That is if you can find the ammo in the first place...or the components to reload it.
 
For a lot of hunters, sighting in a rifle involves a couple of shots at a stump.
A lot of hunters fire unsupported offhand without ever practicing, even if they have actually sighted their rifles in.
The only time a lot of hunters fire at a moving target is when they are shooting at game. And they are shooting offhand without ever having practiced firing at a stationary target, let alone a moving one.
Basically, there are a lot of slob hunters.
I suspect a lot of deer are struck and lost because a lot of hunters are simply incompetent.
 
hawk-i said:
At 3 to 4 bucks a shot, I doubt the average hunter is going to shoot enough to be a great shot.
That is if you can find the ammo in the first place...or the components to reload it.
Click to expand...

The irony, is that when you add up the cost of a rifle/scope, binoculars, range finder, hunting clothes, fuel etc, firing 50-100 shots per year, is not significant in comparison. And when you miss or lose an animal, and have to buy another tank of fuel to hunt again, the fuel costs as much or more than the ammunition would have.

From what I am observing, many people either don't even verify their zero, or they shoot a shot at a rock or a stump in the field, or they go to a range, shoot once and adjust the scope, shoot one more time, adjust the scope, and keep doing that for a box or two of ammunition, as they chase the point of impact all over the target, then they run out of ammunition, call it good enough, go buy whatever ammunition they can find and go hunting.
 
I bought a Savage 99 about 2 years ago from an old fellow that came with a part box of ammunition. Only box of ammunition he had ever bought for the gun. Gun was made in 1954. He fired 16 rounds in all those years. Shot one deer. Only rifle he ever owned. Definitely didn’t do any practice shooting.
 
stubblejumper said:
The irony, is that when you add up the cost of a rifle/scope, binoculars, range finder, hunting clothes, fuel etc, firing 50-100 shots per year, is not significant in comparison. And when you miss or lose an animal, and have to buy another tank of fuel to hunt again, the fuel costs as much or more than the ammunition would have.

From what I am observing, many people either don't even verify their zero, or they shoot a shot at a rock or a stump in the field, or they go to a range, shoot once and adjust the scope, shoot one more time, adjust the scope, and keep doing that for a box or two of ammunition, as they chase the point of impact all over the target, then they run out of ammunition, call it good enough, go buy whatever ammunition they can find and go hunting.
Click to expand...

Alot of the older hunters are the one that don't shoot much, they normally don't have a lot of gear. They lived a simpler life.

What gets me is those who rely on a lead sled. You are going to have a huge change in POI if shooting off hand or rested off a tree. Also seem people sight in guns for other people. I think alot of it has to do with as they get older they cannot handle the recoil as much, so they dont goto the range much, but they still like doing what they made part of their lifestyle.

Snider shooter said:
I bought a Savage 99 about 2 years ago from an old fellow that came with a part box of ammunition. Only box of ammunition he had ever bought for the gun. Gun was made in 1954. He fired 16 rounds in all those years. Shot one deer. Only rifle he ever owned. Definitely didn’t do any practice shooting.
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Like my Wife late grandfather. That ugly 99 that you oh so love. The box of ammo he had with it was made in 2005 and had 12 rds left in it. As far as I knew, that and a CIL 402 was the only guns he had.
 
There's no excuse for not practicing.

If you dont do your math homework, the exam wont be fun, dont expect a great result.

Its the same hunting. If you dont do your practice, shooting offhand, standing, kneeling, etc, you should not expect great results hunting
 
hawk-i said:
At 3 to 4 bucks a shot, I doubt the average hunter is going to shoot enough to be a great shot.
That is if you can find the ammo in the first place...or the components to reload it.
Click to expand...

That’s no excuse. Nobody is shooting hundreds of premium hunting rounds for practice. Shoot the cheap stuff and then sight in with your hunting ammo of choice before the season starts. If your rifle is chambered in something that’s prohibitively expensive to shoot trade it for something else. To be honest though. Even a single box of practice a year is better than a good amount of hunters get.
 
I make sure my rifle is on each year before season starts. Yes I use a range and a good rest. 95% of my hunting is done from a ground blind and I use a set of shooting sticks. When I am still hunting if I'm in open country I carry my shooting sticks with me. In bush it isn't far to find a tree or branch to steady on. I prefer a good solid rest and if it means passing on an off-hand shot I do not feel comfortable with(100 yds max is my comfort zone for off-hand) then I would rather pass and not take a chance on wounding something but given the option even at close range I'll use a rest.
 
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Tompullings said:
Since becoming a hunter it’s amazed me how many hunters aren’t members at ranges or don’t practice their shooting somewhere else at all. Some don’t even know if their rifles are zeroed. I see all the time on Facebook groups people asking if there’s a place they can bang off a few shots to see if their scope is dialled in since it’s been a few years since they checked. Shooting is a perishable skill and isn’t being a competent shooter part of being an ethical hunter? People say all the time about how they missed a shot last weekend better luck next weekend. I can’t fathom missing a deer completely especially not at Ontario distances. There’s enough yahoos out there launching bullets in the general direction of animals with nothing but hope guiding the trajectory that it makes me begin to understand why some countries force hunters to shoot a marksmanship test every year before you get a tag. I hope that never happens here but you can see why a gov might try to impose it.

Edit. My issue isn’t with hunters not having range memberships it’s with hunters who don’t practice at all. If you can practice on crown land or your own land that’s perfect.
Click to expand...


There’s a reason, and it’s not coincidence that myself and my hunting partner have harvested several wounded deer and bear with other peoples bullets and arrows in it.. the sad fact is people are just ignorant and don’t care if the animal doesn’t drop they drive on to the next one and fire another pot shot.

There’s a certain group of people that like to hunt with semi auto FMJ sks and that likely accounts for most of the animals we have run into as most shots are through and through. But you can’t mention that, it’s racist.
 
Sounds like a congregational meeting at church. I sure hope those sinners repent.

Yes, of course, practicing the way you play is important. I am attracted to the “holier that thou” feelings as much as the next guy, but virtue signalling is getting a bit tiresome these days. To OP enjoys it in other threads too.
 
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