Hunting Practice?

[mwosborn]

Just curious how different guys tune up for hunting season when they are limited to backyard.

I've been taking 6 arrows and I start at 10 yards.  Shoot and if it is solid in the kill zone I back up 5 yards to 15.  Shoot again if in the kill zone back up to 20, etc. out to 35.  If I don't hit in the kill zone I shoot until I do or run out of arrows.  Goal is to shoot at all 6 distances with the 6 arrows.  6 in the kill zone.

When I do that, I reverse the order by starting at 35 yards and working back down to 10.

Can be kind of challenging but it is kinda fun and your shooting at varying distances.

What do you do?

[excelpoint]

Me I just shoot at random distances out to 30m but as I only spot and stalk I shoot from as many different positions as possible, sitting, kneeling, bent over etc etc

[m midd]

I stand at the target and shoot arrows in different spots and distance in the yard. Then i shoot from were each arrow landed.

[Kituwa]

I take two coke cans and toss one out in front of me and the other in back of me.I use a judo point and shoot at one can, then walk to mt arrow and shoot back at the other can.The distance is varried that way.Also, shooting at a small target forces me to concentrate on a spot instead of a whle target.It is surprizingly easy to hit something as small as a coke can at 20,30 and 40 feet.Much much easier than hitting a same size bullseye on a big target. Then i spend some time shooting feed sack full of rags witch is close to the size of a deer body.No spot marked on the bag so i have to remind myself to imagine a spot like i would on an actual deer. As season gets closer i shoot some shots from a ladder stand and a good bit from a kneeling possition witch is mostly how i will be shooting when hunting as i do most of my deer hunting from a ground blind.

[b.glass]

The last two days I have walked the little course I've made that has 8 targets but I'm planning to put up a couple more.

I have to walk about a quarter mile to get to it. I walk it fast to get my heart rate up. I take one shot at each target which are mostly the mid section of deer, elk, antelope. I have shot from different angles and distances as much as I can. I also have a turkey and a wild boar. If I make a poor hit I will shoot it again on the way out.

I try to do the whole thing in a half hour. I want to loose some wieght and gain some conditioning.

Bona

[straitera]

Very happy I'm not limited to the backyard. I stumpshoot 3-5 days weekly w/judos out to 50 yards or more just having fun. Always irregular distances & shot sequences. It's part of the preseason fun.

[overbo]

Shoot 1 or 2 arros and gogg to retreive them.This well get your heart rate,simulating a hunting situation

[mmisciag]

I was advised that I should shoot one arrow every morning from my effective accuracy distance. It should be your hunding setup. I can't strech or warm up at all. You will know if you have work to do if you can not put an arrow in a 7 inch plate.

I have been practicing later in the day but that is the test first thing in the morning.

Martin

[Blaino]

my "hunting practice" is a 1 arrow deal.  i like to shoot 1 arrow right before i go to work in the morning from a random distance.

[Looper]

I practice with one arrow and a couple of tennis balls, or I go roving. Starting in August, I almost never shoot more than one arrow at a time.

[sweeney3]

Get up, put on as much of your normal gear as you can stand in the heat, go climb the stand/sit in the blind for an hour or so.  Watch the deer/other critters as they wander by.  At this point, you might practice a dry draw at a real live critter (might want to check on legality.  This could, even though you aren't hunting, be considered "harrassment" of game, though I have yet to have game notice me and look harrassed).  After they have left, shoot one arrow at either a target you have placed or a blunt at any old thing around you.  This is as real as I've been able to make it.  Obviously, this looks very much like real hunting, so you'll want to be able to explain yourself if you need to.  I do this on my own place about a three minute walk from the house.  

Other than that, I just shoot a lot every day at hay bales, targets (hate em), grass clumps, leaves, bark, etc.

[swamprooter]

Have a small stuffed animal 3D course in my back yard. Step out on the patio and shoot one arrow at a random stuffed animal. Have my targets from about 10 to 25 yds. Buy my targets in the pet section at wal mart they last OK with judos. Chris

[Scott Teaschner]

One thing I think a lot of guys can do is try to mentaly prepare yourself. Sweeney3 kind of touches on to the sobject but it may be impracticle. We get a lot of guys that come out west to Elk hunt (I guide from time to time) and they practice thier ass of but never gave any thought to mental preparedness. They usally fall apart when the animal is in bow range. One of the things that has helped me is I try to tink of diffrent scenerios and what would I do if this happened or that. It just gives you a plan. Another thing is go to a deer park if avalible watch the deer look at diffrent shot angeles get familar with anitomy. A freind of mine from Wisconsin was going elk hunting and there was an elk farm near by he asked the owner if he would take him in by the elk. He just got used to what a large animal was like up close. If you dont have an elk farm a horse cow what ever will work. Just have an idea what it is like to have a 700 lbs of animal at 10 yards. I think anitomy is way under estimated. Most hunters I have guided have no idea of the bone structure and vital organs. If you can not at this very moment scetch out on paper at least the front leg bone structure heart lungs and liver. Then you need to do a little studying. You know the military just doesnt throw a gun in a guys hand an throw him in battle. He goes through boot camp which is more than just shooting. It is mental preparedness so he has a fighting chance when in combat. I think we need to spend more time on the mental side. Nothing replaces experiance but we can do things to help.
Scott Teaschner

[KentuckyTJ]

Mostly treestand hunting for me. I go up on the back deck and shoot down at varied distances at "Deer targets". I think is very important to shoot at the deer targets as it gives you real world sighting/aiming practice and also lets you know if the hit will be a double lung or not. If I shoot at standing flat targets then try to shoot at a deer in the wild its a strange switch in shooting that really feels awkward to me. From about two weeks out my first shot is always with a broadhead and really is the only one I pay attention to.

[Friend]

Hunting Practice:

Acknowledge and hold fast to my effective hunting range. Note: Must acknowldege that my effective hunting range is smaller than my target range. The effective hunting range is individually different while conditions, circumstances and situations may impact that range.

Assume as many possible shooting positions as expected to be encountered. Practice until I own them.

Then practice one arrow only at random ranges w/i my effective hunting range and every different anticipated distance and position.

 The greatest weapon in our arsenal is your mind. Each and every shot, I focus on my shot routine while striving to make a relaxed perfect shot execution. Permit the bow to complete her task...she will do her part.

[KodiakMag]

I do like some of the rest. One shot with a broadhead. Take your time make a shot walk up get the arrow walk to a different part of the yard in a hunting distance. relax then shoot again. You may only make a shot every 2-3 minutes but it keeps you in the relaxed and hunting mode.

[Don Stokes]

I don't shoot targets repeatedly unless I'm tuning. This morning I took five broadhead arrows to the target, making sure that the final trimming of the fletching to quieten them didn't affect flight. Four were perfect, one still just a little noisy. Then I walked around the area with a single judo arrow. I shoot much better with the judo on random targets than I do shooting repeatedly at foam.

[stevewills]

with my hunting bow i use nothing but broadheads to practice with.i have a 3d course in my backyard with 10 or so targets,i also shoot alot of tournaments.but come sept no bow but my widow goes to a shoot or the range.but i shoot hundreds of arrows a day during my tournament season,and it doesnt mean squat when i am in a tree 2 totally different worlds....

[Rob W.]

This close to season I shoot one arrow on cold muscles per day during the week. Thats it. I do shoot 3d and squirrel hunt on the weekends though. For me by this time of year less is more.

[Hoyt]

I go out in the mornings and first shoot one broadhead at average hunting distance. Then shoot about 25 shots with field points for form and to keep my strength up. End up with one more broadhead shot.

Same in the afternoon.