How do you practice for hunting?

[woodslinger]

What methods do you guys use to practice for those real world hunting scenarios?  for fun I love stump shooting and for practicing form I stand and shoot the bales like everyone else.

Below is my method for real world hunting. I use it all year round weather permitting even during the season.

I shoot what I call the 5 day group. Only one arrow is shot on each day for 5 days. It can be from any range(that I would normally shoot), any angle, and from any position. I usually try and set up 5 different stations before hand at various ranges that require different angles or positions to be used. They range from 5-25 yards and require seated on ground, seated on hunting stool, kneeling, standing, and then standing where I have to lean out around a tree to get a shot. I mix and match these so they are not the same every time. I do not hunt from tree stands or that would be included. Sometimes my dad and I even used to shoot from our bellies or backs. Target is always a 3D deer and broadheads are used for each shot.

The only rule is there are no warm up shots before hand. I just usually roll out of bed in the morning and take a shot cold with no stretching to simulate actual hunting conditions. After work as soon as I get home is another favorite time to let one rip. I try and make sure to shoot early and late to simulate those low light situations. The arrows stay in the target until all 5 have been shot and all I am looking for is a good clean kill shot for each shot. If I get all 5 for kill shots I win, if I do not I go back and practice those shots that did not work out for me.

This comes from my old rifle days where the only bullet I cared about was that first round down a cold clean barrel.

[Knawbone]

Pretty much right on. I don't always shoot five, and sometimes I shoot more. I do shoot from elevation however, as I always hunt from stands at some point in the season. Sounds like a good routine!

[Richie]

Maybe we should do the fun shoot this year, we didnt do it last year. We could start earlier.  

[saltwatertom]

I have 20 targets, most of them with no bulls eye, on a walk-about 3D sort of course on my property. I take 2 arrows, shoot one at the first target, walk up and shoot the next and pull the first and continue leapfrogging targets for the course. I shoot at least one round almost every day. It seems to work, I had 4 shots at 4 pigs in Florida and every one scored
I don't put bulls eyes on most targets because the game I stalk doesn't have them either! I know when I hit where I wanted to.

[pdk25]

I really don't.  I target practice because I love the act of slinging arrows.  It relaxes me, and lets me know that my arrow are tuned to my bows. For practice, I get out and hunt.  It helps to live in a state that has something that you can chase year round.

[VictoryHunter]

Stump shooting is the best. However, saltwater tom raises a good point about not putting bulls eyes on targets. I frequently shoot a deer target from a tree stand, it's as simple as practice like you are hunting. Do everything the same.

[RETARMY06]

I really don't have a place to "stump shoot" so I just practice in my yard at ranges up to 15 yards.
I will however shoot from different positions (I hunt from the ground) and will soon start putting up branches to practice shooting thru brush.

[Bobby Urban]

Stump shooting of the equivalent in the yard with pop bottles, tennis balls or???  random distances and one arrow at a time.  Really good

Fishing or chipmunking - Best

Makes you learn to aim small and real life game in random situations and distances.

[dbd870]

3D deer target for me. mostly just shoot at varied distances, but I'll take 2-3 shots if I blow the first one. Also our club keeps old targets out on the first 14 stations in the warmer months (no stakes) and I'm only a few miles away so I'll go up and shoot them as well. Other times I'll get the block out and go to a set distance and just work on form. I keeps it interesting to vary what I do.

[woodslinger]

No wonder you Trad gang guys smoke so many deer and pigs! Seems like everyone is doing what they have to keep shooting skills sharp.

I have 10 acres and someday hope to have my own little walk through the woods course like Saltwatertom.

[Bowwild]

I shoot almost daily because I love shooting but mostly because it keeps me sharp for bowhunting. I've already shot two different bows this morning downstairs.

I shoot off my 17' high deck when a hunting season where I'll be in tree stands is a month or two out (white-tail deer and black bear).  My son and I have accumulated 20+ 3D targets the past few years and have a trail in the woods that separates our houses. I don't shoot it near as much as I thought I would though.

I also make sure I practice in clothing that I will be hunting in, just enough to make sure there aren't clearance issues. I even set up a pop-up blind on my basement range this winter to shoot from 13 yards, sitting with my recurves. I even videoed this shooting with screen up and down to see what the "bird" will see.

Pretty fun but one more thing in my wife's memory proving that I'm almost nuts!

You can see from one of the pictures below that I'm getting psyched for a brand new hunting experience this fall (moose)!

 

 

[Bowwild]

My 10-year old grandson will be shooting with me this year.  The longbow was won on another site in a member's drawing.  

Here are a few shots of the home 3D trail. For the record, I'm 60 years old now and it took me decades as a wildlife biologist to be able to afford a few of the simple things I enjoy now.

When I shoot the 3D trail I shoot until I kill the animal or I'm out of arrows. My goal is 1 shot on every target. I've gotten within 3 targets of making the goal.  The shot distances are of course up to me but generally 15-25 yards.

A few of the shots don't have good backstops in that an overshot can send an arrow where I will have trouble finding it.  I'm going to adjust a few target locations to fix that this year. I hate losing an arrow!  Although, I wonder sometimes if the threat of losing an arrow if I miss is a good thing to simulate a bit of "pressure" shooting?
   

   

   

[damascusdave]

I find shooting at gophers to be great practice for big game...I hit few but a close miss is fine too

DDave

I have a large target setup, two 4x4 nylon seed crate bags stuffed with silage plastic.  A balloon on old fishing with about 6' of line. Any breeze blows it back and forth across the target. If  it needs to slow down, I add a sinker from my fishing tackle. Getting lots of moving target practice teaches you how to take flexible quick shots and still maintain full power.

[joe skipp]

Roving and Stumpshooting are the only methods I use to practice. Shooting at anything at unknown distances from both standing and kneeling positions. When I want to work on form, I head to the shop and shoot at my 7 yd pillow bag.

[ironmike]

daydreaming is the best,i'm always practiced anyhow!

[Gdpolk]

Stump shooting and small game hunting.

[Thumper Dunker]

I don't have time to practice there's too many varmits to hunt. Hunt just about every week end all year long. I like shooting in the back yard for fun practice is work not fun.

I never quite understood the idea that stump shooting is the best hunting practice, unless you hunt by stomping around the woods shooting at various stuff.

Sure, it's a lot of fun but it doesn't do much for a guy that spends 99.9% of his bowhunting sitting motionless in a treestand, a popup blind or a ground blind.

To me, the best bowhunting practice is done with the help of a buddy, in the treestand or blind that you actually hunt from.

One guy shoots a dozen or so shots while the other places foam balls, chunks of styrofoam or whatever you want to shoot (including foam animal targets), at varying distances.  The shooter only gets one shot at each target.  After one or two dozen shots, you switch places.  

It can be loads of fun and a lot of good practice, especially if you have a friend with a sense of humor and likes to place the "targets" in strange positions...just like real critters like to do.