Lost art of improvised/ offhand shooting. Help!

[Romulus]

I'm going on a mule deer hunt in northern New Mexico in two weeks and although I have proofed my magazine length 168 Berger hybrid load of 44 grains of 8208 XBR very well out to 700, I did not want to stop there since I have a little free time. There is so much sage in that country shooting prone or sitting is only realistic on the tops of ridges or if you get lucky to find a bump or water runoff.

Today at Thunderbird range east of Norman, OK I got a little bored shooting off the bench, so I decided to emulate the situation where a bruiser buck jumps up in the sage brush and you literally have 1-10 seconds before it bounds over the hill and off into your dreams... err, I mean nightmares :'( . Sometimes they wait until your 10 feet away and sometimes you spot them slinking up a draw 300 or more. The rains had slowed to a drizzle, the temp was 47 degrees, and when I got my stuff to the firing line there were three doe munching away in front of a blaze of red leaved trees behind the pistol array. I was running low on cartridges so I shot only 1 round "challenges" or 3 round groups.

I got up next to the left side of the first tree near the firing line. It was less than ideal with its trunk leaning pretty heavily towards me either blocking half of my scope or suggesting my rifle to cant enough to cause worry but less than ideal was the whole idea. I returned to the scope blocking position since it still offered a full sight picture and let me assume a more comfortable position.

I shot one round aimed at the top-center of a 1" square paster at 102 yards and it was about a .25" low of top-center inside the paster. Far better than my wavering hold suggested so I moved on. I thought I might come back for a forced 3-5 second true offhand shot to compare accuracy loss, but I took that one up at 300 later.

Before I went to 200 yards I checked the other side of the tree, but I found it really inhibited my field of vision to track down the range's various gongs and targets at distances up to 420 yards. I was glad to at least find a useful trick when approaching cover to improve a shot off of. For a right handed shooter I feel it is better to use the left side of cover so one can find the point of aim much better as he collects the game in his scope.

I shot a pretty quick 3 round group at 200 yards never taking my rifle off of the tree and never taking my eye out of the scope. Compared to an earlier 3 shot group fired from one of those plastic Caldwell front rests that measured outside to outside at 0.458 MOA with one "pushed" in the group shot, I felt pretty queasy with my 2.052 MOA O-to-O grouping. 1 shot was smidgin high, 1 was centered, and 1 was a bit low, but since I was somewhat satisfied with the position of the grouping despite my shaking aim I moved on.

I thought the 8" gong at 300 mimicked the worst case scenario that I would actually take a true offhand shot on a fleeting animal, so I allowed myself no improvised rest and threw up a shot in less than 5 seconds. I wasn't surprised when it hit, for I saw the bullet's glint smack the gong, but I was surprised that I focused my hold enough through the trigger squeeze at that range. From the improvised tree rest I found I would lose a ton of aiming focus as I began to squeeze off, but "throwing up" on the target I felt far better. However, I tried to duplicate the quick shot hold at 420 and I could not stay on target very well aiming true offhand. It seems to me 300 and 420 might as well be a mile apart, lol.

Running pretty low on ammo I shot 3 rounds at a 10" gong 420 yards downrange in pretty quick succession. The first round was the only that struck metal and I felt my heart sink a bit. Unlike 200 and 300 I had terrible recoil control trying to halfway rush shots at this range and I feel swinging back into aim rather than re-centering really hurt my follow up shots.

I took a little breather for my bracing arm was fairly tired and sat eating some biscuits wondering if taking one of those last chance shots was really worth it. I don't take shots that I have not "proofed" or emulated in some way, nor do I wish to maim a beautiful Muley and let it suffer some handicapped fate.

Feel free to skip the story below, but I wanted to add this encounter to show a new respect I have gained for the game we are blessed to hunt.

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Two years ago my brother, our guide, and I came across a lady standing in the middle of a snowy ranch road. When we stopped and talked to her we found two of the guide's friends off in the bush with a game warden. A Muley anyone would be proud of lay there in a stir of snowy mud panting like a dog and anyone with the lights on upstairs could tell he was pissed. He'd match your gaze and often swing his massive head around to remind us of his possible periphery.

He had gotten his rack caught in one of those electric tape fences for stock or horses and dragged it through a fence and around a 2 small piñon trees and one thorny bush creating a 50 yard long exclamation point dotted with an old buck as seen from a crow's eyes.

We threw around some prudent ideas, but we recanted and decided to cut off as much of the tape as possible. Our guide put his coat over the rack which sent the buck into a fury like a horse roped for the first time, and the commotion really took the want-to out of me as I dove behind some brush. I've heard their hooves can split you open like a razor and I did not want to be behind, under, or worse, tangled up with them- or the horns. The buck ripped out the bush by its roots as it thrust and grunted but it caught another and flopped down out of exhaustion. Our guide patiently put the coat over the buck's head again.

Another local and I helped stretch the buck out by the very tape we intended to cut as it had wrapped around both the front and back legs. The guide crawled in towards the rack and said, "Now he might kill me if he gets ahold of me. Those will go right through you like a knife."- That will flood you with a cold feeling, make you swallow, and get a better grip.

He worked the saddle of the heel of his boots across the buck's spine and tentatively tested the antlers for a reaction. Nothing. He was doing something like a row exercise and his face turned bright red and boy he was wild eyed awake as he pulled back on those antlers. One of the locals dove in and cut up the tape as my brother held a few of the legs keeping his face turned away with one eye mostly closed and another keen on the antlers. It was one of those things; we didn't really know when the buck would be loose but when it happened everybody kinda hollered and rolled away or managed odd backflips into the brush.

The buck erected itself like it was dizzy and spun around a full turn just like a bull at the national finals rodeo crazed in rage at the clowns. Everyone cleared out and the buck hopped off to the South and collapsed in a ditch where it could keep an eye on us. He was panting heavily and although I didn't say anything or ask about what I heard, it sounded like it was crying. I've heard a handful of times that deer have certain vocal signals, like a language, but all I've ever heard is snorts and grunts. The bleat sounded forlorn but I didn't speak of it then.

We all kind of shook hands and stood there in disbelief for a few minutes laughing and kind of taking it all in. After we got back in our truck we headed on south down the road, and as we came upon the ditch were the buck had hidden out there were a number of does that had surrounded the buck with a few standing at attention in the high spots nearby. A yearling stood very near the buck and from the inside of a frosty truck you could tell it was smelling the exhausted creature, or maybe talking to it. As we drove by the buck's gaze matched ours and although I figure it did not really understand our actions, its gaze caused in me an emotion matched by that of someone you respect looking you in the eye.

Basically, something about those 10 minutes changed the way I look at those beasts. They're not just some trophy or some way we prove our manhood or keep our traditions alive. They're something else.

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After a rest and taking some deep breaths I loaded two rounds and decided that I could do better than my last effort. I collected the target on a hash of my NP-R1 reticle and took my time gaining focus. My brace arm soon went numb but I squeezed one off that I felt was quite good considering my wavering. The next shot was worse but I felt a boost in confidence that I had bested my previous effort. Adjusting my scope to 32x I saw that my first shot was less than an inch from my point of aim, but at the sight of my second shot I felt a little flush of embarrassment. Measured at home the second shot was 8.624 inches O-to-O high and 3 inches right of the first. It was getting dark and I didn't want to keep the range owner from a hot meal so I packed up and grabbed my targets.

I've been practicing dry firing on a snap cap while maintaining an offhand hold out of my window. I've been practicing various postures and stances to find the most steady. I do not have a sling on at the moment but will have one on for the hunt. Are there any tips you guys know using a sling to improve hold?

I ask people all the time about tricks or ways to practice to shoot better from improvised positions or truly offhand, but many people haven't done it outside of a spontaneous shots at game. Many of the veterans say they don't remember what they were taught, but that they can just still shoot well that way from much practice.

If you guys have any drills, anecdotes, or advice about preparing for the range of shots a hunt ranging from scrubby flatland to what we would immediately call mountains here in Oklahoma, I'd love to hear them.

My rifle is probably too heavy, so I'm thinking I may throw my compact NXS on a 300 WBY that's been laying in a closet for years and see if the reduction in elevation adjustment and simplification and weight reduction of components boosts performance. However, I'm very comfortable with the .308 and very familiar with the trajectory. I'm figuring like most things, routine practice following sound principles will help the most.

Thanks in advance for the comments and the lengthy read. I'm one of those guys that can seldom do concise.

 

[necchi]

Practice.

Practice a Natural Point of Aim.
In your house/garage/back yard,, pick a small object at a moderate distance, a door hinge, a knot on a tree, a wall outlet,,
Close your eyes and point the gun at the object,, then open your eyes. (your not aiming at the object are ya) Adjust your footing too swing your body and rifle into the target. The idea is to get your natural body position and hold into the target. If done right you should only move one foot to swing your whole body into position. Most folks are surprised to find out that the one foot isn't put way out front and the other holding all the weight in back, your feet are naturally under your shoulders.

Practice.

Bring the rifle up too the target, don't raise the rifle high over the target and bring it down, you inevitably go too low and have to raise it up again, just raise it high enough the first time.

Practice.

Don't "Peek",, try to follow through the shot with the rifle. If you start looking for the shot when you squeeze the trigger, your body will start moving the rifle in anticipation of looking,,the rifle will swing before you pull the trigger.

Your muscle energy (actually the neuron synapse) will give you 15 seconds before human wobble/shake starts. After 15 seconds the muscles/nerves need about a minute to recover.

Practice.

Once you get the Natural Point of Aim down, do the same drill with two "Target points", pick one point, then swing with your eyes closed, to the other. They don't have to be far apart,, it's about teaching your body and brain to work together in a new found practiced pointing game.

Diet,,, Lay off the coffee and chocolate, get plenty of fruit for muscles and stay hydrated.

That's just a little bit of the off hand stuff, did I mention practice?

 

[bozo699]

Great post Necchi.
Wayne

 

[fdshuster]

Get the shot off within 5 to 6 seconds. Holding on to it much longer only increses the arc of movement. You will never be any steadier than during those first few seconds. Take a deep breath & hold it while aiming. Nothing beats practice. Another way of keeping sharp in unsupported off-hand rifle ( and pistol) shooting is to become active in Silhouette Match's. A year round sport in some areas, and very demanding. No computer keypad claims here. Either you knock 'em down or you don't.

 

[MrMajestic]

Romulus, thanks for the great read and necchi for his reply!

 

[PREMOD70]

One thing that works for me for offhand shooting on my hunting rifle is to shorten the stock, the closer you get your hands to your body the the steadier you will be for the good shot. Another practice I use is to look at the animal rather than the crosshairs, with enough practice the subconcious will pull the trigger for you. Last thing is remember that you can't hold the rifle still so don't fight it, just remember to breath properly and ride the rifle through when it goes off, the more you bear down on the stock the more consistent the shot placement. I use the pie plate as my aiming area and practice at various distances to get an idea how far I can make a shot count, if you can't hit the pie plate everytime shorten the distance, good luck.

 

[tripcrow]

Like others have said, silhouette matches, small and high power rifle, are the best for practicing offhand. They add a pressure to your shooting that is somewhat like you may get when pressed to make a shot in the field and there’s no added straps or support jackets. Being a hit or miss sport, it does require humility from all but the lucky few. Instead of losing your first benchrest groundhog scoring type match 145 to your 135, you may start off losing a silhouette match 32 to 15. A lot of us get to go into our first match scared and nervous and get to go home embarrassed and humbled. Attendance is the lowest of all our local shooting disciplines because of how hard it is to even become what most would feel is proficient. But if you’re willing to pay the price, it is the way to go for practical field shooting practice.

My 2 youngest boys and I got ourselves a Air Venturi Bronco pellet rifle and have set up a 30ft range in the basement. The Bronco has a flipper on the trigger like the newer Savages. But the trigger is consistently better than any of the many Accutriggers I’ve used. For $125 it is unbelievably accurate with the right pellets. Best part for some of us long time shooters is that it is ambidextrous. So you can practice shooting left handed instead of always using the same worn out nerve pathways.

While I started the boys on the bench so they can get a feel for the trigger and grip, they were shooting offhand in a short time. I’m sure they think the bench is for us old folks. An idea that must have been reinforced by attending some of our club’s Tuesday morning benchrest shoots during the summer. It is fun to watch how they naturally fall into sitting, knelling, and prone without any instructions on correct position. I think it is important to allow someone to find and become comfortable in what comes natural for them before adding anything beyond the very basics. I know it runs the risk of having to break some bad habits. But with younger people all it takes is a couple months away from something and they’re ready to be remolded. From what I've seen it seems to be better in the long run to train a shooter more like a good beagle than like a good pointer. At least at the start.

 

[serial # 001]

Romulus,

You made a rather long post. I have a rather long answer.

Back in the sixtys and seventies for many anything other than a .30 caliber rifle seemed, well, almost un-American. And everyone knows the American adage if a little is good, a lot is better. Therefore, as a young hunter, I progressed from a .30-30 and .30-06 through the magnums up to a big wildcat by the mid seventies: A custom rifle chambered in .30-378 Weatherby powering a 180 grain bullet to almost 3,300 feet per second with 118 grains of powder. By the ninth shot or at the end of three, three shot groups, I began to flinch. Time for a new rifle. Another custom might do, but it didn’t have to be. After pouring over reloading manuals, I discovered the .270 is better than the .30-06 for retained energy at 400 yards. And it kicked less. I guess Jack O’Conner was right. Then I discovered the 7MM bullets generally had a better ballistic coefficient than other bullet diameters. Have I mentioned ignorant prejudice is fun? I used it in those days. In fact I still do. But when it gets in the way of an effective new toy, I had to appeal to information and logic. I settled on a milder wildcat: A 7-.300 Weatherby. Ah, but which rifle?

Clear back in the ‘70’s Robert Klienguenther guaranteed his bolt action K14 rifle to shoot ½” groups at 100 yards with proper loads. The K14 is based on the three locking lug Voere action. Klienguenther incorporated a few refining and finishing touches to achieve his objective. When I discovered his 7 MM Remington Magnum came with a long action, which could accommodate the .300 Weatherby case for my wildcat, I ordered one with a heavy 26” barrel for a carry rifle. The factory triggers were set at, you lawyers get ready for this, a beautifully crisp two pounds. Now which scope?
Burris advertised they made the brightest scopes on the market. I settled on a Full Field 4-12X40. The carry around rifle with scope weighed in at eleven pounds. I was still young and strong and never noticed it being heavy until I was in my late fifties or early sixties. Don Burris was there in those days and was available to phone-calling customers. However, it was not necessary to talk to him. Everyone there knew the products and was as helpful as a volunteer at a rescue mission. In fact when I asked one of the engineers what thread they used on the objective end, he asked,
“Why do you need that information?”
“I’m going to make a sun shade about 5” long.”
“Hey, just give me a few days and I will get one in the mail for you. Does five bucks sound O.K. to you?” Those days are gone.

The rifle went to a gunsmith who had a 7-.300 Weatherby reamer. When it returned, reloading commenced. Soon I discovered a load to support ol’ Robert Kleinguenther’s claim. A 175 Sierra powered by a dose of H4831 sparked by Federal 215 Magnum primers worked every time. The velocity averaged 3,145 feet per second. I did three shot groups, then slowly walked to the target board and checked my work. This gave the barrel time to cool. I vividly remember the first time I walked to the target and saw a ½” group. It measured 7/16” from center to center. I was so happy I couldn’t even say, “Thank you, Lord.” I just lifted my hands in praise. But then, they became common place. Once when I went up to Diamond Lake for deer hunting, I thought I should check to make sure everything was still O.K since I was about 4,000 feet higher than my range. I flopped down on the ground, laid the rifle across a sleeping bag and fired three shots at a target placed 300 long paces away. The group measured 3/8” and exactly 3” high. Perfect! But I am getting ahead of myself. Day after day I shot from the bench; regularly shooting groups half the size of anything I was used to. Great fun!

I took the shiny new K14 deer hunting. There! A legal deer over there. Frantically I looked for anything to help me hold on the fleeing deer. I knew the 175 could do the job if I could only hit it. There was no bench rest here. In fact there wasn’t even a tree branch to rest the rifle on. There I was with nothing on which to rest my superbly accurate hunting rifle. Alas, the deer disappeared into the forest way over there.
The deer was bedded down in the root section of a blow down. I didn’t see it because I approached from the branch end of the fir log. It fell across a little stream. When I stepped up on the log to cross the stream, the deer rose and slowly trotted, not ran, away. When the six or seven seconds of moment of truth elapsed, I looked foolish. And yet, I was the only person around. The deer got up from its bed not more than twenty yards from me and disappeared into the woods about forty-five yards away.

Consequently offhand shooting began. Each day when I got home from work, I went shooting. I still fired only three shots to allow the barrel time for cooling. The difference being the bench was used only to lean the rifle against with the bolt left open so air would naturally ventilate from the chamber end to the muzzle thus facilitate cooling. I casually walked to the target board each time and stapled up a target. Any benchrester realizes you don’t want to elevate your heart rate. I started off hand practice by holding the weight of the rifle with my left hand with that elbow resting against my rib cage. Very stable. All I wanted to do was hit the target paper, anywhere. Soon I was firing three shot groups that were almost never three inches. They were usually 2 ½” or less. The best I ever did was 1 ¼” for three shots. Of course this requires a good rifle with a great trigger. And lots of practice.
One day while hunting, I saw a deer about 100 yards or so in the distance. I couldn’t hold on it because my respiration and heart rate were too high. Obviously I was walking too fast. The next day while s-l-o-w-l-y sneeking though the woods, I saw one across a clearing from me about seventy yards away. Right then I realized I was not walking too fast the previous day: I was having so much fun, I had buck fever. I knew there’s no chance of a successful hunt without sitting down to steady myself. Fortunately the deer was not aware of me, yet. I was still one layer of foliage inside from the clearing. Creeping forward allowed me to sit down with the barrel protruding beyond the vegetation. Despite this very stable position, I could still see the crosshair moving and waving all over the place. Even in all my excitement I realized they were moving, but only in the kill zone so I yanked the trigger; except that’s not what happened. Instead of my trigger finger coming back, my whole body lurched forward, including my trigger finger! Of course the rifle didn’t fire. Embarrassed, I told myself, “Try this one more time.” Gaining enough composure, I tried squeezing the trigger. This time the buck dropped at the shot. Without meat in the freezer a hunt is nothing more than a walk in the woods. Might as well carry a camera.

A new shooting procedure began. The bench was still used to hold the rifle; but only as a leaning support. Now I literally ran the hundred yards to the target board, stapled up a target and ran back. I grabbed up the rifle and quickly loaded it. Bang! Bang! Bang! as fast as I could work the bolt and get on target. A quick controlled squeeze of the trigger worked much better than the slow deliberate target type offhand shooting previously employed. Again, all I wanted to do was hit the target paper. Then I changed that to a paper plate. When all the shots were always on the paper plate, I was ready for the next season. I didn’t realize it, but I was training my shooting muscles like an athlete trains for competition. This required practice.

You guessed it, another hunting scenario presented itself. I found a deer alright, but it was running through the woods. Apparently something or someone off to the right scared it. I knew there was no sense even trying to get on it.
Sorta starting from scratch again, I figured out a way to time myself. I had a count-down alarm pocket watch. I practiced this exercise with no ammo. All I had to do was set it for one and a half seconds and hit “go”. I held the rifle with my left hand across my body exactly like I was carrying it while hunting. I then touched the “go” button. I brought the rifle up with both hands while switching off the safety, found a distant small stationary target and dry-fired. It was obvious to my eye in the scope if I was on because of the click, and it was obvious to my ear if I made the one and a half second dead line when the firing pin snapped on the empty chamber. After some practice, I was always on the target and always beat the alarm. Time to move to the next stage of practice.

I found a place (I was the boss.) at work where things presented themselves, on a conveyor, for a couple seconds in a seventy-five foot opening. They were moving about fifty feet per second and appeared at random intervals. I could not see them prior to the opening, so they presented themselves without warning. With no ammo even in the building, and absolutely none in the rifle, I got back about two hundred fifty feet. I started by trying to “hit” anywhere around the target. Up, down, behind, ahead. It made no difference. Get the shot off before the target disappeared. I trained my left arm to hold the rifle and follow the target. That’s all. My eye tells me if the crosshair is where it belongs. The trigger finger snaps the trigger without stopping the rifle. They work independently and yet in concert with each other. Hundreds of practice shots later, it looked like I could hit a pie plate every time. Time to go hunting, again.
Along the way, I discovered the fun of glassing. I started up a logging road that was too steep for a two wheel drive Datsun to make it up. After about half hour of trudging up hill, the terrain leveled out. I was delighted to see a clear cut, where all the trees were logged off a couple years before, stretching out hundreds of yards long and wide. Out came the binoculars. I started glassing about 400 yards out. Then I heard something. I brought down the binoculars to see what was making all the ruckus so close. There it is! Not more than one hundred and twenty-five yards away a deer was up and running in a quartering away angle.

I wish I could convey the confidence, no rather the cockiness, I felt. The memory reminds me of what a government sniper told me one time, “Don’t run. You will only die tired.” Without the slightest hurry, I put the binoculars down, picked up the K14, and swung on the fleeing deer. The bullet entered about the last rib on the near side and exited though the off side shoulder. Prior to this experience I gave confidence no thought. I was just learning to shoot. But this convinced me there is an unbelievably vast difference between self assuredness and arrogance. During this learning I discovered three rules to becoming a proficient rifleman: Number One, practice. Number Two, practice. Number three, practice.

 

[Romulus]

Thanks for the post Serial. I sometimes get too results oriented wanting to see the holes in the paper. I need to find a situation where I can follow some moving targets and click off some shots so follow will become a new second nature. I appreciate full blown stories as they grant insight into character and history that the abbreviated nature of the internet oft eclipses.

 

[Matt in Virginia]

I'm going on a mule deer hunt in northern New Mexico in two weeks and although I have proofed my magazine length 168 Berger hybrid load of 44 grains of 8208 XBR very well out to 700, I did not want to stop there since I have a little free time. There is so much sage in that country shooting prone or sitting is only realistic on the tops of ridges or if you get lucky to find a bump or water runoff.

Today at Thunderbird range east of Norman, OK I got a little bored shooting off the bench, so I decided to emulate the situation where a bruiser buck jumps up in the sage brush and you literally have 1-10 seconds before it bounds over the hill and off into your dreams... err, I mean nightmares :'( . Sometimes they wait until your 10 feet away and sometimes you spot them slinking up a draw 300 or more. The rains had slowed to a drizzle, the temp was 47 degrees, and when I got my stuff to the firing line there were three doe munching away in front of a blaze of red leaved trees behind the pistol array. I was running low on cartridges so I shot only 1 round "challenges" or 3 round groups.

I got up next to the left side of the first tree near the firing line. It was less than ideal with its trunk leaning pretty heavily towards me either blocking half of my scope or suggesting my rifle to cant enough to cause worry but less than ideal was the whole idea. I returned to the scope blocking position since it still offered a full sight picture and let me assume a more comfortable position.

I shot one round aimed at the top-center of a 1" square paster at 102 yards and it was about a .25" low of top-center inside the paster. Far better than my wavering hold suggested so I moved on. I thought I might come back for a forced 3-5 second true offhand shot to compare accuracy loss, but I took that one up at 300 later.

Before I went to 200 yards I checked the other side of the tree, but I found it really inhibited my field of vision to track down the range's various gongs and targets at distances up to 420 yards. I was glad to at least find a useful trick when approaching cover to improve a shot off of. For a right handed shooter I feel it is better to use the left side of cover so one can find the point of aim much better as he collects the game in his scope.

I shot a pretty quick 3 round group at 200 yards never taking my rifle off of the tree and never taking my eye out of the scope. Compared to an earlier 3 shot group fired from one of those plastic Caldwell front rests that measured outside to outside at 0.458 MOA with one "pushed" in the group shot, I felt pretty queasy with my 2.052 MOA O-to-O grouping. 1 shot was smidgin high, 1 was centered, and 1 was a bit low, but since I was somewhat satisfied with the position of the grouping despite my shaking aim I moved on.

I thought the 8" gong at 300 mimicked the worst case scenario that I would actually take a true offhand shot on a fleeting animal, so I allowed myself no improvised rest and threw up a shot in less than 5 seconds. I wasn't surprised when it hit, for I saw the bullet's glint smack the gong, but I was surprised that I focused my hold enough through the trigger squeeze at that range. From the improvised tree rest I found I would lose a ton of aiming focus as I began to squeeze off, but "throwing up" on the target I felt far better. However, I tried to duplicate the quick shot hold at 420 and I could not stay on target very well aiming true offhand. It seems to me 300 and 420 might as well be a mile apart, lol.

Running pretty low on ammo I shot 3 rounds at a 10" gong 420 yards downrange in pretty quick succession. The first round was the only that struck metal and I felt my heart sink a bit. Unlike 200 and 300 I had terrible recoil control trying to halfway rush shots at this range and I feel swinging back into aim rather than re-centering really hurt my follow up shots.

I took a little breather for my bracing arm was fairly tired and sat eating some biscuits wondering if taking one of those last chance shots was really worth it. I don't take shots that I have not "proofed" or emulated in some way, nor do I wish to maim a beautiful Muley and let it suffer some handicapped fate.

Feel free to skip the story below, but I wanted to add this encounter to show a new respect I have gained for the game we are blessed to hunt.

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Two years ago my brother, our guide, and I came across a lady standing in the middle of a snowy ranch road. When we stopped and talked to her we found two of the guide's friends off in the bush with a game warden. A Muley anyone would be proud of lay there in a stir of snowy mud panting like a dog and anyone with the lights on upstairs could tell he was pissed. He'd match your gaze and often swing his massive head around to remind us of his possible periphery.

He had gotten his rack caught in one of those electric tape fences for stock or horses and dragged it through a fence and around a 2 small piñon trees and one thorny bush creating a 50 yard long exclamation point dotted with an old buck as seen from a crow's eyes.

We threw around some prudent ideas, but we recanted and decided to cut off as much of the tape as possible. Our guide put his coat over the rack which sent the buck into a fury like a horse roped for the first time, and the commotion really took the want-to out of me as I dove behind some brush. I've heard their hooves can split you open like a razor and I did not want to be behind, under, or worse, tangled up with them- or the horns. The buck ripped out the bush by its roots as it thrust and grunted but it caught another and flopped down out of exhaustion. Our guide patiently put the coat over the buck's head again.

Another local and I helped stretch the buck out by the very tape we intended to cut as it had wrapped around both the front and back legs. The guide crawled in towards the rack and said, "Now he might kill me if he gets ahold of me. Those will go right through you like a knife."- That will flood you with a cold feeling, make you swallow, and get a better grip.

He worked the saddle of the heel of his boots across the buck's spine and tentatively tested the antlers for a reaction. Nothing. He was doing something like a row exercise and his face turned bright red and boy he was wild eyed awake as he pulled back on those antlers. One of the locals dove in and cut up the tape as my brother held a few of the legs keeping his face turned away with one eye mostly closed and another keen on the antlers. It was one of those things; we didn't really know when the buck would be loose but when it happened everybody kinda hollered and rolled away or managed odd backflips into the brush.

The buck erected itself like it was dizzy and spun around a full turn just like a bull at the national finals rodeo crazed in rage at the clowns. Everyone cleared out and the buck hopped off to the South and collapsed in a ditch where it could keep an eye on us. He was panting heavily and although I didn't say anything or ask about what I heard, it sounded like it was crying. I've heard a handful of times that deer have certain vocal signals, like a language, but all I've ever heard is snorts and grunts. The bleat sounded forlorn but I didn't speak of it then.

We all kind of shook hands and stood there in disbelief for a few minutes laughing and kind of taking it all in. After we got back in our truck we headed on south down the road, and as we came upon the ditch were the buck had hidden out there were a number of does that had surrounded the buck with a few standing at attention in the high spots nearby. A yearling stood very near the buck and from the inside of a frosty truck you could tell it was smelling the exhausted creature, or maybe talking to it. As we drove by the buck's gaze matched ours and although I figure it did not really understand our actions, its gaze caused in me an emotion matched by that of someone you respect looking you in the eye.

Basically, something about those 10 minutes changed the way I look at those beasts. They're not just some trophy or some way we prove our manhood or keep our traditions alive. They're something else.

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​

After a rest and taking some deep breaths I loaded two rounds and decided that I could do better than my last effort. I collected the target on a hash of my NP-R1 reticle and took my time gaining focus. My brace arm soon went numb but I squeezed one off that I felt was quite good considering my wavering. The next shot was worse but I felt a boost in confidence that I had bested my previous effort. Adjusting my scope to 32x I saw that my first shot was less than an inch from my point of aim, but at the sight of my second shot I felt a little flush of embarrassment. Measured at home the second shot was 8.624 inches O-to-O high and 3 inches right of the first. It was getting dark and I didn't want to keep the range owner from a hot meal so I packed up and grabbed my targets.

I've been practicing dry firing on a snap cap while maintaining an offhand hold out of my window. I've been practicing various postures and stances to find the most steady. I do not have a sling on at the moment but will have one on for the hunt. Are there any tips you guys know using a sling to improve hold?

I ask people all the time about tricks or ways to practice to shoot better from improvised positions or truly offhand, but many people haven't done it outside of a spontaneous shots at game. Many of the veterans say they don't remember what they were taught, but that they can just still shoot well that way from much practice.

If you guys have any drills, anecdotes, or advice about preparing for the range of shots a hunt ranging from scrubby flatland to what we would immediately call mountains here in Oklahoma, I'd love to hear them.

My rifle is probably too heavy, so I'm thinking I may throw my compact NXS on a 300 WBY that's been laying in a closet for years and see if the reduction in elevation adjustment and simplification and weight reduction of components boosts performance. However, I'm very comfortable with the .308 and very familiar with the trajectory. I'm figuring like most things, routine practice following sound principles will help the most.

Thanks in advance for the comments and the lengthy read. I'm one of those guys that can seldom do concise.

FWIW & IMHO,
I was going to recommend the late Jeff Cooper's excellent The Art of the Rifle, however, I can't find it in stock and used copies are running $150 according to Amazon. They do have the Kindle copy for $9...

I don't think you would regret the investment.

Regards, Matt.

 

[OKyote73]

Ten plus year old zombie thread!! Good advice though

 

[SteveOak]

Sorry, not lost art. I shoot offhand matches at least once a month in the winter and 3 to 4 matches a month from May through September.

 

[Dimner]

I really enjoyed this thread, thanks for popping it back up