I'm like WCH.I might shoot off hand in thick timber when elk are 30-50 yards away,but I either carry a shooting bipod or look for a rest close by for longer shots. Very seldom do I find myself not having time to find a suitable rest.
Back when I was 20-40years old,I did competitve shooting with service rifles and one course of fire was 200 yards off hand. After a summer of that,I was confident to take off hand shots up to maybe 200 yards.
I might practice with a 22 RF ,357 or 38-40 lever gun while plinking at the range,but I practice more with handguns.I very seldom shoot a lot of rounds thru any of the rifles I hunt with.After 40 years or so of using them,I pretty much know what they will do.
Last edited by saddlesore; 06/03/16.
