Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Offhand shooting at big game...

Still hunting is mostly what I do. Offhand I have shot a few deer and elk. My go to hunting rifle is a 98 chambered for 30-06. I am a firm beliver in slings as shooting aids. If possible I look for a rest. Blacktail slipping through the brush, and elk through the lodgepoles, don't hold still long enough to find a rest, has been my experience! YMMV

I’ve made more than a few $$ betting people at the public range (prior to deer season) that they couldn’t keep 2 of 4 shots in a paper plate at 100 yds offhand. It’s not easy but a LOT of people think it is. Also funny when I bring a newbie to our 100’ offhand .22 shoots - they always think that it will be “simple”. After the shoot they are typically dejected and many never come back no matter how many times I tell them that everyone that is a “beginner” shoots similar (typically not so good). After years of doing this and silhouette shooting I’m much more confident in my abilities to shoot offhand but even so, like many have said here, I use a rest of some sort if possible - the point is ethical dispatch of the game animal (or at least it should be).

PennDog

yes.. joe average Hunter go enter a high power silhouette match and you will be highly humbled and learn your abilities are probably not what they think..

the majority of my hunting is in a FL or GA swamp, or heavy thickets and piney woods. Rare to get a shot more than 50 yards, and most of the time I will be using a Marlin lever rifle. So yeah, I take offhand shots, as you often don't get more than a quick look at the deer (or hog). That said, I prefer to shoot snugged up against a tree.

Something I use to do, 20 years or so ago...

right before season, I'd go around the corner to where I was on Forest service land..

I'd set up a target on a tree, that I just printed off my computer...

I'd take 25 rounds and my CZ 452, and would take shots at 75 to 100 yds away, from various field positions...

do that for a day or two in a row, and then give it a rest for a day or two...

within 10 days or so, I'd notice how my shots tightened up by a fair amount.. on a 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper...

It didn't take much, to tighten up your off hand shooting, in a short period of time..

didn't cost much either, considering a box of 550 round packs of 22 LR from Federal was $8.00 at our local Walmart...

Some trigger time like that sure yielded good results in the field.

all you were teaching yourself, was to manage your ability to hold steady, and coordinate your trigger pull.

I have shot and continue to shoot offhand at standing and running game. I started hunting deer in the Adirondacks in the 80s and I decided quickly that if I was going to kill a deer I needed to learn to shoot offhand. I talked to experienced hunters and I learned some tricks but my offhand skills got better when I practiced shooting at deer in running deer shoots offered in one of the local hunting clubs.

Later I moved to Northern Europe for my job and I was fortunate to hunt moose, boar and deer there. The hunting clubs that I hunted with required you to be able to hit moving targets at 100 meters before they allowed you to carry a rifle. We practiced a lot and I got better. In one particular club the requirement was to shoot 40 consecutive shots at a moving target of moose going both directions, right to left and left to right, and get 80% of the shots in the kill zone. This may seem difficult but with practice it can be achieved.

We practiced at moving targets several times per year. The hunters I hunted with in Europe were very good at hitting moving targets. I hunted with .308 and 9.3x62 bolt action rifles. Most hunters I hunted with used 308 rifles because of its effectiveness, ammunition availability, and cost.