Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting rifle shooting practice for elk hunt

The big thing for me is to (re)learn how to shoot quickly, alot faster than I tend to shoot from the bench.
Shooting practice also means getting into and out of your field positions rapidly. It means working the action and getting off those following shots. It means recognizing any bad habits and correcting them.
It is also a great way to test and retest the rifle and the load for performance. One thing I don't do much of is long range practice. Too much chance to wound and have to chase an elk at much over 300 yds. That and I've found that making that first shot go right where it needs to be requires too much work to be consistant at the longer ranges.
Like many here, I shoot alot of different guns. But in the months before the hunt, I shoot my hunting rifles until I'm completely confident in using them. BTW, that doesn't take 80 plus rds. a day. E

Well, there's just rifle practice in general. Most elk rifles and loads are capable far beyond what their operators are capable of, so, some intermediate-range practice (and gear)- say out to 450, 500 yards- would seem to me to be in order. I mean you've got a rifle that will deliver a bullet that far with enough speed to expand the bullet, why not try to NOT be the weak link preventing such?

So that's one thing.

However in reality the shot that is most likely, at least in my limited experience, is that you are 50-150 yards away, the animals are in a group, and they are moving in timber. You see flashes of animals, occassionally whole critters, and it's happening fast. You need to ID your shooter, get on an opening, and be ready to slap that trigger when it crosses the opening. I don't know how to practice for that, but even just some simulated work in the woods, couldn't hurt.

Jackrabbits on the move with the good ol 30-06 is how I learned Jeff .

I know others here shoot at much longer distances, but I'm trying to stretch out my range. You'll be amazed how much you will improve by shooting from a standing position rather than just hunkering down on a sand bag.

Exactly why I suggested throwing in some practice with a shotgun. Grouse hunting in the trees and/or throwing clay pigeons in a treed area really helps me. It trains your eyes/brain to quickly assess and sort out a situation, pick a target, pick an opening, get on a target, and take the shot.

I took a guy out to elk hunt that had been practicing off the bench and field positions for 6 months before the hunt. First day out we bump a really nice bull at about 20 yards in an area that had been selectively thinned. The bull jumped up, but trotted away instead of running. He went about 45 degrees away and going down hill. As soon as I saw the movement I called nice bull, and began telling the guy to shoot (shoot, Shoot!, SHOOT!!!). When the bull was out of sight I asked why he hadn't shot. He said he wasn't sure if it was a bull (it was a heavy 6x6), and he didn't know how far to lead it to shoot it on the move. It was his personal decision to not shoot, so I was okay with it. Later that week he asked if I could have made the shot and what the lead should have been... Since then I've seen more of the same, and heard similar stories.

My experience has been you need an accurate enough rifle to be able to "thread the needle" on openings, and a good enough shot to do so; let's face it, elk are a big target - the kill zone is roughly 16 inches. Maybe even more important is to be able to react quickly and appropriately to a dynamic situation. Static targets at the range don't help with this, so figure out how to get some practice with moving or pop up targets or small game.

It's intense, isn't it?

First time I had a herd of the beasts moving quickly towards me in the woods it was downright scary. They sound like a freight train comin' at you! HUGE branches snapping, etc. Like nothing I'd ever heard.

My ratio of being amongst elk vs. actually shooting has got to be a world record <grin>. That's cause I hunted a spike tag about half my seasons. Talk about stressful... you've got cows and even bulls all over that you could pop in a heartbeat... but you are trying to find the one (maybe!) spike in the bunch...

Yep, I've had a couple spike tags too, but my best close encounters have been archery hunting. Like the time the 5x5 cut my scent and bird dogged it right to me; I thought he was going to come in and lick the sweat off my neck or something. When he got to about 3 feet I decided that I probably didn't need the sweat lick off, and waved at him; man, their eyes can get big and they can swap directions fast...

I've done my 2 elk hunts the same way I've done dozens of moose hunts over the last 40 years. Take a tried and trusted rifle out of storage. Run a couple patches thru the bore. Fire one shot - if it goes 2-3 inches above POA at 100, take it hunting and shoot the critter. Shoot the critter again if need be - or for insurance from a few yards out (I've had the crap scared out of me on occaision). Clean rifle and put away 'til the next time you need it...

I'm not really a good shot per 'se - but I am a careful shot, or try to be....

Once I have my loads developed, I do relatively little shooting at paper targets. Most of my trips to the range involve clay pigeons at 400-600 yards and steel gongs at 500 and 600.

Nor do I worry that I should be shooting the rifle I will use for elk in the coming season � I tend to mix things up and shoot a variety depending on whatever whim strikes me and what I have loaded on the shelf.

As hunting season approaches I�ll spend more time with the candidate rifles for that season and eventually pick two, a primary and a backup. They usually get one more trip to the range but the shots fired are usually very few � last year it was a couple shots each at 400 and 500 and then a combined total of 5 at 600, with which I broke one pigeon with each rifle.

No doubt I should spend more time shooting from �field� positions, but somehow I just don�t get around to it as much as some would think necessary. When it comes to actual field shooting, I tend to use rocks or logs or stumps as a rest or build the best I can with my pack, sticks or bipod. (Shooting from a free standing position is so rare I can�t recall the last time I did so.)

That, Jeff, is why I don't do much long range practice. Not hard to do, at all, as long as you have good range information and can call the wind.
Frankly, since I've noticed that big animals can go a long way into some really nasty country if hit badly, I'm not interested in even trying a shot much over 300 yds. at an elk. BTW, it is possible to approach them over open ground.
What I like to practice is getting the shot off faster as I may not have much time to make that shot. That and working the action to give him another if he is still on his feet after the first one.
For that kind of practice, I start at 50yds. on a fairly large target. Then, if it looks and feels pretty good, I move back to 100 yds. At that range, I'm practicing by getting into a sitting position with a sling as well.
Ray Atkinson said several times that the best game shot he ever saw in action was Jack O'Connor. Old Jack made a habit of hunting running jack rabbits and coyotes during the off season. E

I thought everyone knew that

+1

Simply shooting a lot doesn't always help, if you don't know where you are hitting. I almost always shoot with a spotter, especially at long range in the field. I will have my spotter range a small rock, stick, or blemish on the canyon wall. I will then dial the dope and send a round. He will call the shot and I will adjust. This is great entertainment, EXCELLENT practice and builds MUCH more confidence in one's shooting. We also get competitive for who buys drinks or lunch. Flinch

John I must disagree with you on the shooting of a medium bore rifle at 80 or 90 times and NOT being able to do so, means you have to much rifle.

I never shot my 338 win mag 80 or 90 times a session, it is not a target rifle, it is for killing big game animals. I do practice with a 270 Winchester a lot but not a .338 Win mag or 375-Weatherby either for more than 20 rounds for either of them.

I guess I best pack up my big bores and sell them to the highest bidder! I sure as blazes don't shoot them even 20 or 30 rounds. Not when you have a .416 Rem mag, 458 Win mag, 458-Lott, .475 mag and a 505-Gibbs. No sir I would like to see someone touch off 90 rounds in a row out of any of those calibers!

I agree with you Tonk. The most I ever shot my 338 win mag was 40 times in one range session. I did, however, throw in some 308 and 30-06 for fun and practice though that day. Probably fired off a total of 140 rounds of big game ammo that day. The guys that go to those shooting seminars don't take their 338's and 375's I guarantee you that

I never practiced for elk hunts any differently than I practiced for anything else...but all shooting is beneficial,and years of varmint hunting will make you pretty good to the distances you do it.

Obviously if you can snuff a woodchuck or PD to distance,an elk will not present any problem.

Mixing that with a lot of range time and dry firing helps further.I always mixed a bunch of field position shooting at various distances,and made sure I got enough off hand,sitting,kneeling practice etc.

Lots of game shooting is muscle memory and mind set reinforced by positive practice or past experience to build confidence,particularly in faster breaking situations,and I notice some folks are really not prepared to actually encounter an animal.

We sometimes develop preconceived notions about how,and where an animal will appear and present a shot;when the animal does not follow the script,we are caught off guard,woolgather (as our brains register.."That ain't what I expected!")and miss an opportunity,like the fellow who was not prepared to shoot the elk at 20 yards on the move....he had no confidence in his ability to do so because,to him, "practice" meant shooting off bags.....that ain't "practice";it's testing rifles and loads and verifying zero.

A lot of this comes from the present day obsession with tiny groups and LR shooting, both of which are fine but really have little do with killing BG animals...once you know what the rifle is capable of,and get past the part about the rifle reliably holding zero,a guy needs to work on himself, even if it means you get bigger groups unworthy of Campfire Posting Status.

So to me, the focus should be on becoming adept with the rifle from tougher field positions;varmints also,and shotgun shooting at moving targets to build reaction time and avoiding dawdling.This is easier to do with 22's and 223's than 300 magnums,although practice with the hunting rifle should be mixed in.Dry fire also at birds (empty rifle)on the fly,shouldering the rifle quickly,pushing safety off as second nature, etc etc.This is why I feel the perfect BG rifle is really two or three of them,the other two being a 22 and a 223....they provide low recoil, cheap volume shooting.

Instead of using your usual targets,build an "elk" profile (full size) out of cardboard with no dots on it,and practice your long range shooting on it.Elk are monolithic in color, have no dots,and you are forced to pick a spot,and hold precisely.When you are drilling the vitals of the target consistently, day to day,first shot cold barrel, you will know what your maximum distance limits are.

Elk are really very big, visible targets and should never give an experienced rifleman any cause for concern, if we have done a little prep and have gotten past the excitement and hype,and devloped confidence in our rifle and ourselves.

JMHO

Great post bob (like usual ). I know what you are talking about with the, "even if it means you get bigger groups unworthy of Campfire Posting Status" coment you made . I was practicing the other day for a "hunting rifle" shoot which requires 4 different field postions (one of them being shooting off shooting sticks). I've never shot off of sticks before and pulled the shot like crazy until I got used to them (only took one shot ). I chose to use my winchester model 100 for the 50 yd open sight class since i have horrible eyesight in my left eye and they give us 15 seconds to fire 3 shots downrange. We do this 4 times and add up our aggregate score out of 12 shots. We do the same thing with our scoped rifles at 100 yards. I believe this is a good way to train for the shot at live game also since you are under time constraints (much like when that bull steps out of the thicket and knows you are there ) and your great groups turn into chit when you are rushed. I know it is best to take your time, but sometimes you just don't have the time like your friend with the bull on the move at 20 yards.

bsa:Shooting sticks seem to be all the rage;they are finding acceptance here now too. I admit I have not used them much,at least not the big stand-up one's.

I can't get used to bipods....seems they are never the right height Much less flexible than a sling IMHO

I really like getting wrapped up in a tight sling but with this "hunting rifle" shoot it won't allow me enough time since I'm shooting left handed with a right handed bolt. You know how I prefer the pre 64 action and the damn guys (winchester) never made a left hander . One of these days I'm going to try a short action (probably the 300 wsm) NH left hand rifle. Gunnut308 had the perfect one for sale the other day and was tempting me to trade some 308's I've got . I just can't bear to give up any of my rifles because they are all shooters. I think I actually have an advantage though with a right handed bolt when shooting off of sticks or the bench because I support the rifle with my left hand and shoulder and operate the bolt with my right hand which makes it a pretty quick set-up. Once again to the op I feel practice is the key and like Bob said dry firing is great for keeping somewhat tuned up too. I do this in my garage sometimes since I've got my target stand in there usually with a target on it ready for its next outing. Shoot in all types of weather and make sure you know if you have a point of impact change with your load you are using and make sure you take the rifle out the week prior to the hunt opening so you know it is still dialed in and there are no problems. I did this last year and found out my 338 wasn't its tack driving self (it was shooting 3-4" groups!!!!). I took it home and checked everything. Found out the stock was cracked right behind the recoil lug and it desperately need a bedding job:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...xing_cracked_stock_recoil_lu#Post4549872

I was cutting it close because after I got it all dialed back in like it used to be I had 3 days before my elk season started

bsa, when no one is home, I shoot at the animals on TV....

This is tough on TV warranties, though...