3 Off Season Rifle Shooting Tips
As soon as one hunting season ends, the next one begins - because when it comes to your shooting practice, there should be no "off season". During these winter months, you'll probably spend time on license draw applications and making hunt plans for next year. As you carve out time for the hunt planning process, make sure your shooting practice is a part of it.
Those hunts in the future will approach incredibly fast. Maintaining a regular shooting practice schedule throughout the winter will elevate your skills and have you prepared well ahead of the hunting seasons.
Practicing in the off season is about much more than sighting in a rifle. You are building critical confidence, extending your range and training to really be a shooter. This means you will instinctively drop in position and know exactly where your shot will land when it counts. There is no better feeling than approaching a shot with the experience that removes second guessing or uncertainty.
1. Monthly Minimum Range Visit
At a minimum, a monthly visit to the range will keep you centered and on target. Increasing the frequency of your shooting trips will however really stand to improve your game. Take the time to become intimate with your rifle and how it handles. Find the best rounds through practice and get yourself dialed on extremely tight groupings at the outer edge of your comfortable range.
After you have that normal shooting range producing consistent groupings, jump out to longer range shots just for fun. You may not need to use this skill while hunting, but knowing where you can place a shot at long distances is comforting.
2. Dry Firing Rifles
Making regular range visits is not always possible, but you can build some serious confidence through visualization and dry firing practice. The process involves shooting without any ammunition.
Anytime you begin a session of dry practice, double and triple check that your rifle is not loaded. Even so, always aim into a safe setting as a safety measure. Dry practice against a real target like a decoy is ideal. You can also simply hang a photo of a big game animal to help with the visualization and shot placement.
Focus on your shooting positions and setup just like you would in the field. Pay close attention to breathing and shot placement. Pull the trigger normally and visualize the shot being on target.
Spend twenty minutes visualizing shot scenarios while getting yourself positioned and setup on a target. Do this once or twice a week and you will really develop and build confidence for the field.
3. Sign Up for a class
One of the best ways to improve your shooting skills during the off season, is to sign up for a shooting class. No matter your experience level, anyone can (and should) continue to hone their skills.
Wherever you live, there's probably a class somewhere near you, taught by expert firearm instructors. Or, you might even consider attending a multi-day shooting class in the west, where practicing in real hunting scenarios can put skills into practice. Either way, round up a few friends and have fun with it.
Contact Us With Questions
Kawdy Outfitters offers remote hunts in northern British Columbia for moose, mountain caribou, mountain goat and stone sheep. To learn more, please explore the rest of our website. For details or availability, please contact us anytime.
