shooting mindset

[HandGunner]

I have a TC ENCORE .308win handgun full bull barrel thing is nice and has some weight to were recoil is nuthing much than a jump. when im at the range it all counts to trigger control and steady aim and getting it on target but when your out hunting and take aim at a deer or other game how much of it do you really do? I know my trigger control is still in control and no jerking the gun but the rest is all a blank. My pops jerks the trigger and tries to compensate the recoil at the range but I wonder what really happens when taking aim at game. what do you guys really do when taking game and not punching holes in paper? does your adrenalin kick in and what youve worked on comes second nature or do you also go blank and instinct kicks in? because we all know game doesnt sit and wait for a perfect shot, also theres a dif between 100 yards and 500 yards so how much practice do you guys put in? i get that 100 yard shot dosnt have to be as perfect as a 500 yard shot.

[paul pachowicz]

I go to the range to get things perfect regardless if it's 50-100-250 yards. In my mind there is no such thing as "good enough for huntin". Anyway, there are times when lookin at the crosshairs on an animal that I really don't remember what went on between that and when it tips over. I guess it's instinct. I've been doin this for 60 years. I do know that back in my early years thru early teens my head and heart pounded like a jack hammer. After 3 or 4, it was all routine. Do you really hear the report and feel recoil when shooting at an animal? I don't.

[Archerysniper]

Having taken lots of animals either bow or gun it comes to practice. When you practice a lot you build muscle memory which is really important in archery. When a animal comes in range that I intend to shoot from all the practice I have done I go into what I call auto pilot, I do everything with out knowing or having to think and that comes from a lot of practice.

[96trigger]

lots of practice and getting familiar with your gun. When I pull up my gun its all instinct. Pulling them up, firing, its all muscle memory. The hard part is aiming and keeping yourself calm for the shot. I do a lot of shooting over the course of a year. It really helps.

[Lund79]

I echo all the other posts. When the gun goes up all I think about is squezze the trigger. I do not feel the recoil on any game I'm shooting at. Ears start ringing after the shot and that is when I "lose control" of my nerves. Start shaking, going through your mind where the shot placement was, looking at the animal after the shot and noting where they go. I take a couple deep breaths and say relax and gain my composure.

[HNTNBUX]

I am a firm believer that you will perform as you train or practice. Proper sight alignment and a controlled trigger squeeze on the range will translate to a dead deer in the field.

Having spent my time at the range the last week watching other shooters I can honestly say that my 12 year old daughter shoots better than most adults. I watched one guy actually take his cheek off of the stock and turn away before he pulled the trigger. Meanwhile two other people were using the same target to sight in there rifles. 50 yard target, three rifles, 15 shots and a couple "Theres a dead deer", and end result was about an 18" group before they left.

The point is the range is the place to become familair with your rifle or shotgun. If you can not shoot at paper when you are calm under controlled conditions I don't think you will perform any better shooting at a deer.