Hunting buddy who doesn't shoot well. Need advice.

That's sad. Got any prairie dog towns?

A lot of offhand smallbore practice will do wonders, but still stress using a rest any time it is possible when shooting at game. I see guys at the range who shoot off of a leadsled. All fine and good for checking loads and sighing in, but they are hard to get in a tree stand.

Another problem may be buck fever. Keep reminding him that shooting a deer is just like shooting a squirrel. In fact, it is easier.

@Captcurt that's a good idea. If he's a little fragile you can frame it so it's an offhand shooting contest between you and him. If he can take the news like a man tell him he needs a to practice offhand shooting before the next hunt so you don't shoot a deer next season and find out it's already half salami.

For most folks....once they have taken a deer or two the problem becomes self correcting. The hunter/shooter learns to settle down and has more confidence. Shooting a deer in the 'big middle' is CLASSIC panic shooting, where instead of taking a calm, controlled shot. In the excitement the eye is drawn to the center of the animal and that is where they shoot.

Shots around the periphery is a failure to steady the rifle, flinching or even 'peeking' (lifting the head before the shot breaks).

There are folks that never manage to control themselves or their shots....but most will with experience. Best to gain that experience first on the range and then on varmints. Move up to medium/big game last.

See if he flinches. Load his rifle and put a dummy round in it don't tell him. When he gets to the round and pulls the trigger if the barrel noticeably moves then you have your answer.

An option would be to practice with a lighter recoiling rifle like a 243 or 223.

go get some cheap 3006 ammo and one or two off those cardboard deer, they were cheap last i saw them. have your friend shoot off hand, at different ranges and different angels. the only problem with lighter recoiling rifles are when he is out hunting he wont be used to the rifle. have u checked if the gun fits him. even good shooters cant use a rifle that is uncomeble to shoot.

Both shots when taken were only 45 yards with a 30-06 zeroed at 100. Last year he had a bad shot at a similar distance that resulted in a lost deer. He is not a tall guy and I think recoil may be a contributing factor but the irony is he only bench shoots and hes a decent shot there. He rolls his own ammo and it is quality so I think that's a non-issue.

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A 100 yd zero won’t put a bullet aimed at the right spot, at 45 yds, into the gut.

Recoil won’t put a bullet from a properly zeroed rifle into the gut.

Reloaded ammunition won’t, by itself, put a bullet into the gut.

You can be short and take quite a beating from a rifle and still hit the point of aim.

If he only bench shoots he should shoot the deer from a rested position.

If he is already shooting from a blind where he can rest the rifle and still shanks shots, maybe he should sit in there and dry fire at the thing a few times before he loads the rifle, to knock the nerves off.

Shooting well takes the same thing one does to get to Carnegie Hall, practice, practice, practice.

Last year my 8 year old son got a savage 22 for Christmas. This summer I purchased a 243 also savage with accu trigger. Whenever I go to the range I ask him if he wants to go. While I shoot pistol he runs through 22's. We have looked at pictures of deer and of anatomy pics of deer and asked him to show me where he would shoot. The first time he shot the 243 was at a milk jug at 100 yards that exploded. The second shot was at a doe that dropped immediately. The third shot was a nice nine point buck. Each time he showed amazing patience and watched until he knew he could put the bullet where it needed to be. I think it's a process and I have also benefitted from the process

I’m thinking buck fever and he sees brown in the scope and shoots cause he’s afraid it’s going to get away. I was bad like this for awhile and now o learned to sit and watch them for a few minutes to let buck fever die down. Rest or no rest at 45 yards he should hit what he’s shooting at! I say bad case of fever.

My suggestion is he doesn’t touch the gun when the deer arrive and he watches them for awhile to get calmed down!

I agree with Captcurt , it sounds like he gets buck fever . when I see a nice buck , I repeat to myself , it is just a deer , it is just a deer and quit looking at the horns and look at the spot that I am going to aim at , that is if he is not running .

I mostly bench rest shoot and will be the first to admit I'm not very good off hand with a rifle. That said, I've hardly ever found a situation that I couldn't rest the rifle on something; that something could be shooting sticks, a log, a tree, etc. Where there aren't better options, I shoot prone.

Buck fever....

Having to clean a gut shot deer is a pretty good incentive to be more patient and cautious when taking the next deer. Beyond that, there have been some good suggestions, definitely practicing off hand shooting while under stress helps.

I agree probably buck fever. But I'd have him shoot at 50 and 100yds at some 6" paper plates backed up with cardboard to see if he can actually shoot in the field positions with the gun and load he uses. I've seen guys put every shot in 1" at 100yds off the bench and cant hit a 1 foot square offhand at 50yds. Find out if he can hit paper before trying hair. Flinching? He can download a o6 quite a bit and still have a flat 100yd gun with low recoil. How about vision? looking through a scope from the bench is fine. Seeing a deer trying to get the gun in position and sighting through the scope could be the problem Physical? I have shoulder and back problems. Getting a heavier gun into position offhand quick is an issue sometimes when the pain blocks movement. Or just being out of shape like many just not able to hold the gun steady. Your friend may have any of these issues. Work them out at the range. A .22 will help and be cheap. Good luck.

Hard to say without observing myself. Short answer: realistic training. If he bench shoots; zero is likely ok. Lots of 22, scrutinize every shot. I cut the photos out of my old calendars that have pics of deer in them and have my wife practice at 25 yards making kill shots- it gets her used to shooting at something that looks like a deer, and not like a piece of paper with a series of circles. Field positions (offhand) as well as with support that is similar to what is used from the stand- think lawn chair and camera tripod. To induce "buck fever" at the range, have him sprint a sort distance to the firing line (based on his physical condition). This will raise the heart rate, breathing, and pulse to a more "realistic" level. Running in place or pushups will do the same thing. Remind him that flinching or jerking won't dampen the recoil- it will only give you garbage downrange- garbage in/garbage out. Don't be afraid to go to the range when the weather is bad. I could go further, but I think you get the idea.

Tell him to do 10,000 dry fires before next hunting season. That is less than 30/day for a year. He doesn't have to do it every single day, but at least 2-3 times each week. Cut pages out of magazines with photos of deer and hang them on the wall inside his home for targets. In addition to getting to the range and burning 3000-4000 rounds of 22.

Most of the ideas have been covered.
Is the magnification turned up on his scope? Or is his scope too high of magnification. Both of these will make it difficult to shoot quickly at close range.
This would be second after buck fever. If he can shoot well from a bench, I doubt if recoil is an issue.

I agree that it's Buck Fever. He'll just have to learn to calm himself before taking the shot.

Is he shooting with a scope? If so, is it mounted properly and everything is tight? I would check the scope out first.

The one thing that's made me a 10 ringer, is follow through, watching the bullet or arrow impact the target POA.
Target shooters don't pull there head up to see the reaction of there target. My .02

A lot of causes possible. You mentioned he is a hand loader. If you suspect recoil to be an issue, lighter projectiles at lower than max velocities is a good place to start. Using 180 gr. bullets at max velocities for 100 yd. shots is not necessary and abusive to many people. 150's are more than adequate. Breath control: I am amazed at the number of people who never even give that a thought and we all know the importance of breath control. Shooting from artificial rests is good practice. Just walk in the woods and practice leaning against a tree (you don't have to shoot a live cartridge) pick a target and dry fire. Practice good field shooting positions. As others have said, look to see if he is lifting his head after the shot. Following through is important. He could be lifting in anticipation of the shot. I would have him work on these things. Can't hurt...

Have him turn down the magnification on his scope. Lots of hunters turn that magnification up as high as it will go and then as soon as they see brown in their crosshairs, they squeeze the trigger. At 45 yards there’s no reason for him to be above 5X. Also, have him get off the bench and shoot from improvised field positions. Shoot from his tree stand if possible. Have him run in place to get his heart rate up and practice sending rounds down range in that condition. Hunt some small game or pigs/coyotes if you have them in your area. Check for flinch by dropping and empty case in his mag and let him drop the hammer on it. 45 yards is a chip shot for most anybody though, and that leads me to to believe it’s an issue of nerves and high magnification scope.

Stress is a hell of a thing.

I have a friend who is a big collector, but can't shoot. No matter what, no matter at what. He is over 45 and we have hunted together since kids, he can't shoot one bit better than he ever could. His brother and I have tried everything. He just can't shoot. I bet ive seen him fire 10k rounds total with a rifle. Still can't shoot
My dad is about the same but is decent with a scatter gun. Ive tried to help but he doesn't get better.