Help with mirage

[Bfh_auto]

It's 42 degrees with several inches of snow.
The wind was shifting from left to right about 5 mph with occasional pauses.
When the wind stopped. The target would turn into a haze. My groups were terrible. At 200 yards I was running 4-6" groups with a rifle that will group 2"at 400 if the wind isn't blowing.
If a cloud moves the poi moves.
I felt like a drunk throwing darts at the wall.

 

[jmr40]

Something else going on. A 5 mph wind shouldn't make that much difference at 200 yards with centerfire cartridges. I shoot a bit at 200-250 with a 22 rimfire. Unless it is dead calm it is a waste of my time with the 22's, but it takes more wind than 5 mph to make that much difference with anything else.

 

[JFrank]

You may be experiencing barrel mirage.
There is also a saying; Sun up gun up, sundown gun down.
I've been bit by that more than once

 

[Random 8]

Welcome to the art of rifle shooting in field conditions. Science...your load work, drift and drop tables, all the mechanical tricks of the trade are out the window, other than understanding mirage and how it works. Shooting over snow or water are some of the hardest mirage conditions to compensate for. Your experience is typical of severe "boil" conditions. It's not unusual for top national HP shooters to sling an 8 in otherwise good conditions with a good boil going. Through a high powered spotting scope, you must study the boil. Gauge it's ebbs and flows. Find the pattern if any. Fire your shots on the same pattern. Patience grasshopper, your groups are meaningless. Only shots with position feedback...a lot of them...will guide you through the deception of the Airbender. The purpose of the bullet is to hit the target, not the other bullet hole, unless that hole is a pinwheel X. Even when you feel as a master, and your NRA card testifies to said mastery, perhaps even high mastery, the Airbender will deal you a random 8.

A benchrest, F-class or prone shooter can likely elaborate further on specific countermeasures. Us sling shooter monkeys tend to use sighters to find POI vs POA across the boil, and try for "same" condition mirage and walk them into (hopefully) the 10 ring.