Practical marksmanship drills for hunting

[wombat13]

I'm looking for suggestions for easily implemented marksmanship drills given our hunting situation. I have ideas but no reason to re-invent the wheel.

We mostly hunt from treestands for deer. The ladder stands all have railings that are decent rests. The woods are pretty thick, so we have to cut shooting lanes if we want a clear shot much over 25 yards. So, the hunting situation is basically shooting from a rest, but you have to be prepared to take your shot within a second or so of the deer stepping into the shooting lane. A secondary issue is the scopes on our crossbows have four cross hairs (20, 30, 40, and 50 yards), which creates clutter when trying to quickly and precisely aim. The four cross hairs basically cover the deer's chest at 40 yards.

I can drill the bullseye all day long when target shooting at 40 yards with my crossbow (and do so at 50 yards with my daughter's newer, faster crossbow). Yesterday I made a poor shot on an 8pt buck. It was most likely a brisket shot and I'm pretty confident the buck survived. I ranged my stand from the impact site. It was 41 yards and I figured it was 40 yards when I was preparing to shoot, so it wasn't an issue of misjudging the range. I think I got lost in the complication of the reticle and didn't focus on getting the 40 yard crosshair on target.

Typically I watch the deer and position the crossbow or rifle aiming at the shooting lane it is headed for. I take a quick look through the scope to make sure I'm on the lane and then continue to watch the deer. I go back to the scope just as it approaches the shooting lane. All of this may take place in a matter of 10 seconds. I'm not shooting at running deer, but they don't often stop and pose in the shooting lane. Typically they are walking slowly.

Again, I'd appreciate any practical, implementable drills that have worked for you.

 

[entropy]

Buy or make deer-shaped targets out of brown cardboard. Mark heart lung area in a subdued manner. (these work great-,https://www.amazon.com/Allen-Company-Cardboard-Profile-Targets/dp/B082DXQT1H, https://www.amazon.com/Cardboard-Deer-Target-25-pk/dp/B00FPAV45A, https://www.kitterytradingpost.com/hunting-shooting/targets-trap-skeet/archery/delta-mckenzie-cardboard-deer-archery-target-106977.html,,https://www.birchwoodcasey.com/products/eze-scorer-23-x-35-whitetail-deer-target-2-targets.html, ,https://best-targets.com/article/show/10er-packung-weisswedelhirsch/archery-animal-target-faces-ifaadfbv

Set up an elevated stand in a safe area. Keep gun unloaded until setter calls "hot range" or the equivalent. Have assistants set targets while you look elsewhere. Have them set them NOT right at 25 yards and directly in front of you. That is NOT realistic. Have them set at least one well off to the right side if you are right handed. (trade off shooting and setting targets) Vary the yardage. Be sure to use black spots to cover up the last shooter's hole's, not orange. Deer don't wear orange.
When you look up at the target area, (180 degrees in front of you, the setters should be behind you at this point.) Scan with as little movement as possible (as this is what you should be doing in the stand hunting) and when you see a 'deer' stop to think for a second about how you are going to get the gun up to your shoulder, and you lined up on the deer, (this is where that wide right or left, if left handed comes in) without a live deer noticing. ( move only when the head is down or turned away, and very slowly, etc. ) Then do that. You may find switching the gun to your opposite from normal shoulder is less likely to scare a deer off. (I did, and started learning to shoot off my left, as well as my right, shoulder.) You won't have buck fever during your practice, but if you do practice before Ol' Mossyhorns steps out way to your right side, you'll know how to do it, and hopefully not be nervous at the moment.
My Dad did this for me before my first hunt, and when I got my first deer, it was almost anticlimactic, though during the adreanline dump after, I jumped right out of the stand feet first and ran over to the deer. (after waiting and watching him in the scope for what seemed an eternity)

Typically they are walking slowly.

Whistle to stop them when they are in a decent shooting spot. You're right, they never stop in the lanes you arduously cleared before the season....

 

[wombat13]

Buy or make deer-shaped targets out of brown cardboard. Mark heart lung area in a subdued manner. (these work great-,https://www.amazon.com/Allen-Company-Cardboard-Profile-Targets/dp/B082DXQT1H, https://www.amazon.com/Cardboard-Deer-Target-25-pk/dp/B00FPAV45A, https://www.kitterytradingpost.com/hunting-shooting/targets-trap-skeet/archery/delta-mckenzie-cardboard-deer-archery-target-106977.html,,https://www.birchwoodcasey.com/products/eze-scorer-23-x-35-whitetail-deer-target-2-targets.html, ,https://best-targets.com/article/show/10er-packung-weisswedelhirsch/archery-animal-target-faces-ifaadfbv

Set up an elevated stand in a safe area. Keep gun unloaded until setter calls "hot range" or the equivalent. Have assistants set targets while you look elsewhere. Have them set them NOT right at 25 yards and directly in front of you. That is NOT realistic. Have them set at least one well off to the right side if you are right handed. (trade off shooting and setting targets) Vary the yardage. Be sure to use black spots to cover up the last shooter's hole's, not orange. Deer don't wear orange.
When you look up at the target area, (180 degrees in front of you, the setters should be behind you at this point.) Scan with as little movement as possible (as this is what you should be doing in the stand hunting) and when you see a 'deer' stop to think for a second about how you are going to get the gun up to your shoulder, and you lined up on the deer, (this is where that wide right or left, if left handed comes in) without a live deer noticing. ( move only when the head is down or turned away, and very slowly, etc. ) Then do that. You may find switching the gun to your opposite from normal shoulder is less likely to scare a deer off. (I did, and started learning to shoot off my left, as well as my right, shoulder.) You won't have buck fever during your practice, but if you do practice before Ol' Mossyhorns steps out way to your right side, you'll know how to do it, and hopefully not be nervous at the moment.
My Dad did this for me before my first hunt, and when I got my first deer, it was almost anticlimactic, though during the adreanline dump after, I jumped right out of the stand feet first and ran over to the deer. (after waiting and watching him in the scope for what seemed an eternity)



Whistle to stop them when they are in a decent shooting spot. You're right, they never stop in the lanes you arduously cleared before the season....

Thanks for the suggestions. I don't have a problem with getting in position without spooking deer and have started practicing with my opposite hand. My immediate concern is very quickly acquiring a good site picture, particularly when looking at a reticle with multiple crosshairs.

 

[nick22]

I find practicing left handed is something few people do with rifles. And since you're hunting with a crossbow it would be good to get some practice in pulling the trigger with your non dominant hand. I had a coyote come in to the call last fall popped out of the fence row 70 yards to my right closing in on my wind a quick transfer of the rifle and the dog hit the dirt. Especially in low light the scopes with multiple black lines can be confusing. Would a red dot sighted in at 30 yards and then knowing your holdover or under be better?

 

[wombat13]

I find practicing left handed is something few people do with rifles. And since you're hunting with a crossbow it would be good to get some practice in pulling the trigger with your non dominant hand. I had a coyote come in to the call last fall popped out of the fence row 70 yards to my right closing in on my wind a quick transfer of the rifle and the dog hit the dirt. Especially in low light the scopes with multiple black lines can be confusing. Would a red dot sighted in at 30 yards and then knowing your holdover or under be better?

If I can't gain confidence in acquiring the sight picture with the multiple crosshairs, then I may have to go to a single aiming point. I'd be more likely to do that if I had a faster bow. My daughter is using the Wicked Ridge M-370 and inside of 35 yards she can just use the 30 yard cross hair.

 

[caribou]

I set up 12, 8 inch steel plates at various intervals out to 500 yards.

Sometimes I shoot at ice drifting down the river, some times chunks of wood thrown in, depends on the time of year.

 

[yeongjo]

I use cardboard boxes from items I receive in the mail. I then use a 6" round lid, make a black circle and fill it in with black paint I have. Bullet holes I have made are easily taped over with black electrical tape, or they can be circled with a pen for the next round. Since I can't simulate a target moving I have an action course and I will be moving. Point being I am able to run up to a shooting area and then sight on target, and fire. Cheap, effective, and I use the cardboard once it is ruined as fire starter.

 

[jmuv]

I have never done this myself but it did sound interesting. An old buddy of mine said that his father taught him how to make running shots by putting a piece of cardboard in an old tire. Filling the space where the rim would be. They would go out to the levee and from 25 yards away, his father would roll the tire/cardboard target down the levee. The youngster was instructed not to shoot until the target was even with him rolling down hill. Once he mastered the 25 yard shot he moved back to 50 yards and the drill was as started again. I knew him as an adult and never saw him miss a running deer. Understanding how and when to shoot is a valuable lesson to be taught and learned.