Practicing Shots in the Field

[CannonBallZ]

So this last thursday I took my final trip out for the spring black bear season. I ended up perched on the side of a slope that overlooked a brush filled creek and another slope. I didn't see much of anything until the last hour of light when I spotted a black bear meandering its say down the opposite slope and into the brush. I had eyes on for about 30 second and then had no idea what to do. This season was my first hunt ever and I was dumbfounded. I was 350 yards away from where I last saw the bear and new that that was not a shot I could take. This experience made me end my trip somewhat early and head back home because I knew that I wouldn't be able to take most of the shots that would be presented to me based on the terrain.

Considering this, I wondered how I could practice long range shots in these conditions. On a slope, in brushy terrain, uphill/downhill, all of these factors can't really be simulated at the range so I was wondering how other hunters practice this. Is it as simple as getting out in the field, measuring out a spot, and then practicing that spot from different shooting positions? 

Quick aside, my rangefinder has 2 different settings for distance. One has a bold S and the other just gives distance. I assume that the S means it gives the point to point distance whereas the other one gives the horizontal distance.

[Savageman2506]

go out and shoot rocks. Or predator hunt. Screw the range, go shoot on forest land/blm land and practice shooting from sitting positions, off of packs or sticks/bipod, whatever you have.

[CannonBallZ]

31 minutes ago, Savageman2506 said:

go out and shoot rocks. Or predator hunt. Screw the range, go shoot on forest land/blm land and practice shooting from sitting positions, off of packs or sticks/bipod, whatever you have.

Thanks for this. It does seem like the best idea. Just getting used to what I'll have to deal with in the moment. Should I use the rounds I plan on hunting with? I'm a little strapped for cash an have abt 20 150gr winchester rounds left but if cheaper fmj rounds would work I'd rather save some money.

[PRDATR]

Welcome to the site. Sounds like you are fairly new to shooting. What caliber are you shooting?

[CannonBallZ]

1 minute ago, PRDATR said:

Welcome to the site. Sounds like you are fairly new to shooting. What caliber are you shooting?

Yeah, I am somewhat new to shooting. I inherited a savage 99 lever action in .308 with a Leupold 1.5-5x scope. The scope also has an ok ocular lens but the objective lens is the same diameter as the tube which I think is 1". From what I've been told, the rifle was 'modified' or at least had that scope put on it for deer in the mountain village where my grandpa lived(still an odd choice because not 30 minutes from the cabin there is antelope shooting in the plains so a higher magnification would've been smarter in my opinion). I haven't practiced past 100yds with my rifle yet and feel confident at 100 on a "lung" sized piece of steel that I think is 6" in diameter(but thats just me eyeballing it).

[Savageman2506]

13 minutes ago, CannonBallZ said:

Yeah, I am somewhat new to shooting. I inherited a savage 99 lever action in .308 with a Leupold 1.5-5x scope. The scope also has an ok ocular lens but the objective lens is the same diameter as the tube which I think is 1". From what I've been told, the rifle was 'modified' or at least had that scope put on it for deer in the mountain village where my grandpa lived(still an odd choice because not 30 minutes from the cabin there is antelope shooting in the plains so a higher magnification would've been smarter in my opinion). I haven't practiced past 100yds with my rifle yet and feel confident at 100 on a "lung" sized piece of steel that I think is 6" in diameter(but thats just me eyeballing it).

practice your basic marskmanship off of a bench, get comfortable making hits on a paper plate sized object at 100 to 300 yards, then start practicing from seated positions. 

 

Buy a box of ammo every paycheck, and practice taking your time and really making your shots count. By fall you'll have 1-200 rounds downrange and will feel much more confident. Get a good cleaning kit as well and clean every 50 rounds or so, maybe more depending on your particulars. 

 

Once you've mastered within 300 yards, then start stretching it out.

[PRDATR]

Well 5X is more than fine enough for a bear at that distance. I have the same rifle, same caliber. Look at some ballistic tables and my guess is with a 150 yard zero it will be about 24" low at 350 but that really varies, but not by too much.

[Mattman215]

Nothing beats a nice hike on blm land killing rocks at distance 

not to toot my own horn but I have killed a few rocks in my day …..

[forepaw]

On 4/26/2023 at 6:40 PM, CannonBallZ said:

Yeah, I am somewhat new to shooting. I inherited a savage 99 lever action in .308 with a Leupold 1.5-5x scope. The scope also has an ok ocular lens but the objective lens is the same diameter as the tube which I think is 1". From what I've been told, the rifle was 'modified' or at least had that scope put on it for deer in the mountain village where my grandpa lived(still an odd choice because not 30 minutes from the cabin there is antelope shooting in the plains so a higher magnification would've been smarter in my opinion). I haven't practiced past 100yds with my rifle yet and feel confident at 100 on a "lung" sized piece of steel that I think is 6" in diameter(but thats just me eyeballing it).

Your rifle and scope combination is GTG.  You have a proven cartridge, and a good all round hunting outfit, but a little trickier to keep clean than a bolt action.  In order to clean a 99 without chingering up the lands on the muzzle, you need to be very careful with your cleaning rod.  You can get a muzzle guide that just fits in the bore, and those help, but if you have any issues with buildup of copper fouling, you will probably need to remove the buttstock and clean from the chamber end.  For a quick pass through after a few rounds, a .30 cal. Boresnake might be good to try. 

The advice included here with respect to shooting from field positions is sound.  I would add that you might make or buy a set of shooting sticks.  These are very portable, and make all the difference when you are sitting on a hillside trying to line up on a target with knee-high grass or brush.

One more piece of advice - see if you can find via interlibrary loan the book by Jack O'Connor "The Hunting Rifle".  You may have to buy a copy from Amazon or E-bay, but it has a ton of helpful advice.  Read, read and read some more, and don't let the so-called long range guys impress you or intimidate you with 600+ yard shooting.  That requires a heavy investment in equipment and practice in order to avoid making a poor shot and wounding a fine animal.   

Last, when you are practicing, take your time, and let the barrel cool between shots.  It is not a target rifle.  Make sure you know where the first round will hit from a cold barrel, using the ammunition you plan to hunt with.  On an undisturbed, unsuspecting animal, the first shot is generally the best one you will get.