Big Horn Outfitters

Preparing for your guided hunt Part 1

Practice, Practice, Practice. Its now time to practice. One of the most disappointing things we as outfitters and guides see is a lack of shooting skill. We all have busy lives and a limited amount of time but the quickest way to turn a great hunt into a disappointment is to wound and not recover a trophy animal. Outfitted hunts are not cheap take the time to become proficient with your weapon of choice (archery, rifle, muzzleloader.). Becoming Proficient doesn’t only mean being accurate. Practice getting into position and getting comfortable quickly.

Archery  hunters shoot as much each day as possible, but practice shooting from standing, kneeling, ground blind and treestand positions. Practice having to turn to shoot. Shoot a draw weight that you can draw straight back comfortable.  Practice shooting in the gear and with the equipment  that you will have on in the field. The perfect shot rarely presents itself in the field. Know your arrows shot trajectory. Practice as many hunting scenarios as possible.  As archery hunters the odds are stacked against us, this is part of the reason we choose to hunt archery  but with this added difficulty comes an added responsibility to become lethal with our bows.

Rifle/muzzleloader hunters practice prone, kneeling and off hand shots.  Know the distance you can comfortably shot. Know your bullets trajectory. Practice getting into position on your bi pod or shooting sticks quickly. Many times hunting situations happen fast, be prepared to take the opportunities when they come. I had a client who would practice by watching hunting shows and quickly get in position to shoot the game that would show up on the TV shows.

The main point is you substantially increase your odds of success when you are comfortable with your weapon and can quickly and accurately get your shot off.