Don't want a repeat of last year, shooting advice needed!!!

[Biz45]

So I am not a savvy marksmen shooter, Last year 3rd season in colorado I had a opportunity to harvest a really nice buck what seemed to be 5x5 through the lens of my 10x42 bushnell bear grylls binocs. He was uphill about 275, basing off my golf expertise as I did not have a range finder. So I set up on get my sights on him pull and was unsuccessful, barrel pointed above vitals; maybe a 1/2 inch above pull the trigger and he stands their as if nothing happened shot a 2nd time and he ran off. Hike up hill to no find no blood but see him down hill in thick oak brush about 200 yrds down, setup again this time using my backpack as a stand and point above him again and shoot miss 2 times and see him run off to my dismay... basically i shot 4 times and was a complete failure any info on shooting up and down hill will be invaluable to me and much much appreciated..

 

[JimP]

Without knowing what caliber and round you are using along with the actual distance everything is just a guess along with knowing at what distance your rifle is sighted in at.

But on a general rule you will shoot higher than point of aim when shooting both uphill and downhill, it's physics.

 

[Biz45]

I was shooting a 270 and yardage was like i said a guesstamated 275 uphill and 200 down. That's what i thought ( above ) just was not 100%. seen him running in my nightmares for the past 360 days...

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

JimP is correct. My advice is do a lot of shooting at longer distances, no guessing needed. Also if you don't have a range finder...get one, they are pretty cheap. I use a bino/range finder combo and I never have to guess.

Just sayin.............

 

[Colorado T]

Ditto what both Jim and CC said, however if your shooting a 270 at that distance you really shouldn't have to adjust much. If I understand your original statement above it sounds as though you possibly adjusted the wrong direction.

 

[Biz45]

Got 1 for this trip so not to make the same mistake twice!!!! Lesson learned...
Apprecaite the advice

 

[shootbrownelk]

Shoot/practice with your rifle more, preferably from field positions.

 

[JimP]

What range are you sighted in at? 100, 200, 250??????

But still with a 270 you should of been able to place the cross hairs on the vitals and hit the deer.

But practice never hurts along with getting to know how to tell a range without a range finder. I did a lot of walking in my job and I would look at a object up ahead and note what I thought the distance was. I would then pace that distance off to see how close I was. There are also ways of telling the distance with your scope and cross hairs but that also takes practice.

 

[missjordan]

Practice, practice, practice! Not sure how much you realistically shoot in the offseason but dont be that hunter that pulls there gun out to shoot it at the range less than a month before season opener. Learn your gun and its ballistics inside and out and practice all year. Different shooting positions help too. Getting a rangefinder is a big step but honing in your skills in the offseason will take the guesswork out of basic shots like that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[HighPlainsHunter]

It's time to go through your setup and get prepared for the hunt..

I'd recommend to zero your rifle at 200 yards. It will be slightly high at 100 but not enough to matter. This will make it so any range up to about 250 yards all you have to do it put the crosshairs where you want the bullet to go. That's easy.

Then if you are interested in shooting beyond 250 I'd recommend printing a drop chart for your setup. Simply enter you zero, bullet BC, elevation, velocity, etc. and you will get a chart showing your bullet drop. This will help you with holdover and understanding how your bullet should be dropping (always go confirm the data). Another option is getting a scope with a turret so you can dial your distance.

And lastly as mentioned practice and get a rangefinder so there is no guessing. Even a cheap one will work for 300-400 yards.

275 yards with a .270 off your pack should be no problem.

 

[badgerbob]

There are charts which will tell you what range to sight in your rifle for holding dead on. Prob. easy to find one on internet. Depending on cal. and load, you will be able to hold dead on out to that range and start to adjust if shooting farther.

 

[mallardsx2]

Take more time getting set up would be my suggestion and make sure you have right elbow support.

The right elbow support is something that often times goes out the window in the heat of battle...

5 points of contact for shots over 200-500 yards.
6...If possible

1. Butt- On ground
2. Left hand- on bipod
3. Right hand- Rifle grip
4. Left elbow- on left knee
5. Right elbow- on right knee

6. If possible if your back leaning against your buddies knee behind you or up against a rock or a tree.

When I use this system I can shoot almost as good as I can from the bench.

If I take any one of these elements away I notice it in my groups.


Also, Try not turning your scope to full power. There is no reason to have a scope turned to 15X on a 200 yard shot on a deer sized animal in my opinion. It just messes with your head. I shoot almost everything out to 300 yards on 9X or lower. After that You need the additional magnification.

 

[RICMIC]

For the average shooter, using the "Maximum Point Blank Range" principle that has already been suggested is the simplest system to use. For instance; a 30-06 or similar cartridge if you sight in 1.75" high at 100 yards; it would be center at 200 yds., and still in the vitals out to 250 or so. The actual numbers are often right on your box of ammo. Forget the long range shooting mania until you become proficient at the range, and that means becoming confident in your rifle/scope set-up and NOT practicing bad habits. By all means get a rangefinder, and if possible sign up for a shooting class. I learned my hard core shooting basics in the Marine Corps. That too is an option for you, but it may be a bit extreme at this point in your life.
Many of the new rangefinders have an angle compensator that will give you the "true ballistic range" for your class of cartridge. Use that and you will never confuse where to hold again.

 

[Biz45]

150.. last sighted a 2 years ago at cherry creek

 

[Biz45]

"Practice, practice, practice! Not sure how much you realistically shoot in the offseason but dont be that hunter that pulls there gun out to shoot it at the range less than a month before season opener. Learn your gun and its ballistics inside and out and practice all year. Different shooting positions help too. Getting a rangefinder is a big step but honing in your skills in the offseason will take the guesswork out of basic shots like that."

I do try to get out as much as i can but truly not enough to say i am where i need to be, but agree on that I need to shoot more in the offseason.

 

[Biz45]

Thanks HighPlainsHunter for that additional info and all that have responded with advice. Good luck to you all that will be going out in the near future..

 

[DaveZ]

Need to back up a second. You said you were shooting up hill and down hill at the deer and that you didn't have a range finder. You guesstimate 275yds. Was that line of sight distance? And how steep were the shots?

If these shots were steep, your yardage may have been quite a bit less than 275. I suggest get an angle compensating rangefinder.

 

[88man]

Practice makes perfect. Sight your rifle in 3.5in high at 100yds. You should be able to hold dead on 0 to 350

 

[JimP]

I don't believe that a range finder is necessary. Millions of animals have been killed way before a range finder was even in someones thought. But learning how to tell distances is along with practice at distances. Also some knowledge of ballistics/bullet flight is needed as far as uphill and downhill shots are concerned. I have seen lots of shots that would not of been taken if you had to take the time to pull the range finder out of your pocket or unclip it from somewhere and actually range the animal. If you have the time to do all of this then it is fine to do but not all shots are created equal.

 

[Biz45]

angle was about 45 degrees up hill , 30 down