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I wonder, how good are the shooting skills for hunters that goes for a DG hunt. What do you do for practice. I ask because the PH take a huge responsebility when he say welcome to a forreign hunting guest. He only get to know this guest by 2 or 3 shot at the target before starting hunting. The Proffesional hunter doesn`t normaly know the hunter, and therefore not know the skills of the hunter. He must as a profesional take all precausions. I wonder: Why must the PH shout at the hunter, reload, reload every time the hunter (client) fires a shot. Isn`t it elementary that when you shoot at a animal and the animal doesn`t go down, you fire again as soon as you manage. SCI Official measurer. | ||
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You may not fall into that category but you would be surprised how many hunters (inexperienced) get struck by the "stuck in neutral syndrome" and remain transfixed, gawking at the unfolding scene after having fired the first shot.  | |||
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You would also be surprised how many hunters forget their magazine capacity and only realize when it goes "click" and not "bang".  | |||
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Thats for sure Fulvio. But these syndroms, are they caused because the hunter did not practice enough. I mean when you spend a lot of Dollars for a buffalo or even plains game, you should have practice so much with the rifle you are using that everything are engraved in your spine.. I wonder what you Outfitters and PH`s also think about this. I don`t know, but I think this should be a matter for every hunter paying attention to. SCI Official measurer. | |||
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Specifically for DG I practiced shooting from the sticks and shooting freehand at a life size target mounted on a piece of plywood. I also practiced taking a quick second shot simulating the bull still standing. The PH needs to shout reload because most people don't react well under stress. You cannot create the same level of stress at the range. I think most PHs could give you a nightmare story or two about clients. I know Nixon had an eastern eroupean who had never killed a thing with a rifle. He booked a full bag safari. I have walked in the foot prints of the elephant, listened to lion roar and met the buffalo on his turf. I shall never be the same. | |||
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Ever see a professional golfer miss a three foot putt? Yes, it does happen and I believe they practice quite a bit. Nobody is good all the time, and PHs have seen it all. _________________________________ AR, where the hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history become the nattering nabobs of negativisim. | |||
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work the bolt with out taking the rifle from your shoulder, regaining sight picture a quick as possible. count shots. Reload with out looking away from target.Off hand, sticks, kneeling. Practice methodically, create habits, don't worry too much about speed, it will come. | |||
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Most true.It is very frustrating to go to the range, shoot and see that you shot better months or years ago even having spent so much time and money practising since. | |||
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Have any PH stopped the hunt with the client because of lack of hunting skills? SCI Official measurer. | |||
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I got yelled at once for not telling my friend to shoot again also for me not backing him up on a kudu he shot too far back. I just thought it was common sense to cycle another round and shoot again if at all possible. I like to get my money's worth and pull the trigger as many times as possible DRSS Searcy 470 NE | |||
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You have to look at it like he is a coach. Just like in Football. Many times you are out of breath from the stalk and adrenaline is pumping. Do not take it personal. | |||
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RH: I have seen clients printing clusters on paper but unable to hit the barn door when it came to the real thing. For me to shoot at paper only serves to confirm that the rifle is sighted to my expectation, nothing more. Shooting at life-sized silhouettes is just that; its all different when you are within 50 yards and hear them grunt, mill around shoving at each other for the tastier crop of grass, walk in your direction with no particular intent. For the newcomer, it is understandably natural for nerves to stretch to fraying point. Its all about self-control, keeping the nerves in check and possibly the reason why I choose to get the "newbies" to shoot lesser game before confronting them with what brought them to Africa - I have found it makes quite a difference. | |||
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You have to remember that the vast amount of hunters going to Africa have only shot deer sized game before and usually for meat so they typically shoot then gawk at the effect their shot had on the game to determine if another shot is warranted. Have gun- Will travel The value of a trophy is computed directly in terms of personal investment in its acquisition. Robert Ruark | |||
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Yes I have heard that had happened. | |||
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Rune, The first guide I ever used was a long time brown bear guide on Kodiak Island. His philosophy was "You take whatever comes out the shoot" meaning if they can pay they play and I think that is generally the rule throughout the business. unfortunately I think to many hunters put far to much emphasis on the safari kit and not enough on physical condition and field position shooting skills. Mark MARK H. YOUNG MARK'S EXCLUSIVE ADVENTURES 7094 Oakleigh Dr. Las Vegas, NV 89110 Office 702-848-1693 Cell, Whats App, Signal 307-250-1156 PREFERRED E-mail markttc@msn.com Website: myexclusiveadventures.com Skype: markhyhunter Check us out on https://www.facebook.com/pages...ures/627027353990716 | |||
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If you miss with your first shot then you can be pretty sure your going to miss with the second so what's the point? | |||
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two things hit my head - shoot again quickly, don't stand there waiting to see what effect the first shot did #2 - this is greatest source of poor shooting/misses that i know of. Concentrate on the sights. crosshairs or whatever. to many times i see guys concentrating on the animal/target and forgetting where their sights are. in target shooting it is called chasing the bull. If your shots are all around the center of the bull but not in it you are probably chasing the bull | |||
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 Best regards, D. Nelson | |||
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You should be able to hit a dinner sized target of the sticks at 150 yards . Hit a 50 yard target free hand . Train your mussel memory to make second shot .Be of mind to reload on the move . All of these need practice . The more you practice the less likely you will screw up under pressure . You practice not for when things are going well . You practice for the bad day under pressure. Cannot have to much practice. | |||
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This biggest advice I give first-timers is to practice shooting off sticks. Most hunters in the US have NEVER shot off sticks before. Africa is not the place to learn to do so. | |||
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Best post yet on the subject, except for training mussels. I prefer to eat them. | |||
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I got the impression that a lot of hunters don`t have the experience with hunting neither the shooting as well. I must speak for my self, I have hunted since 1974 with Rifle and Shotgun, I`ve shot about 200 reinder in Norway, 70 Moose in Norway and a about 200 Roedeers an lot of others game small and big. I`ve been to Africa for 15 years and shot at great deal of plainsgame. I practice a lot with the shooting stick and without the stick. I practice shooting on moving target we have running moose and bear, we practice shooting attacking bear, it`s great fun and and we learn how to handle a rifle and shot several shots and repeat with the rifle in the shoulder. The following video is my self and a couple of friends training.And testing the new Sauer 303 rifle. For driven hunt. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPXpO42KCAs SCI Official measurer. | |||
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I was told many years ago that American hunters in Africa (and elsewhere, I imagine) tend to "admire the shot," meaning we shoot, then look to see how we did. I think most PHs would prefer we put more rounds into the animal, especially when dangerous game is the quarry. But while I understand the PH's reasoning, I don't like having someone yell "Reload!" over and over, because I know I need to keep shooting--I'm just not going to forego taking up a good sight picture before shooting. I also don't like being grabbed by the shirt and being "positioned," by the PH. I solved both of those issues by having a chat with my PH at the end of the first day. We never had a problem after that. LTC, USA, RET Benefactor Life Member, NRA Member, SCI & DSC Proud son of Texas A&M, Class of 1969 "A man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?" Robert Browning | |||
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I don't mind a PH grabbing me to position me, but what I can't stand is when they hiss "Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!" Fulvio, you never did that even though I know you must have been thinking it. Jan DuPlessis is another PH who doesn't do that. Actually, most don't but when it happens it is really aggravating. If I haven't pulled the trigger, it is because I am not 100 percent confident of the shot. | |||
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I also been grabbed by the Ph and put in position, and I don`t mind. He is my Coach. In Africa they practice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHWSDpnxP-k&t=0s SCI Official measurer. | |||
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I wish I had time to practice. I rarely do. I am guessing that it has been over 6 months since I have been to the range. When I do go, I shoot from a bench only when checking zero. Otherwise, it is offhand, off sticks or some other improvised rest. I am lucky. I hunt a lot. I would rather shoot a few hogs as practice than make range trips. I hammer the hogs. I am also lucky in the sense that I am not one of those who forgets to load or keeps pulling the same trigger, etc. Not sure why that is. They never have to tell me to reload and shoot. Some of my best shooting on safari has come when I did not fire a single shot before leaving. Some of my worst has come when I did practice. I am not saying every time, just one specific time. I find that I am a streak shooter. When I am on, I am as good as anyone any where. When I am not on, I can shoot at the ground three times and miss twice. I am surprised when it changes. I find that boredom and questioning whether I should take the shot lead to misses for me personally. I know some that are horrible. Even worse some that are horrible and unsafe. We are headed to Zim in July. I have not fired my 500 NE or my 416 since the last safari. With my workload and travel schedule, I am not sure I will get to. | |||
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I always cycle the bolt after firing a shot. It's just habit. I also have a reasonable amount of experience hunting in Africa. That being said, a couple years ago, in a period of two weeks, I shot two animals that dropped in their tracks. I did not cycle the bolt since I knew they were drt. Both animals got up and ran off. One animal was dead in heavy brush 10 yards away. The other animal was never recovered. Wasn't I saying I always cycle the bolt...... | |||
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I had this habit of catching my 500 NE brass on the range . I do not reload but I know people who do. They would kill for this brass. I was in Zim in 2012. I brained ( so I thought) am elephant bull. My dumb ass was standing there catching the brass and sticking the brass in my pocket. The bull got up. I was lucky and got him. I learned a lesson. I stopped that straight away. | |||
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Shooting well is a perishable skill. You must train repeatedly to function well under stress. Stress can be self imposed or a result of other factors such as a charge or most anything going wrong, much depends on the specific shooter. In my opinion anyone who does not practice before hunting DG and is depending on the PH to stop a charge is a fool. Anything can go wrong for a PH as well, poor shot, caught unaware, weapon malfunction, thick cover and on and on. If you are putting yourself and others in harms way to hunt DG, then you should fully participate in proper preparation to have both an ethical and safe hunt. Just my two cents. | |||
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Good comments from everyone. In my experience, people will react the way they have (or have not) prepared and trained. Most hunters, even experienced ones, go to the range and focus on shooting small groups from the bench. They single shot load the rifle, take their time and focus on that "must have sub-MOA group". They fire, slowly remove the fired case and then get on the spotting scope to see if it stayed in that sub-MOA group. That is fine as a beginning but it does not prepare anyone for hunting. Very few load up that magazine, fire a shot and immediately reload for that all important follow up shot should it be needed. If that is how someone practices, that is the muscle and mental memory they will develop. That is how they will react when hunting. Fire, look, then attempt to do something unfamiliar......reload. How many discover they cannot reload, place a follow up shot or worse yet, discover the rifle does not function well? How many hunting shows do we see the hero handle a rifle like it is his first day with a rifle in his hands. Practice from the bench is good. That is how I develop reloads and test rifles. When testing loads, I still rack that bolt and get back on the target immediately, even though I may not have another round in the mag. You can maintain good muscle and mental memory even when shooting from the bench if you practice like it is real. After bench work is over, it is time to be on the sticks and practice from off hand standing, kneeling, squatting, sitting and prone. Again, fire that shot, stay on the target and immediately get ready for that second shot. In my experience, no one rises to the challenge without prior, proper training and preparation. Safe firearms handling should definitely be a part of this training. Safe travels...................Larry | |||
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I could not see anyone mention speed, with accuracy. A lot of hunting in Africa requires one to be able to take a very quick shot as an animal passes through gaps in the bush. This can mean the difference between getting it, or going home empty. I have watched many hunters miss this sort of opportunity. | |||
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Like most folks here practice cycling the bolt if it is a bolt gun, Single shots I carry two extra rounds between my fingers and have got to where I shoot 3 shots out of a #1 as fast as I can out of a bolt. My favourite rifle however is a double so two shots come very naturally and practice a quick reload. One of the things I haven't seen mentioned is practice when you get a feed jam or a short cycled bolt. Take a couple dummy rounds and create a jam and then practice the ability to clear it and get the rifle back into action until you can do it every time in the dark. | |||
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I am certainly no expert, but I have just returned from my second trip to Africa and have now bagged two buff and some plains game. My approach to practicing before my trip last year was to shoot anywhere from 4 to 12 roads per day everyday I was home. I am blessed to have a private range at home and can shoot anytime I please. Once a rifle is zeroed I shoot only offhand, with sticks or a combination of both during a session. I also use multiple bolt action rifles, just whatever I feel like shooting that day. I have dirt banks with target holder starting at 25 yds and then 50, 75 and 100. Then every 50 out to 300. I put a 4" target on the 25 and 50 yd and 6" at all other distances. I then start with a shot off the sticks at 100 or 200 yards and possibly an imagined quick follow up either off the sticks or pull the rifle off the sticks and shoot the follow up offhand. Other times I will shoot offhand at 75 yds and as fast as possible then shoot the 50 and 25 yd targets. I also practice shooting kneeling or sitting off the sticks and offhand. I also practice in the prone position at distances over 100 yds. When actually hunting I try to constantly be aware of surroundings. I always try to be aware of the position of each person, the PH and the trackers. I also try and game plan distances as we hunt along and and any potential hazards that could be a problem in any direction I may have to shoot quickly. When it comes to actually taking the shot, first I want to be sure where the shot is going to go and there is no danger of hitting anything behind the intended target for safeties sake. Next, when I look at an animal and sight in on it, I don't see the animal, I have always been taught to shoot at the target within the target. Meaning if I am trying for a heart shot I am literally visually seeing that as the target and the outside of the animal is just something to shoot thru to get to the actual target. Anyway this is the regiment I have used and it has worked for me. | |||
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I'm also a streaky shooter with both rifle and shotgun. In Argentina, I might be perfect on one box and then crap on the next. I guess my golf game is similar. I meant to be DSC Member...bad typing skills. Marcus Cady DRSS | |||
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You would be very welcome in my camp. ROYAL KAFUE LTD Email - kafueroyal@gmail.com Tel/Whatsapp (00260) 975315144 Instagram - kafueroyal | |||
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I am fortunate to have a shooting range in my front yard and also a heated building I shoot from in the cold Alaska winters. A month or more prior to a hunt I shoot 4-6 shots per day, every day, off hand, at 25 to 50 yards with the rifle I will use on the hunt. I'm not a great shot but this way I get used to the recoil, weight of the gun, and the "feel" of the rifle. Cal _______________________________ Cal Pappas, Willow, Alaska www.CalPappas.com www.CalPappas.blogspot.com 1994 Zimbabwe 1997 Zimbabwe 1998 Zimbabwe 1999 Zimbabwe 1999 Namibia, Botswana, Zambia--vacation 2000 Australia 2002 South Africa 2003 South Africa 2003 Zimbabwe 2005 South Africa 2005 Zimbabwe 2006 Tanzania 2006 Zimbabwe--vacation 2007 Zimbabwe--vacation 2008 Zimbabwe 2012 Australia 2013 South Africa 2013 Zimbabwe 2013 Australia 2016 Zimbabwe 2017 Zimbabwe 2018 South Africa 2018 Zimbabwe--vacation 2019 South Africa 2019 Botswana 2019 Zimbabwe vacation 2021 South Africa 2021 South Africa (2nd hunt a month later) ______________________________ | |||
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I don't shoot as much as I should - I have ammo to burn. I have only seriously practiced once for dg hunt. It was before a lion hunt in burkina. I bought a Swarovski z6i for my ahr/cz 375. Shot a bit fair at a steel gong. Was able to hit it off hand 110 yards pretty regularly. The scope resulted in a significant improvement in my shooting and was/is well worth the 2k. I booked a plains game hunt at kanana and went and shot a ton of game as practice. Turned out that was one of my best safaris. I am with Larry - best practice is shooting a lot of game. Bench accuracy and all is pretty much irrelevant. I like off hand shooting cause if you can shoot off hand - sticks are easy. Mike | |||
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You know, as frustrating as it is, a PH has to be prepared for that. What I find more inexcusable is a PH with an unreliable Rifle. | |||
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THis morning I went for the shooting range, and practice attacing buff. starting at 60 meters and stoppet at 30 meters. with my Ruger Safarimagnum in caliber 375 H&H Mag. 4 shot within 5 sec and without taking the rifle aot of the shoulder. The shots were a litle bit to high, but I think he will bite the dust.  SCI Official measurer. | |||
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That is a good grouping but the way the buff is quartering with the exception of one or two bullets you are not hitting the vitals. For heart and lung your group needs to be a bit lower and to the left towards the point of the shoulder. ROYAL KAFUE LTD Email - kafueroyal@gmail.com Tel/Whatsapp (00260) 975315144 Instagram - kafueroyal | |||
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