Get your kids ready to hunt without devolping bad shooting habits

[pyle762]

So all my kids are members of the one shot, one kill club on all the game they have taken. Here is what I did to get them ready and thought someone may be able to use this for their kid's upcoming hunts.

Kids tend to be recoil sensitive and can develop bad habits very easily by developing flinches, trigger jerking, etc. I think a big part of that is due to shooting too much and becoming recoil sensitive, because to a 12 year, even a .243 wil start to hurt after shooting a box of shells. Pain=bad shooting habits.

I first did this with my 11 year daughter when she first drew her elk tag and has worked on the rest since then.

First- Dry fire practice. Using Google Images I found as many elk pictures as I could; cows, spikes, bulls, even a few mule deer does for no-shoot scenarios. I put them on a slide show where each picture would be on the screen for 10 seconds. We would use the slide show one of two ways. The first, they would point out on each picture where their shot placement would be, acounting for differnt angles.

 

Then the dry fire portion. With an UNLOADED rifle (I would always make them check and tell me if it was unloaded and I would re-check) they would dry fire practice at the slide show elk. They have ten seconds to open the bolt, pull it back and cock the rifle and get their shot off. I would be right next to them, watching the muzzle for any movement as they pulled the trigger. They quickly learned trigger disipline because a good trigger pull equals no movement when the gun went click. I would give feedback so they would know and they soon where able to start telling me if it was good or not. Then reload and do it all over again for the duration of the slide show. We would set up as far as possible from the TV with the scope on the lowest power. This would equal roughly sooting a live animal in the 50-100 yard range depending on the size of the animal in the photo. In the pictures they were only allowed to shoot cows, which is why mule deer, spikes, and bulls were included. By practicing this them became very comfortable with the basics of marksmenship and shooting at animals, not bullseyes.

Second- They have to practice with a real gun too. For this, 95% of the shooting was done with a .22 scoped bolt action set up very similar to their hunting rifle. They would shoot at pictures of elk on 8x11 sheets of paper at 25 years, which would equate to fairly long shot on a life size target. This helped them see that they can hit center mass on an animal with a real gun without devopling bad habits due to recoil. When they would shoot their hunting rifle it was only one or two shots, just to get a feel for it.

So far this systen has worked great for us. Just wanted to pass the tips along as another way to get your jr hunter ready for the hunt.

[murfys69law]

Awesome training tips. If I had young ones at home this would certainly be a great teaching method.

[bgshooter]

Nice and thanks for posting this. My oldest son just turned 10 so time for us to practice as he's now able to go for big game. He's a good shot with his Crickett and want to get him a 243 for his first centerfire rifle. I will definitely use this technique.

[Red Sparky]

The other thing is both my girls started out with single shots. No follow up shots so they had to make the first one count. Slowed them down when they went bolt actions as they always make the first shot count.

[Guest akaspecials]

This is great info! I was guilty of moving my girlfriend's son to too large of calibers too fast. He now has a flinch we're trying to cure with .22s and other small calibers. I also failed to have him shoot in some of the awkward positions that we end up in the field. This year we are being much more diligent about practicing realistic field situations instead of just bench shooting.

 

I really like your slide show idea and am definitely gonna incorporate it into getting him ready for his next tag. Thanks for posting op.

[coues7]

Awesome ideas. Thanks for sharing

[pyle762]

This is great info! I was guilty of moving my girlfriend's son to too large of calibers too fast. He now has a flinch we're trying to cure with .22s and other small calibers. I also failed to have him shoot in some of the awkward positions that we end up in the field. This year we are being much more diligent about practicing realistic field situations instead of just bench shooting.

I really like your slide show idea and am definitely gonna incorporate it into getting him ready for his next tag. Thanks for posting op.

Also if you reload look at the reduced loads that Hogden publishes on their site. Using the 4530 powder you can make 300 Win Mag loads kick like 308 and 7 Mag that kicks like 7mm-08. One of my kids shot a cow last year with a reduced load in a 300 WSM and it dumped her really well without all the recoil.

[lancetkenyon]

Great teaching techniques.

My 12 year old daughter is a member of the "one and done" club for her big game hunting too. Javalina and bull elk.

I did something similar, but will add my $.02.

Started with .22s just like everyone. But, at the age of about 8, got her shooting my fairly heavy .223 AR. She probably had 500 rounds through it at least in the first 2 years. Started out at 25 yards, 50 yards, 100 yards. When she drew her first tags last year (at age 11), we really started putting some rounds downrange. We started shooting 400, 500, 600, 800+ yards with the .223. 850 yards is plenty doable with a .223, and it really helps with the basics when the gas gun is very light recoiling. I had her shoot just a few (maybe 2-3 per outing) of my .22-250, .250 Ackley, .25-06 Ackley out to 1000+, even at 1371. But never more than 3 shots.

For her javi hunt in February, we planned on a long shot, and were ready with 3 different rifles at the glassing spot depending on where they came out and what range we might have a shot. Well, they came out at 400 yards, and we hustled over to get close. And a big boar finally presented a fantastic shot at......18 yards.

For her bull elk hunt, I was actually building a .270WIN, but I just could not get it to do what I wanted. So I decided she would shoot my .300RUM (it has a brake). Here was my trick.....my .300RUM looks very similar to my .25-06 Ackley. Same finish, similar scopes, same color stock, etc. I told her she had shot it a couple times at the range and never seemed bothered by it......so no fear of the big gun. Come time to finally shoot her bull, no recoil fear, no nervous wondering. And we all know how it is shooting at game. You don't ever remember the recoil when shooting at game, right? So when her bull finally appeared, she ha no pre-conceived notion and very accurately put the round where it needed to go. She only commented on her ears ringing after the shot.

 

So she still has no memory of any recoil from it, so she will be shooting it again this year, God willing a bull presents itself for a shot again. But she has put about 500 rounds downrange this year so far, and will be doing a lot more after it cools down in the Valley......with the .223 and my new 6.5 SLR.

 

Deception and trickery are key!!! Just don't let the kids catch on.

[ThomC]

I bought bullet casting equipment and made a bunch of cast bullets out of old wheel weights and loaded them very low velocity. Then increased the load till he got to jacketed full power. I also cut the stock off to fit him and put on a recoil pad. Also ear and eye protection and a pad for his shoulder.

[rossislider]

Great teaching techniques.

 

My 12 year old daughter is a member of the "one and done" club for her big game hunting too. Javalina and bull elk.

 

I did something similar, but will add my $.02.

 

Started with .22s just like everyone. But, at the age of about 8, got her shooting my fairly heavy .223 AR. She probably had 500 rounds through it at least in the first 2 years. Started out at 25 yards, 50 yards, 100 yards. When she drew her first tags last year (at age 11), we really started putting some rounds downrange. We started shooting 400, 500, 600, 800+ yards with the .223. 850 yards is plenty doable with a .223, and it really helps with the basics when the gas gun is very light recoiling. I had her shoot just a few (maybe 2-3 per outing) of my .22-250, .250 Ackley, .25-06 Ackley out to 1000+, even at 1371. But never more than 3 shots.

 

For her javi hunt in February, we planned on a long shot, and were ready with 3 different rifles at the glassing spot depending on where they came out and what range we might have a shot. Well, they came out at 400 yards, and we hustled over to get close. And a big boar finally presented a fantastic shot at......18 yards.

 

For her bull elk hunt, I was actually building a .270WIN, but I just could not get it to do what I wanted. So I decided she would shoot my .300RUM (it has a brake). Here was my trick.....my .300RUM looks very similar to my .25-06 Ackley. Same finish, similar scopes, same color stock, etc. I told her she had shot it a couple times at the range and never seemed bothered by it......so no fear of the big gun. Come time to finally shoot her bull, no recoil fear, no nervous wondering. And we all know how it is shooting at game. You don't ever remember the recoil when shooting at game, right? So when her bull finally appeared, she ha no pre-conceived notion and very accurately put the round where it needed to go. She only commented on her ears ringing after the shot.

 

So she still has no memory of any recoil from it, so she will be shooting it again this year, God willing a bull presents itself for a shot again. But she has put about 500 rounds downrange this year so far, and will be doing a lot more after it cools down in the Valley......with the .223 and my new 6.5 SLR.

 

Deception and trickery are key!!! Just don't let the kids catch on.

I've done very similar things in preparing and teaching my 10 year old (almost 11) 80 pound son. When he turned 8 we bought him a bolt action Marlin .22lr. and put a 4x scope on it. I would estimate that he shot about 1000 rounds through this within the first 6 months after which I started letting him progress through my larger rifles, .223, .243, 7mm 08, 7mm mag, and ultimately the 300 RUM (with brake). Big surprise, his favorite to shoot is the 300 RUM. With the brake it probably has less felt recoil than the .243. By the time his first big game hunt rolled around last fall (unit 27 whitetail) he was shooting all of them under MOA at 100 yards. I let him pick which rifle he wanted to hunt with, of course he wanted to use the 300 RUM. Since I knew there would be a good chance of him having to lake a longer shot, and he had plenty of practice, I had no problem with his choice. One and done at 330 yards.

[pyle762]

I bought bullet casting equipment and made a bunch of cast bullets out of old wheel weights and loaded them very low velocity. Then increased the load till he got to jacketed full power. I also cut the stock off to fit him and put on a recoil pad. Also ear and eye protection and a pad for his shoulder.

 

Cast boolits and Trailboss powder can be loaded into just about any rifle and has about the same amount of muzzle report and recoil as a 22 LR. Makes great practice rounds for kids.

[218buck]

I used a 22 with a scope had her shoot hundreds of rounds through it. She now is 14 and shoots my custom 7 mm and can out shoot me she has harvested over ten big game animals she shot her antelope at 420 yards she has never needed more than one shot also. I love spending time with her in the outdoors she just killed her first turkey we will be trying for her first elk later this year.

[1uglydude]

 

This is great info! I was guilty of moving my girlfriend's son to too large of calibers too fast. He now has a flinch we're trying to cure with .22s and other small calibers. I also failed to have him shoot in some of the awkward positions that we end up in the field. This year we are being much more diligent about practicing realistic field situations instead of just bench shooting.

I really like your slide show idea and am definitely gonna incorporate it into getting him ready for his next tag. Thanks for posting op.

Also if you reload look at the reduced loads that Hogden publishes on their site. Using the 4530 powder you can make 300 Win Mag loads kick like 308 and 7 Mag that kicks like 7mm-08. One of my kids shot a cow last year with a reduced load in a 300 WSM and it dumped her really well without all the recoil.

 

 

I believe that the powder Hodgdon recommends for reduced loads is H4895, not H4350.

 

I have developed reduced loads for the 223, 243, and 30-06 with Trailboss and light for caliber bullets that group fairly well and have nearly the same point of impact at 100 yards as full powered hunting loads. I love the stuff and it doesn't kick a bit.

[pyle762]

 

 

This is great info! I was guilty of moving my girlfriend's son to too large of calibers too fast. He now has a flinch we're trying to cure with .22s and other small calibers. I also failed to have him shoot in some of the awkward positions that we end up in the field. This year we are being much more diligent about practicing realistic field situations instead of just bench shooting.

I really like your slide show idea and am definitely gonna incorporate it into getting him ready for his next tag. Thanks for posting op.

Also if you reload look at the reduced loads that Hogden publishes on their site. Using the 4530 powder you can make 300 Win Mag loads kick like 308 and 7 Mag that kicks like 7mm-08. One of my kids shot a cow last year with a reduced load in a 300 WSM and it dumped her really well without all the recoil.

 

 

I believe that the powder Hodgdon recommends for reduced loads is H4895, not H4350.

 

I have developed reduced loads for the 223, 243, and 30-06 with Trailboss and light for caliber bullets that group fairly well and have nearly the same point of impact at 100 yards as full powered hunting loads. I love the stuff and it doesn't kick a bit.

 

 

My bad. Thanks for the correction.