# Recommended practice regime to get from noob to successful hunting



## sp33db34n (Oct 17, 2017)

Hi all, I've always plinked with toy catty's since a little child but now at the ripe old age of 45 I have moved to the country and would like to take advantage of common woodland on my doorstep to shoot and then eat small game (grey squirrel, wood pigeon and rabbit).

I have invested in a PPMG TTF and would like to get some recommendations as to a training / practice regime to get good enough to kill small game at 15 and 20m. I think I understand the necessary setup for hunting and have watched various aiming vids, so on the assumption I understand the mechanics of holding a 'shape' (reference point, anchor, release, stance) what can you recommend to build up accuracy/consistency enough to be confident to hunt bearing in mind I only have a max 15m back garden space and 6/7 metre indoor range (the space i'll be forced to use the most) and what sort of 'performance' should I be looking at to be able to hunt (e.g. 95% on target of 1 inch from 15 meters?) I appreciate target shooting is not the same as hunting so any 'target' practice advise that simulates this is also very welcome.

By way of thanks in advance I've found these two useful resources for people in the UK looking for common woodland. Use the following two links in overlay to find common woodland you can legally hunt in the uk.

Maps of common land in Gloucestershire - you'll need to zoom in and select the correct map layer (I'm not sure if it works for other counties)

https://data.gov.uk/data/map-preview?url=http%3A%2F%2Finspire.misoportal.com%2Fgeoserver%2Fgloucestershire_county_council_e1620_0013-common_land%2Fwms%3Frequest%3DgetCapabilities&n=52.1210866733&w=-2.69537145031&e=-1.60866793969&s=51.572552747

OS woodland map

https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/51.71778,-2.19985,16

Thanks in advance

Cheers

Steve


----------



## Alfred E.M. (Jul 5, 2014)

what can you recommend to build up accuracy/consistency enough to be confident to hunt

*Umm ... practice ... a lot.*


----------



## sp33db34n (Oct 17, 2017)

Alfred E. Monkeynipples said:


> what can you recommend to build up accuracy/consistency enough to be confident to hunt
> 
> *Umm ... practice ... a lot.*


Hi thanks for the tip, I suppose I was looking for something more suited to my stated objective, the only reason I ask is from experience learning the guitar is that all or some practice is not necessarily good practice, are there any do's or don'ts, I don't want to practice bad habits that end up me being a crap hunter because I practiced target badly?


----------



## brucered (Dec 30, 2015)

Shoot, shoot, shoot and shoot some more. It pretty much is as easy as that.


----------



## sp33db34n (Oct 17, 2017)

Ok guys, thanks, maybe I'm overthinking and should just get plinking ;-)


----------



## SlingNerd (Mar 15, 2017)

Hello!

Monkey and Brucered have it right. Just putting in the hours and developing the muscle memory is the best way to do it, it's honestly that simple!

BUT you have a very fair point regarding the "right kind" of practice. We have a saying that I think will help you get into the right frame of mind: "Aim small, miss small."

This boils down to practicing with *small* targets at your typical hunting range to simulate the hunting you plan to do!

I recommend a 1" round target, which sounds about right for birds and small critters. Using paper targets to track your progress will keep you on course and motivated! (Only practice with your preferred hunting setup for consistency)

Hope it helps!


----------



## Alfred E.M. (Jul 5, 2014)

sp33db34n said:


> Alfred E. Monkeynipples said:
> 
> 
> > what can you recommend to build up accuracy/consistency enough to be confident to hunt
> ...


----------



## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

sp33db34n said:


> Ok guys, thanks, maybe I'm overthinking and should just get plinking ;-)


Now you're getting it !


----------



## Jolly Roger (Aug 14, 2017)

You are not overthinking this at all. You are right on target with your comments and questions. Like you mention practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.If all you do is practice, as some suggested, you will become frustrated with your lack of progress and become discouraged. Do your homework and research what it takes to become the best you can become. That includes copying and learning from those who have gone before you and accomplished what you want to achieve. I started by watching as many Bill Hays you tube videos as possible. Especially his hour long video on learning the basics and his videos on aiming through the forks. Then scroll down through the list of hundreds of videos by other slingshot shooters and watch anything that grabs your attention. If it doesn't suit you move on to the next video. Probably most important is to stay centered mentally and learn to play an instant video in your head of each shot examining where you hit and what caused you to hit or miss the target. If you pay attention to each shot you might find that you are consistently missing and shooting in the same spot....right or left of your target....or above or below. Do some self evaluation and figure out why you are shooting off target. Don't be afraid to begin with a bigger target and gradually shrink the size of your target as you improve and gain confidence. Your progress will only develop according to how seriously you take your shooting. Just shooting or plinking for fun will not get you where you have indicated you want to get. If you were asking for advice on how to excel at any other sport be it shooting a firearm, shooting a bow, basket ball, base ball, tennis etc.you would not be getting comments to just enjoy it and have fun not taking into consideration at all proper technique and form. Once again, you can practice to become an expert shooter or you can practice to become the world's worst slingshot shooter. It all boils down to how prepared you are for each shot you make. Take it seriously and you'll progress a lot faster than you would if you just shoot to have fun. The fun comes when you begin to enjoy hitting what you are aiming at and hearing that thud when that steel ball makes contact with your target. Missing is not fun so shoot to hit the target if you want to have fun.


----------



## VAshooter (Feb 10, 2015)

There is a saying: practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.

Learning to shoot well requires repetition to train your muscles to perform the way you want, especially when under the pressure of hunting game.

First watch the instructional films on the forum. Pay close attention to how consistent the best shooters are. Break the act of shooting into individual steps and when you practice pick one step and practice performing that step perfectly. You may be shooting shot after shot but you need to concentrate on the single act of shooting, say holding the ball in the pouch perfectly and consistently. It would not be unreasonable to spend a couple hours a day for a couple weeks just practicing that one step consistently. Then practice the release until you perform it perfectly every time. Every day when you start practicing go over the things you have committed to muscle memory already and then start on whatever step you are practicing that day. It's total focus of the mind and discipline for the body. These things can be practiced at your short indoor range because you are not practicing aiming, you are practicing the steps of shooting. Of course, aiming is important but it is just another step to master and you will find it a lot easier if you have committed all the other steps of shooting to both mental and physical memory. Good luck with your training.


----------



## SonoftheRepublic (Jul 3, 2011)

When it comes to hunting, shot placement is King. And for me personally, I have found shooting at paper has been very important in helping me perfect my accuracy and identify what I might be doing to throw it off ever-so-slightly.

Watch the videos and carefully analyze others who shoot the way you would like to. And of course, you really need to put the time in and practice, practice, practice.


----------



## mattwalt (Jan 5, 2017)

Just remember as in the UK - Use steel or lead ball only for hunting. No torches no dogs. Also only hunt animals that are in season, during season. Also as you're obviously aware legal land access.

Also the Gov site contradicts itself as to 'killing' animals (think its a fairly new change. It states killing animals is a crime (this is anything including ants) and ifs you do a licence is required to do so. But also states if you follow the rules no licence is required. To get a licence you have to motivate a specific need and that a professional service is not available to do the removal - and don't think Slingshots are exactly going to be covered. So keep any hunting activities as covert as possible.

Also get liability insurance.

Happy hunting


----------



## jazz (May 15, 2012)

Yes, you are right, every practice does not have to be good practice. However, the people above have said a lot related to good practice, and this generally means consistency in everything that you do.

For, example, think of the best stance/position when shooting in your environment, and no matter what you choose to do - do it persistently and practice in that stance long enough to develop muscle memory. Then, if you want to try some another stance, do the same: consistently shoot from that position until you have discovered all the sensations that follow that one.

Try various anchor points in the same way, then select one or two as your preference and then practice like mad (but again one at a segment of time).

Try various aiming techniques - looking at the target, looking down the bands, etc. etc, again select one and practice.

Then comes release, as someone above already mentioned: probably the most important moment - the importance of right/proper release and timely release can not be overstated; watch related videos and again practice; here, little can be said an much more must be experienced since, at least in my opinion, the question of release is by far the most "tacit" type of knowledge, that is, the one that can not be put easily into words but have to be experienced.

In total, I suggest that you make a list of all these ad other important points that we have pointed your attention to (stance, anchor, release and whatever you find interesting around), then, think of them, visualize them, try them and consistently practice them.

In a similar thread I defined consistency by saying something like - when you select one set of shooting behavior, at least for some time do not change anything, not even the color of your socks. And, yes, write everything down: the setup, the stance, the distance etc and analyze the data thus collected.

Also, think about not going hunting until you can say for yourself that you are proficient enough, otherwise the animals might suffer dying for days somewhere in the woods if not properly shot.. but I understand that this is highly personal so disregard it if you want.

And very important but not related to slingshots solely is the knowledge/feeling of the behavior of the animals/birds that you will be after; the way of your approach, your visibility etc combined with the nature of the given animal might give a signal to them to disappear before you even stretch the rubber..

I hope this helps,

jazz


----------



## Tag (Jun 11, 2014)

I wish I could take the credit for this, but I seen a video by Jeff Kavenaugh out of Canada. He has several videos on recurve archery. He hangs a cotton or cloth shoe string vertically for his target. His theory is once you master the horizontal (side to side) shooting, the vertical is just a matter of raising or lowering the slingshot. Hope this helps


----------



## sp33db34n (Oct 17, 2017)

thanks all, some amazing advice given!! Being a bit of a nerd I think I'll draw up some sort of practice table after watching a load of videos and stick to it. Hopefully thanks to all your help I'll be posting vids of 25 yard triple match strikes in a few months ;-)


----------



## Tag (Jun 11, 2014)

This was a practice or competition from Bill Hays (Pocket Predator) a few years back.






In my opinion this may not make a person a hunter, but I would say it would help in target practice. The reason I don't say it would make someone a hunter is because it's one thing to shoot a target, but it's a whole new ballgame to kill an animal. I know guys who deer hunt every year, and still get buck fever???????? I'm not referring to anyone's ability to hunt, here Is a perfect example. One of the Forums member had a post on why he carried a slingshot most of the time. He walks outside and there is a poisonous snake. He shoots the snake killing it instantly???? I can hit something the size of the snake, but not if it's breathing????????????


----------



## tastetickles (Jul 3, 2017)

While I'm new to slingshot, I have consistently improve by doing the following:

1. Drawing the slingshot in front of a mirror and watch my form from front and side and try to replicate the form and remember the feeling in my mind. I borrow the oblique stance from archery.

2. After that I start shooting a 25mm target at 20 feet and then start to move back further if I'm warmed up.

3. Shoot slow and purposefully, by that I mean if I don't feel I will hit the target or have a sense of the path of the projectile I cancel the shot and reset again.

4. Rest after 30 shots or less.


----------



## Jolly Roger (Aug 14, 2017)

Lots of good advice here but the last post is short and concise with a wealth of wisdom to it. Kinda sums it all up.


----------



## jazz (May 15, 2012)

Hi all,

I just remembered a thread in this forum that was about hunting setups, lots of useful information there: http://slingshotforum.com/topic/16188-effective-hunting-setups/

Also, as far as I know hunting usually involves stronger setups and heavier ammo; lead 0.5, 0.45 etc is not uncommon. In order to decide what is your maximum power of the setup which in the same time enables you enough of steadiness when aiming and releasing is to take rubber band, say 2 cm TBG, and stretch it; then add another one and stretch it and so on. It is possible that you come to, say, four 2cm TBG bands which you can still stretch but with the last of your power bits; let us say that it is some 13.5 kg of power; now, take 25-30% off which leaves you with, say, 10,5 kg which in terms of the bands above makes about three 2cm TBG bands, or two 3-cm TBG bands each.. Then try couple of ammo with various diameters and weights and find out where you get enough velocity and enough weight.

I think that you should search the hunting section of the forum and you will surely find lot of interesting information there.

cheers,

jazz


----------



## mattwalt (Jan 5, 2017)

Thats good advise - check out some of the hunting setups. Especially. guys like Mikwak who hunts to eat.

However - research Henry the Hermits, Kawkan etc.'s research done into overly heavy band setups. And how lighter is faster is more powerful logic.

Being your largest feasible hunt able animal is maybe a hare 10mm lead is about as large as I'd go - 9.5mm steel should be more than fine.


----------



## romanljc (May 26, 2014)

sp33db34n said:


> Hi all, I've always plinked with toy catty's since a little child but now at the ripe old age of 45 I have moved to the country and would like to take advantage of common woodland on my doorstep to shoot and then eat small game (grey squirrel, wood pigeon and rabbit).
> 
> I have invested in a PPMG TTF and would like to get some recommendations as to a training / practice regime to get good enough to kill small game at 15 and 20m. I think I understand the necessary setup for hunting and have watched various aiming vids, so on the assumption I understand the mechanics of holding a 'shape' (reference point, anchor, release, stance) what can you recommend to build up accuracy/consistency enough to be confident to hunt bearing in mind I only have a max 15m back garden space and 6/7 metre indoor range (the space i'll be forced to use the most) and what sort of 'performance' should I be looking at to be able to hunt (e.g. 95% on target of 1 inch from 15 meters?) I appreciate target shooting is not the same as hunting so any 'target' practice advise that simulates this is also very welcome.
> 
> ...


 it's just practice just wondering if you really want to get something in the pot probably a good airgun would do the job easier 
Just saying if you don't want to put the time in practicing with a slingshot to make a human kill .
That's the way to go .


----------



## pmatty77 (Jun 12, 2011)

Am pretty much in the same boat and sometimes i overthink things and end up going in a circle and getting frustrated,unless your someone like Dgui you are probably going to aim,after a few week's i have ended up having to go back to basics,pouch hold,stance,reference point,anchor point etc,good luck


----------



## MakoPat (Mar 12, 2018)

All about the the most mass X the most velocity than one can pull AND aim successfully. 
Too difficult to draw equals less accuracy.
Too slow or too light equals not enough power.
A lot of great research on the forum.


----------

