# how long practising before you were accurate enough to hunt?



## astraman1 (Mar 7, 2015)

as above really messed with catapults abit over the years but am starting to get into it abit more now well since about a week ago

usually shoot for about 1 hour a day or so how long before you were accurate enough to hunt

maybe state what you consider accurate enough to hunt give me something to aim for


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## Longers7 (Feb 18, 2014)

A couple of months of practise mate, it's different for everybody tho, you have to be confident to know that your not just going to go out and wound your quarry, I found getting out and using different leaves as targets is good, it gets you used to shooting at different heights, angles, distances etc. if practising in catchbox at the same distance away and the same height you'll struggle when you try hitting targets that are at varying heights and distances, hope this helps


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## zippo (Jul 9, 2014)

If you hit a can from 10 meters consistently its a good start..

I shoot upto 30 meters, and its just about setting goals, right now after i have practiced everyday i feel very confident with my shot.

To be honest the best practice is going hunting, i might be a crap-shot one day when shooting paper targets but i see a pigeon when shooting and i nail

that bird in the head..

A good game to start with is pigeon,

you dont have to get a headshot on them, but if you are going to hunt them with a chest shot then use something powerful.

Then when you are accurate enough to hit a pigeon in the center of the chest then move up to squirrels, and when you get a good headshots on squirrels then

go ahead and go for rabbit, hare and ducks. Roosting pheasants are great for practice and for hunting.

As for how much time i practice before i go hunting, as i said i feel very confident with my shot so most of the time i don't practice at all before i go hunting.

Hope that helps you.

cheers.

-zippo


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## Aefr (Jul 20, 2014)

What can you do? I mean you said you practice. When you practice, what range are you most consistently accurate at? Use that range to hunt.


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## MedSlinger (Feb 3, 2015)

I Took my First dove with a clean headshot from a distance of 14 meters today After about a Month of practice.i must say that i was a Bit Lucky But the practice totally paid off. 
Just make sure you are using a similar setup when hunting as the Setup you are practising with.
Good Luck my friend. hope ya'll have Some fun


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

There is no "how long" answer in terms of days, months, years. The question is, can you consistently hit your target at the particular range at which you will be shooting? If at range X (5 meters, 10 meters, 15 meters, whatever), you can hit a golf ball sized target consistently (say 8 out of 10 times), then it is reasonable to take a shot at game at that distance. But know your limits and stick to them. You do not want to wound game and let it get away. The suggestion to stroll the woods and plink at various targets at various distances and heights (NOT game, but leaves, pine cones, etc.) is very good. But do not leave off your static practice using your catch box. Use the slingshot and ammo you will hunt with. You do not go to the range with a .22 to practice at 25 meters and then expect to hit your game with an 8mm Mauser at 100 meters.

Cheers ... Charles


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## leadball (Jan 14, 2014)

Less practice if you can control your catch dog long enough to put a decent size chunk of lead into your game. Squirrels seem tougher then rabbits to me. If you get to the point you can make head shot at ten to fifteen yards 60% of the time and can stay on target in the heat of battle. Your a great hunter in my view.


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## ChapmanHands (Oct 14, 2013)

I didn't try hunting for close to a year after I started. I'm no softie, but at the same time, I found I really dislike getting a wounding shot on an animal and having to end their suffering. One squirrel in particular I had shot clean in the eye, blew its eye completely out and the little guy was still trying to crawl away. The initial shot was from about 15 yards so it took me a few to get up to it and finish it off, and the thing still took 3 sacks to the head before it would stop trying to get away. Squirrels are VERY strong animals and you should also always give the respect of a heavy load traveling at a fast velocity.

Clean shots are not always guaranteed. Even Bill Hayes misses sometimes. Practice until you can hit a target from various ranges at heights consistently that is the size of a kill zone on your prey.

And to pass on a great piece of information from ghost, a member here in the forum, find a skeleton of the prey you plan on hunting and examine it for thin spots on the skull to target.

I hope some of this helps.

Quentin


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## astraman1 (Mar 7, 2015)

well right now i can keep all my ammo on a piece of a4 paper about 10 ft away lol can hit a 2-3 inch target on that maybe 10 shots out of 30 so i have alot of practise to do before i can even think about hunting but im in no rush


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## 8thsinner (Nov 26, 2014)

I like some of the ideas in here, shooting leaves and pine cones, seems like a realistic way to learn different ranges and environments to me.

Curious though, what happens when you shoot a golf ball?

Anyone tried this?

Does it ricochet? damage it? Explode?

Lead and steel?


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## Phoul Mouth (Jan 6, 2015)

Honestly it depends on what you want to get out of the hunting. I like to stalk prey and sneak up on it, getting as close as possible. For me being able to plink a 1.5 inch washer inside of 10 yards is ideal as I usually get even closer than that to my targets. That didn't take me long to manage. I can hit it 9 out of 10 times now after only this past winter.


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