More importantly than the ranges at which you sight in your rifle is the practicing of the skills or range estimation that you will use in the field. Here are a couple of drills that I use to help get my eyes ready for hunting:

1) Target aquisition: Shooting offhand lower the rifle and close your eyes. Take a step back and a step forward. Open your eyes. Keeping your eyes on your target, bring the rifle up and shoot. You are not going for raw speed, just consistency. With most game, once you see it, you can' t take your eyes off it until after you fire. Don' t get in the habit of checking your safety, scope power, etc. with your eyes while in the process of shooting.

2) Range estimation: If you can, have someone place targets on your range for you at the distances you expect to encouter them in the wild. It is best if you have lifesize targets, but even an outline on flip chart paper is good enough. Engage each target attempting to estimate range and drop.

3) Leading the shot: Deer rarely stand still, and many other game are just as frisky. Someones baloon idea was good, especially if you are shooting squirrels, but most deer move in a straight line. Some way to make the target move slightly is a good idea. For rabbit training we used to use baloons as well, but just released them on the ground. With the wind at your back they will wander along the ground, getting pregressively harder to hit. I don' t know how to simulate this with deer other than by using expensive moving targets or some kind of zip wire. I do it the cheap way by doing a slow swing with the muzzle and trying to time my trigger release. Safety first!

4) If you hunt from a treestand, practice from a treestand. Enough said.

5) If you can, try practicing with the clothes you wear hunting. I ran into a problem with a flap pocket on a jacket I used catching on the butpad of the rifle. Now I tuck the flap into the pocket and everything is OK. Likewise, that warm jacket might bind up inside the elbow or your hat brim may hit the scope eye every time. Get a feel for the trigger with the gloves you will be wearing.

6) Get your sight with the first shot on a cold rifle. That is the shot that will count when you are in the field. It takes time to get the rifle cold after each shot, but a cold, clean rifle will shoot different than one that has warmed up and fouled slightly.

Think back on all the times you went hunting and all of the conditions that you encountered. If you had to take a shot at one of those times, you should. If you don' t practice the shot, you can' t take it.

Chubber