With PRS style shooting replacing benchrest competitions as the predominant rifle competition format, competitive shooting skills translate to hunting better than ever before. The majority of hunters don’t compete but there are plenty of opportunities to develop as a practical shooter in modern competition formats. Here are some reasons that PRS shooting for hunting practice is a great idea.
Time Pressure
Firstly, one of the most relevant skills taught by competition shooting is managing time pressure. Most hunters who practice at the range do so slowly and methodically. Even when practicing from field positions it is rare I see another hunter bring a timer to the range. This is a stark contrast to hunting in the field. Opportunities on big game are often fleeting, and being able to break a quality shot under pressure is invaluable.
Conversely, every shot you take in a PRS match has a time constraint. A typical stage has 10-12 shots that need to be broken in under 105 seconds. This leaves around 10 seconds per shot to manage position building, drop, target finding, and wind calls. Even once all those things are accomplished the shooter must still execute the fundamentals and break a great shot.
A single day match sees shooters do this over one hundred times in a single day. Compare that to the number of shot opportunities a dedicated hunter has in an entire season. The practice under stress is a huge reason that PRS shooting for hunting practice is so effective.
Shooting in Unorthodox Positions
Another benefit of shooting matches is that it forces shooters to use unconventional shooting positions. The props used at PRS and NRL style matches are intentionally designed to require shooters to innovate and be creative. Even hunters who do practice shooting from field positions rarely shoot off of the tires, barrels, rocks, and other props often found at these matches. However, in the field vegetation often makes a traditional prone shot impossible. Additionally, deploying a tripod is too slow for many situations. Experience quickly improvising is important both on the range and in the field.
Perfecting DOPE
Also, another benefit of using PRS shooting for hunting practice is the opportunity to fine tune DOPE. Many of these matches require travelling to new locations. Regardless of how thoroughly you have verified your ballistics chart at your local range, there are typically differences when you travel to a new location. This is similar to when you travel for a hunt. Understanding your ballistics so that you can compensate for changes in altitude, temperature, and humidity help you avoid missing the animal of a lifetime when hunting a far away place.
Another aspect of these matches is that the target sizes are typically pretty small, around 2 MOA. These targets are significantly less forgiving than the steel found at most local ranges. This helps to identify if your ballistic calculator actually does line up perfectly. Small 0.1-0.2 MIL discrepancies will still result in impacts at most local ranges. However, if you are consistently hitting 0.2 MIL off you will notice when trying to shoot small targets from less than ideal positions.
Shooting in Novel Winds
Finally, shooting in the wind is the single biggest variable that effects hit rates when shooters are trying to stretch their effective ranges. Regardless of how much you train, most people shoot in the same few spots for the majority of their practice. Even subconsciously, people learn what the wind does in a specific set of terrain and it can build a false confidence in their ability to accurate call wind in new locations.
Because you travel for most matches, you end up shooting in terrain that you have likely never shot in before. This forces shooters to become better wind callers. To call wind in a new location you can use technical tools such as anemometers as an aid. That said, wind meters only measure wind at the shooter and vegetation movement, mirage, and spotting your own shots is necessary to get an accurate picture of what is going on down range.
The emphasis on spotting your own hits and misses is an intrinsic skill in match shooting that is also very important when hunting. While at a match you will watch the way a steel target swings gives you information about the wind. Similarly, in a hunting context managing recoil will help you tell where you hit the animal. Good recoil management also makes follow up shots much faster, avoiding long tracking jobs and lost game.
Closing Thoughts
In closing, shooting matches as hunting practice is an opportunity that most hunters neglect. Match shooting provides hunters the opportunity to shoot under pressure, improvise positions, tune DOPE, and call wind. These skills are the exact same as the ones required to make a challenging shot on animals at extended ranges. With the creation of the Sportsman division of PRS and the proliferation of NRL Hunter matches, hunters can now shoot matches with their hunting rifles. If you are serious about improving your effectiveness in the field I strongly recommend you find a match near you and give it a shot. Besides, practice aside, they are a ton of fun too!