Things to Remember When Your Shot Presents Itself

When your target animal finally steps into view, everything else fades away. That fleeting moment tests every hour of practice—marksmanship fundamentals, gear preparation, and sound judgment. The tips below offer a rifle-focused guide to making the shot and recovering your animal. These points assume you’ve already put in pre-season range time and confirmed your rifle is properly sighted. Don’t just pull it from the safe and hope it’s dialed in—consistent practice before the hunt begins gives you the best chance of filling your tag.

1. Control Your Breathing and Nerves

Ground Yourself, then Shoot

• Use the natural respiratory pause: The steadiest moment is the short pause after a full exhale and before the next inhale. Train to take the shot in that window; it’s brief but repeatable.
• Don’t hold your breath too long: Extended breath-holding creates tension and shakes, along with blurred vision. Breathe to a comfortable pause and press the trigger, don’t squeeze until you’re blue.
• Routine beats adrenaline: Build a short, automatic sequence (settle into position, breathe, cheek weld, sight picture, trigger press). Repeating this under pressure helps your body default to technique instead of panic.
• Visualization & micro-routines: Picture the shot and run a two-second mental checklist; it calms the mind and focuses your motor patterns.

2. Check the Wind

Don’t Guess the Breeze

• Read the terrain: Look for grass, tops of the trees, dust, mirage, or blowing snow. Read the wind at your location and at your target. Check landmarks at various points between yourself and the target. Wind across canyons can change multiple times before reaching your target. Think of the wind as running water across the terrain.
• Use simple indicators: Toss a bit of grass, snow, or light powder up; smoke, a strip of cloth, or a small streamer will show direction and gusts. This is instant, reliable feedback
• Use the technology at your disposal: If you have a Kestrel, your wind calls will be more accurate than calling wind by feel or visual. Grab the wind at your location and cross-reference it with the wind downrange.
• Watch mirage through the scope: Mirage lines tilt and move with wind; steady right-to-left or left-to-right motion indicates direction and relative speed. The more turbulent the mirage, the less predictable the wind.
• Consider wind layers: Wind near the muzzle is often different from wind at the target. Look at terrain features between you and the animal—draws, ridgelines, timber edges—which can create eddies or deflection.
• Decide hold vs. dial: If the wind is steady and you know your dope, dial the turret. If it’s variable or you need speed, hold off using known wind-hold values. When in doubt, move closer or pass the shot rather than guessing.

3. Pick a Spot, Not the Animal

Aim small, Miss small

• Know the vitals: For elk and deer, the heart/lung pocket sits just behind the shoulder. Learn the size and orientation of that zone and train to place shots into a tight area under field conditions.
• Cheek weld and sight picture: Consistent cheek weld and the same sight picture every time make small aiming corrections repeatable. Don’t change your head or eye relationship at the last second.
• Aim point for quartering shots: Slight quartering-away: aim a little farther forward on the vitals. Quartering-to is risky; lean toward passing that shot. Practice these scenarios on silhouette targets so your point of aim becomes instinctive.

4. Confirm Your Range

No Guesswork

• Use a reliable rangefinder: Confirm distance every time; small errors at distance are lethal mistakes for accuracy and ethics. Be sure to grab multiple ranges. The first range is not always the most accurate one.
• Dialing elevation: Once you’ve gotten your range, consult your BDX, AB, Hornady, or hard dope card for the most accurate MOA/MIL correction.
• Know your ballistics: Be intimately familiar with drop, time of flight, and remaining energy at your intended maximum range. Train with the exact ammo you carry in the field.
• Factor slope and cant: Shooting uphill/downhill changes the vertical component of the shot. Be sure to level the rifle before shooting. A canted rifle will change point of impact at extended ranges.
• Don’t stretch your limits: If the distance exceeds your practiced, verifiable effective range in field conditions, pass the shot or close the distance.

5. Wait for the Right Angle

Patience Is Always Ethical

• Prefer broadside or slight quartering-away: Those angles present the largest, most predictable vital zone.
• Avoid head-on, extreme-quartering, or twisting shots: They reduce the chance of a humane kill and increase tracking complexity.
• Time the motion: Let the animal come to an angle you practiced for; many animals will step into a better position if you stay steady and wait. A split-second delay often yields a far cleaner opportunity.

6. Double-Check Your Position

Have a Steady Rest

• Build stability fast: Use a pack, bipod, or tripod; reducing float in your reticle will lead to more ethical shots and more confidence when pressing the trigger.
• Consistent contact points: Repeatable cheek weld, solid shoulder contact, and controlled breathing produce repeatable shots and increase stability.
• Clear your line: Scan for grasses, twigs, or branches that can deflect or obscure the bullet path—move slightly or clear them if you can do so without spooking the animal.

7. Follow Through

Don’t End the Shot Early

• Stay on target: Keep your head down and eyes on the crosshairs. This helps you see impact and maintain position for follow-up shots if needed. Spotting your own impact is always the goal and the most reliable follow-up shot call is made by the shooter.
• Be ready to re-engage: Always get another round in the gun while maintaining your sight picture. Follow-up shots may be necessary, and if the animal gives you the opportunity to take one you should.
• Watch the animal’s reaction: A dropped head, sudden collapse, or immediate crash sound are indicators of a successful hit. If it runs, note direction, gait, and whether it was limping or staggered.
• Note the impact clues: See any strikes, flashes, or flying fur—these clues matter when tracking.

8. Be Ready After the Shot 

Follow-up and Recovery

• Mark the animal’s last location: Use a GPS point or pin via ONX, a small pack, or a visible landmark to prevent losing orientation. This will give you a starting point to begin tracking the animal.
• Wait before tracking: Give the animal several minutes to expire; immediate pursuit can disturb a gut-wounded animal and push it farther. The right wait time depends on distance and the animal’s reaction, but patience is often rewarded.
• Track methodically: If you follow, move slowly and quietly from the last seen spot in the animal’s direction. Look for blood on vegetation, hair, and broken brush. Don’t run in blind.
• Call it and plan: If the sign is poor or the animal runs hard, call in a guide or partner. Tracking with a buddy, GPS points, and a calm head increases recovery odds.

Final Thoughts

Consistency, Practice, and Judgment

Under ideal circumstances, rifle hunting blends precise mechanics with sound judgment. Your fundamental tools include steady breathing, accurate range calls, and reliable wind reads. Know your rifle and how it shoots, dial it in, and be disciplined enough to wait for an ethical shot. Practice those pieces until they’re reflexive, so when the time comes and an animal steps out, your routine is already muscle memory.