If you’re an avid hunter it’s pretty likely that you’ve already hunted with an air gun. It’s a perfect fit for short range hunting and an excellent device to catch small animals like rabbits, squirrels, ducks, quails, and goose. But at times, even when you’ve mastered hunting, you tend to miss easy shots. This is either because of less practice or because of completely wrong moves.
Irrespective of the reason, this sport leaves plenty of room to hone your skills and practice better. In this article, I’m going to reflect on a few of these hunting tips for your air gun. Read on to find out how you can perform better.
Work On Your Aiming Skills
In order to shoot accurately with an air gun, you’ll have to practice a lot. If you’re hunting at close range with the rifle, it’s likely that you’ll have a single shot for the lead. This means, your first shot is really important. If you somehow miss your first shot, you’ll end up wasting more time reloading, and by the time you’re done with it, your game would have already dispersed.
Your opportunity to score good shots, fade faster than you imagine. So always make sure your first shot, accurately hits the target. One of the simplest ways to improve this is by setting up a practice range which can be easily done in your basement or the backyard.
Aim Small
Yes! Aiming small can really help you score a game. To put it simply, if you aim for a target which is small enough, even an almost miss’ can land your bullet exactly where you want it to.
Here’s how this works: When you’re shooting at your targets, avoid shooting at aim points. In addition, try to adjust the scope so that your bullets/pellets land somewhere other than the intersecting point of the crosshairs. In this way, you’ll always have the fresh spot for your target where you can aim.
Many hunters are unaware of this simple hack. They naturally assume that they’ll be able to accurately guess the aim, even when they don’t have an aim point before them. When you do this it will significantly increase the size of your group, which in turn is going to affect your shot. So aim small, to aim for perfection.
P.S- After shooting for the tight groups, make it a point to readjust the scope. Do this to ensure that both the aiming point and the point of impact are on the same line.
Try to Aim for a Headshot
If you hunt regularly you’d already know that air rifles are way less power than the regular firearms. So here, one of your best chances to kill your game is by taking headshots. While body shots too will hurt your game, it’s not always possible to chase your game. This is why headshots make the cut because they always ensure a solid hit.
Ensure Full Camouflage
Proper camouflage is the key to a successful round of hunting. So before you head for your hunting adventure, make it a point to wear the necessary camouflage for concealing yourself from the game. As you do this, also try to stand outside their line of sight. This isn’t just viable for hunting with an air rifle, but it completely makes sense for any hunting adventure you try. Standing openly before your game is not a great idea if you’re looking to shoot them.
Pick The Right Gun
Although this goes without saying- you’d still need to brush up on it for a successful round of hunting. You can’t really shoot a deer/rabbit/goose with .22 caliber pellets; you’d need a different caliber size for that. In most cases, the size of your caliber will depend on the priority of your hunting session. They are usually available in sizes that are as tiny as .177 calibers. These small sizes are ideal for hunting small games. At the same time, you can also use the relatively large calibers of 0.5, for hunting larger and bigger games.
Be Discreet
When rabbits and squirrels sense danger, they try circling away from you, after which they head to their territories. So if you’re looking to hunt game animals, be as discreet as you can. Remember, these animals are only stationary for a momentary basis. So make use of the moment as soon as you can.