Do you use your hunting area as a range also?

[Ckgworks]

I have never been shot at, but it seems like veterans have mentioned bullets coming close. I imagine game is much the same......a noise is a noise they become accustomed to, but the noise of a bullet whizzing past is another story.

 

[GW Hunter]

My hunting area is a 6 miles hike in, so no....

 

[26Reload]

No...
I shoot in the next guys area...
But he shoots in my area.....
Go figure.....
DirtyDog.....

 

[Deputy819]

Do any of you use your hunting spots as a range also? If so, how do you manage it.

Yep. This picture was taken in September of last year (I had stopped shooting/confirming loads at that point). I snuck outside with the .300 Win Mag that wears a 32X Sightron so I could get an 'up close and personal' view of him. You can see my target board on the right, a white steel target on the left and a young buck right in the middle....he's actually standing in front of a 'homemade feeder' that you can't see.

 

[wv270wsm]

Yeah our local shooting range gets visited by the turkeys a lot during the spring . And deer will come out to see who's there quite often. The turkeys you almost have to run off if you wanna shoot . They take their dear old sweet time, I've seen a few decent gobblers there over the years

 

[Plinker147]

If it was private land, yes I would shoot where I hunt. Public land no.

At NRA Whittington range you have to stop shooting regularly because of all the deer, antelope and elk walking through the ranges. Doesn't bother them a bit. But it's very lightly hunted so they don't really get hunted

 

[slv hunter]

I practice on BLM land where I hunt. I think it's good to know how the landscape affects the wind, where to set up for shots etc. I stop before archery season starts though. There is always deer and antelope hanging around. I think driving in spooks them more than shooting.

 

[skipglo]

I think wildlife becomes conditioned to their surroundings also. On the range I frequent, antelope, mule deer always present, whitetail pop up occasionally too. Big red fox used to also, think he may have been a casualty though.
You can't tell me coyotes, mountain lions prefer to be in city limits.

Actually...coyotes thrive in cities and have for decades... Easy pickings for Pets and garbage cans! But I know you are right on wildlife being conditioned by their surroundings....However ...I always try to shoot at neighbors ranch....and push game my way!!!!!

 

[wasskeet]

Our sportsman club has a 400yd range that is surrounded by woods. There are plenty of deer and bear in the woods around the range itself. The range has grass from the benches all the way out and it's loaded with deer droppings from their night feeding habits. I had a black bear walk right across the line of fire at the 300yd line when there was a pause in the gun fire.

We allow hunting (gun & bow) during the 3 weeks of whitetail season. We only close the range during those 3 weeks, not prior. Members take game every year within a stone's throw of the range. I believe that animals get quite accustom to gun fire and aren't bothered by it at all. Giant, noisy farm equipment doesn't seem to bother them and neither does most anything else that they see or hear regularly.

Seen very similar at skeet range. The deer would come out to feed at dusk and there would actually be shot falling on them. They may jump and go right back grazing. Witnessed it several times. I would not believe it if I had not seen it myself. Amazing what they can get used to.

 

[blkqi]

In the offseason