Hunters should start preparing for season now

By Kevin McCullen | Tri-City Herald • Published August 26, 2008

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Fishing may still be foremost on your sporting calendar, but visits to a shooting range now will help ensure fall hunting success.

General firearms season for deer and most elk units opens in October, while Washington's upland bird season starts Sept. 1 with openers for mourning doves and forest grouse. Waterfowl seasons also open in October.

But hunters should start preparing for the season now by retrieving their rifles or shotguns from their gun safe or closet, say local firearms experts.

"They should start by firing a few rounds on a periodic basis from three to six months out," said Brian Howland, manager of Sportsman's Warehouse in Kennewick. "They need to get familiar again with their firearm, even if they've shot it for years."

Volunteers with the Tri-Cities Shooting Association typically see a large number of hunters sighting in their rifles at the Rattlesnake Mountain Shooting Ranges on weekends in the month before the opening of general firearms seasons.

The association plans a rifle sighting day Sept. 19 at its 200-yard and high-power ranges off Highway 225 north of Benton City, said Richard Hare, association secretary.

Annual membership fees are $30, and nonmembers who use the ranges must pay a daily $5 fee. The general purpose rifle range, which has 30 stations set for shooting at 100 yards, is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

The Rattlesnake shotgun ranges, which offer trap, skeet and sporting clays, are open Wednesdays from 1 to 10 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The association also recommends hunters shoot regularly.

"We emphasize a lot of shooting, total familiarization with your firearm," Hare said. "Just firing off a few shots before the start of the season is not enough. We recommend 50 to 60 shots at a minimum."

Repetition is pivotal to hunting success with a rifle or shotgun, as well as safety.

Target shooting with the same ammunition you intend to use for deer or elk hunting is imperative for properly sighting in your rifle, as various loads from manufacturers can shoot significantly differently. Some experts also recommend shooting from a bench rest and in a field position. With repetition also comes better trigger control, breathing and shot placement.

Time at the range for shotgunners improves instinctive shooting, patterning and consistency in swinging through the target after pulling the trigger.

"You may use one style for upland, while you're shooting more overhead for waterfowl," Howland said. "It (practice) helps you get your timing down."

There are other preseason basics, too, like inspecting a riflescope and thoroughly cleaning a firearm well before the season starts.

"We've had some people come in and say they never clean their gun, that they don't have to," Howland said. Cleaning is important to maintain proper operation of a firearm and to prevent potential corrosion.

Howland also recommends hunters start a regular aerobic exercise program six months before the start of the season to improve their health, as well as their shooting. A hunter who is out of breath when trying to squeeze off a shot is more likely to miss, and possibly more prone to an injury, he said.

"It's not too late to start now," Howland said. "Even a month of aerobic conditioning is going to help you."