Best paper hunting targets?

[Andrewdk]

This may seem a bit silly, bear with me.

My girlfriend moved to Alaska to be with me, once she saw my bear rug and blacktail euro mounts in our new house she decided she wants to hunt with me. We’re waiting on her residency to kick in next year, in the meantime I’m getting her to the range and getting her comfortable shooting. First time with a bolt action .308 and she was punching 4 inch groups at 100 yds consistently. Throughout the winter we’re going to work on getting her dialed in so she’s ready for next season.

Awhile back when I first took an interest in hunting, I found “life size” (poster size) paper targets of deer and bears at a gun show. The targets had light outlines of the vitals on each animal and it helped me out a bit with understanding the why for ethical shots when I was practicing. I think these targets are going to be good for her to visualize where to shoot when I get her out in the field.

I’ve found plenty of options for paper targets with deer, haven’t found one with a bear with the vitals outlined. Anyone know where i could find targets like this?


Also… lord help me if her first bear is bigger than mine, im never going to live that down.

 

[Ope]

Don't know of any readily available off hand. But some cardboard, a sharpie and google should get you what you need. If her bear ends up bigger just remind her who guided her to it

 

[Wheels]

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1774213954/3-pack-of-2-sided-paper-bear-targets?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_en_us_Bing_US_-_Toys_and_Games&utm_custom1=_k_92d53d48c0931ce7335054608a0c5bce_k_&utm_content=bing_412365361_1300722553762629_81295223334528_pla-4584894775193399:pla-4584894775193399_c__1774213954&utm_custom2=412365361&msclkid=92d53d48c0931ce7335054608a0c5bce

NRA Official Lifesize Game Target Black Bear Paper 12PK

Official NRA lifesize game targets suitable for sighting in your firearm and shot placement.

www.midwayusa.com

 

[RockCreekGuy]

Not a response about a bear target, but just a comment about targets in general. I used to try out all kinds. While watching a video on YT about precision shooting the content creator said if you can't hold a quarter minute you can't shoot a quarter minute. He buys targets with black squares on them (Leupold I think they were) and instead of aiming for the center of the square he aligns the crosshair with one of the corners. It made a lot of sense to me and I've been doing it ever since. I went to blank cardboard with little squares of duct tape. There's a big difference between squeezing a round off while your crosshair hovers within a 1"-2" square or circle and focusing on locking in your position to pinpoint the corner of a square. Pretty easy way to tighten your groups and build confidence. I've since gone to printing my own targets from Microsoft Excel as it's nice to have 1/4 moa grids to more quickly visualize group sizes. Still, my favorite targets to date are those corrugated plastic election signs with a few squares of duct tape on them! They're plentiful, cheap and come with their own stand!

You know she'll bag a bigger bear.

 

[Andrewdk]

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1774213954/3-pack-of-2-sided-paper-bear-targets?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_en_us_Bing_US_-_Toys_and_Games&utm_custom1=_k_92d53d48c0931ce7335054608a0c5bce_k_&utm_content=bing_412365361_1300722553762629_81295223334528_pla-4584894775193399:pla-4584894775193399_c__1774213954&utm_custom2=412365361&msclkid=92d53d48c0931ce7335054608a0c5bce

NRA Official Lifesize Game Target Black Bear Paper 12PK

Official NRA lifesize game targets suitable for sighting in your firearm and shot placement.

www.midwayusa.com

Found what I was looking for from Etsy, thank you!

 

[Andrewdk]

Not a response about a bear target, but just a comment about targets in general. I used to try out all kinds. While watching a video on YT about precision shooting the content creator said if you can't hold a quarter minute you can't shoot a quarter minute. He buys targets with black squares on them (Leupold I think they were) and instead of aiming for the center of the square he aligns the crosshair with one of the corners. It made a lot of sense to me and I've been doing it ever since. I went to blank cardboard with little squares of duct tape. There's a big difference between squeezing a round off while your crosshair hovers within a 1"-2" square or circle and focusing on locking in your position to pinpoint the corner of a square. Pretty easy way to tighten your groups and build confidence. I've since gone to printing my own targets from Microsoft Excel as it's nice to have 1/4 moa grids to more quickly visualize group sizes. Still, my favorite targets to date are those corrugated plastic election signs with a few squares of duct tape on them! They're plentiful, cheap and come with their own stand!

You know she'll bag a bigger bear.

Right there with you, for my own shooting up until now I’ve always done the value pack of standard grid targets or spray painted a sheet of cardboard so I can see impacts.

 

[hoooogan]

Not what you're looking for in this thread but for standard grouping targets, I take full advantage of my shipping label printer (you can find a bunch of them on Amazon BF sale for ~$50-70, example). I print these and anything else I want (just design in Windows Paint on a 4x6 page) for ~$0.02-0.03/ea. A pack of 500 4"x6" labels is about the same price as one pack of targets from sportsmans. It's a thermal printer/paper, so no ink to worry about. They are giant stickers so I just need a flat-ish surface to put them up. I don't feel bad wasting them either. One reloaded rifle bullet costs about 50 targets.

Just something to consider if/when you start doing more precision work with the old lady. Or even if you just need a label maker. I only use standard paper, but there are "waterproof" papers for more weather resistance/durability.

 

[Andrewdk]

Not what you're looking for in this thread but for standard grouping targets, I take full advantage of my shipping label printer (you can find a bunch of them on Amazon BF sale for ~$50-70, example). I print these and anything else I want (just design in Windows Paint on a 4x6 page) for ~$0.02-0.03/ea. A pack of 500 4"x6" labels is about the same price as one pack of targets from sportsmans. It's a thermal printer/paper, so no ink to worry about. They are giant stickers so I just need a flat-ish surface to put them up. I don't feel bad wasting them either. One reloaded rifle bullet costs about 50 targets.

Just something to consider if/when you start doing more precision work with the old lady. Or even if you just need a label maker. I only use standard paper, but there are "waterproof" papers for more weather resistance/durability.

View attachment 974428

That’s slick! I have a label printer too, great idea.

 

[jimh406]

I think you might be better off drawing targets and cutting them out of cardboard to practice hunting shots. Animals generally don't have aiming points on them.

In any case, there are lots of targets on Amazon of all different types.

 

[ColPenguin]

Commercial printed targets are a racket. They cost $1.00 per page, or more. Types such as grid sight-in targets, and splatter style targets that make it easier to spot small holes are convenient but also a huge waste of money.

Get a roll of red or orange, 1" to 1.5", circle stickers and some scrap cardboard. Shoot groups off a pack at the 1" sticker for repetitions. Get the equipment, rifle and scope, dialed in and become proficient at this basic activity first.

Fill up empty milk jugs with water and shoot them with expanding bullets such as soft point, polymer tipped, or open-tipped out at random distances. This is a good cold shooter drill to see if you can get a first round impact. Makes instant splash feedback if not using FMJ bullets.

Print off your own targets and practice field shooting positions (Hunter drills) from this thread: https://rokslide.com/forums/threads...ice-posts-and-rifle-practice-shooting.165291/

 

[nm.otter]

Commercial printed targets are a racket. They cost $1.00 per page, or more. Types such as grid sight-in targets, and splatter style targets that make it easier to spot small holes are convenient but also a huge waste of money.

Generally yes -- but I grabbed a bunch of these at 25¢ yesterday. Given that I typically spend $30-$50 poking holes in one, they're cheap.

 

[TaperPin]

I’ve had very good luck with brand new shooters out to pretty long range with partial silhouettes of animals cut from or drawn onto cardboard.

The lack of detail reduces clutter and most people are quite good at holding on an area of large targets for hunting accuracy. Prove it to yourselves and pull out a blank sheet of paper and carefully put a pencil dot or push pin in the center, as if that was where you’d be aiming. The last time I did this none were 1/8” off in any direction, most were about 1/16” off and one was only about 1/32”. If the vitals of a deer are missed it’s not going to be misalignment of the crosshairs because there isn’t an aiming point. We shot a lot earlier this year with 20” square boxes and at distance crosshair misalignment is minor.

To visualize different shooting angles many brains just can’t translate a 2D image, even a very detailed one. It makes no sense to me, but the same thing happens to some woodworking clients being shown a 2D artist’s rendition of kitchen cabinets or a fancy table or mantle. Maybe 25% to 50% of all people just aren’t good at it. What helped my first wife a lot was showing her a 3D archery target and sticking arrows in it from different angles.

Developing a language you both understand is important, so she knows what it means to hold right on, behind or just in front of a leg, rear edge of the ribs, in-line with off leg, etc. Some people understand and visualize a measurement like a hand width and some don’t. Some visualize fractions, like holding 1/3 the way up, or 1/4 the way up, and some just don’t think that way.

 

[Andrewdk]

I’ve had very good luck with brand new shooters out to pretty long range with partial silhouettes of animals cut from or drawn onto cardboard.

The lack of detail reduces clutter and most people are quite good at holding on an area of large targets for hunting accuracy. Prove it to yourselves and pull out a blank sheet of paper and carefully put a pencil dot or push pin in the center, as if that was where you’d be aiming. The last time I did this none were 1/8” off in any direction, most were about 1/16” off and one was only about 1/32”. If the vitals of a deer are missed it’s not going to be misalignment of the crosshairs because there isn’t an aiming point. We shot a lot earlier this year with 20” square boxes and at distance crosshair misalignment is minor.

To visualize different shooting angles many brains just can’t translate a 2D image, even a very detailed one. It makes no sense to me, but the same thing happens to some woodworking clients being shown a 2D artist’s rendition of kitchen cabinets or a fancy table or mantle. Maybe 25% to 50% of all people just aren’t good at it. What helped my first wife a lot was showing her a 3D archery target and sticking arrows in it from different angles.

Developing a language you both understand is important, so she knows what it means to hold right on, behind or just in front of a leg, rear edge of the ribs, in-line with off leg, etc. Some people understand and visualize a measurement like a hand width and some don’t. Some visualize fractions, like holding 1/3 the way up, or 1/4 the way up, and some just don’t think that way.

Agreed on the visuals.. something that helped out this year was bringing my deer home. We processed them together and I showed her the angles of my shots while we were skinning and boning out.

 

[TaperPin]

Agreed on the visuals.. something that helped out this year was bringing my deer home. We processed them together and I showed her the angles of my shots while we were skinning and boning out.

Nice.

 

[HunterGatherer]

Check out Deadnuts targets. Not cheap but photorealistic with AR phone app that shows vitals. It’s overpriced as a target until you factor in the educational component. They have multiple species.

 

[Fireflyfishing]

Save your $ and buy or print simple targets like others have stated. Get her shooting and grouping well at 100 off a bench. Progress to different shooting positions at 100 while maintaining adequate group size. Last, take her out to the mountains for a drive. Find some rocks on the hillside at different ranges, angles, sizes, etc. and use them as targets. Challenge yourselves to make the positions and shots difficult.

Literally, five minutes before your hunt, you can study anatomy of your quarry and then shoot for vitals when you find your animal. The importance is going into the shot with confidence from trigger time. You’ll achieve more trigger time when the targets are cheaper. Works for me.

Side note. Steel targets are a wonderful thing. Bring some spray paint and shoot away.