Practical Shooting Positions You’re Likely to Encounter While Hunting

Shooting from the prone position will inevitably set you up for better accuracy, but I think we all know too well the uncertainty of hunting scenarios and what kind of shot will be presented at any given time. Unless you have some elevation and a clear shot path to your advantage, chances are you’re going to be taking a shot from one of these more practical shooting positions.

The video below from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) features former Army Ranger sniper team leader Ryan Cleckner, who discusses alternate shooting positions to help you achieve the most stability possible when shooting in the field.

A certain ‘science’ comes into play when getting yourself situated in these shooting positions, and who better to borrow shooting tips from than an former special ops sniper?

There’s an old golf quote from the late Tommy Armour who said, “Golf is an awkward set of bodily contortions designed to produce a graceful result,” and I think that idea translates here..

Next time you’re at the gun range, try challenging yourself a little. Mix in the shooting positions Ryan talked about in the video and see how you do. You can even practice these shooting positions at home when you’re running through your dry fire training – the more you hold the gun in these positions, you will gain better stability over time.

OutdoorHub Editor: Keenan Crow

Keenan Crow is an outdoor writer who graduated from Central Michigan University with a degree in journalism and creative writing. He has been writing for OutdoorHub for nearly five years, but anybody he is close with will tell you he has been telling hunting stories for far longer. He uses his experiences outdoors to write about things he loves - bow hunting, fishing, upland hunting, shed hunting, turkey hunting, waterfowl hunting, dog training, shotguns, ATVs and the outdoor lifestyle he lives in his home state of Michigan. Outside of hunting/fishing, he also loves to cook - especially with wild game - play golf and go on hikes with his yellow lab, Stella.