If you’ve never gone to the shooting range in dead of winter, we encourage you to do so. To help you brave the elements, we’ve compiled five reasons why you might enjoy the experience far more than you think, sitting inside your warm and cozy home.
Peace and Serenity in a Winter Wonderland
- No Crowds: Most people avoid the range in winter, so they’re more private and intimate for those willing to brave the elements.
- Peaceful Atmosphere: Snow is a natural sound absorber that creates a tranquil shooting environment.
- Stunning Scenery: A snow-covered range is a beautiful thing, and the breathtaking views of surrounding mountains can make shooting feel like a cinematic experience.
If you’re creative and love shooting year-round as much as the members of the Tumbler Ridge Sportsman’s Association, you too can turn winter shooting into a delightful experience.[i]
The TRSA’s Winter Shooting Shack has shutters on the shooting ports and a wood stove to keep them warm in between shots. The stove also provides hot water for coffee and hot chocolate, essential for any winter outing.
The 300-meter range is plowed regularly by volunteers, so setting up targets is a breeze, no matter how much snow falls.
Just make sure you wear double hearing protection, because it can get loud inside the shack.
Enhance Your Skills Development
- Cold Weather Marksmanship: Winter practice helps shooters adapt to real-world conditions where cold can affect your rifle’s accuracy.
- Grip and Dexterity: Gloves, cold fingers, and the reduced sensation they deliver will force you to refine your trigger control and gun handling skills – skills that serve you well in any shooting environment.
- Layered Clothing Considerations: Learning to shoot while wearing heavy gear is essential for hunters. The more you practice in heavy winter gear, the better you’ll shoot when it counts most.
“Jake” is an experienced hunter, but he always trained in the warmer months. Jake believed his skills would naturally carry over when the snow fell.
With temperatures hovering around -10°, Jake set out on an elk hunt deep in the backcountry. He wore his heaviest winter gear—thermal layers, an insulated bib, and a thick parka.
He wasn’t used to how the bulky clothing restricted his movements or how his gloves dulled his trigger finger’s sensitivity. Compounding his challenges, the frigid air made his breath fog up his scope.
When a bull elk stepped into range – the moment of truth – Jake’s fingers were so stiff that his trigger pull wasn’t nearly as smooth as it normally was. His shot landed inches off target, wounding the animal instead of dropping it cleanly.
After three hours of trudging through deep snow, he finally tracked down the wounded elk and put it out of its misery, but during those freezing hours he vowed this would never happen again.
Jake spent the rest of the winter at the range training in his full winter gear, practiced his trigger control with gloves on, and ran cold-weather drills to simulate real hunting conditions.
The next season, Jake was ready. When a similar opportunity presented itself, Jake executed the perfect shot and with it, one clean, ethical kill.
Winter training isn’t an inconvenience, it’s the key to mastering your shooting skills in bad weather conditions when accuracy matters most.
Improve Your Mental Focus and Discipline
- Heightened Awareness: In the cold you must be focused and hyper aware of your body so you can control your body heat and your breath control as you get ready to take the shot.
- Overcome Discomfort: Training in winter builds mental toughness, which helps make shooting in ideal conditions feel easy and effortless.
- Breath Control Mastery: Cold air makes your breath more visible, helping shooters refine breathing techniques for improved stability.
“Tom” never thought much about how winter clothing would affect his performance. He was nestled in a tree stand dressed in multiple layers to fend off the bitter cold. His insulated jacket, wool gloves, and bulky snow pants kept him warm, but they also made him feel like he was wrapped in a straitjacket.
Just after sunrise, a large buck stepped into view.
Tom’s heart pounded as he reached for his rifle, but the moment he tried to shoulder it, he felt resistance. His thick jacket bunched up under the stock. He adjusted, but his gloves dulled his trigger finger, making his grip feel unfamiliar.
He exhaled, lined up the shot… and missed.
He never saw another deer that hunting trip.
Conquer Unique Shooting Challenges and Conditions
- Bullet Trajectory in Cold Air: Temperature affects velocity and trajectory. When you’re not aware of how ballistics change in cold weather, you’re at a disadvantage.
- Glove Training: Improve your firearm handling skills by training with gloves. On a cold winter’s day, you’ll have a comfort level that makes everything else easier.
- Cold-Weather Malfunctions: Learn how to handle firearm malfunctions in freezing temperatures. It makes you a better shooter, no matter the conditions.
“Ryan” prided himself on his long-range shooting. He spent years fine-tuning his rifle, dialing in the perfect handload, and practiced on calm, sunny days at the range.
One late-season coyote hunt revealed how much he still had to learn.
It was a brutally cold morning. A sharp wind cut across the open prairie. A coyote was picking off his neighbor’s livestock and, after hours of trudging through the snow, he finally spotted it trotting along a ridgeline about 300 yards away.
He dropped into a prone position. He knew he had the skill to make the shot, but as he settled behind his rifle, everything felt off.
The cold stiffened his rifle’s action. His breath fogged up his scope. His trigger finger, numb from the wind, lacked the fine control he was used to. And the dense, freezing air meant his bullet would drop more than usual, something Ryan hadn’t accounted for.
He took the shot. His bullet sent up a puff of snow just behind the coyote, who bolted over the hill.
Ryan spent the rest of the winter refining his cold-weather shooting skills. He practiced clearing his rifle’s action in freezing conditions, controlled his breathing to avoid scope fog, and spent time at the range learning how cold air affected his ballistics. He even trained his fingers to work the trigger smoothly despite the numbness by practicing without gloves for short periods.
Months later, when another coyote presented itself on a similarly cold morning, Ryan adjusted for the dense air, controlled his breath, and squeezed the trigger with precision.
The coyote dropped instantly.
Ryan turned his weakness into an advantage—one that made him a better marksman year-round.
The Pure Joy of Shooting in a Snowy Environment
- Visible Bullet Impact: Seeing rounds impact snow adds a new level of visual feedback.
- Reactive Targets in Snow: Exploding targets, water jugs, or even colored ice blocks create spectacular effects against a snowy white backdrop.
- Warm Refreshments: Nothing beats wrapping up a session with hot coffee, tea, or cocoa by a campfire or inside a heated shelter.
Lincoln and his buddies had a long-standing tradition—every winter, after the first big snowfall, they’d pack up their rifles, shotguns, and a truckload of creative targets for a day of pure shooting fun.
This year was no different.
The morning air was crisp, the ground blanketed in pristine snow, and the mountains around them stood silent in the cold.
As they set up their targets on the range, their excitement was palpable.
They had every type of target imaginable: steel plates, water jugs filled with food coloring, and even a few exploding targets for extra fun.
Lincoln took the first shot with his .308, aiming at a water jug target on the snowbank 300 yards away. The bullet’s impact was spectacular. Shards of colored ice erupted like a mini explosion. There was something about the instant feedback that made each shot more satisfying.
Next, Lincoln’s grandson aimed his shotgun at a red ice block 20 yards away. He slapped the trigger and shattered the block, sending red fragments skidding across the snow like candy-colored glass. His laughter echoed across the range.
“That was AWESOME! I wanna do it again!” he said excitedly.
The grand finale was an exploding target nestled in a snowdrift. One of Lincoln’s friends squeezed off a round. The blast sent a plume of snow high into the air, and the snow sparkled in the sunlight as it fell back to earth, like some movie special effects.
After a few hours of shooting fun, the group gathered around a campfire, steaming mugs of coffee or cocoa in hand. Their cold breath rose from their faces, conversation and laughter filled the air, and the warmth of the fire seeped into their chilled fingers.
Lincoln took a sip of his coffee, looked around at his family and friends, the snow-covered mountains, and the aftermath of their winter shooting escapades scattered across the range.
“This,” he said with a grin, “is what winter shooting is all about.”
