Most hunters wait till the last moment to get their rifle or shotgun ready for the season. They suffer long lines at the local range waiting for their few moments on the bench to check the zero on their rifle or shotgun. They have no opportunity to shoot offhand, sitting or kneeling… only that half hour of rushed shooting on a crowded range in often less than comfortable weather or ideal conditions. This is one reason that many opportunities to put venison on the table end with a loud noise, the pounding of hooves and bitter expletives resounding in the woods. Year after year the story is the same. The almighty puts the game in front of the hunter and the shot goes wide. The process seems almost like some sort of systemic disease.
There is a cure for this malady that is inexpensive, fun, and rewarding. The needed medson (as grandther used to say) can be found at many M.U.C.C. affiliated conservation clubs here in Michigan. These clubs offer the opportunity to participate in hunter rifle leagues. This is a course of fire that requires a rifle that is legal for hunting whitetails in Michigan. The arm may be scoped or not. There is no weight limit on the arm and you are required to shoot 20 rounds at each target. There are two courses of fire to choose from, the deer hunter series and the sportsmen series.
Here is where it gets interesting (and useful) for the hunter… The target for the deer hunter series is set at one hundred yards and consists of a life-sized representation of a running deer. The target is printed with brown ink on brown paper to make it hard for you to see the scoring areas on the target at that distance. To complete the deer hunter series you would be required to shoot ten of these targets for score. The number of practice targets that you are allowed to shoot is unlimited. Generally, it is the luck of the draw that determines if the deer is facing right or left. You must shoot the target with ten rounds from the offhand position and ten rounds from the sitting position. You decide what will be a killing shot… heart, lungs, brain, spine… where you place your shot is up to you and your skill level but the heart and brain score higher than the lungs for example.
Bob Siefield Shows Excellent Ofhand Form
The sportsmen’s series includes five of the running deer targets as well as fox and woodchuck targets, at one hundred yards, and one deer, coyote and javelina target at two hundred yards.
Often, the scores on the first couple of targets shot are humbling. Many a seasoned hunter has found that there was a world of improvement possible in ability as well as equipment. I have seen this myself, year after year, at my home range at the Detroit Sportsmen’s Congress in Shelby Michigan <www.d-s-c.org>. Though I generally use a proven hand load in my .308 Sauer Supreme, after a long winter indoors I find that my offhand shooting skill with a scoped rifle steadily improves through the course of shooting this league. This opportunity is perfect for fine-tuning both yourself and your arm and ammo for the upcoming season’s hunt. At the D.S.C, expert N.R.A. certified rifle instructors are available to coach and guide you.
Obviously, compared to shooting off of the bench, the practice that the hunter gets by shooting this sort of league is invaluable in the woods! Additionally, the comradery that is possible is second only to deer camp as you meet and talk with dedicated hunters and shooters week after week in a well supervised, controlled, safe and relaxed atmosphere. You can easily developed friendships through this activity that would never have had the opportunity to grow without it.
Spring is the time to get your whitetail-hunting rig out for some shooting practice! This is a “don’t miss” opportunity to make sure that you and your equipment are ready when that thirty pointer materializes out of the north-woods mist before you.
A Well-shot Target!
Good luck and good shooting!
Dave
Membership in organizations such as Gun Owners of America and or the NRA is strongly encouraged.
Let them know that American Shooting sent you.
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