The moment of truth is seconds away, will you be ready? Before you pull the trigger on that big buck this season, be sure you know how your gun performs.
“A gun is only as good as the shooter behind it,” is one of the truest lines ever for marksmen. I have heard more times than I can count how someone’s gun caused them to miss a deer. Although it happens, I bet it’s the gun’s fault less than one third of the time. Most people don’t shoot enough, or have such poor shooting skills, that they couldn’t tell whether a gun was on or not.
Flinching or target panic is the most common problem encountered by shooters that tends to rob them of accuracy. Not having good sights on the weapon also hinders the shooter dramatically, yet happens to be one of the easiest fixes. I recommend before you shoot at a deer, you make sure all of these steps have been taken.
As hunters, we must strive to make the most clean, fast and humane kill shot possible. The only way to make this happen is to make a perfect or nearly perfect shot on the animal. This requires two forms of knowledge, the first being the anatomy of the species hunted and the second being marksmanship. You can’t expect to make a clean, quick kill if you don’t know exactly where an animal’s vitals are located in the body. You then must be able to pass a bullet or arrow through that spot from every ethical angle. This may take some research on your part, but I promise it will pay off in the long run. What is a clean shot with a gun may not be a good shot at all with a bow. Underlying bone structure can stop an arrow before it reaches the vitals, wounding the animal, or possibly killing but never finding it. All of this can be prevented if you make it a point to master deer anatomy.
It takes little or no skill at all to fire a weapon, but to master their use and function requires many years of shooting experience. The level of teaching you receive the first time you shoot can also determine your end product as a marksmen, so shoot wisely.
If you have picked up the nasty habit of flinching, you can do a few things that can help fix the issue. A good shooting instructor will teach the student how to operate the firearm with blank ammunition, familiarizing the shooter with the weapon’s function and safety features. Only once the student has mastered all of the functions, will the instructor move on to dry fire training. Dry fire training allows the shooter to become comfortable with trigger squeeze and the proper reloading technique.
The way you engage a gun’s trigger, has more to do with accuracy than you may think. A fast, sloppy and heavy trigger pull will make the best of guns shoot like garbage. Learning to relax and squeeze through the shot is what separates the men from the boys when it comes to marksmanship. I describe a good trigger pull as one that involves the whole hand and only engages the trigger with the tip of your trigger finger. If you have trouble flinching on the shot, I recommend placing as little finger on the trigger as possible and pretending that you are trying to squish an orange in your hand. This will cause you to squeeze the trigger slowly and will likely startle you when the gun goes off. A good shot to the flincher is one that’s not anticipated. You can also count to five as you build pressure on the trigger. The gun tends to go off before five, if not speed up the squeeze a bit. This will also help combat flinching. If these don’t work, a new gun may be in order. A gun with a light trigger pull, of less than four pounds, while trying to follow proper form will help immensely. There are also special triggers on the market that employ a double trigger system. A light spring loaded trigger is placed inside the active trigger and as you squeeze it slowly, it depresses until you touch the hair active trigger. This will create the surprise shot we all are looking for.
Of course, this practice is all done from a solid shooting bench, with either sand bags or a gun steadying device. All sighting in must be done form a completely stable rest, or you will either have a hard time or waste a lot of ammo. I recommend rifle sights or a scope and would shy away from a bead sight. Some can shoot one well, but most stink at it. If you have little money, I recommend buying a cheap gun with a good trigger and spend more on the optics. I have had several scopes break on me, or wouldn’t hold true anymore. This all stopped when I bought the first high end scope. If you like rifle sights, the new fiber optics are the way to go. They shine bright in low light situations, in which you are most likely to see game. A junk gun tends to still put the bullet in the same area but bad optics won’t, so I say go with good glass.
It doesn’t matter what you use for a gun, the amount you shoot it definitely does though. Practicing freehand and off trees after the initial sight in will help you in real life situations. Most shots you take afield will feel a bit hard if you only practice from a bench. Never switch ammunition brand or weight without sighting in again. Points of impact from round to round may vary by feet, so be sure to do it. It seems I’m the local go-to guy if you need your gun sighted in, or a bit of help polishing your shooting skills. If in need of my services you can reach me by phone or text at 607-316-2936.
Good wishes and be sure to get lots of practice before season!