American Survival Guide – October 2019

70 AMERICAN SURVIVAL GUIDE [OCTOBER 2019]

‹Above:Theauthorisshownshootingathislocaloutdoorrangewithscopedrifle.

‹ Far right: In

the interest of

practicing like

you’ll hunt,

shooting from the

kneeling position

simulates an

actual hunting

shooting scenario.

‹Nearright:Eye

and ear protection

is very important

whenever you set

foot on a range.

Without these

senses, you cannot

be much of a hunter.

try to get my heart rate up. Then I can practice

controlling my breathing. I do all of these

things over and over again until I can get it

right. Jake Bowen likes to follow this rule: “Aim

small; miss small.” What this means is to learn

to hit small targets. Instead of shooting at a

life-size target, go a size or two smaller. If you

do use a life-size target, try placing a bright

sticky note on it and shoot for that. If you can

constantly hit that spot, then you will certainly make swift, clean kills in the woods.

BECOME ONE WITH YOUR GUN

I can’t emphasize how important breathing is. Many people have the tendency of tensing up

and holding their breath prior to squeezing the trigger. This is the wrong thing to do. When you

hold your breath, it is almost impossible to hold your firearm steady. To see what I mean do this

simple task. Take your firearm (unloaded of course) and hold it as if you were going to shoot,

holding your breath while you do so. Watch the end of the barrel. It will start moving all over the

place. Even the slightest movement will equal a miss, or at the very least, a very poor shot if you

do manage to hit the target.

To find out more about how important proper breathing is, I spoke to Jacob Bowen, owner and

head shooting instructor at Manchester Firing Line in Manchester, New Hampshire. Jake is also

a Marine Corps veteran and, like me, a great deal of his refined shooting skills comes from his

military training. When discussing proper breathing while shooting, Jake likened it to breathing

during weight training and yoga. Proper breathing relaxes your body, and when you are relaxed

you have better muscle control and thus, you’ll shoot better.

You need to practice controlling your breathing which, according to Bowen, is very hard to do.

Breathe normally as you bring the rifle or shotgun to your shoulder and locate your target. Take

a breath and release it. At the end of the exhale, gently squeeze the trigger. If you follow these

instructions, and everything else is correct, your shot will be dead on 9 times out of 10.

SAFETY

Shooting, and shooting correctly, is fun but it needs to be done

safely. Too often people concentrate too much on the mechanics

and fail in the safety department. Safety, whether on the range or in

the woods, should always be your top priority. Wear hearing and eye

protection. When using firearms, you rely upon your hearing as much

as your sight so make sure to protect both.

Make sure of your target before you shoot. If you aren’t sure, don’t

take the shot. Don’t shoot at moving targets. Unless you are bird

hunting with a shotgun, there is no need to shoot at a moving

target. It is a very low percentage shot even for expert marksmen.

It is better to wait until the animal stops, which it will, to make the

good shot.

Whether you’re on the range or in the woods, know what is behind

the target you are shooting at. What will stop the bullet if you miss

or penetrate your target, whether you’re in the wild or at the firing

range? Bullets travel a great distance and once you squeeze the

trigger, you can’t take them back.

Be courteous to other shooters. It is very rare that you have the

shooting range all to yourself. Be aware of those other people. While

you can’t control other people, if you see something unsafe, say

something, in a courteous manner. If that doesn’t work, just leave

the range and come back later.