September 23, 2023 is National Hunting & Fishing Day. The annual celebration takes place on the the fourth Saturday of September every year. National, regional, state and local organizations will run thousands of “open house” hunting- and fishing-related events around the country. Events will include Fishing Derbys, Hunting Expos, Wing-shooting tournaments, and much more.
Hunting Safety Checklist
A good hunt begins with preparation. And during the hunt, safety is a key priority. To help hunters, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has created a Safety Checklist for hunters. This Hunting Safety Checklist, produced as part of the NSSF’s “Hunt S.A.F.E.” campaign, helps hunters follow good, safe practices in the field and at home.
Hunting season is here. It’s time to sight-in those deer rifles, check the optics, and make sure you’re ready to go. We know some hunters might enjoy shooting game profile targets when at the range for the sight-in process. To that end, here are six animal profile targets from Gun.Deals. Right-click any target to download the printable PDF file, designed to print to standard 8.5″ x 11″ paper. All these targets include entry boxes for Shooter Name, Score, Range (distance), and Date.
Deer Targets with Center Hit Zones Gun.Deals offers two different deer targets, both free to download. We prefer the standing buck with target ring in center mass (left below). Hit the red “10” for maximum points. You can also use this target for rimfire fun practice. NOTE: On the first target, the bullseye is centered in the graphic. This is NOT the optimal hit location for most game animals, which varies by species. Use these targets for general practice, but in the field, aim for the critical hit zone.
Bear Targets with Center Bulls
Few of us have actually encountered large bears in the wild. But if you do… it can be scary. Work on your bear recognition skills with these two targets, a standing bear, and a bear horizontal profile.
Sight-In Target and Bullseye Target
Courtesy of Gun.Deals, we’ve also included a conventional bullseye and a sight-in target. You can augment that sight-in sheet with neon orange Birchwood-Casey Target Spots if you want multiple aim points. A target pack with 160 1.5″ Target Dots is just $4.49 at Amazon.
Getting started in the shooting sports can be intimidating, especially for women. Thankfully, there are many training resources available. NSSF has compiled a series of target shooting tips for women, by women. These tips, presented by instructors Kay Miculek, and Lena Miculek-Afentul, cover basic shooting methods and safety. Topics include pistol grip, stance, eye dominance, and ear protection. These tips can benefit any novice shooter, not just the ladies.
Rifle Stance and Hold (for Action Shooting)
Champion 3-Gun shooters Kay Miculek and Lena Miculek-Afentul demonstrate rifle stance basics and how to properly hold an AR-platform rifle for action shooting.
Grip and Stance for Pistol Shooting
Mother/daughter team Kay Miculek and Lena Miculek-Afentul demonstrate proper grip and stance for shooting semi-automatic pistols in action disciplines.
Eye Dominance (and Hand/Eye Cross-Dominance)
Learn how to identify your dominant eye. Kay Miculek, a cross-dominant shooter, explains how other cross-dominant individuals can maintain a proper sight picture.
Hunting season has started in many parts of the country, with others soon to follow. And National Hunting & Fishing Day is September 23, 2023, just two weeks away. If you’re planning a hunt, and want to improve your chances of success, you can benefit from today’s Saturday Showcase featuring noted huntress and outdoor video host Kristy Titus. Titus, co-host of the Team Elk TV show, is a certified instructor who has hunted around the globe. She grew up in the outdoors, running pack mules in Oregon with her father.
Successful Hunts with Kristy Titus and Field Dressing Methods
Kristy has her own successful YouTube Channel, Pursue the Wild with Kristy Titus. Here are three popular videos on that channel. Kristy’s field dressing video has amassed over 5.6 million views!
Best of North American Big Game Hunting
Caribou Hunting in the Northwest Territories
Gutless Field Dressing Method
Hunters who are deep in the backcountry may need to quarter the animal for easier field removal and to help cool the meat as quickly as possible. In this video, Kristy Titus shows the step-by-step process of the gutless method. Kristy recommends a good skinning knife such as the Buck Knives Pursuit Series. She also states you should have quality game bags plus a section of Polyethylene Visqueen material which can be purchased at local hardware stores.
Shooting Skills and Tactics for Hunters with Kristy Titus
As part of NRA Women TV, hunting guide Kristy Titus hosts a series of videos that explain important strategies and shooting skills for hunters. In these videos, Kristy demonstrates field positions that can be employed during a hunt. She also explains preparation for a hunt, including fitness training.
Click each link below to watch other Kristy Titus Hunting Videos.
Kristy says: “When it comes to bolt-action rifle fit, there is no ‘one size fits all’. When picking out your rifle [consider options] after the purchase to ensure you are as comfortable as possible.”
For hunters in a tree stand, SFC McPhail recommends a position with your weakside leg pulled up and firmly braced on the front rail of the treestand. You can then rest your support arm on your leg. This provides a rock-solid position when shooting from a stand.
Team USA Olympian and ISSF World Cup Winner SFC Michael McPhail is one of the world’s best smallbore rifle shooters. He is also an avid hunter, who enjoys harvesting game with centerfire rifles. In a USAMU video, McPhail shows how competition shooting positions can be adapted for hunters. McPhail shows how well-established positions can provide a more stable platform for hunters in the field. That can help ensure a successful hunt. McPhail demonstrates three positions: kneeling, supported prone, and sitting in a tree-stand.
Watch SFC McPhail Demonstrate Positions for Hunters (Good Video):
McPhail first demonstrates the kneeling position. Michael notes: “I like kneeling. It’s a little bit of an under-utilized position, but it’s almost as stable as prone. It allows you get up off the ground a little bit higher to [compensate for] vegetation. For kneeling start by taking your non-dominant foot and put that towards the target, while at the same time dropping down to a knee on the dominant leg. At the same time … wrap the sling around wrist and fore-arm, lean slightly into the target and take the shot.”
McPhail shows a nice “field expedient” use of your backpack. He shows how the basic prone position can be adapted, using the pack as a front rifle support. McPhail recommends pulling your dominant (strongside) leg forward, bent at the knee. According to Michael, this takes pressure off the abdomen, helps minimizes heart beat effects, and helps with breathing.
Hunting season is coming up, so it’s time to get your rifle squared away. You’ll want to zero that rifle before the hunt, and you need to know how your shots will impact with a cold barrel.
Commonly, hunters won’t have the ability to fire one or two fouling shots before heading out on a hunt. Therefore it’s important that a hunter understands how his rifle shoots with a “cold bore shot”. Both the point of impact (and possibly velocity), may be different with a cold bore than with a barrel that has been warmed and fouled with a series of shots. In this video from the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU), you’ll learn how to determine your cold bore point of impact (POI) for a rifle that just been cleaned, as well as the cold bore POI with a barrel that has already been “fouled in”.
SGT Joe Hein of the USAMU shows how to plot cold bore POI with both a clean bore and a fouled bore. Note that the “cold bore” shot from a fouled barrel was closer to the follow-up shots than the cold bore shot from a clean barrel. This is typical of many factory barrels. SGT Hein provides a simple way to understand your rifle’s cold bore performance. Hein’s advice can keep you from missing that long range shot at that big buck on opening day. A little time spent on the range before that critical first shot will help ensure you have meat in the freezer this season.
The digital archives of Shooting Sports USA magazine (SSUSA) features an Expert Forum on Wind Reading. This outstanding article on wind reading starts off with a section by ballistics guru Bryan Litz, author of Applied Ballistics for Long-Range Shooting. Then four of the greatest American shooters in history share their personal wind wisdom. Lanny Basham (Olympic Gold Medalist, author, Winning in the Wind), Nancy Tompkins (Past National HP Champion, author, Prone and Long-Range Rifle Shooting), David Tubb (11-Time Camp Perry National Champion), and Lones Wigger (Olympic Hall of Fame) all offer practical wind-reading lessons learned during their shooting careers.
Whether you shoot paper at Perry or prairie dogs in the Dakotas, this is a certified “must-read” resource on reading the wind. Here is a sample selection from the article:
Shooting Sports USA magazine (SSUSA) has a modern, mobile-friendly website with tons of great content. Log on to www.ssusa.org. There you’ll find current news stories as well as popular articles from the SSUSA archives. The SSUSA website also includes match reports, gear reviews, reloading advice, plus expert marksmanship tips from the USAMU.
Hunting season has already started in some states, and is right around the corner in other locations. For readers who plan to hunt game this fall, we recommend you brush up on hunter safety and learn the laws in your jurisdiction. This article provides links to key resources for hunters, including links for state-by-state hunting regulation. In addition, we provide key hunting safety tips. Before you go out on a hunt, provide the exact location to family members, and it’s wise to have some kind of geo-location device if you are venturing far into the backcountry.
Visit WhereToHunt.org
There’s a great online resource for hunters that will help you find game locations in your state and ensure you have all the proper permits and game tags. WheretoHunt.org features an interactive map of the country. For all 50 states, the NSSF has compiled information about hunting license and permits, where to hunt, hunter education classes, laws and regulations and more. For each state you’ll also find a link for required applications and license forms.
Click Map to Get State-by-State Hunting INFO
Hunter Safety Tips NRAFamily.org has a good article listing six salient safety tips for hunters. Anyone preparing for a fall hunt should read this article before heading into the field. Here are three key bits of advice:
1. Be Positive of Your Target before Shooting
This might sound overly simplistic, but the fact remains that, every year during whitetail season, farmers everywhere are forced to spray-paint their cattle or risk having them “harvested” by hunters who don’t bother confirming the species of the large ungulate in their sights. Why does this happen? The most likely explanation is “buck fever,” meaning that the hunter wants so badly to see a nice big buck that sometimes his eyes deceive him into thinking that there’s one there. When in doubt, don’t shoot.
2. Scopes Are Not Binoculars
Never use a riflescope as a substitute for binoculars. The temptation to do so is real, but when one does this, one is by definition pointing the muzzle of the gun at unknown targets.
3. Know When to Unload
When finished hunting, unload your firearm before returning to camp. You should also unload your gun before attempting to climb a steep bank or travel across slippery ground.
Hunting Affiliation Groups
There are many good organizations dedicated to promoting hunting and preserving our hunting habitats. These groups all offer valuable information for hunters:
CMP Mid-Range Event Gains Attention at 2023 National Long Range Matches Article based on report by Ashley Dugan, CMP Staff Writer
The first-ever CMP Mid-Range 3×600 event at the 2023 CMP National Matches was a big success. This multi-class match drew 110 participants in its inaugural year. This new event had three stages of slow, prone 600-yard shots. The 3×600 was included as part of the CMP Long Range National Match Program. The CMP Mid-Range program will be a fixture at the National Matches in the future, with competition for multiple classes: Long Range Rifle, Service Rifle, Palma, F-Open, F-TR, and AR Tactical.
“We were very excited for the turnout this year,” said Sara Rozanski, CMP highpower coordinator who facilitates the Long Range events. “This is a program we’re looking to put more focus on, and we really hope others consider giving it a try during their trips to Camp Perry each summer.”
USAMU Shooter Leads Field at Inaugural Camp Perry Mid-Range Match
Leading the first Mid-Range Camp Perry 3×600 was SSG Ben Cleland of the USAMU. Ben finished with a superb 600-46X score. Cleland admitted Mid-range is one of his favorite types of matches to shoot, with distances no different than those used in service rifle matches and added challenges that make them even more enjoyable to shoot.
Cleveland stated: “It’s a true precision game — it’s kind of like smallbore with a lot more wind, in my mind, so I really enjoy shooting that. If you’re on it, you can shoot some really big scores and have some great performances, but it’s still very challenging.”
According to Cleland, the 3×600 match is a gateway for service rifle competitors into Long Range events, using the same ranges and distances as regular High Power events. “More people are getting interested in it,” he said of the Mid-range discipline. “It’s not so hard moving from one rifle to the other, as far as shooting goes. The hard part is showing up at Camp Perry with that many different guns, well prepared.”
Scores on the line were extremely tight in the Mid-Range match, with the first seven places separated by only one point. The top three competitors were determined by X-Count, with Cleland finding the win by a margin of seven Xs overall. CLICK HERE for full 3×600 Match Results.
Along with the Mid-Range Event, There Were Five Days of 1000-Yard Matches
Along the the Mid-Range event, the National Long Range events included five days of individual and team 1,000-yard matches for Long Range, Service, Palma, Match, F-Open, F-T/R and AR Tactical classes. Daily awards were presented to overall winners of each match as well as to the top junior, woman, senior and grand senior participants. Overall aggregate awards were also determined for those who competed in all events in the Long Range series.
Individual Aggregate winners included:
Long Range: SSG Jarrod McGaffic, 33, Fort Benning, GA – 1643-89X
Service Rifle: SP4 Dustin Carr, 22, Fort Benning, GA – 1615-74X
Palma: SP4 Adam Fitzpatrick, 27, of Columbus, GA – 1635-99X
F-Open: Kenneth Livengood, 69, Palmerton, PA – 1623-61X
F-T/R: Jack Dean, 50, Cape Coral, FL – 1609-58X
Jessie Harrison — one of the greatest female pistol shooters on the planet. In the video below, Jessie offers good tips on safe handgun mag changes.
In this Pro Tip Video, Jessie Harrison talks about Dry-Fire Pistol Training:
One of our Forum members asked: “Are there any good books on pistol marksmanship? I’m looking for a book that covers techniques and concepts….” Here are eight recommended titles that can make you a better pistol shooter. These books run the gamut from basic handgun training to CCW to Olympic-level bullseye shooting.
More Good Guidebooks for Competitive Pistol Shooters
There are other good books which can help competition pistol shooters. For new pistol shooters, we recommend the NRA Guide to the Basics of Pistol Shooting. This full-color publication is the designated student “textbook” for the NRA Basic Pistol Shooting Course.
If you’re interested in bullseye shooting, get the USAMU’s The Advanced Pistol Marksmanship Manual. This pistol marksmanship guide has been a trusted resource since the 1960s. Action Shooters should read Practical Shooting: Beyond Fundamentals by Brian Enos, a well-known pistol competitor with many titles. Julie Golob’s popular SHOOT book covers pistol marksmanship, along with 3-Gun competition. Julie holds multiple national pistol shooting titles.
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September 23, 2023 is National Hunting & Fishing Day. The annual celebration takes place on the the fourth Saturday of September every year. National, regional, state and local organizations will run thousands of “open house” hunting- and fishing-related events around the country. Events will include Fishing Derbys, Hunting Expos, Wing-shooting tournaments, and much more.
Team USA Olympian and 
