Next Saturday, September 26, 2020, is National Hunting & Fishing Day. The annual celebration takes place on the the 4th 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.
As part of NRA Women TV, hunting guide Kristy Titus hosts a series of videos that explain important strategies and shooting skills for hunters. 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. In these videos, Kristy discusses 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.
“When it comes to bolt-action rifle fit, there is no ‘one size fits all’,” says Titus. “When picking out your rifle [consider options] after the purchase to ensure you are as comfortable as possible.”
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. Here are some helpful resources for hunters: Safety Tips, Hunter Education, License Requirements, and Where-to-Hunt interactive map. Top photo courtesy Horn Fork Guides, Ltd., in Colorado.
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:
Hunting season is starting soon in most areas of the country. Here’s a way you can improve your hunting skills/knowledge. The NRA is offering a FREE online Experienced Hunter Education Course for those preparing to take advantage of the 2020 hunting season.
“As a result of COVID travel restrictions, states have seen a considerable increase in the number of hunting license sales”, said Peter Churchbourne, director of NRA’s Hunters Leadership Forum. “Our Experienced Hunter Education Course provides those who might have taken a season or two off a convenient way to sharpen their skills before heading back into the field.”
NRA’s free 2-hour course is a firearm and hunting safety-training refresher in a convenient and engaging platform available through desktop, tablet, or smartphone. The course is available to everyone at www.NRAEHE.org. NOTE: The course is NOT a substitute for state-mandated hunter safety requirements and does not offer any certifications.
The NRA’s NRA Experienced Hunter Education Course, is an online training program designed to help hunters brush up their skills. Free to all, this comprehensive hunting refresher course will help hunters become safer and more confident before heading out into the field. CLICK HERE for more information.
“If you’ve taken a break from the shooting sports or haven’t hunted in a season or two, our Experienced Hunter Education Course is the perfect refresher for firearms safety and safe hunting practices,” explained Elizabeth Bush, managing director of NRA Community Engagement. “Best of all, we’re offering this service completely free of charge.”
Course Description
This online training course is specifically designed for individuals who have not hunted in the past year or more and are looking for a safety refresher before they head back out in the field. In this course, hunters will have the opportunity to refresh their skills by taking a look at safe hunting practices and firearms safety. Once completed, you will be a safer hunter in the field.
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.
This is the biggest sale day of the year for hunters. MidwayUSA’s Camo Tuesday is a once-a-year event with some of the best deals you’ll find on hunting clothing, rifles, optics, trail cams, boots, backpacks, ammo, rangefinders, binoculars, GPS units, knives, and everything else a hunter could need. Along with great Camo Tuesday bargains, you can get FREE Shipping for orders over $49 with Code CAMOTUESDAY2020.
Along with the super sale discounts, MidwayUSA is running a big Camo Tuesday Contest, with three valuable prize packages from Federal. CLICK HERE for contest entry page with prize descriptions.
Here are a dozen great Camo Tuesday Deals.
There are hundreds more on MidwayUSA’s website.
MidwayUSA has also discounted its hunting clothing collection. Prices are slashed 40%! There are GREAT DEALS on vests, bibs, hoodies, shirts, pants, parkas, coveralls, coats, gloves, and balaclavas. All hunting clothing is at least 40% OFF Today!
NSSF Applauds Congressional Passage of Great American Outdoors Act
NSSF, the trade association for the firearm industry, praised the U.S. House of Representatives’ bipartisan passage of H.R. 1957, the Great American Outdoors Act. This historic legislation is among the most meaningful legislative measures for sportsmen in recent decades. The bill now moves to President Donald Trump’s desk.
The Great American Outdoors Act will promote sustained wildlife conservation, public land hunting, and recreational shooting for current and future generations of hunters and sportsmen. The bipartisan legislation ensures full funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and addresses the maintenance backlog of public lands and water projects across the United States. Those projects include wildlife habitat conservation, road and trail repairs, and increased recreational access to public lands and waters. NSSF is confident that the legislation will be signed into law by President Trump who has previously expressed support for the bill.
View from NRA Whittington Center. NRA photo.
“This will be a great example of a promise kept by the Trump Administration for America’s sportsmen and women”, said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Public Affairs and General Counsel. “Secretary David Bernhardt and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Aurelia Skipwith recognize that our nation’s public lands belong to all Americans and the Trump Administration delivered on the guarantee that those lands and waters are accessible to America’s conservation-minded hunters and recreational target shooters. Those men and women are the greatest stewards of our natural resources and this initiative to expand and open new opportunities will nurture the next generation to enjoy and preserve our national outdoor heritage.”
Safari Club International Teams with Buckmasters Safari Club International (SCI) has entered into a joint venture agreement with Buckmasters to promote intelligent, practical wildlife and habitat management and conservation for future generations. “This venture is part of SCI’s strategic plan to enhance the organization’s ability to protect the freedom to hunt worldwide, including right here in the United States,” said SCI CEO W. Laird Hamberlin.
This joint effort aligns the leading whitetail organization in Buckmasters with the leading advocacy and conservation organization in SCI. The joint venture provides SCI a seat on the Buckmasters Board of Directors along with recognition as a premiere sponsor. Hamberlain believes this collaboration “will introduce new opportunities for members of both groups to continue their support and preservation of hunting and conservation.” The joint venture is anticipated to be approved during the SCI Board of Directors meeting on May 9, 2020.
SCI is a a global leader in protecting the freedom to hunt and in promoting wildlife conservation worldwide. The SCI’s 200 Chapters represent all 50 states of the United States as well as 106 countries. Buckmasters was founded in 1986 by Jackie Bushman and is the largest whitetail deer hunting organization in the United States with over 160,000 subscribers.
Both organizations were excited at the new alliance. “Working with Buckmasters will enhance the effectiveness of SCI as we work to defend hunting on Capitol Hill, in state legislatures and in the minds of non-hunters” said SCI President Steve Skold. And Jackie Bushman, CEO of Buckmasters, stated: “Having SCI closely involved with Buckmasters will help us continue to represent and promote a positive image of ethical hunting and an awareness of the essential role of hunting as a necessary conservation tool”.
Many of our readers are under mandatory “Stay at Home” orders. And, in some states, public shooting ranges have been closed. That limits your options. If you want a break from watching TV and doing chores around the house, here is a way you can improve your hunting skills/knowledge — and it’s 100% FREE.
The National Rifle Association recently launched the NRA Experienced Hunter Education Course, a new online training program designed to help hunters brush up their skills. Free to all, this comprehensive hunting refresher course will help hunters become safer and more confident before heading out into the field. CLICK HERE for more information.
NRA’s Experienced Hunter Education Course is an online review of everything an experienced hunter should know, including a review of firearm safety and safe hunting practices. Though not a substitute for state-mandated hunter safety requirements, it will provide a solid foundation of the fundamentals.
“If you’ve taken a break from the shooting sports or haven’t hunted in a season or two, our Experienced Hunter Education Course is the perfect refresher for firearms safety and safe hunting practices,” explained Elizabeth Bush, managing director of NRA Community Engagement. “Best of all, we’re offering this service completely free of charge.”
Course Description
This online training course is specifically designed for individuals who have not hunted in the past year or more and are looking for a safety refresher before they head back out in the field. In this course, hunters will have the opportunity to refresh their skills by taking a look at safe hunting practices and firearms safety. Once completed, you will be a safer hunter in the field.
There an excellent YouTube channel, THLR.NO, that offers videos for long-range hunters and marksmen. The channel’s creator, Thomas Haugland, is a serious, knowledgeable shooter, who takes his rifles out into the field, in all conditions. The THLR.NO channel offers solid advice on scopes, reticles, wind-reading, field positions, and much more. Haugland’s team puts a wide variety of gear through serious field tests — every thing from suppressors to packs to the latest electro-optical hardware. In addition the THLR.NO channel provides good advice on stalking techniques and hunting skills. Here are some recent videos that can help any rifleman.
How to Shoot Better with a Hunting Rifle
This “must-watch” video has great practical advice for hunters. It illustrates proper hand-hold and head position, and shows how to stay steady when breaking the shot. Even competition shooters can learn a few things. One viewer notes: “This was very informative. The footage through the scope showing how one’s position moves the sight alignment was particularly helpful.”
How to Gauge Wind Speed and Hold Off Using Reticles
This field video shows how to observe natural indicators — trees and vegetation — to estimate wind velocity. Then it shows how to calculate hold-offs using the reticle hash-marks. Thomas shoots a fast-cycling Blaser R93 rifle with Norma 6XC ammunition.
If you like these three videos, there are hundreds more on the THLR.NO YouTube channel. In addition, there is an excellent long-format video, Longrange Shooting 2, available on DVD or Vimeo on Demand. This impressive outdoors video features Thomas Haugland and Ulf Lindroth. Here is a preview:
Team USA Olympian and 
Photo courtesy 
