Growing in a small town, guns were common for hunting, but we mostly bird hunted, so I had never touch a rifle, until now. I was at a conference--the fun kind of conference where we learned about survival survival, new gear, hunting skills, and much more--and getting nervous as the days ticked past because I knew I would be shooting a SCOUTE Precision hunting rifle.
These feelings were new for me. As a kid, the thought of loading up my Dad's truck with the shot guns, some clay pigeons, and our dog brought me joy. Yet, those days were well behind me and I had not shot a gun for nearly 12 years, so, I guess that makes sense why I was nervous. But, that didn't matter.
The time was here, our group stood in a circle and Creighton Greene greeted us with his large red beard and friendly smile asking, "Raise your hand if you have not shot rifle before?"
I look to my left, no hands. I look to my right, still no hands. I look to the sky, my hand is raised.
We all chuckle, but my is mostly filled with nerves.
"That is all good, we will have you shooting better than anyone else here in no time." Greene reassures me. "Today, we will go over safety, best practices, and, the best part, shooting."
TREAD Agency
After that, Greene walked the group through the parts of a SCOUTE hunting rifle, a variety of shooting positions, and how to work with a spotter when shooting long distances. It was a lot of information and just the tip of the iceberg that Greene and his business partner, Trent McMurtrey, cover in their Precision Hunter Development course, or appropriately abbreviated PHD course.
While we only had a few hours with Greene and McMurtrey, we digested an appetizer of what we could learn over the three-day PHD course with these two:
Fundamentals of long-range precision
Proper shooting position
Body mechanics
Ballistics
Rifle set up
Elements to effective engagement
How to read wind and quick wind formulas
Proper zero
How to build D.O.P.E. (data on previous engagement)
Shooter - Observer communication/dialogue
Target ID
Unknown distance formulas
Known distance engagements
Multiple target engagements
Overcoming other than ideal shooting positions
Feeling as though I might have bit off more than I can chew, it was my turn to work through the the shooting course. Three station all with several targets. Each station the targets would get farther away. My heart was racing. Why am I so nervous? I thought to myself.
At the first station, laying on the ground, I put my shoulder to the SCOUTE rifle, look into the scope. "I have the target," I said to my spotter. They read me the D.O.P.E. and suggested I hold the right side of the target for a wind adjustment. Dialing it in, I double checked my body position, everything was good. As I put my finger on the trigger, I could feel my heart beat faster, so I took a deep breath and let it out, pulling the trigger once the air had left my lungs.
"Bulls-eye" my spotted said.
My streak of bulls-eyes continued and the nerves dissipated as we moved from station to station. But, as we set up at the final station, they came back.
This time I was set up on a tripod and in a sitting position. My hands shook as I made small adjustments to the rifle. After dialing in the D.O.P.E. I confidently said "I have the target."
"This target is 450 yards with a slight wind coming over the hill, let's try .2 to the right."
I made the adjustments, exhaled, and pulled the trigger.
"Bulls-eye!" my spotter said, "You just nailed 450 yards!"
You can hone in your precision shooting skills at the next PHD course by signing up right here.
