Socrates pretty much sums it up with “The
more I learn, the more I learn how little I know.”
Most nights, I
fall asleep imagining how my upcoming fall hunts are going to transpire. Some
nights, I imagine bugling bulls rutted out charging and screaming in to my
fervent cow calls and other nights I imagine lying prone on a heavy blanket of
snow taking rest on a swollen necked mule deer buck.
These are the
moments that I live for, that I love, from hunting success, to haunting
memories of a close call or should have been. Good or bad, these moments are
what drive me to become a better outdoorsman each passing year.
In preparation
for an action packed fall hunting season and opportunity for all of these
dreams to come true, not only for myself but for the companies that I serve;
the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s Team Elk television show, Swarovski Optik,
Cabela’s, Under Armour and Realtree. Having taken a long hard look at my
current skill level, I have settled upon a few specific skills that could use
some sharpening.
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| Practicing proper prone positioning. |
First on the
list: Marksmanship. Being proficient at making terminal hits at various
yardages is the key to my fall hunting dreams coming true.
To begin my
journey towards precision marksmanship, I picked up the book “Hunters Guide to
Long Range Shooting” by Wayne VanZwoll and when I finish that book, I will read
“Dead On” by Tony M. Noblitt and Warren Gabrilska.
After having
read a good bit of my long range hunting book, my enthusiasm could not be
contained any longer. I wanted to learn more information and get behind the gun
more quickly, which lead me to contact my cousin Tim Titus and his son Ben.
They are predator and varmint hunting experts that specialize in “putting more fur in the truck and executing
more first round hits” and have a great outfitting business (www.no-off-season.com).
Fortunately for
me, Tim and Ben had a three day opening in their schedule that would allow me
to make the short drive to Eastern Oregon to get some hands on training with
the expert shooters of the Titus family.
Tim took my
desire to become a more proficient marksman to heart and was in full on
classroom mode upon my arrival with a pre-determined curriculum that included
discussions in relation to:
- Ballistics
-
Bullet
Drop
- Ballistic
Coefficient
- Wind
Doping
- Sighting
In
- Equipment
& Gear
- Shooting
Form
- Trigger
Control
- Mental
Tips
- Minutes
of Angle
- Tips
on Angled Shooting
- Trajectory
- Basic
Reloading
- 100
& 200 Yard Range Work/Benchrest Technique
- 400
Yard Gongs/Prone Technique
- 650
Yard Varmint Hunting
 |
| Chronographing to determine the actual muzzle velocity of the rifle for my drop chart. |
My first
afternoon was spent in the classroom, but I was rewarded with some evening
trigger time doing some sighting in at 100 & 200 yards and working on my
benchrest technique. I was thrilled to get a 1 Minute of Angle (MOA) group at 100 yards with my
Howa .243, that is until I shot Tim’s .204 and shot a .4 MOA group at 100
yards.
 |
| 1 MOA Group with a factory Howa .243 & factory 95 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips | |
 |
| .46 MOA Group with a Cooper Model 21 .204 firing handloaded 39 grain Sierra Blitzking |
The most
important lesson that I learned my first night was to know your specific
rifle’s limitations. Each rifle barrel prefers a specific bullet/weight/powder
combo based on a myriad of factors and will perform differently based on those
factors. You can only shoot as well as the rifle you are taking aim with is
capable of performing. Many factory rifles like my Howa .243 will simply not
perform better than a 1 MOA group at 100 yards.
With that being
said, I proudly posted on facebook my 1 MOA group from my Howa .243 as that is
a “tight” group for that particular rifle using factory ammo and without making
aftermarket modifications.
The second day,
Tim rattled my brain with the introduction of MOA calculations. Ben even gave
me a “Pop Quiz” to test my comprehension and possibly math skills. I proudly
passed his quiz with a 100%.
 |
| Kestrel 4000 |
While Ben and I
spent a few hours at the reloading bench working up some custom loads for my
.243 and testing them on the range while practicing technique and shooting 200
yard gongs with a head wind, Tim set me up for a challenge. 406 yards on a 10”
gong with a full value cross-wind.
Using a Kestrel
weather data center and the Shooter cell phone application, I entered the
bullet type and weight, muzzle velocity, temperature, elevation, humidity, and
wind value to attain the solution (MOA scope adjustment needed) for the 406
yard shot.
The end result
was first round hit, nearly dead center and subsequent 1 ¼ MOA group. I can’t
begin to tell you just how excited I was as this was the most accurate I had
EVER shot at 400 yards.
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| 406 Yard Gong 1 1/4 MOA Group- Swarovski Z5 3,5-18x44 with BT/Factory Remington Model 700 .300 Win Mag, Timney Trigger/ Factory 185 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips |
Our final
morning was spent wrapping up classroom discussions on shot angle and
trajectory before we celebrated my “graduation” with some long range rock chuck
hunting. I could hardly wait to get in the field and apply all of my newly
acquired long range skills on real targets.
 |
| The Rock Chuck- A football sized target, is the perfect marksman challenge, at any range. |
My first
opportunity on a rock chuck came with a steep uphill shot into a quartering
wind at 211 yards where I quickly sent this chuck flying through the air with a
terminal first round hit. Needless to say, I was beyond ecstatic!
The next rock chuck
appeared at 270 yards on the edge of a rock face with a slight uphill angle.
Making the needed adjustment for elevation on my Swarovski Z5 BT scope and
holding slightly to the right of the rock chuck, but still on fur, to account
for windage, I made another first round terminal hit on my target!
At this point in
the day, I felt that my graduation gift had been delivered and I had already
exceeded my expectations in marksmanship. After watching Tim and Ben terminate
a couple of rock chucks at 650 yards, I was appreciating the value of an accurate
shooting rifle, quality optics and good technique as they are all important at
ranges under 400 yards, but there are additional considerations that come into
play that are invaluable at ranges outwards of 400 yards.
Information is
one of the biggest keys in long range success.
Using tools like the Kestrel weather data center to attain the current
temperature, level of humidity and windage, and having an reliable program like
Shooter to attain the solution to long range shooting is a must for success.
With some degree
of urging from Tim, I set up to take my ultimate test….650 yard rock chuck.
Taking into account all of the needed factors for success, my first shot was
sent down range and ending up passing slightly over my intended target. Tim was
my trusted spotter, and urged me to dial down my turret for the second shot as
the rock chuck had not moved from his position. My second shot was sent down
range and still slightly high.
At this point, I
played the mental game remaining focused on my target that was still standing
in the same place. With another slight turret adjustment, I sent my third shot
down range with the final words of wisdom from Tim “aim small, miss small” when
my bullet slipped into my target launching it into the air.
Before the day
was over, I am proud to say that using the Kestrel weather data center
information and inputting it into my Shooter program to attain the solution for
a successful first round 650 yard hit on a rock chuck, once again launching it
into the air!
Thanks to Tim
and Ben Titus, with all of their patience and generosity in sharing their infinite
wisdom with me, in three days, I was able to successfully and terminally
connect on a football sized target at 3/8 of a mile, graduating with honors.
The more I
learn, the more I learn how little I know, so I have registered to attend the
Magpul Dynamics Precision Rifle 1 course in July and can hardly wait!
 |
| Ben, Tim and I with our rock chuck harvest of the day at the following yardages: 211, 270, 450, 450, 650, 650, 650, 650, 650, 650. |
To book your first class varmint or predator hunt in Eastern Oregon with Tim Titus visit the No-Off-Season Website at:
Others discovered the joys of archery or
re-discovered the joy of shooting an arrow down range thanks to the support of
BowTech and their wonderful Pro-staff and volunteers.
Displaying a variety of gear and a complete gear list that
attendees could take home that featured optics from Swarovski Optik, game calls
from Rocky Mountain Hunting Calls (formerly Bugling Bull Game Calls), backpacks
from Outdoorsman’s, Eberlestock and Cabela’s, scent elimination technology from
Under Armour, turkey, elk and fawn decoys from Montana Decoy Company,
backcountry vitamins and supplements from Wilderness Athlete, magazines from
Elk Hunter and Western Hunter, information about the Rocky Mountain Elk
Foundation and an assortment of other gear. 
