The pheasant station at Red’s Sporting Clays course

A little over a month to go before the season opens and I’ve been busy as heck between work, fishing and trying to get myself and Lira ready for the season.  I’m going at this on three fronts:

• Shotgun –  I wanted to go through at least 1000 rounds in my shotguns before bird season opens up.
• Rifle –  I wanted to get at least 500 rounds through my rifle before deer season.
• Physical Conditioning –  Need to get myself and Lira ready for heaving walking.

Shotgun

Last year I tried to get myself ready and I think I shot about 500-600 rounds during the summer, this year I wanted to hit at least 1000 rounds.  On top of that I decided to switch my shooting style and try to follow the Churchill Method of shooting so this has added bit of extra work.   For the last few months I have been practicing my gun mount almost daily, I do at least 30 mounts each day and sometimes mount and swing along ceiling lines, or landscape lines outside.  This has helped immensely and my mount has improved greatly.   My real 16-yard trap score has at least solidified in the mid-teens but on home thrown clays at closer range and an unmounted gun I’m hitting in the low 20’s and this is closer to my bird shooting experience.  I’ve now taken to more Sporting Clays since it is more like the real thing and did much better at the Red’s course a few weeks ago and shot at the Seattle Skeet & Trap course earlier this week.   I’m up to 825 rounds so far and want to get in a few more days throwing my own and at least one more Sporting Clays morning before the end of next month which should put me over 1000.   Until then, I’m keeping up on my mount practice.

Rifle

Decent groupings with the 270 Win

I started loading my own ammo this year and have finally worked up a load that gets me 3000 fps at the muzzle and will be good for deer or elk and pretty much anything else I want to hunt for.   Now that I have a load that works I’m just working on my accuracy and moving out to different positions.  Last year I mostly shot at 100 yards  from a bench.  This year I’m using my bi-pod or pack a lot on the ground and can hit very good patterns that way.  I’m also trying off-hand shots from prone, sitting and standing and am not getting good patterns that way unfortunately but still want to work on it.   I’ve put 300 rounds through my rifle this year already, I have about 200 to go before the season gets going.  I also need to get out and shoot my muzzleloader a few times since that season opens first and I plan to hunt it.

Physical Conditioning

Hiking and scouting near Ellensburg

Luckily Lira likes to hike and so does Catherine so we hike together most mornings when she doesn’t work doing a 3.5-4.5 mile hike.  On days Catherine works Lira and I do some steeper stuff with a pack and boots.   The Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Hike to Hunt Challenge started about 9 days ago and I decided I wanted to get in 100 miles for the challenge, I’ve already done 24 so I think I’ll make more like 150 in the 6 weeks of the challenge.  Add to that I’m trail running 3-5 miles a few days a week  now, mostly uphill, so I think I’ll be in good shape endurance wise.

Strength wise, however, I need to get back on the wagon.  I was doing good for a while then got busy and strength training is always the thing that goes with me.   I think some more upper body strength would help on the off-hand shooting since the rifle just is heavy and hard to steady.

On top of all that I’ve been working with Lira almost days and doing some scouting when I can.   I was starting to scout the Snoqualmie Forest area but now it is closed due to fire danger which is a big setback, hoping to get in there grouse hunting and  find where the deer hang out.  In August Lira and I are heading to Mazama for a few days to scout GMU 231 for deer, I’ve been studying maps for a few weeks.   After that I hope to get her out for a warm-up hunt at Cooke Canyon close to when they open late in August.