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My grandpa and I have been hunting and fishing together since before I could hunt for my own. He has been teaching me everything he knows since I could remember. He has taught me how to shoot rifles ,pistols, and shotguns. Being a former Army sniper, my grandpa has taught me to conserve my ammo, only shoot when it is needed. And I have picked up his bad habits so to speak lol. He made me practice each shooting stance before teaching me the next one. He started me and my brothers out on prone, made sense since it is the most beneficial way to shoot, it is the most stable form to practice, then kneeling, sitting, and then to standing. Prone shooting has got to be one of my favorite shooting positions. Later on in life, he and I were on our way home from a rather long day of hunting. He asked me which position did I like best with my rifle(7mm Rem Mag) and I had to think about that one. I said "prone, why?" He replied " Each shooting position I have taught has a purpose beyond just hunting, I trained you to shoot like a 101st airborne sniper, and how to defend you family and your self from a very long distance, as well as find the best possible position to make a clean kill on a deer or elk."
Grandpa always told me to take my time when making a kill, "when the adrenaline is pumping, all sense of time, feel and general sound vanish because you are so concentrated on that one moment, that very instant. The gun will go off, the animal is dead before it hits the ground. Even when it is at a full dead run, you still have enough time to make a clean, humane kill" Boy was he right on this one. I am unaware of the trigger being squeezed every so gently, I get so focused on just that one moment, my eye is fixed on the point of impact that by the time the gun goes off, a fresh round is put into the chamber on impulse. I am so amazed by it all. Im in this daze, it takes what feels like an eternity to shake off, and I just stand there in awe.
I think the hardest thing to do is mastering your breathing. I like to go prone with a 22 and try to time my shots with my heart beat, some thing my grandfather has taught me. Taking a cleansing breath, feeling your heart beating, mentally counting with each beat between shots. Thump...1....thump....2...fire... It can be difficult for me to slow my heart rate down
I will never forget the lessons he has taught me, Shooting, hunting, camping, and even disaster/survival skills. He was a foreman on a cattle ranch after his military career all of his life and has learned how to survive on very little. He has been my hunting partner all of my life and I will be his for the rest of his life.
Grandpa always told me to take my time when making a kill, "when the adrenaline is pumping, all sense of time, feel and general sound vanish because you are so concentrated on that one moment, that very instant. The gun will go off, the animal is dead before it hits the ground. Even when it is at a full dead run, you still have enough time to make a clean, humane kill" Boy was he right on this one. I am unaware of the trigger being squeezed every so gently, I get so focused on just that one moment, my eye is fixed on the point of impact that by the time the gun goes off, a fresh round is put into the chamber on impulse. I am so amazed by it all. Im in this daze, it takes what feels like an eternity to shake off, and I just stand there in awe.
I think the hardest thing to do is mastering your breathing. I like to go prone with a 22 and try to time my shots with my heart beat, some thing my grandfather has taught me. Taking a cleansing breath, feeling your heart beating, mentally counting with each beat between shots. Thump...1....thump....2...fire... It can be difficult for me to slow my heart rate down
I will never forget the lessons he has taught me, Shooting, hunting, camping, and even disaster/survival skills. He was a foreman on a cattle ranch after his military career all of his life and has learned how to survive on very little. He has been my hunting partner all of my life and I will be his for the rest of his life.