By Weston Trapp
Laying in a slightly uncomfortable prone position, avoiding the resident cacti, and looking at an ERT Pronghorn Vital target 400 meters down range … out of the corner of my eye I catch my box of 143gr Hornady ELDX rounds and start thinking about what an absolute pain in the a** it’s been trying to get my hands on them over the last year.
Along with everyone else, I’ve been grabbing any extra rounds I can get my hands on, most of which came from almost daily stops at the local shop on my way home from work. Unfortunately, I’ve also held off a lot of trigger time. That said, me and my fiancée are looking forward to some speed goat rifle tags this year and not knowing everything is completely dialed in before ANY hunt is never an option!
So … what does a former internationally ranked reconnaissance sniper do to prepare himself and his fiancée for some speed goat hunts when there’s an ammunition scarcity and every round counts???
Set yourself up for success!
There’s nothing worse than getting to the range, only to realize you’re out of staples, you have a loose scope ring screw, it’s almost a hundred degrees and you don’t have as much water as you’d like … you get it. Try to imagine every step of your trip and what you’ll need along the way in addition to game planning for some things that are likely to happen (weather). Lay everything out and check your equipment, TWICE! Redundant? Check. Annoying? Check, but one hundred percent worth it!
Take advantage of the tools you have available to you!
Getting the very most out of your rounds and range time starts before you get to the range. Dummy-rounds … get some! I was almost ready to return a brand-new rifle after taking it out for the first time and shooting a couple groups that were so bad … let’s just say I’m glad there’s no proof. Trusting the manufacturer, I went back to basics and started doing some trigger-pull exercises with that rig at home (maybe 25 trigger pulls a session). The next time I took that same rifle setup out I shot consistent sub-3/4” groups and haven’t had an issue since. Anyone can get rusty, and no two triggers break the same, so … get some dummy-rounds and practice, practice, practice. This is also a great opportunity to practice your trigger pull from realistic hunting positions. If you’re going to be using shooting sticks, you better be practicing with them! Train how you hunt.
Don’t discount that old Deuce-Deuce! 22LR rounds are much less expensive, much more readily available than hunting rounds, and shooting consistent groups with a 22 from realistic hunting positions (i.e., standing, kneeling, supported, etc.) is some of the best training you can do. Not to mention, it’s a lot more enjoyable than getting beat up by dozens of high-powered rounds! You should have no problem consistently hitting an 8” target at 100 meters with a modern 22 and a minimal optic (I have a fixed 4x on my Mannlicher Ruger 10/22 … I’ll admit, I did upgrade the trigger).
Make sure every round you send down range tells you something!
Putting up a gallon jug at some unknown distance in a field or shooting a hunting rifle at a 25-yard indoor range is not going to help your chances when that big moment comes. A standard hunting rifle should be zeroed at 100 yards and that should be the MINIMUM distance you ever shoot at. I understand all too well the range limitations that most of us work with, which is why I’ve so whole-heartedly endorsed and always recommend Effective Range Targets (ERT). Based on an individual shooter/weapon’s grouping ability at only 100 yards, these targets can easily determine a maximum ethical hunting range. It’s sounds complicated and the science behind the targets is … but the targets as easy as 1, 2, 3.
Set target at 100 yards (1), shoot 5 rounds (2), determine which “vital ring” all 5 rounds have impacted within (3) and there you go! You now have the maximum distance you can expect to execute a one shot, ethical kill.
This system if BY FAR the most efficient means of preparing for a hunt. Each five round group you shoot will immediately and clearly provide information on your shooting ability for different rifles/optics, different ammunition, and different shooting positions. You can’t afford to waste ammo or a trip to the range, do yourself (or a less experienced hunter in your life) a favor and check out EffectiveRangeTargets.com
NOTE: While the system can determine if a shooter’s grouping ability would allow a 600-yard shot, it doesn’t however provide ALL the information to ethically harvest an animal at that distance. Individual equipment factors like caliber, bullet, barrel length/twist, etc. will all determine bullet drop, which must be accounted for when taking longer shots. In addition, environmental factors like wind, precipitation, altitude, mirage, etc. will all need to be accounted for as well. These factors I would hope an individual would consider when taking a longer shot in combination with their Effective Range Target results.
Make a plan! Here’s ours …
Sarah: Confirm 100-meter zero using an ERT Sight-In Target. Practice grouping using ERT Pronghorn targets at 100m from different shooting positions. Now, I will jump in here and say that my fiancée is getting to be a very good shot with all the wisdom and patience that us gents typically lack, she’s in no rush to start banging gongs at 600m plus. So, when we go to the range, she typically stays at 100 meters and practices with both her .308 and 22LR shooting both ERT targets and an 8” gong. She’s constantly changing shooting positions and trying to improve her grouping … and it’s that emphasis on being a complete and consistent shooter that will lead to success when it counts! She never rushes a shot and she’s never hesitated to take a break or ask for help if she’s having an issue. Most of us gents could learn a thing or two.
Weston: Confirm 100-meter zero using an ERT Sight-In Target. Confirm grouping from a few hunting positions (prone, supported prone, and seated) using ERT Pronghorn Target. Once I confirmed my zero and grouping, I started adding 100 meters at a time to build my DOPE (Data On Previous Engagement) Card shooting from the most consistent shooting position possible. For those who don’t know, a DOPE Card or Range Card is simple sheet that has bullet drop and drift for different distances and wind conditions specific to each rifle and ammunition.
NOTE: We only use the outermost (actual vital size) ring when setting ERT Targets beyond 100 yards.
Sarah: Increase ERT Pronghorn target distance to 200 meters.
Weston: Confirm cold-bore, 300 meter shot on ERT Pronghorn target. Continue increasing range 100m at a time documenting data out to 800 Meters.
Sarah: Increase ERT Pronghorn target distance to 300 meters.
Weston: Confirm cold-bore, 500-meter shot. Confirm “dope” card data by walking between different target distances and firing from different shooting positions.
There it is, just three trips to the range trips and 75 rounds of ammo to build that absolutely vital, One Shot Confidence! Take it from me, you can never take a bad shot back and it’s just not worth the risk.
Now, in addition to my range finder I also stopped by a Scheels location with full-body antelope mounts to take actual measurements which will allow me to determine a pronghorn’s distance in the field based on the mil reading in my optic, but that trick is for another article!
One shot. One kill.
About the writer: I am a former Army 10th Mountain Division Reconnaissance Sniper who has deployed to Iraq and competed in the 2011 International Top Sniper Competition. I’m an avid hunter, life-long fly fisherman, horse trainer, and creative/marketing professional. You can follow my adventures on Instagram @WestonTrapp
More on the Effective Range Target System
ERT sight-in Target – easily the best sight-in target on the market with points of aim for weapons zeroed 2”, 3”, and 4” high at 100 AND a bull’s eye that’s actually 1 MOA (Minute Of Angle) - 1.047".
Species specific targets - available in 8 target sizes that cover more than 25 North American game animals. These targets boast more than just standard target rings, Effective Range Target utilize anatomically correct, species specific, Vital Rings. These targets also offer the multiple points of aim.
PER (Personal Effective Range) Card - based on the military DOPE (Data On Previous Engagement)/range cards/chart, this helps shooters keep track of maximum effective range for different weapons, bullets, shooting positions, etc.
Purchase online at EffectiveRangeTargets.com