Depending on your level of shooting achievement, many consider any hit out of the X ring as a miss, some people consider anything out of the ten ring as a miss. I can remember when I was happy just to keep them all in the black. It is very important to know the capability of your rifle so find a calm day and sit down at a solid shooting bench with your national match rifle and your best match ammunition and shoot some groups so that you will know exactly what you are working with as far as the equipment goes.

The first thing  new high power shooters need to learn is their position which includes the anchor point to the rifle. Cheek weld or anchor point guarantees the eye is the same distance from the Rear sight every time you start to make a shot. The AR 15 has helped many new high power shooters to get started in high power shooting but the AR 15 is one of the hardest rifles to find a consistent anchor point . For most experienced AR 15 shooters touching the hair on the tip of the nose to the charging handle guarantees the shooting eye is in the same position and distance from the rear sight every time.

By analyzing your targets and your groups and what you consider a miss, you can determine what your problem is in shooting long-range.  If your miss is down wind from the bull’s-eye you may not be reading enough into the wind value and not putting enough correction on the knobs also the wind flags may be too stiff and not giving you a true wind value reading. 

If the misses are upwind of the bull’s-eye you might have misread the wind and overcorrected. Having confidence in your abilities to read the wind and adjust the knobs on the rifle is very important, one’s self-confidence is an important factor in shooting small groups.

Quartering headwinds and quartering tailwinds are the hardest to read. the effect those winds have on your point of impact is best found out by shooting sighting shots and comparing where you thought the hit would be and where the shot actually landed and evaluate your adjustment.

The wind that is happening around you and the muzzle of your rifle is the most important wind you will have to figure. You need to pay attention to the wind around your face and the back of your neck. What your feeling on your cheeks or what you see in the wind flag on the stand of your spotting scope is most important. That wind at the muzzle of your rifle at the moment the bullet comes out has the most influence on the flight of the bullet. That influence is felt by the bullet and starts the bullet down range in the direction the wind was blowing.

The next most important wind is that wind that is halfway to the targets. When I move from the 300 yard line to the 600 yard line I always focus my spotting scope back on the 300 yard line so that I can tell what is happening halfway to targets. By focusing the spotting scope on the 300 yard line from the 600 yard line you can see the targets thru the mirage at the 300 yd line. Compare this with what you see in the wind flags and make your correction. When I shoot from 600 on back to 1000 yards, I compare what I saw in the mirage halfway to the targets with what I see on the wind flags and where the impact was. Then I make my correction for the sights. The wind at the targets has NO effect on the impact of the bullet and should not be considered in your adjustments.

When shooting from 600 yards and beyond out to 1000 yards you should start your shot by knowing what the wind and the mirage are doing halfway to targets and what the wind is doing where you are shooting from. As soon as the shot has been made go back and look through the spotting scope and see what the wind and the mirage is doing. This will help you compare the adjustment you made on your sights and where the bullet fell on the target. As soon as the target comes up compare what you shot and what actually hit the paper.

If your shots are mostly up and down then it’s possible you’re having a position problem but be sure you have a solid rifle and good ammo first. If you’re having a problem keeping your elbows anchored in the same spot during a rapid fire string you may want to buy some of the sprays stik’em and apply it to your elbows of your jacket. If the up and down misses seem  to be later in the match it could be your eyes are fatiguing and the top of the front sight post may be fading away. An easy correction to this problem is to have a second set of shooting glasses with a different tint on the lens. The different color will shake your eyes up and cause them to start focusing again and bring back the clarity of the front sight.

And remember it is better to shoot as the wind is reaching its full value. If you have to make a shot while the wind is coming up and you have the correct windage correction on the sights the worst thing that will happen usually is you have a 10 on the upwind side of the bull.

The only Good way to learn to read the wind is to lay out on the ground and shoot the rounds downrange, paying attention to the wind, mirage and your sights settings and making good notes of the wind and light conditions in which you are shooting, that‘s where the score book comes in! These things helped me they might help you.

Shooting long range is a very self-satisfying sport. Learning to do it accurately is the hard part. I hope i have been of help here.

Game camera hunting is becoming quite common with the advancement in technology. However, there is a big debate when it comes to the use of cameras in hunting. Do you think live camera feeds when hunting gives hunters an unfair advantage over the animals? While using technology to make hunting easier, it takes the fun out of the hunt. Moreover, the specific technology used might make the hunt unfair. A good example is using trail cameras to get live feeds of the game via apps on your phone.

Hunters need to stick to various codes of ethics that makes the hunting process fair and professional. Ethical hunting simply means the hunter follows the set hunting laws and rules. It also means the hunter respects the game and hunts in a manner that satisfies society. Ethical hunting gives the best satisfaction in the field. It is also a great way to secure hunting as a recreational activity for generations to come.

Legalities surround the use of trail cameras during the hunting season

Trail cameras are not new in the industry and have been in use for years now. In fact, the entire trail camera industry is driven by the huge sales from hunters. According to OpticsAddict.com, with trail cameras, hunters are able to survey hunting areas. They easily get useful insights into animal patterns, routes, and paths. All these give hunters useful information which makes hunting a lot easier. If you need more information for everything related to trail game camera, you can check out this great article.

Well, this is where the big question of hunting ethics comes in! Do the unfair advantage hunters have to make hunting unethical? The Nevada state stands out as the only state that has banned the use of trail cameras during the hunting season. However, some states only regulate the cellular transmission of cameras during the hunting season. So, what is considered the ethical way of hunting while using cameras?

The fair chase

The term fair chase can mean a lot of things to different people out there. However, this term is considered the lawful and ethical pursuit of game. It is pursuing free-ranging animals in a manner that does not give the hunter an unfair advantage over the animal. There are no written laws when it comes to good hunting ethics. The unwritten rules when it comes to camera regulation are doing the right thing when nobody is watching. Below are examples of the unethical use of trail cameras during the hunting season.

• Using electronic devices to get alerts of games coming your way. These can be trail cameras that stream live to your phone. Such use of these devices violates the concept of a fair chase. While there are no written rules that prohibit the use of trails cameras, live feed that gives you alerts is considered unethical. Rushing to hunt in the spot where you got alert of the animal is considered unfair. However, you can take the information about where the animals pass and plan to hunt days after when you’re not sure of the exact animal location.
• Spotting the game from the air using drones or helicopters and then landing to chase them is also considered unfair
• If the use of trail cameras affects or prevents wild animals from accessing certain paths, then that is also considered unethical. A good example is when checking or maintaining your trail camera on a frequent basis. Trips to the sites might bring unnecessary scents that might affect the animal routes.
• Some states like Alaska have banned the use of enhanced night vision, laser light, fire pits, and forward-looking infrared devices. The state has also banned the use of any remotely operated device like a drone to send wireless communication. The use of things like smoke deer, urine, artificial salts, and chemicals to lure animals has been banned. However, they allow the use of trail cameras with the only exception being cameras that send photos directly to the hunter.

The biggest ethical issue when it comes to the use of trail cameras is intent. Are you setting the camera to dictate where and when to hunt? If yes, then that is unethical and unfair. However, if you’re using the camera as a scouting tool, then that is fine. However, there can be debate around this since there are no written guidelines on the use of trail cameras.

Final verdict

In conclusion, what stands out as unethical in the use of cameras is direct communication from the camera to the hunter. In fact, it is unlawful in some states like New Hampshire to use live-action game cameras in an attempt to locate wildlife.

It is also worth noting that hunting regulations change with time and from state to state. Make sure you’re conversant with the laws regarding camera use in any hunting areas before using them. Most hunting ethics to consider are basically to do with a fair chase.  After all, it does not make sense gaining an unfair advantage since most hunting is for the fun and not for the meat.