I began hunting at a time when many sportsmen hunted with lever-action rifles such as the .25-35 Winchester Center Fire, .32 Winchester Special, 32-40 Winchester Center Fire, .348 Winchester Center Fire, 35-55 Winchester Center Fire, .30-30 Winchester …
I have never been a serious handgun hunter, although I have always carried a handgun when I go hunting or just wandering around the backcountry.Most of the people I hunted with when I was younger, and who mentored me, carried handguns while hunting and…
The Old West is coming back to The Gate City Shooting Range on 2 1/2 Mile Road on Saturday at 10 a.m., and the Vaqueros Cowboy Shooting Club is holding an open house.
The public is invited to come listen to tall tales, shoot the old guns and find yourself back in time. Guns and ammo will be supplied by the Vaqueros Cowboy Shooting Club, an affiliate of the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS).
SASS is an international organization created to preserve and promote the sport of cowboy shooting. SASS promulgates rules and procedures to ensure safety and consistency in cowboy shooting matches, preserving the history of the Old West and seeks to protect the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
Cowboy shooting is a multi-faceted sport in which contestants compete with firearms typical of those used in the taming of the Old West. It is a timed sport in which shooters compete with single action pistol, shotgun and rifle in the “Spirit of the Game,” meaning contestants fully participate in what the competition requires. Contestants try their best to dress the part, use appropriate competition guns and respect the traditions of the old West.
Contestants normally have an alias such as Hank Crawford, Klamath Jack, Dave Mather, Shotgun Sally, Luke Short, Cactus Jack, etc.
Safety is the order of the day and cowboy shooting ranges are cold ranges, meaning that all guns are unloaded. The guns are only loaded at the loading table prior to shooting at the targets on the range. Firearms are then taken to the unloading table to eject spent brass and checked to make sure they are unloaded. All rifles and shotguns in racks must have their actions open.
Single action revolvers can only be loaded with five rounds and the hammer must rest on an empty chamber.
The rule of 170 is always in effect while shooting, meaning that the revolver, rifle or shotgun must not break 170 degrees as the shooter shoots on the course. Fanning of single action revolvers in order to shoot targets faster is prohibited. Leaving an unfired round in a holster is counted as a miss. Contestants may not move with a cocked weapon. Penalties will be assessed for dropped weapons. Everyone is a safety officer and may help keep the range safe by instructing others to follow the rules.
This year, a jail has been constructed and added to the Gully Ville Old West bay, so bring your camera and take a picture of family and friends in front of Gully Ville or looking out of the jail.
After the competition is over and everyone who is interested in shooting the firearms used in cowboy shooting is finished, there will be a lunch of hot dogs, chili and drinks for contestants and the public.
The Vaqueros shoot every third Saturday of the month and the set up time is 9 a.m. A safety meeting starts at 9:30 a.m. with shooting stages to follow.
For further information on the cowboy shooting open house, contact Steve McClung at his e-mail: smcclung7521@msn.com or Rick Hillman at 208-406-8501
Smokey Merkley was raised in Idaho and has been hunting since he was 10 years old. He was a member of the faculty of Texas A&M University for 25 years. There he taught orienteering, marksmanship, self-defense, fencing, scuba diving and boxing. He was among the first DPS-certified Texas Concealed Handgun Instructors. He can be contacted at mokeydo41245@hotmail.com.
There are a lot of shooting aids, including monopods, bipods, spotting scopes, sandbags, gun cradles, rangefinders, GPS, etc.
With the number of aids and gadgets available, many old-time hunters believe we are raising a new generation who have lost many of the essential skills that sportsmen need because they can’t function effectively in the field without their aids and gadgets. Some products are not necessary while others are a boon to the modern hunter, but none of them can really replace the woodscraft that our ancestors tried to hand down to us.
First of all, the basic shooting positions of standing, off-hand, kneeling, sitting and prone should still be mastered by anyone who wants to be successful at hunting. I have used all the positions in the field at one time or another as I tried to get into the most stable position circumstances would allow.
Scouting for game and determining how the game is moving through the area is essential if we want to have a good chance of finding game when we hunt.
The ability to navigate using a map of the area and a compass, or orienteering skills, are essential to keeping track of where we are in relation to where we determined during scouting trips where we could find game. Orienteering skills then let us determine the best way to get back to our vehicles with our game.
Many people each year get lost because everything looks the same after several hours in the backcountry, and they don’t have orienteering skills or didn’t bring a map and compass with them. Some compensate by having a GPS. However, a GPS costs quite a bit, and batteries can fail. It would be better to take both on your hunting trip and know how to use both methods.
Reading signs is another essential skill needed for hunting or just recognizing what is walking around the backcountry in the same area you are visiting. You can start by getting a book on animal and bird tracks, which will also probably show you how to recognize various wildlife by their scat. However, nothing can take the place of going into the backcountry with an experienced outdoorsman and have him point out what he looks for when reading signs. There is just so much trail cameras don’t tell you. They do take pictures though, if that is all you really wanted.
If you are planning to stay overnight in the wilderness, in addition to warm clothes, food and shelter, you should know at least three different ways to start a fire. You don’t need to leave the lighter at home, but you should know how to gather tinder, start a fire with one or two matches, know how to use common flashlight batteries to start a fire, use flint and steel and possibly learn to use a metal match. When you start to feel cold or if you become wet, knowing several ways to start a fire can keep you comfortable.
Why spend $270 to $700 on a rangefinder when you can be a rangefinder and fairly accurately determine the distance to a distant object or game if you are hunting? One of the first skills my father and uncles tried to teach me was estimating the range to my target. It takes some practice, but it is really fairly simple in theory. Besides, as a hunter you may not have time to use a rangefinder before game is gone. Carry a rangefinder if you want, but learn to quickly estimate range to take advantage of the small window you may have to get the shot off. Remember, batteries in rangefinders can become depleted, too.
I admit it, I love the telescopic sights on my .30-06 and .300 Weatherby rifles. But just in case, I take a rifle with iron sights with me on most hunting trips. Some telescopic sights have range-finding capability but are not as rugged as iron sights.
After a season of hunting, telescopic sights usually need to be re-sighted in due to being bounced around over jeep trails, hung on pack horses or simply losing one’s footing and falling as one hikes around the woods carrying a rifle.
Because sighting in again in the field will probably send game out of the area, I can at least go back to camp and retrieve my rifle with iron sights and meet up with the group and have a rifle I can use effectively out to 200 or 300 yards. However, it is essential to have the iron sights sighted in and know the ballistic characteristics of its cartridge. My .30-06 still retains it’s original iron sights, so if something happens to the telescopic sight, I can remove it and use the iron sights.
A knowledge of the essential old skills needed in the backcountry will make you more self-sufficient and will boost your confidence when you realize that no matter what obstacles you encounter, you will feel right at home.
Smokey Merkley was raised in Idaho and has been hunting since he was 10 years old. He was a member of the faculty of Texas A&M University for 25 years. There he taught orienteering, marksmanship, self-defense, fencing, scuba diving and boxing. He was among the first DPS-certified Texas Concealed Handgun Instructors. He can be contacted at mokeydo41245@hotmail.com.
In case you haven’t noticed, the temperatures in Southeast Idaho have been much colder the last couple of weeks.
It was pretty cold after the sun went down during hunting season in October. But it would warm up enough during the day that I had to take off some of my clothing to avoid sweating when temperatures climbed back up into the 40s and low 50s.
Most people who spend a lot of time in the backcountry hunting, hiking, skiing snowmobiling, etc., during the winter months are familiar with the layering system of staying warm but not wearing enough to make themselves sweat during winter activities. Normally, when I go skiing or hunting, it is much colder early in the morning than it is later in the day, and then begins to get cooler again toward late afternoon and early evening.
For that reason, I usually wear long underwear, warm socks, sturdy hunting or ski boots, windproof pants, a warm long-sleeve shirt, a windproof pullover with hood, a very warm hunting or skiing jacket, and a wool stocking hat for early morning.
I also take a tent, along with rain gear and a down-filled vest, but I decide whether to wear them or not when I arrive at my destination or when I get up in the morning when camping. As the day progresses, I usually remove what I don’t need and stuff it in my daypack as the temperature gets warmer.
Many go into the backcountry unprepared for the fluctuations in temperature, or for storms that might develop fairly quickly.
The problem is hypothermia, and it can be a killer of the unprepared. It has always interested me how small differences in body temperature can have such a major impact on our performance and how clearly we can think.
Our normal body temperature is 98.6 degrees. At this temperature, we are happy, active, coordinated and able to think clearly and quickly.
If our body temperature drops to 96 degrees, we start to shiver and our metabolism increases. This makes our body work a little harder to keep us warm. We experience a mild form of hypothermia, but we are still able to think clearly, put on warmer clothing or get inside a shelter.
If our body temperature drops to 94 degrees, we begin to experience impairment of gross motor skills and simple tasks become very difficult.
If our body temperature drops to 92 degrees, we experience severe shivering and walking becomes difficult. At this point, medical treatment by a physician or other medical professional is critical.
At 90 degrees, we experience convulsive shivering and may not be able to stand up. If our body temperature drops to 89 degrees or lower, shivering stops and one may go into a coma.
Most heat loss is radiated from unprotected surfaces of the body. If you are in contact with something very cold, such as water or cold ground, heat is conducted away from your body. Wind removes body heat by carrying away the thin layer of warm air at the surface of your skin.
If someone in your group exhibits any of the signs of hypothermia listed above, remove wet clothing, hats, gloves shoes and socks, and replace them with dry clothes and blankets. Protect against wind and drafts and move to a warm dry shelter as soon as possible.
If the victim is conscious and you have warm liquids that do not have caffeine, you can offer it to them. Do not give a victim exhibiting even mild signs of hypothermia alcoholic beverages. Caffeine and alcohol speed up heat loss.
Have fun and go prepared, so you won’t have any problems.
Smokey Merkley was raised in Idaho and has been hunting since he was 10 years old. He was a member of the faculty of Texas A&M University for 25 years. There he taught orienteering, marksmanship, self-defense, fencing, scuba diving and boxing. He was among the first DPS-certified Texas Concealed Handgun Instructors. He can be contacted at mokeydo41245@hotmail.com.
With all the subspecies, elk are pretty widely distributed in various places around the world. Norway even has elk that look more like moose to Americans.
In the United States, the subspecies we are most familiar with are Roosevelt Elk, Rocky Mountain Elk, Tule Elk of California, Manitoban Elk in the Midwestern states and Canadian prairie provinces, and the now-extinct Eastern and Merriam’s Elk.
For this column, I will concentrate on Roosevelt and Rocky Mountain Elk because they are the elk that are prominent in the Rocky Mountain Northwest and the Pacific Northwest coastal states of Washington and Oregon.
Roosevelt Elk, named after President Theodore Roosevelt, inhabit the rainforests of Oregon and Washington and were introduced to Kodiak, Alaska, in the Afognak and Raspberry Islands in 1928.
They are the largest of the four surviving subspecies of elk in North America, having bigger bodies and smaller antlers than Rocky Mountain Elk.
Calling is how most hunters bag Roosevelt Elk.
There is a myth that Roosevelt Elk don’t bugle. In the congested, wet confines of the coastal range, hearing them bugle is less likely since the sound is quickly soaked up by the dense vegetation.
However, bugling will often bring Roosevelt to you. To get a shot, they must come to you.
The demeanor of Roosevelt Elk seems to be similar to white-tailed deer than Rocky Mountain Elk. Roosevelt Elk are less likely to wander than nomadic Rocky Mountain Elk, but they remain invisible, and when pressured by hunters, Roosevelt Elk tend to hunker down in the dense Pacific forests they call home.
One of the best places to see them is at the Dean’s Creek Elk Viewing Area, which is 10 miles east of Reedsport, Oregon, on Highway 38.
Rocky Mountain Elk are found in the Rocky Mountains and the adjacent ranges of Western North America. These elk have more impressive antlers than Roosevelt Elk. Rocky Mountain Elk have winter ranges that are typically in open forests and floodplain marshes in the lower elevations. In the summer, they migrate to the subalpine forests and alpine basins.
They stay higher up during warmer weather and migrate down to lower elevations in the winter. They may come down to lower grasslands during part of the day during spring and summer, but return to the higher elevations during the evening. Visitors at the Madison Campground in Yellowstone National Park are often treated to bugling elk in the meadows along the Madison River from about 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the summer. Sometimes we have heard them bugling after we have turned in for the night.
In Idaho, elk numbers have remained at healthy levels in most pars of the state, and the hunting forecast remains good. The Lolo Zone along the Idaho/Montana border is of some concern as the elk numbers have not rebounded as fast as hoped since the harsh winter of 1996-1997 killed most of the elk in Units 9 and 10. Idaho Fish and Game has relocated or killed a number of wolves in the area so that there is only one pack in the area in hopes of seeing the elk herd rebound to pre-1996-1997 numbers.
Calling is also an effective method of hunting Rocky Mountain Elk, but under hunting pressure, Rocky Mountain Elk, which are nomadic by nature anyway, tend to leave the area for greener and safer pastures.
Unless you have horses, plan on long steep walks and carry binoculars to scan the area being hunted. You will also need to carry a rifle capable of hitting with authority at 500 or 600 yards, but hope for a shot at 300 or 400 yards.
Smokey Merkley was raised in Idaho and has been hunting since he was 10 years old. He was a member of the faculty of Texas A&M University for 25 years. There he taught orienteering, marksmanship, self-defense, fencing, scuba diving and boxing. He was among the first DPS-certified Texas Concealed Handgun Instructors. He can be contacted at mokeydo41245@hotmail.com.
You have probably seen the police officer, or former Navy SEAL, in the movies that can run and jump from building to building while shooting a bunch of bad guys. He can then do a somersault, fire and get three more bad guys while upside down, before landing on his feet and telling the screaming woman that it is over and nobody can hurt her now.
Actually, I never got that kind of training and don’t know anyone who did.
I was taught that the first thing firearms training should cover is the basics. They may be boring to teach and take a lot of practice to master, but the basics are essential before advanced skills can be taught.
In this column, I will concentrate on handgun training. I have always thought that a basic handgun course should cover familiarity with one’s handgun, including assembling and disassembling the piece, handling handguns safely and drawing from a holster.
You should also know how to keep your finger out of the trigger well and off the trigger until you have identified your target and are ready to fire, with both a one-hand and two-hand hold. You should also know sight alignment, trigger squeeze and breath control, which should add up to proficiency and marksmanship.
The course should also cover positions such as the Weaver stance, the Modified Weaver stance and the Isosceles stance. I also like to include shooting the handgun from prone position.
Without strong basics skills, the shooter has a poor foundation for advanced skills such as transferring the handgun from one hand to the other using the palm-to-palm method of safe transfer, shooting with either your dominant or non-dominant hand, moving forward (not running) while shooting, low-light shooting and weapons transition drills.
I do not practice or teach the Bruce Willis method of taping a handgun to your back and jumping off buildings or anything else.
My point is that you can never become proficient in advanced shooting skills if you don’t have a strong foundation of basic skills to start with.
When I go to the range to shoot my handguns, I spend approximately 60 percent of my time on basic skills, 30 percent on intermediate skills and 10 percent on advanced skills. The time spent on the different skills may vary a little depending on whether my son is with me and wants to spend a little more time on intermediate and advanced skills, but I always start with the basics first.
The time I spend going over handgun shooting skills is heavily influenced by the time my family and I spend hiking, camping and hunting on the mountain property our family owns. When I’m not hunting, I carry a handgun while hiking and camping in the backcountry. I would rather have it with me and not need it, but the basic skills I practice should serve me well if I ever do need it.
Smokey Merkley was raised in Idaho and has been hunting since he was 10 years old. He was a member of the faculty of Texas A&M University for 25 years. There he taught orienteering, marksmanship, self-defense, fencing, scuba diving and boxing. He was among the first DPS-certified Texas Concealed Handgun Instructors. He can be contacted at mokeydo41245@hotmail.com.
From the time the M-16 Rifle was first adopted by the U.S. military and was offered to civilians in an AR-15 semi-auto version, it has been popular with the American public. Interestingly, the AR-15’s popularity rises and falls in almost predictable cycles, but becomes more popular during periods when Americans perceive a threat to their Second Amendment rights.
This isn’t a political column, but the reasons people have almost bought out many gun shops’ inventory of AR-15 rifles at times is interesting to study.
Many people who have bought AR-15s the last few years have done so without realizing exactly what an AR-15 is, how it works and how to disassemble it for cleaning.
Most of my friends who have served in the military know their AR-15s intimately and even have named them after their favorite girl or favorite girl’s name, which if they know what is good for them is the same as their wife’s name.
However, I have had a few friends tell me that they bought an AR-15 and would like me to run them through how to disassemble it and more importantly, how to put it back together. If you have friends like that, and you are familiar with the AR-15, be nice and spend some time with them. Not everyone can pick up the procedure just by reading the instructions. It is always nice to have an expert show you how to take care of your rifle.
For instance, an issue I see with AR-15 owners quite often concerns the use of a free-floating firing pin. There have been some owners who, when they take the rifle apart, find no spring around the firing pin and wonder if their rifle is missing a part, which will make the rifle susceptible to slam fire when chambering a round.
During early development, Eugene Stoner intended the firing pin to be free floating, but others convince him to try a light spring around the firing pin. The firing pin spring was rejected and it was left as a free-floating firing pin because the titanium firing pin is so light, it doesn’t develop enough energy to fire the cartridge during the chambering of a round, or if the rifle is dropped.
The AR-15 has a hard-hitting hammer that is required to force the titanium firing pin into the primer hard enough to fire the weapon. That hammer doesn’t touch the free-floating firing pin during chambering of a round or when the rifle is dropped. A firing pin spring simply isn’t necessary and is a solution looking for a problem that doesn’t exist.
I have two AR-15s available to me that I have tested. One, a Colt, was manufactured in the mid-1970s and the other is a Sig M-400 manufactured in 2015. Neither rifle will slam fire when chambering a round or when rapid firing. I have to pull the trigger for either rifle to fire. I don’t drop rifles, so I’m willing to accept the findings of others who claim that dropping the rifle will not cause it to slam fire unless it is defective.
One problem that has ben noted is the use of soft primers. The military uses hard primers on their 5.56 ammunition. Those of us who load our own ammunition should stick to CCI #41 primers or the equivalent.
Some have suggested that small O rings be used on the AR-15 firing pin. Once again, it is a solution in search of a problem that does not exist. However, the O rings can jam the firing pin so it is locked in the forward position, which I suppose might cause a slam fire.
A safety precaution that knowledgeable AR-15 owners practice is to not use the same cartridge in the top of the magazine more than a couple of times to chamber a round if the round isn’t fired but is ultimately ejected unfired.
The light firing pin doesn’t have enough energy to normally fire the round but can dimple the primer slightly even though the hammer didn’t touch it during chambering.
To avoid several dimples in the primer of the same unfired cartridge, the cartridge should be set aside for use at the range where it will be fired after carefully closing the bolt carrier instead of letting inertia close it.
In all probability, the light firing pin would never fire the piece, but why not play it safe?
The AR-15 has been around for a long time. Most of the bugs were eliminated before it was ever put on the market. Early malfunctions were traced to ammunition that had some carbon in the powder used to fire the 5.56 rounds. A change to cleaner powder with no carbon solved the problem.
If you have or are planning to purchase an AR-15 and would like a more through description of your rifle with lots of illustrations, the Combat Book Shelf prints a manual called, “AR-15, M-16, and M-16A1, 5.56 MM Rifles.” Desert Publications, Cornville, Arizona, 86325
My copy is pretty old and was purchased at an Army store in College Station, Texas.
Smokey Merkley was raised in Idaho and has been hunting since he was 10 years old. He was a member of the faculty of Texas A&M University for 25 years. There he taught orienteering, marksmanship, self-defense, fencing, scuba diving and boxing. He was among the first DPS-certified Texas Concealed Handgun Instructors. He can be contacted at mokeydo41245@hotmail.com.
From time to time, I get e-mails from people asking about the best all-around rifle for hunting big game in North America.
Admittedly, not many readers of my columns ask about an all-around rifle, but some do. I suspect the reason most don’t is because they have been shooting and hunting for some time and have already decided what rifles they want to hunt with.
Toward the end of December 2017, I received an interesting e-mail asking about the best rifle to have while traveling through the backcountry of either Alaska or Africa. He told me in his e-mail to me that he wasn’t familiar with rifles except for a BB gun and a .22 rimfire. Someone had already recommended a .375 H&H, but he was concerned about recoil and wondered if he ought to look at something else.
First of all, the .375 H&H Magnum is the minimum caliber that’s considered a charge stopper in Africa, and it is the smallest caliber allowed for dangerous game in most parts of Africa.
The .270 Winchester, the .30-06, the 7mm Magnum, .300 Winchester and Weatherby Magnums, along with the .340 Weatherby, are all used on plains game in Africa. But Africa’s “Big Five” most dangerous big game animals are also residents where the plains game can be found. Therefore, hunters in Africa also generally carry at least a .375 H&H, if not something more powerful.
Africa is unique. Wildlife in Africa are among the toughest animals on Earth because of the constant danger from predators. Almost everything in Africa eats or is eaten by something else. Plains game in Africa rely on awareness and speed to defend themselves from predators. Predators in Africa have to be really accomplished hunters to surprise and attack their prey before the prey can exit the area.
Because of the harsh realities of life in the African bush, most of the game that survives can take a pummeling and still live to run or fight another day. I just finished reading an account by the late professional hunting guide, Peter Capstick, where he tells of having to shoot a charging 500-pound lion 10 times with a .375 H&H Magnum while his hunting partner unloaded several .500 Nitro Express rounds into the same lion before it finally laid down. The animal took another 12 minutes to die even though it was so shot up it couldn’t walk anymore.
That is a phenomenal tenacity for life. You just never know if African game will succumb to one shot or keep coming for more, maybe a lot more before it’s charge card is canceled.
So, whether you like really stiff recoil or not, you better get used to it and carry a .375 H&H Magnum or bigger if you plan to wander around the African bush.
Actually, hunting in Africa seems like such an ordeal in so many ways that only the wealthy can afford the safaris.
In North America, including Alaska, the .270 Winchester and .30-06 have plenty of power for hunting any big game animals, including the largest bears. Where the .270 Winchester and .30-06 seem to disappoint some hunters is on long shots over 500 or 600 yards, particularly if the animal being hunted is a large elk or moose.
When it comes to bears, most shots are much closer than with ungulates, and a .270 Winchester or .30-06 has more than enough power to handle the job at 100 yards or less.
The .300 H&H Magnum has been around since 1925, but when Roy Weatherby introduced the more powerful .300 Weatherby Magnum in the 1940s, it became a favorite of big game hunters in North America because of it’s flatter trajectory and increased stopping power at long range.
It was also favored by hunters in Alaska until Weatherby came out with its .340 Weatherby Magnum in 1962. Personally, I am just as happy with a .300 Winchester Magnum or .300 Weatherby Magnum as I am with a .338 Winchester Magnum or .340 Weatherby when it comes to hunting elk, moose or pronghorn that won’t let you get less than several hundred yards from them.
So what I told the reader who emailed me about hunting in Africa or North America was that I recommended that he get a .30-06 and shoot it until he was comfortable with 20 foot-pounds of recoil and could hit his target the majority of the time, and then decide if he wanted to purchase one of the magnum calibers with their increased knockdown power and stiffer recoil.
At least he would have a caliber that would take any animal in North America and at least plains game in Africa, and he could rent a .375 H&H Magnum from the hunting concession and be backed up by a professional hunter with a really potent charge stopper if he didn’t want to own one himself.
Smokey Merkley was raised in Idaho and has been hunting since he was 10 years old. He was among the first DPS-certified Texas Concealed Handgun Instructors. He can be contacted at mokeydo41245@hotmail.com.
I stated skiing at Skyline Ski Area (Pebble Creek) in the late 1950s when Cubco bindings were popular.The bindings would release my skis from my boots in a hard turn, as well as in any kind of fall. The skis were connected to the boot by a cord so that…