Fran Wendelboe: Women, guns and concealed carry

 

 "The Maine legislator who sponsored the bill, Sen. Eric Brakey, said, “All it does is say if you are someone who is already legally able to open carry a handgun that you can also put on a jacket without being a criminal.”

Maine will become the eighth state with this gun policy, and experiences in other states indicate that the loosening of gun permit laws has not had a significant negative impact.

Here in New Hampshire, it is a totally different picture.

Senate Bill 116, allowing concealed carry without a permit, passed the Senate along party lines, with a 14-9 vote. The House put its stamp of approval, 212 to 150. In the House, there was party crossover, with 11 Democrats voting for the bill and 14 Republicans voting against it. While slim, it is arguable that this passed with bipartisan support."

"Why is it different here? Gov. Hassan has threatened a veto, and it now sits on her desk. At a time that more women are buying guns and attending training classes, it seems odd that a female governor would take a stance against women being able to carry guns in their purses, glove compartments or briefcases. Men often wear suits and use the convenience of a holster, but while many women do wear suits, most do not on a daily basis.

Having a firearm and knowing how to use it is empowering to women. Talk about equal rights: Owning a firearm with proper training and skill is the No. 1 equalizer between the biological-physical disparity of most men and women. Long gone are the days when we “wimminfolk” had men in our households to protect us. Many women today live alone either by choice or circumstance. Relying on 911 is just not reliable enough, particularly in rural areas. How many young women have we heard about recently in the press who were abducted and killed? With a firearm, they would at least have had a chance.

I remember a few years back when an elderly woman way up in the North Country had a drunk man break into her home late at night. Her community did not have a local police force at night and relied on the state police. She was told when she called 911 that the soonest they could get there was a couple of hours. What if it had not been a drunk man but a violent one? The sound of pumping a shotgun is enough to stop intruders in their tracks and often results in a quick retreat.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation did a survey on women and guns in early 2015. The findings show that half of the women intended to buy a gun in the next year. The women in the study owned both semiautomatic pistols (56 percent) and shotguns (50 percent). Of the women in the survey, 73 percent had taken training classes. Here in New Hampshire, there are a number of training courses specializing in women’s shooting both for protection and for sport – and they fill quickly. The study showed a 60 percent increase in women who are target shooting. This has grown from 3.3 million women in 2001 to 5.4 million women in 2013. I personally know a female member of the press here in New Hampshire, a liberal Democrat, who regularly goes clay shooting. A report on CBS News in August 2014 pegged the number at more than 6 million – almost a 70 percent increase in a decade. Firearm retailers estimate women made up 20 percent of their sales in 2013. Since 23 percent of women say they personally own a gun, that puts the estimate at 28.1 million women. Ladies, guns aren’t just for men anymore! And they certainly aren’t just for Republican women."

Read the rest @ http://www.concordmonitor.com/news/politicalmonitor/17296768-95/fran-wendelboe-women-guns-and-concealed-carry

Rise in accidental gunshots by L.A. County deputies follows new firearm

One sheriff's deputy shot himself in the leg while pulling out his gun to confront a suspect.
Another accidentally fired a bullet in a restroom stall. A third deputy stumbled over a stroller in a closet as he was searching for a suspect, squeezing off a round that went through a wall and lodged in a piece of furniture in the next room.
Accidental gunshots by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies have more than doubled in two years, endangering bystanders and occasionally injuring deputies. The jump coincides with the department's move to a new handgun that lacks a safety lever and requires less pressure to pull the trigger.

Sheriff's officials say that the increase in accidental discharges — from 12 in 2012 to 30 last year — occurred because deputies were adjusting to the new gun. They expect the numbers to fall in the years ahead. So far this year, the department has recorded seven accidental discharges, five of which involved the new weapon.
But the problems may not be over, as more deputies switch to the Smith & Wesson M&P9. In response, department officials have imposed extra training requirements.
The M&P has obvious benefits. It is easier to shoot accurately, can be fired more reliably under stress and is a better fit for people with small hands. The switch was prompted in part by the threat of a lawsuit by women who had failed the Sheriff's Academy. More recruits — including more women — are now passing the firearms test, and veteran deputies are also logging better scores at the firing range.
But the sharp increase in accidental discharges has prompted an investigation by the Sheriff's Department's new inspector general. Critics say this type of semiautomatic, which is widespread in law enforcement and includes the Glock used by many agencies, is too easy to misfire.


At the New York Police Department, a rookie officer is facing criminal charges, including negligent homicide, in a fatal shooting in a housing project stairwell. An attorney for the officer says he accidentally fired his department-issued Glock.
A former Los Angeles Police Department officer who was paralyzed when his 3-year-old son shot him with a Glock has sued the gun manufacturer and others, alleging that the light trigger pull and lack of a safety mechanism contributed to the accident.
Bob Owens, editor of BearingArms.com, says the design of the Glock and the M&P makes such tragedies more likely. "I don't think, with the amount of training most agencies have, that a gun that has so few tolerances for mistakes is the best choice," he said.
An adjustment
For two decades, L.A. County sheriff's deputies carried the Beretta 92F, a heavy metal gun with a large grip.

If you still have your finger on the trigger when you put it in your holster, you'll end up with a stripe on your leg. - Richard Fairburn, a firearms expert

People with small hands often have trouble flipping up the Beretta's safety as they prepare to fire. The first shot requires 12 to 15 pounds of pressure on the trigger, forcing some to use two fingers and reducing shooting accuracy for many. Subsequent shots take about 4 pounds of pressure.
The M&P is made of lightweight polymer, with a hand grip that comes in three sizes. Firing a round is as simple as pulling the trigger with a consistent 6 to 8 pounds of pressure.
Sheriff's deputies have the option of sticking with the Beretta, and some have, saying they are used to it. But many who have switched to the M&P say their shooting has improved.
"At first, I thought, 'No way, I'm keeping my Beretta forever,'" said Sgt. Mike Rafter, a firearms instructor. "Then I started shooting, and it's a lot nicer. I can shoot better, and I'm more confident."

Read the rest @ http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-sheriff-guns-20150614-story.html#page=1

2014-2015 Ohio Deer Harvest Down More Than 15,000 Deer.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- State officials say hunters checked more than 175,000 deer during Ohio's 2014-2015 deer hunting seasons.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources says hunters checked 175,745 deer during all 2014-2015 hunting seasons.
The number of deer checked was down from more than 191,000 the previous season.
The state says the decreased number of deer reflects the effectiveness of deer management efforts. Bag limits were reduced in 46 counties prior to the 2014-2015 deer hunting season. Antlerless permits were eliminated in 29 counties.
Deer population goals will be revised this summer through a random survey of hunters and farmers.
The Ohio county that reported the most checked deer during the 2014-2015 seasons was Coshocton with more than 5,700.



15,255 fewer deer than the 2013-2014 deer season.
Combine the reduced harvest with coyote predation,and outbreaks of EHD in 2012 and 2013,and Ohio's deer herd is in far worse shape than ODNR claims.
Ohio's deer harvest has been dropping since the 2009-2010 season. Granted,deer were overpopulated in many parts of the state,but ODNR's efforts to reduce the size of the deer herd have more than succeeded,the herd has been reduced too much. Years of too many doe tags,the urban zones,where doe tags were valid all season,not just until the day before gun season,years of depredation permits being given to farmers,the 2012-13 EHD outbreaks,and increased fawn predation due to the exploding coyote population.
Unless ODNR stops the excessive doe harvest,and does a whole lot more to encourage hunters to reduce coyote numbers-deer hunting in Ohio is going to be like it was in the 70's,when you could hunt the entire week of gun season, not see a deer,and hear very few shots fired at deer.

  Many hunters also claim the electronic deer check,which can be done online,or by phone,even with a smartphone-has lead to more poaching.

 I don't believe that to be the case,data from a whole lot of other states that use the same procedures has shown no increase in poaching.
Poachers are going to poach deer no matter what the check-in procedure is,and ethical hunters-which is most of us- are going to check their deer in no matter what the procedure is.

What needs to happen is coyotes need to be aggressively hunted-the fewer coyotes there are-the more fawns that survive. Areas with high coyote populations have lower deer populations due to fawn predation,and the fact that eastern coyotes hunt in packs because they have a substantial amount of wolf DNA due to their interbreeding with wolves,which has been going on since at least the 1930's,and was first documented in Canadian coyote populations in Algonquin Provincial Park in  northen Ontario.

The coyotes we have in Ohio came here from Canada by traveling along the Appalachian mountains-then moving east,and from the UP of Michigan,along with Minnesota-then moving to the east. Both populations interbred with gray wolves along their way here.
So, we now have a coyote population that hunts in packs, and is capable of taking down adult deer,in Michigan,a small pack of 'yotes took down a horse.
Hunt these deer killing machines-while they rarely prey on adult deer,and their normal diet is smaller animals like rodents-squirrels,chipmunks,mice,rabbits,etc. - when there's a shortage of smaller animals-they will kill adult deer. In the spring,many coyote packs subsist mainly on deer fawns.
Studies have shown that fawn predation can be as high as 70% in areas with high 'yote populations.

Anyone who wants to see Ohio's deer herd recover needs to get out and start hunting 'yotes,from now,until the last fawns are dropped in late May/early June. Every 'yote killed is one more fawn that has a 90% better chance of growing up.Every 'yote not killed is a few more fawns that become coyote food.
Fur prices are stable,and up from last year,so coyote hunting will pay for itself.
Fewer coyotes = more deer.

SHTF Home Defense

From Forward Observer Magazine...

SHTF Home Defense: Part 1 – Defending the Perimeter

https://readfomag.com/2015/02/shtf-home-defense-part-1-defending-the-perimeter/ 

SHTF Home Defense: Part 2 – Defending the Home

 

https://readfomag.com/2015/02/shtf-home-defense-part-2-defending-the-home/ 

Michigan Coyotes Take Down Horse

And people think I’m making the shit up about coyotes killing adult deer,and being the reason for decline in deer herd numbers in multiple states…
The Lapeer County, Michigan Sheriff’s Mounted Unit announced on Sunday that one of their horses died as a result of a predatory coyote attack over the weekend. The horse’s owner, Lapeer County Sheriff Deputy Kallie Meyers, had been keeping the animal in a paddock near a barn on her property. On Sunday afternoon, a pack of five to six coyotes charged onto Meyers’ property and managed to bring the mare down before the owners were able to intervene by releasing their dogs on the predators.
Meyers’ dogs were eventually able to chase the pack off the property, but the horse’s injuries from the attack were too severe and it had to be put down.
“They came in the yard to get our horse,” Bruce Meyers wrote on Facebook. “Within 70 feet of the house. Our dogs went to help, managed to chase them off but one dog is chewed up, others have only a few scratches and minor punctures.”
It was not the first time that the predators have encroached upon the Meyers’ farm in Oxford Township. Kallie Meyers explained that coyotes have killed several farm animals on her property in the past.
Reports of coyotes attacking large animals in broad daylight are troubling to biologists. Coyotes are known for being shy around humans, and usually limit their hunts to smaller animals at night. In Michigan, it is legal to shoot or trap coyotes year-round on private property and there is no bag limit during regular seasons. Wildlife experts noted that humans and larger animals usually have very little to fear from coyotes.
Read the rest @  http://www.outdoorhub.com/news/2015/01/28/michigan-sheriff-deputys-horse-put-following-coyote-attack/
“Reports of coyotes attacking large animals in broad daylight are troubling to biologists.”
Really? The same biologists who have done studies that confirm eastern coyotes have a considerable amount of wolf DNA are now finding it “troubling” that packs of ‘yotes are killing large animals? I wonder how “troubling” they are going to find it when the population of our deer herds crash? Or when the first young child is attacked by a pack of ‘yotes?
I’ve made multiple posts asking deer hunters to start shooting yotes,and letting them know that they will see fewer and fewer deer until the ‘yote population is seriously reduced. The only good thing I’ve noticed since the ‘yote population exploded in NE Ohio is that the feral cat population had been reduced-which is a plus-as NE Ohio deer have been found to be carrying the organism that causes toxoplasmosis-which can ONLY be spread by cat feces,less cat shit in the woods is always a plus,along with less of a chance of getting toxoplasmosis.
Since the wildlife biologists and the DNR/state fish and game agencies in Michigan,Ohio,Illinois,Indiana,Pa,and W.Va. don’t seem to believe that the ‘yotes are the reason for the decline in deer numbers,and do not seem to believe that ‘yotes are killing up to 7 out of every 10 fawns in many areas-it’s up to deer hunters to get the ‘yote population under control.
Most states have either no limit or very liberal limits on the number of ‘yotes you can shoot.
Fur prices are up this year,so you can more than cover your expenses-including ammo,food and gas.
The fewer ‘yotes there are in May-the more fawns that survive-now’s the time to start reducing the ‘yote population-the state fish and game agencies ain’t gonna help do it-so anyone who wants to see the deer numbers stop the decline-get out there and start takin out ‘yotes-as many as possible.

Yes, it’s cold, bitterly so. But once a rutting coyote—or three—answers your call and runs into your spread, you won’t need those extra hand warmers in your pocket.

There’s been a killing. Like detectives investigating a crime scene, my hunting buddy Dominic Valpiani and I pan our flashlights as we try to piece the clues together: a flurry of wayward tracks in the immediate area; tangled in some nearby sagebrush, a small tuft of fur; a patch of snow splattered with blood. Something, likely a jackrabbit, was blindsided midmeal.
Valpiani laughs a little. “Suppose that rabbit should’ve done more zigging instead of zagging,” he says. Then he marks the spot on his GPS. This could be a good spot to set up on tomorrow’s hunt.
This is the third significant coyote sign we’ve encountered tonight in as many miles, and given the differences between tracks, multiple dogs are working this basin. We get back in the truck and continue scouting, hoping we’ll find even more.
Once we have a hunting strategy in place, Valpiani and I return to base camp—which we’d set up a few hours earlier in one of Idaho’s many sagebrush deserts—around midnight. We’d had grand plans for a winter campfire, but it’s easier to ignite the camper’s propane furnace and listen to the drone of the weather radio. Surprise: More cold is on the way.

The Coyote Rut

Dog Walk: A hunter heads back with a nice Montana coyote in tow. Photo by Brian Grossenbacher
Valpiani and I don’t have access to private land, and by this time of year public-land coyotes have caught on to hunters’ tactics. But February is their mating season—a time when even the smartest coyotes lose their senses.
Before our hunt, we used GPS and detailed maps to peruse public areas neighboring private land where coyotes often find shelter, security, and easy access to food. We avoid low basins where snowdrifts amass, and instead look for south-facing slopes with partially melted snow patches and coyote tracks either coming or going. We’re respectful of boundaries, but we also know that dogs harbored on the other side of a fence will surely hear our calls.
We set up as if we’re calling elk, with a caller 40 to 50 yards uphill and behind a shooter. The key is to keep the initial howls and barks short and abrupt so as not to sound like a dominant dog, which can scare some predators away.
Valpiani and I often follow up with the squealing sounds of a distressed critter. Male coyotes are almost as interested in food as they are in mating. If the sound of an inviting mate doesn’t bring them running, the sound of a companion with a bite to eat will. Coyotes are scavengers and territorial by nature, and by combining our calling, we’re doubling down on two instinctual coyote drivers at this time of year.
The predawn air is stinging cold when we reach our first spot. The vapor of each breath mists over my mustache and beard and freezes, anchoring every whisker like cement. I can barely talk. Even smiling hurts. Just as the first hints of daylight wash over the desert, I see a private fenceline 100 yards to our left and know we’re right where we want to be. The hunt begins when Valpiani breaks the silence with a series of short, subtle howls and barks.

http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/hunting/2015/01/snow-dogs-hunting-the-coyote-rut?dom=fas&loc=todayonfas&lnk=snow-dogs-hunting-the-coyote-rut


Get out there and start shootin 'yotes-unless you want to see fewer and fewer deer where you deer hunt.
In some areas,fawn predation is as high as 70%-that's 7 out of every ten fawns born-70 out of every hundred-700 out of every thousand.
Get the picture? More 'yotes = fewer deer, fewer 'yotes = more deer.
Hunting 'yotes ain't easy,you have to make some effort-a lot of effort,it not only improves your shooting skills,it improves your blind set ups,your scent control,your camo,your calling,your blind placement and set up, your ability to hold perfectly still,and your ability to remain silent.

All of those things will make you a better deer hunter. besides that-it's almost the end of Jan,what else are you gonna do between now and late winter/early spring steelhead and late spring crappie fishing and turkey season?
Beats sitting in the house getting fat from sodas,snack food and beers-plus it's good exercise for you.
Aside from the shower curtain snow camo mentioned at the end of the article,you can use white sheets with a little black and grey spray paint and some driveway markers like the kind used by snowplow contractors to make a blind-so there ain't no big investment in gear.
So,now that you have no excuses-start whackin 'yotes-the furs will cover your ammo and gear costs,along with your gas money.

Ga. Study On Coyotes Aims To Help Deer Fawns Survive

White-tailed deer fawns, by their youth and size, are an easy target for most coyotes.
Researchers in Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina hope to figure out how to protect the fawn, to some extent, by studying coyote behavior.
“We would potentially try to see if we could make alterations to the environment to change how coyotes are behaving thereby influencing the probability that they will prey on fawns,” says Dr. Michael Chamberlain, a professor of Wildlife Ecology at the University of Georgia.


Chamberlain says the coyotes are seriously threatening the fawns in the Southeast.  Starting next week, researchers will trap, tag and monitor the coyotes over the next two years throughout the three states.

Coyotes pose a serious threat to white-tailed deer fawns says Dr. Michael Chamberlain, a professor of Wildlife Ecology at the University of Georgia.

Credit USFWS Mountain-Prairie / Flickr.com/usfwsmtnprairie

“Ultimately can we take that information and manipulate the landscape to influence coyote behavior, thereby influencing their impacts on their prey,” says Chamberlain.
The coyotes will not be harmed during the trapping and tagging process.
DNA samples will also be studied to help determine colonization routes.

http://wabe.org/post/ga-study-coyotes-aims-help-deer-fawns-survive

Human silhouette target ban bill shows absurd dangers of anti-gun ‘solutions

 


A Pennsylvania “lawmaker” has once more demonstrated why mentally-challenged “progressives” (but I repeat myself) should never be trusted with power and responsibility. Representative Thaddeus Kirkland, a Democrat, naturally, plans on introducing a bill that “prohibits the use of human silhouette targets at shooting ranges across the Commonwealth...”
Naturally, he plans to include an exception for the “Only Ones.” Whether he intends to also mandate targets they use be accompanied with the words “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot!” is left unstated.
“Rather than perpetuate violence by continuing to allow individuals to practice their target shooting by shooting at human silhouette targets at shooting ranges, my legislation will prohibit the use of targets that depict human silhouettes at shooting ranges across the Commonwealth,” Kirkland declares, as if using the word "shooting" four times in one sentence justifies subjecting everybody else to his heavy-handed foolishness. “Instead, silhouette targets could include, but are not limited to the following: white-tailed deer, black bear, wild turkey, and elk.”
We’ll just see what PETA has to say about that. Setting collectivist stooges on each other can be great fun to watch. And as an aside, Kirkland's presuming to "allow" implies there's an "obey me or be destroyed" mandate he's willing to have armed enforcers kill citizens over.
We'll have to see about that, too.
It’s probably lost on Kirkland that the people in the section of Delco he represents who are doing the lion’s share of the “gun crime,” including missing their targets and hitting someone else, are no doubt overwhelmingly “prohibited persons” and unlikely to be spending time at ranges. The bottom line is, this will hamper the effective self-defense training of good people, and interfering with that actually makes things more dangerous for everyone. Not that “progressives” blathering about “gun safety” and achieving Opposite Day results should surprise anyone who is, you know, rational...
Still, why stop at silhouettes? What about targets that actually show figures of people? What about popular “zombie” targets? They’re not human any more, are they? Fortunately, for Kirkland’s esteemed "peace officers," they’ll still be able to blow away “No More Hesitation” models of “white-privileged” pregnant women and kids, at least while their already-purchased supplies last. And I guess as long as we’re exploring the absurd, another ridiculous question or two is in order: Could I have a silhouette target of someone who looks human, but isn't? For some reason Star Trek’s android Data comes to mind...
Still, the stupidity isn't limited to Kirkland. Come on – it’s not like compulsive gun-grabbers are known for originality (just like the “Authorized Journalists” who make sure everyone has the latest talking points to parrot).
“Pennsylvania is not the first state to consider a ban on human-shaped targets,” Outdoor Hub reports. “Massachusetts has already banned the use of any shooting targets in licensed gun ranges “that depict human figures, human effigies, human silhouettes or any human images thereof, except by public safety personnel performing in line with their official duties.’”
Massachusetts. It’s OK for cops to train to shoot back at bad guys, but you, not so much. Well that just figures, doesn't it Gomer?
Trying to trace back legislative origins is a daunting task for anyone unfamiliar with the Acts and Resolves library system the state uses (guilty!), but the prohibiting language, applying to licensed “clubs,” appears in “An Act Relative to Gun Control in the Commonwealth” from 1998, back when “Republican” Paul Cellucci ruled the roost. Whether the language was a holdover from earlier legislation is unknown, but that it survived his and Mitt Romney’s tenures as governor without apparent objection shows it’s unfair blaming it all on Democrats.
Can you imagine being one of the privileged, exempted “law enforcers,” and being willing to escalate things through the entire continuum of force against someone who could appropriately argue (in spite of what totalitarians would claim) that his supposedly guaranteed freedom of expression was being violated?
It would be interesting to see this challenged, and see how a “compelling state interest,” generally required under strict scrutiny for First Amendment cases, would be backed up. Which qualified trainers and certified programs teach that everyone is safer when targets used in self-defense training are limited to concentric circles and to pictures of game animals under force of law? And just what qualifications do ignorant, anti-gun bigots have to impose their ignorance on others, including on people whose advanced classrooms they couldn't even safely participate in, let alone understand core concepts being taught, without first mastering prerequisite basic and intermediate skills?
It’s also interesting seeing how far some, living in places from which the demand for liberty arose, have repudiated freedom won for them by worthier men, and demanded shackles in its place. Sadly, it's just not surprising to those who have noted them ceding their -- and our -- birthright to turkeys. Literally and figuratively.

http://www.examiner.com/article/human-silhouette-target-ban-bill-shows-absurd-dangers-of-anti-gun-solutions?CID=examiner_alerts_article

This is why everyone who hunts deer needs to hunt coyotes. This past summer,in late June/early July, I found 3 fawns in one week that were hiding behind condos,two of them were behind the A-C units,since the people who live there,and the township cops ain't too fond of gunshots in the condo complex-I called them to come and shoot the fawns to end their suffering. two of them had huge chunks missing from their hindquarters,and the wounds were infected-complete with maggots.The township cops told me that they had to shoot an average of 6 fawns a week that had been attacked by 'yotes in May and June. Not sure how many they had to shoot the rest of the summer,as I was not working much in the area,and didn't find any more wounded fawns behind homes.
In NE Ohio,between fawn and adult deer predation by 'yotes,the EHD that hit hard in 2012,and last winters extended brutal cold-deer numbers are way down.
The only way to get the population to increase again is to take out as many 'yotes as possible. Wildlife biologists say that 'yotes can not be controlled state wide by hunting them-but they can be controlled in local areas,if enough of them are taken.
Whatever your favorite deer hunting area is-get as many guys and gals as you can to start hunting 'yotes-no bag limit-no closed season. Makes for good target practice too. Another plus is in Ohio,you can hunt 'yotes with rifles-not just the straight-walled rifle cartridges legal for deer hunting-any rifle caliber is legal for hunting 'yotes.
I'm going to hunt them with my muzzleloader,then with my crossbow,then with my compound,then with my recurve. My youngest daughter is going to hunt them with a 30-30 to practice for deer hunting in W.Va next year,with her 20 gauge using deer slugs,and with a borrowed 45-70 since that's legal for deer in Ohio.
Hopefully,we put enough of a hurtin' on the 'yote population to improve fawn survival rates by slowing 'yote predation on the fawns and pregnant does.
If everyone does the same thing in their favorite hunting area-the deer population will rebound quickly-most of those wall-hanger bucks are only 3-3 1/2 years old.
We should all stop taking does,or at least only take one-not the 9 deer total bag limit currently in effect for the state-that will help the deer population rebound faster,and cause 'yote predation to have less of an effect on deer population.

How to Shoot a Rifle Offhand

Shooting from your hind legs like a man (or a woman, or whatever makes your heart happy) is by far the most difficult of all the positions.  

Article by David E. Petzal

Beliefs that my generation held as sacred are now null and void. If Capt. John Paul Jones were asked to surrender today, he would not answer “I have not yet begun to fight” but “Let’s work this out. Violence is never the answer, and all these dead bodies in the ocean are an environmental hazard.”

Also, we can’t seem to shoot offhand anymore. We no longer walk; we sit. And thanks to the current long-range craze, the idea of sneaking to get a closer shot at something is as alien as going afield without four electronic devices that you consult every two and a half minutes.
Stand and Deliver
Shooting from your hind legs like a man (or a woman, or whatever makes your heart happy) is by far the most difficult of all the positions. It requires exponentially more practice than any other simply to be competent, never mind good. And it is still absolutely necessary to master, unless you enjoy papering the walls of your home with unpunched licenses.
Offhand, Easily, Sort Of
The secret to shooting offhand is to accept that no one can hold a rifle steady while perched on his hind legs. No one. So don’t try to eliminate muzzle movement; instead, control it. Develop the finesse to make the end of the barrel move in a circle and to make that circle smaller and smaller as you aim. Then, the instant the crosshairs are on any part of the bull’s-eye, pull the trigger. Crude as this approach may seem, a great many of your shots will land in the center of the bull anyway.
The other thing you must do is shoot fast—because bucks won’t stand around waiting for you. An aimed offhand shot should take you no more than five seconds, and three is better. The longer you wait, the more likely you’ll screw up.
The Range Regimen
Here’s how to practice shooting offhand: Get a .22 rifle, as close a match to your centerfire as possible. Get as much ammo as you can buy, beg, or extort. Get a package of 100 NRA A-17 paper targets, each of which has 11 black bull’s-eyes about the size of a silver dollar.
Set your scope at 4X and start from 20 feet. Shoot strings of five rounds per bull; a hit anywhere in the black counts. Zero hits through two is pathetic; three is so-so; four is not bad at all; and five is outstanding. Your initial efforts are likely to be so bad that you will go into shock and require hospitalization.
As you improve, move back to 25 yards. Once you are shooting mostly fours and fives, switch to your centerfire rifle, and shoot from 100 yards at an NRA 50-yard pistol target with an 8-inch bull. Shoot no more than 20 rounds per session, and try to get all of them in the black. Very few shooters can do this; if you can get 18 or 19 into the 10-ring, you’ve done very well.
Finally, remember two things: First, practicing offhand is logistically easier, cheaper, and more valuable to real hunters than practicing at long range will ever be. So there’s no excuse not to do it. Second, shooting is a sport of muscle memory, repp­titian, and concentration, so shoot lots. And good luck getting the .22 ammo.

http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/hunting/2014/12/how-to-shoot-a-rifle-offhand?cmpid=enews123114b&spPodID=020&spMailingID=7393611&spUserID=NjI2NzA0MjQyMzcS1&spJobID=583926057&spReportId=NTgzOTI2MDU3S0