The deer hunter's ability to place his shots depends on many things other than a straight-shooting gun equipped with the proper sights. The fit of the gun has an important bearing on his ability to make fast accurate shots. In a shotgun, this fit is all important, but most rifles are made with an almost straight stock which will fit the average shooter. To judge the fit of a gun, place it at the shoulder in shooting position, and see where the sights are pointed when the cheek is placed in contact with the stock. The eye, both sights and the target should be in line if the fit is perfect.



Minor faults in gun fit can be overcome by changing the position of the shooter's left hand on the forearm of the gun, but if it requires a strained or awkward position to line the sights on the target, the gun should be altered by a good gunsmith to fit the individual. The shooter should use the same sighting method at all times. It is no use for him to sight his gun in on a target range by bringing his front sight down in the notch of the rear sight so that it can hardly be seen and then shoot at running deer with half of the front sight above the notch. This changes the point of impact so that he will overshoot. His sighting habit should be consistent with his sighting procedure when shooting at running deer and at these times he seldom has the time to draw a fine bead.

While shooting on the target range, the shooter has a large variety of positions to choose from, but in the woods his choice is limited. The prone position is prohibitive except in rare instances. The bench rest is out unless he can improvise one by utilizing some handy tree or limb. When doing this, never place the gun barrel in direct contact with any solid object, but use the left hand as a shock absorber or rest the arm on the object and support the gun with the hand. The kneeling position may be quickly assumed and often this is the best position the hunter can use. While this makes for steadiness of aim, the target area is limited to a small segment of the surrounding area. The time necessary to adjust the position to a deer which runs out of this target area is often just the amount of time needed by the deer to reach protective cover. The off-hand shooting position is the quickest and often the only position which the hunter can take, and time spent in the practice of it will pay off in the woods. All of the motions that are used in assuming this position should be made instinctively. Once the target is sighted, the eyes should not leave it until after the shot. The right foot should shift automatically to a position that will counteract the gun's recoil and place the shooter's body at the proper angle in relation to the target. The target should be about half way between straight ahead and a point at a right angle to the left.

The fit of the gun has an important bearing on hunter's ability to make fast accurate shots. The shooter should use the same sighting method at all times. Use some positions which a hunter feels that make him easier in to shoot his target. While shooting on the target range, the shooter has a large variety of positions to choose from.