Hunters and the Army

[Charge 7]

Shooting as with any other skill is part talent part setting your mind to learning it. I grew up where boys start learning to hunt around age 8 and get their first rifle at about age 12. I had been shooting quite awhile before I went to Basic. I did see other hunters who didn't do well, but the ones who listened usually did just fine. Those that copped an attitude did poorly. I shot quite well all my military career and even competed in marksmanship matches. You know you've learned proper breath control and something about sighting when you can fire an M60 single shot and hit what you're aiming at. I enjoyed that event the most. The sergeant that taught me that had grown up in the city and never fired a round before he joined up.

 

[Missileer]

Shooting as with any other skill is part talent part setting your mind to learning it. I grew up where boys start learning to hunt around age 8 and get their first rifle at about age 12. I had been shooting quite awhile before I went to Basic. I did see other hunters who didn't do well, but the ones who listened usually did just fine. Those that copped an attitude did poorly. I shot quite well all my military career and even competed in marksmanship matches. You know you've learned proper breath control and something about sighting when you can fire an M60 single shot and hit what you're aiming at. I enjoyed that event the most. The sergeant that taught me that had grown up in the city and never fired a round before he joined up.

Well said Charge 7. My Dad bought my first .22 remington single shot, which I still have, at 12 yrs old. He showed me how to move the front sight to zero it. He took a bullet and drew a small dot on an abandoned outhouse and I nailed it at about 20 yds while leaning it against an Oak tree.
I learned, from experience, when squirrel hunting, avoid dry leaves. Walk in a branch if you have to but move slowly. Wet leaves are almost noiseless. Stop every so often and study every tree in sight. A squirrel will freeze on the opposite side of a branch but his tail will blow slightly in the breeze. Look for anything out of place in the area and look for a long while. When you think you have a shot, brace the rifle against a tree limb if you can, if not, kneel and use your knee as a rest. When you're on target, take two normal breaths, hold the third and squeeze the trigger so slow that you can't tell when the shot will fire.
Now, you say, I know all that already, I learned it in basic. That was the way I instinctively learned by experience at 13.

 

[sven hassell]

If hunting is such an advantage to military skills why is it then that here in England where practically nobody hunts.(except a few aristos with hounds on horseback) that we have honed some of the finest if not the best special forces units in the world.
P.s. I hunt myself but have to travel to Yugoslavia to do it and all my hunting party are ex-military,and none of us have even 1 per cent of these British Army snipers capabilities.

 

[deerslayer]

I think what we were referring to is the lifelong hunter who's able to do it _all the time_ and works at it 24/7. If you wanna get ahold of us, do it before Oct. 1st, when deer season opens.

All kidding aside, the ability to blend into your surroundings and pay attention to detail, as stated earlier, is honed during a lifetime of hunting. You also get a taste of the camaraderie of being in a close-knit group of people and getting to know them. Also, if we're talking anything like hunting in _Louisiana_, you get used to looking for movement in monstrously thick cover. You hear everything that goes on around you after awhile. And when you're point man heading into a waiting ambush, that can be a very comforting thing

 

[Chief Bones]

Thoughts of a former Range Master.

:sniper: As a former Navy Range Master (M14 Rifle, M16 Rifle, 12 gauge Shotgun, 45 cal Pistol, 38 cal Revolver and other personal small arms qualifier - Urban small arms tactics and Field fire and maneuver small arms tactics instructor), I believe that I can shed a little light on your conundrum.

Snipers are trained to fire at the "belt buckle" portion of a long range target because it is considered to be the center of the "bottle" portion of the target or as it is sometimes referred to as "center mass". It is easier to have a hit at long range by shooting center mass than any other portion of the anatomy. Snipers are not always trained for a clear kill, rather they are trained for a shot that will remove the target from being a viable threat and causes 2-3 other people to be tied down caring for the wounded soldier. Real "head" hunting is unusual and is used in only the most limited way - the target MUST be of "high" interest and there must be no other way to cancel out his/her influence.

Many years of refinement have proven that with consistent usage, center mass firing at long range improves the "kill" ratio of the average foot slogger or for a matter of course - any person in a combat role using a long rifle no matter the caliber.

One of the things that snipers learn through trial and error, is that by using the center mass targeting it does away with some of the missed shots caused by someone moving their head. It's only in the movies that Mr "Vonderzhooter" is able to take the iris out of an eye at a thousand yards. Most long shots are in the 750 yard or less ranges with the majority being less than 500 yards. The one sniper range that I am familiar with has targets that start at 100 yards and go out to 1000 yards. I don't know what the ranges are for all firing ranges.

As to whether a "deer" hunter is a really better shot when it comes to sniping, I don't believe that one really tracks. Being a "nature" freak does help with the sniper's ability to blend into his environment better than a "city slicker" who has never been in the wilds. It does not have anything to do with the "natural ability" of expert riflemen and snipers. There is a feeling to the aura of a grove of wild forest that can be sensed if you are aware of it that can be very valuable if you are hunting another man. The aura is different when man has not intruded his presence to where it is noticed by the animal life that makes the forest their home. That change "can" tell you whether you are alone or if someone else is there. It can make the difference between life and death for the dedicated sniper.

I don't know if this helps but it was something that didn't appear any of you had considered.

 

[Obvious]

I understand your point ravensword, but there are sometimes other factors in war as well, such as how one would react in a firefight. In hunting its easier because you're in no hurry to kill something, unless its running away. While in combat its to kill or be killed.