TARGET PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

FROM FIELD...

Safari Press offers a line of quality targets featuring a detailed, anatomical layout on the reverse side, making them perfect for all big game hunters. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

FIND YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE SUMMER SHOOTING PRACTICE MADE EASIER WITH THESE PRODUCTS

By Scott Haugen

Even with all there is to do this time of year, preparing for hunting season should certainly be on your list. If you’re a big game hunter, now is the time to be scouting, setting trail cameras, exercising to get in shape, and shooting your guns.

When shooting, we want to have fun, but we also want to maintain good form and make every shot count. Of course, safety is of utmost importance. Here are some safe and fun target options that can be instrumental in helping achieve all your shooting goals.

CIRCUS TARGETS Steel targets take shooting to a higher level, compared to shooting at stationary targets. As a result, while simultaneously implementing gun safety, skills are being built and shooters learn how to shoot at moving targets. Skills like shooting with both eyes open, tracking moving targets, or even quick, safe speed loading, can be attained by shooting at these fun moving targets.

Shooting at moving steel targets in an offhand position will help develop

... TO FIRE

Amp up pepperoni flavor by adding more seasoning, or tamp it down by boosting the amount of ground meat to make it palatable for those more sensitive to spiciness. (TIFFANY HAUGEN)

CREATE PEPPERONI PERFECTION

By Tiffany Haugen

Pepperoni can be as simple or as complex as you want to make it. Be it from a big game animal or game bird, make sure the meat is cleaned. Making good pepperoni does not mean using poor quality, dirty or bloodshot meat.

Once you have the techniques and equipment mastered, the flavor possibilities are endless when it comes to making pepperoni sticks. Using ground pork with wild game meat keeps the pepperoni sticks from drying out too much. The pork also acts as a neutralizer for taming wilder tasting meats like waterfowl.

When making pepperoni, keep things simple for the first few go-arounds, then get creative by adding unique seasonings

and different meat combinations. If you want to taste-test the flavors before stuffing the casings, simply fry up a sample in a small pan. Flavors can be amped-up by adding more seasonings or made milder by adding more ground meat to the mixture. Be sure to keep track of exact ingredients so you can replicate your creation.

1 pound ground wild game ½ pound ground pork 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 1 teaspoon granulated garlic 1 teaspoon black pepper ½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt 1 /3 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 /3 teaspoon pink curing salt* 19mm pepperoni casings

Remove all fat and silverskin from wild game and grind in a grinder using the medium grind plate. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate eight to 12 hours.

Secure sausage attachment to a grinder or jerky gun. Stuff the barrel of the gun with pepperoni mixture. Cut casings to desired length and slide on to the horn of the jerky gun. Fill casings and twist ends or pinch together to keep meat mixture from coming out. Place pepperoni sticks in a smoker set to 185 degrees. Smoke six to 12 hours or until pepperoni sticks reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Replace smoke chips up to three times during the smoking process.

If desired, pepperoni sticks can be smoked three to four hours and finished in a 160-degree oven or food dehydrator. Keep pepperoni sticks refrigerated up to a week. Vacuum seal and freeze for longer-term storage.

*Pink curing salt can be found at Smokehouse P r o d u c t s . c o m and Cabela’s.

Editor’s note: For signed copies of Tiffany Haugen's popular cookbook, Cooking Big Game, send a check for $20 to Haugen Enterprises, P.O. Box 275, Walterville, OR97489 or order at scotthaugen.com.

Self-healing targets are fun to shoot and build multiple shooting skills. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

shooting skills surprisingly fast. The reason is that, unlike stationary targets, moving steel targets force you to shoot within a given time. In other words: Making the moving steel targets do what they’re supposed to – rotate, spin, drop, bounce back, etc. – requires they be shot quickly at a specific time.

Having a friendly competition shoot with another person at the same target will force you to concentrate and shoot even faster. With moving steel targets, your shooting window may only exist for a split second, and timing your trigger pull is key to success. While focusing on the timing of your shots, form, safe gun handling, target acquisition and follow-through are all being naturally honed.

Circus targets are referred to as such because they’re fun – like games you might see at the county fair or a circus. But these targets are specially built to handle loads from a .22 to a high-powered rifle. Even shotguns and handguns are perfect for steel target shooting. Looking to develop personal defense skills, where catlike reactions are mastered? Moving steel targets can help you do just that.

If looking to build shooting skills on moving targets and increase your reaction time, steel targets can help. My personal favorite steel targets are made by MGM Targets (mgmtargets.com). Their Auto Popper, Spinning Target, Whirly-Gig and Plate Racks are of top quality and are an important part of my practice shooting sessions. MGM has even created steel targets for fun competition among shooters, like Steel Football Target, for .22 shooters.

SELF-HEALING GROUND TARGETS Another fun target option is a simple one that’s tossed on the ground and then shot. Constructed of a self-healing material, these ground targets can handle over 1,000 rounds and hours of fun. Cabela’s Ground Pounder and Do All (doalloutdoors.com) are two options for self-healing targets.

A great feature of these targets is there’s no setup. Simply toss the target on the ground – with a safe backdrop – and start shooting. The harder the ground, the more spinning, bouncing, rolling and aerial stunts will be performed by some of these targets. Some of the Do All self-healing targets are affixed to a stand and move upon bullet impact, but return to the same position for the next shot.

Many shooters use .22s on self-healing targets, but .38 caliber and 9mm pistols can be used, too. Even centerfire rifles can be used on them, making longer-distance shooting fun.

Due to their lack of energy to get the ground targets moving, rimfire rifles are best used on flat, dry ground, as the bullets pierce the target; be sure there is a safe backdrop in these situations.

If you shoot the edges of the tar-

When it comes to steel targets, there are many options. These two models, which are made by MGM Targets, are perfect for high-volume practice with .22s and small-caliber centerfire rifles. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

gets, especially the sphere models, you’ll get a bit of movement with a rimfire rifle, which can be good for youth and beginning shooters. But if you want to realize the full effects of the ground targets, shoot them with centerfire rifles and pistols.

Not only will ground targets help you develop target acquisition skills as they sporadically move across the ground with each hit, they’ll get you shooting faster and more accurately. These targets are fun and addicting to shoot, so bring plenty of ammo.

ANATOMICAL TARGETS As a former science teacher with a biology background and a lifelong hunter, I was elated when anatomically correct big game targets made it to the market. When it comes to shot placement, the next best thing to dissecting an animal to learn about organ placement is studying anatomical targets.

The best targets are crafted from actual photographs, with vitals and other internal anatomy overlaid on the image. From the heart to the liver, lungs to the spine, shooters can get a clear understanding of where these internal parts lie in relationship to bones and outer body contours.

Caldwell’s Natural Series Targets (caldwellshooting.com) offer a whitetail and turkey target, complete with overlaid bone structure. Safari Press (safaripress.com) also has a wide range of anatomically correct targets including North American and African game. They are exceptional. The vitals and entire skeleton are “hidden” on the backside of these targets, so you can’t see them when shooting.

Summer is a great time to hone those shooting skills and further acquaint ourselves with the guns and gear we’ll be using come hunting season. With all the target options out there these days, there’s plenty of reason to get out and have some fun. CS

Editor’s note: Scott Haugen is a full-time author whose many books on hunting and fishing can be ordered at scotthaugen.com. Follow Scott on Instagram and Facebook.