kids shooting

Youth Deer Hunt – Article at NRA Insights

Head on over to NRA Insights. It is a great interactive Ezine put out by the NRA for our youth. This month there just happens to be a post in there by Yours Truly. Check the whole magazine out, but look for my article, “Hunter is now a Hunter” on page 22.
What do ya think?!

Youth hunter, Colorado Mule Deer, NRA Insights deer hunt,

NRA Insights Ezine. Page 22

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Mia & the Little Gal at the Women’s Outdoor News

Visit Prois Hunting  - Hunting and field apparel for women.

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Categories: hunting, kids in the outdoors, kids shooting, Mule Deer Hunting | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

STATE ARCHERY COMPETITION SCHEDULED FOR EXPO NEW MEXICO

Looking for fun stuff to do with the kids? Check this out! Visit Expo New Mexico HERE.

Youth Archery

STATE ARCHERY COMPETITION SHCEDULED FOR EXPO NEW MEXICO

ALBUQUERQUE – Young archers from across the state compete this Saturday in New Mexico’s National Archery in the Schools Program state tournament beginning at 8:45 a.m. in the Manuel Lujan Building at Expo New Mexico.

“We are expecting more than 500 archers from more than 30 schools across the state to compete this weekend,” said Officer Brian Guzman, Youth Skills Coordinator for the Department of Game and Fish. New Mexico has participated in NASP since 2009. “They are going to shoot more than 15,000 arrows Saturday, and that’s pretty amazing.”

The kids compete in elementary, mid-school and high school divisions, Guzman said. They shoot 15 arrows at 80-centimeter targets 10 meters away, and 15 arrows at targets 15 meters away. They have two minutes to shoot each end of five arrows.

“This is a great program that engages the kids, and we expect to see a narrow point-score differential,” Guzman said.

To be eligible to compete in the state or national competitions, schools must include NASP as in-school curriculum for two to eight weeks. The top school for each division will be eligible to compete in the national tournament May 9-12 in Kentucky.

The public is welcome to view the competition.

New Mexico Department of Game and Fish

Contact: (505) 476-8000

ispa@state.nm.us

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Mia & the Little Gal at the Women’s Outdoor News

Visit Prois Hunting  - Hunting and field apparel for women.

Visit TenPoint Crossbows  - “The mark of perfection” in crossbows

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Categories: Archery, kids in the outdoors, kids shooting | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Mia & the Little Gal talk about SHOT Show at the WON

Women's Outdoor News
“So, the Little Gal was a little upset when she found out about all the fun her mom had without her at SHOT Show.”
We have a new post about our annual SHOT Show discussions  Read about it at the Women’s Outdoor News. Click HERE.
Mia Anstine Shooting TenPoint Crossbow

Read Mia & the Little Gal’s adventures at the Women’s Outdoor News
Prois Hunting 
for hunting and field apparel for women.
TenPoint Crossbows for “the mark of perfection” in crossbows

Note: Advertisements on this site to not reflect any belief or opinion of Mia Anstine, her sponsors, partners or employers.

Categories: Archery, Crossbows, kids in the outdoors, kids shooting, Ladies camo, Ladies hunting, The Little Gal, The WON | Tags: , , , , | 1 Comment

A favorite in the blind or at the range – Winchester® Ammunition’s AA® TrAAcker™

In visiting with other instructors, shooters and outdoor enthusiasts post SHOT Show I have been asked the same question numerous times. “What was your favorite thing at SHOT Show?”

There are always many things that impress me at the show. I will over the next few weeks, be sharing some of the great new releases I was able to view at Media Day at the Range as well as SHOT Show.

Being a handgun, rifle and shotgun instructor I am always looking for things I may possibly use as training aids. The one thing that caught my eye, above all, was Winchester® Ammunition’s soon to be released AA® TrAAcker™. I personally continue to work on following through on a shot with a shotgun. I also have  sticks, balls and other props I use to demo for kids what it means to be shooting behind or not following through. While hunting in the duck blind with a group you would be able to see your shot, thus knowing who hit which bird.  AA Traaker

The minute I saw Winchester® Ammunition’s AA® TrAAcker™ I was impressed. They have come out with both a game and target load that has a weighted wad. The wad retains the velocity of the shot allowing the shooter to more easily see where his or her shot is going. The wad is available in orange or black and marked on the box. Orange is excellent when hunting or shooting targets in a treed area. Your eye can easily track it. The black wad was simple to see in the skyline, and below you will even see where I caught the wad in flight on my basic point and shoot camera.
If you look closely, you can see the black Traaker wad flying just left of the orange clay.

If you look closely in the sky, you can see the black wad of the Winchester Traaker flying just left of the orange clay.

Winchester Unveils Innovative AA® TrAAcker™: See Why You’ve Been Missing

 

EAST ALTON, Ill. – A fired 12-gauge shotgun shell unleashes a cloud of shot from a shotgun barrel at about 1,200 feet per second – too fast for the human eye to see the pellets in flight. This can make it extremely difficult to master the correct lead on flying clay targets or game birds.

What if that changed? What if it was possible to track the flight of the shot cloud?

Thanks to Winchester® Ammunition, it’s happening in 2013.


Winchester AA Traacker

Legendary innovation at Winchester continues with the AA® TrAAcker™, the first game and target load to feature a weighted wad that actually tracks with the shot cloud. This allows the shooter or an instructor to quickly determine where the shooter is missing – making it easy to adjust and nail flying targets shot after shot.

“A new shooter now can learn how to lead a clay target or game bird almost immediately – that’s the results you get with AA TrAAcker,” said Brett Flaugher, Winchester Ammunition vice president of marketing, sales and strategy. “The new AA TrAAcker is a great training tool for shooters, hunters, and shooting instructors.”

The secret of AA TrAAcker is in the revolutionary wad. Loaded with 1 1/8 oz. of shot like a standard AA shotshell, the innovative wad design includes longer, notched petals, and captures 1/8-ounce of shot, which stabilizes wad spin and ensures that the wad remains in the center of the shot cloud for optimum tracking. The AA TrAAcker load is available in two highly visible colors: orange, for overcast conditions or dark backdrop; and black for clear skies or light backdrops.

AA® TrAAcker™ specifications:

Symbol

Condition

Gauge

Shell Length

Shot Weight

Shot Size

Velocity

AAHA127TO

Overcast/Dark Backdrop

12

2 ¾”

 

1 1/8 oz.

7

 

1250

 

AAHA127TB

Clear Sky

12

2 ¾”

1 1/8 oz.

7

1250

AA128TO

Overcast/Dark Backdrop

12

2 ¾”

1 1/8 oz.

8

1145

AA128TB

Clear Sky

12

2 ¾”

1 1/8 oz.

8

1145

Since 1965, Winchester AA target loads have set the industry standard for performance on the range and in the field. Known for the legendary High Strength Hull, Winchester AA ammunition is a favorite of reloaders everywhere.

With a company heritage dating back to 1866, Winchester Ammunition was there for the taming of the American West, the Allied Forces’ victory in World War II and through the years, millions of fond memories made in the great outdoors and at the range.

Known as The American Legend™, Winchester is a global leader in sporting, law enforcement, military and personal defense ammunition production. Winchester continues to raise the bar with innovative products like Blind Side® waterfowl and PDX1® Defender® personal defense ammunition.

For more information about Winchester Ammunition, visit www.winchester.com, or connect with The American Legend on Facebook at Facebook.com/WinchesterOfficial.

Read Mia & the Little Gal’s adventures at the Women’s Outdoor News

Prois Hunting for hunting and field apparel for women.

TenPoint Crossbows for “the mark of perfection” in crossbows

Note: Advertisements on this site to not reflect any belief or opinion of Mia Anstine, her sponsors, partners or employers.

Categories: Duck hunting, hunting, kids shooting | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

A left-handed 20 gauge shotgun

One of my faves from SHOT Show:
A left-handed 20 gauge at the Benelli booth! My Little Gal would be so excited if I surprised her with a left handed model in this premium shotgun.M2 left handed Benelli Shotgun
ACCOKEEK, MD – Benelli is proud to introduce the very first 20-gauge autoloader, specifically designed and made for left-handed shooters. For years left-hand shooters have been ignored or forgotten with very few gunmakers offering left-hand versions of their guns-and when they do the choice of models is very limited. Benelli has changed all that by offering more left-hand versions of their shotguns than any other firearms manufacturer.

The latest left-hand model from Benelli is the M2 Field in 20 gauge, available in a black synthetic stock with GripTight®, a synthetic, high-tech over-coating bonded to the stock and fore-end that is weather-resistant and provides a sure grip, wet or dry. Optional combs are available to adjust the comb height from standard, to raised or extra-high heights.

The ComforTech® stock features a gel butt pad specifically designed to fit the left shoulder. The Benelli Engineers studied the surface of the shoulder and then designed an ergonomic gel-pad made from material developed by the medical industry that’s specifically contoured for maximum contact with the shoulder surface for maximum shock absorption. Optional butt pads include a short pad providing a 14-inch L.O.P. a medium pad providing a 14â…œ LOP (standard) and a long pad providing a 14¾ LOP. The M2 Field 20 Ga. left-hand also comes with a set of shims for adjusting the buttstock’s drop and cast.

“Benelli has always provided our customers with the largest selection of semi-automatic shotguns in the world. That includes the largest offering of left-hand shotguns as well, but until now, only in 12-gauge,” said Stephen McKelvain, Benelli USA’s VP of Marketing. “Our selection just increased with the introduction of the first left-hand semi-auto 20-gauge on the market. Our customers asked and we responded with a 20-gauge version of the M2 Lefty-a gun the southpaws have been dreaming about for a long time.”

COMMON SPECIFICATIONS: Magazine Capacity: 3+1 Crio® Chokes: C,IC,M,IM,F

Sights: Red bar front sight Length of Pull: 14-â…œ” Drop at Heel: 2-¼”

Drop at Comb: 1-½” (Includes shim kit to adjust drop and cast). Overall length: 47.3″

Finish: Black synthetic. Weight: 5.8lbs. Minimum Recommended Load: Use 2-½-dram, â…ž-oz. loads in all Benelli 20-ga. semi-auto shotguns MSRP: $1519

For the latest news and product information visit www.benelliusa.com

Contact:
Email: benellimktg@benelliusa.com
Phone: 301-283-6981
Categories: kids in the outdoors, kids shooting | Tags: , , , , , | 1 Comment

Crosman Introduces New Youth Bows

Many of you asked what bow to purchase for your child. Here is a copy of the press release from Crosman, introducing their new youth line.

CROSMAN INTRODUCES NEW YOUTH BOWS 
Great for Aspiring Archers
ROCHESTER, New York, (January 15, 2013) –Crosman Corporation, long known for innovative, high quality products for the shooting sports, has introduced two new bows to its youth archery line. The Crosman Trapper™ youth compound bow and the Buggy Bow™ youth long bow each feature lightweight and compact designs that provide a comfortable advantage for students and beginning archers.According to Crosman Product Manager, Tom Clark, “If you want to guarantee your young archer develops his or her skills with an appropriately sized and weighted bow, choose one of our new Crosman youth bows. Pick the Trapper compound bow if you wish to prepare your archer for action in the field, or, if target shooting is more your style, choose the classic design of the Buggy Bow long bow,” he said.

Says Clark, “The Crosman Trapper is an excellent choice for the beginning archer. With the Trapper, you can “teach basic shooting technique with ease, and, because of the cam system and 65% let off, it works well for all body sizes.” The Trapper easily converts from right to left handed shooting, depending on the shooter, and features an ambidextrous hand grip. It is 25-inches from axle to axle and has a light, 10-pound draw weight.  “It’s perfect for beginners,” says Clark. “The brace height is 7.5 inches and offers forgiveness during the shot. The bow has an adjustable sight, finger and arm guards, and velocities of up to 68 fps. The Trapper comes with three field arrows and a quiver, everything you need to get started,” he said.

“For those who want to teach more classic style archery, choose the Buggy Bow,” says Clark. This youth long bow is suitable for archers of every size and provides all the features needed to learn archery. The Buggy Bow is 45 inches from tip to tip with limbs specially designed for balance and forgiveness. “With a 15-pound draw weight and a 24-inch max draw, this bow allows for years of use before trading up,” Clark said. “The Buggy Bow has an ambidextrous grip for optimum hand placement, arm guard and finger guard. With three wood field arrows and a belt quiver,” says Clark, “This set is ideal for beginning a lifelong love of archery.”

The new Crosman youth archery bows will be available at retail in the spring of 2013. The Trapper has an MSRP of $50 and the Buggy Bow has an MSRP of $32. Crosman Corporation will exhibit the new youth bows with its entire product line at the SHOT Show 2013 in Las Vegas from January 15-18. http://www.mapyourshow.com/shows/index.cfm?Show_ID=shot13&exhid=357216&booth=13940&hall=B Visit booth number 13940.

For additional information on the new Crosman youth archery products, or on any Crosman, Benjamin, CenterPoint, Crosman Archery, or Game Face Airsoft products, visit the company’s Web sites at www.crosman.comwww.centerpointhunting.com,www.gamefaceairsoft.com, or write to Laura Evans, Marketing Coordinator, Crosman Corporation, 7629 Routes 5 & 20, Bloomfield, NY 14469, email her at levans@crosman.com, or call her at (800) 7 – AIRGUN (724-7486).

For up-to-the-minute news from Crosman Corporation, follow us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/crosmancorp) and Facebook (http://facebook.com/crosmancorp).

Read Mia & the Little Gal’s adventures at the Women’s Outdoor News

Prois Hunting for hunting and field apparel for women.

TenPoint Crossbows for “the mark of perfection” in crossbows

Note: Advertisements on this site to not reflect any belief or opinion of Mia Anstine, her sponsors, partners or employers.

Categories: Archery, hunting, kids in the outdoors, kids shooting | Tags: , , , , | 1 Comment

Basics of Handgun Safety e-Book

Did you read my past post “Don’t be afraid, be educated“? If so, you know I feel EVERYONE should be educated in firearm handling whether or not they own one. Here is a great read I found via Kalkomey, educators in safety. What are your thoughts of firearm safety education? Have you taken some courses or read any books?

Kalkomey.comNew E-book Teaches the Basics of Handgun SafetyA new e-book, Today’s Handgun Safety Basics, will help the hundreds of thousands of new firearms owners learn about handgun safety and how to  improve their shooting. This handgun safety e-book features easy-to-understand language and realistic illustrations and is available for download atAmazonBarnes and Noble and the Apple Store.”With so many people buying a handgun for the first time, we felt it was important they have access to basic information about how to safely use and enjoy handguns,” said Kurt Kalkomey, president of Kalkomey Enterprises, Inc. “This book is ideal for new shooters whether they’ve bought a handgun for self protection or to use it for hunting, plinking or target shooting.”

 Today’s Handgun Safety Basics e-book covers the 
following topics:
  • The difference between revolvers and pistols
  • Matching ammunition to the handgun
  • Handgun safety mechanisms
  • How to safely clean, store and transport handguns
  • How to load and unload handguns
  • Basic shooting techniques
 ”Whether or not your state requires safety training, all handgun owners have a responsibility to learn about safe firearms handling,” Kalkomey said. “Handgun education can prevent accidents and save lives.”
Today’s Handgun Safety Basics is an excellent resource for handgun owners and those planning to purchase a handgun or take a class for a concealed-carry permit or license.

 

Handgun e-book cover

Read Mia & the Little Gal’s adventures at the Women’s Outdoor News

Prois Hunting for hunting and field apparel for women.

TenPoint Crossbows for “the mark of perfection” in crossbows

Note: Advertisements on this site to not reflect any belief or opinion of Mia Anstine, her sponsors, partners or employers.

Categories: kids shooting, Personal protection, range safety, shooting safety | Tags: , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mia & the Little Gal: Planning 2013

Women's Outdoor NewsWe’ve been working on some more adventures, but when are we not?! The Little Gal and I had a fantastic 2012 and are looking forward to an even better 2013. You are following our adventures over at the Women’s Outdoor News right?! www.womensoutdoornews.com

What was a favorite adventure we shared with you in 2012? Look below to see if you missed some of our stories. If you have ideas for future fun for us, please leave us a comment!

Mia & the Little Gal: Wrastlin’ a dinosaur and also, the fear of failure

Rex_dinosaurtarget1If you’ve been following us for any time at all, you may know that the Little Gal enjoys activities such as Youth Hunter’s Education Challenge (YHEC). With hunting season pretty much over in Colorado, the kids are getting back into focus for their 2013 season of YHEC. LG is in the local Pathfinder’s Club, and [...]

Mia & the Little Gal: On High Country elk hunting and ‘tag sandwiches’

Mia Anstine and daughter elk huntingQuality time in the outdoors is so rewarding. The Little Gal and I have been working our tails off the past nine days, as well as forming an amazing bond and memories that will never be forgotten. She had a license to hunt a bull elk, so we headed out to public land to find [...]

Mia & the Little Gal: Time for turkey

All smiles. She did all by herself! Photo courtesy of Mia AnstineThis time of year is pretty busy and time with my Little Gal, who is bigger than I am now, is precious. I guided a few special needs clients and had to put my attention toward them, so she had to hunt with someone besides Hank or me. It was her first time with someone [...]

Mia & The Little Gal: Helping a first time shooter

LittleGalFeatureWe shoot quite often and it’s always fun to share shooting with others. I became a shooting instructor because I wanted to properly teach safety, respect and to see the glow on a new shooters face. This summer we had a very special guest and his family come for a visit. He has Spinal Muscular [...]

Mia & The Little Gal: A very special adventure camp

LGShootingLessonsFeatureThe Little Gal and I have been experiencing an amazing, whirlwind of a summer. We hope you have been enjoying yours as well. We already shared some of our summer vacation with you, but summer did not stop there. That was only the beginning. Shortly after we returned home, the Little Gal headed off to basketball [...]

Mia & The Little Gal: Summer vakay the outdoor way

featured_littlegal_boxturtleWhat a summer vacation/make-up spring break! They may have missed their spring break, but this family made up for it later. Mia Anstine describes two cross-country pig hunts and other outdoor adventures that she recently took with the LIttle Gal and Hubby Hank.

Mia & the Little Gal: Bow fishing with an Olympian

mialittlegallannyfeaturedAs many of you know, I am doing my best to raise my Little Gal with a great respect and appreciation of the outdoors, shooting, hunting and the like. Part of this includes me including her in outdoor activities. It also includes pointing her in the direction of great mentors. I have met a number [...]

Mia and the Little Gal: A Hog Hunt to Help Heal ‘Pops’

featured Little Gal_Mia Anstine Benelli Hog copyThe Little Gal and I had big plans for spring hunting this year. We were going on two different spring break hog hunts, a youth turkey hunt and we were going to be doing some good ol’ Oklahoma fishing. These plans unfortunately had to be cancelled, put off and changed. The Little Gal’s grandpa, aka “Pops,” becam [...]

The Little Gal becomes a trapper

Here's the Little Gal after a day out checking traps. She does it all! Photo courtesy of Mia AnstineOn our ranch we used to have a plethora of turkeys, both domestic and wild. The domestic, of course, lived in a coop near the house and the wild ones lived and migrated through a regular pattern on the north end of the ranch. We had multiple unfortunate losses with the domestic turkeys and the [...]

Mia & The Little Gal: Starting the year off with a quack and a ‘bang!’

Mia&thelittlegal(_featured_duckAs we start the New Year I have been sick – sniffling, sneezing and now … coughing. The Little Gal has been helpful (as well as tolerant), but the cold doesn’t seem to go away. Hank and the Little Gal put me to bed before 7 p.m. on New Year ’s Day. I woke up [...]
Categories: Archery, Hog hunting, hunting, kids in the outdoors, kids shooting, range safety, shooting safety, The Little Gal, The WON, Trapping, Turkey, turkey hunting, Women in the outdoors | Tags: , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Recoil – Reducing shooting flinch

In sighting in my Little Gal’s rifle for her elk hunt I noticed she had developed a flinch. She was anticipating the recoil when shooting her rifle. It was significantly decreasing her shooting accuracy. Her shots were all over the target, and some were even missing it entirely. I have tried a couple of teaching techniques to help reduce her flinch. We needed to get a better shot group and hit the “kill zone” on paper.

The Little Gal practicing shooting from sticks.

Shooters feel the recoil as it punches the butt of the rifle into the shoulder. It is most recognizable when shooting from a bench or prone shooting position, and when adrenaline is flowing out in the field, the bad habits can ruin a hunt. A shooter can develop a habit of closing their eyes, pulling or jerking the trigger or even sitting back just as they pull the trigger. These bad habits will cause their shots to be all over the place, and rarely hit the zone where they are aiming.

In working with my Little Gal, I have had her practice shooting with her hunting vest on. It is a Prois Sherpa vest which is soft and plush. It provided a significant amount of shoulder padding. Another thing a shooter can do is purchase a butt pad for their rifle. It will absorb a great amount of the recoil between the gun stock and the shooters shoulder.

The Little Gal wearing her plush, reversible, Prois Sherpa vest.

With the added padding between the rifle and LG’s shoulder, the pain anticipation was reduced. The problem was the bad habit of closing her eyes was still there as was the reflex of sitting back from the gun as the trigger was pulled.

We worked on relaxing as well as some of the following:

  • Breathing techniques – She took a deep breath, slowly exhaled then held it for a pause as she pulled the trigger.
  • Trigger control – We worked on not pulling or jerking her shots. She learned to pull the trigger slow and steady.
  • Shot at larger targets - Instead of aiming for a point on a bulls-eye . I purchased paper targets that were animal shaped. I asked her to try to look and see where the shot was going to hit.
  • Shot from various positions – I had LG shoot from the shooting bench as well as shooting sticks in order to change her mind-set.
  • Created shooting scenarios - I asked her to rehearse the following, ”The elk just walked out. He’s broad-side. You are going to shoot once. Quickly throw the bolt and re-load. The elk didn’t fall down. Quickly acquire your target and shoot again.” Rehearsing this scenario not only helped her for real-life hunting situations, but it took her mind off the recoil and her shot grouping was much better.

With the added confidence of shots that were grouped much better LG began to realize she could overcome her flinch. We also shot a very minimal number of rounds. Generally a maximum of six. She never left the range with a sore shoulder. We are happy to be working on better groupings instead of evading bad habits.

The Little Gal had a better shot grouping after working on reducing flinch.

What techniques do you use to overcome flinch when you are shooting?

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Don’t forget to read about Mia & the Little Gal’s adventures at the Women’s Outdoor News

Visit Prois Hunting for hunting and field apparel for women.

Visit TenPoint Crossbows for “the mark of perfection” in crossbows

Categories: hunting, kids shooting, The Little Gal | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

What to do for Halloween

With thoughts of many who are repairing and recovering today. We want you to know, not everyone is out partying, dancing or collecting candy.

What are you doing for Halloween? Anything fun? What did you dress up as?
At the Anstine Ranch, we’ve been busy hunting, scouting and shooting. Here is what we called “fun” for Halloween!

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Don’t forget to read about Mia & the Little Gal’s adventures at the Women’s Outdoor News

Visit Prois Hunting for hunting and field apparel for women.

Visit TenPoint Crossbows for “the mark of perfection” in crossbows

Categories: firearm safety, kids in the outdoors, kids shooting, range safety, shooting safety, The Little Gal | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment

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