As our hunting season starts to unwind, I find myself looking for things to do to beat the Cabin Fever. If small game is in, I usually find myself trudging through the brush in quest of rabbits, grouse, and squirrels. A few weeks ago I had the chance to hunt in Bradford county PA for small game.

With the sounds of barking beagles, and my 12 gauge in hand, we headed into the brush. A fresh coating of snow, and  a blue bird sky made for some great conditions. The first rabbit out for me was an easy 10 yard running shot.  After that the rabbits were a little tuffer for us to hit. The rabbits caught on quick, and made some shifty moves on our 4 beagles. Minutes after I shot the rabbit, a grouse flew up, and I delivered a round of 8 shot into the air. A direct connect.

Untill it was all said and done we manged to bag 7 rabbits 1 grouse and 1 squirrel. I just so happened to shoot the grouse and squirrel,  completing the Bradford  county grandslam.  One thing I will remember from this trip, was the friendships I made with the guys in camp. This was the first time, I had met the boys from Spring lake and look forward in returning real soon.

As an added bonus I did some ice fishing on spring lake. I was unsuccessful in catching a fish, but because of my Medalist I was able to keep warm on the ice. Indeed the Medalist base layers, kept my body temp regulated while doing all the walking during our small game hunt.

One of the highlights of the trip for me, was a visit from a near by Screech Owl. He sat on a branch outside the cabin giving me the chance to get some great photos, as well as video.

If you’re looking to beat cabin fever, I encourage you to go small game hunting, and if the ice is safe, try ice fishing. Remember to wear your Medalist, I feel like under the conditions, no other clothing will keep you warm, and dry like Medalist does.

www.innerloc.com/tv Corey Brossman

I am getting ready for two National Championships that will be done back to back in Tulsa, OK (Sept. 6-13)The sport is IPSC which is the International Practical Shooting Confederation. The United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) is the US organization of IPSC. (www.uspsa.org)

IPSC is a sport that represents a blend of speed, accuracy and power and has its roots in combat pistolcraft. It is practiced in over 70 countries and has become one of the dominant firearms sports in the world. There are now competitions that involve rifles, shotguns and handguns and are known as multi-gun events.

I consider myself a martial artist and I truly enjoy training in the martial arts. Firearms is one distinct branch of martial arts that I have specialized in. The blending of firearms and other weapons into martial arts training for self defense or law enforcement/military use is part of what I do. We also do courses that are geared towards hunting/long range shooting, competition and just pure fun. I will be going on some hunts later on this year and using some new guns and gear during them.

What great about shooting is that you can do it as you get older and your body gets a bit beat up. You can remain competitive much longer and you can shoot with your friends, regardless of individual skill or ability.

Practical Shooting encompasses the total use of firearms, whether for self defense, law enforcement/military use, hunting or sport. The principles of shooting are universal. The principles of performance are as well. Applying them to a specific mission/task is where things become more involved.

As we move forward with this blog I will try to address specific topics of interest. Please be aware that I will not be addressing issues or items that I would consider proprietary information or specific to law enforcement/military tactical use and not for public dissemination.

However, there are literally millions of topics and ideas to talk about here that will be sure to increase your knowledge and enthusiasm for shooting. Anyone can be a better shooter if they are willing to put in the time and get proper training. It is also a LOT of fun!

We’ll see you all soon! Get those comments and questions coming my way so I know what you are interested in! Thanks!

Ron Avery