I had a great converasation with a professional guide the other day. He shared all kinds of interesting stories about successful hunts he guided, and some not so successful.

I was amazed at the number of stories he told about hunters who missed elk and mulies because they didn't know what their gun was doing. I can't imagine spending the kind of money that a guided elk hunt costs and not knowing exactly where my gun was shooting. Some guys even had to pass up on shots that their rifle could easily handle because they hadn't practiced shooting at long ranges.

Every hunter should get a ballistics chart and study it. They are a great tool that can make you a much more skilled marksman, and more confident hunter. I downloaded an online version called Remington Shoot. It allows me to select my caliber, bullet type and grain, change atmospheric conditions, and type of game I'll be hunting. It then optimizes my load for me by telling me where to sight in at 100 yards, and it will calculate the 'point blank range' for me. That is, it will tell me at what ranges I can hold dead on and still hit the vitals of the game I'm hunting.

It's an extremely helpful tool. I print out the charts that it generates and study them. I even take them hunting with me in my pack. If a deer is 300 yards away, you'll probably have time to pull out the table and see where you need to hold if you can't remember. You'll be glad you did when you are putting your tag on your trophy and bragging about the shot you made back at camp.