Developing the Single-Shot Mentality
By Glen Wunderlich
Many years ago, while in the third grade, my father decided I was going to play the violin. I never showed any interest in music, but because he had played it, so would I. At least I went through the motions during music class and even private lessons.
I recall being in my bedroom – probably in the first week of my short musical career – and sawing on those strings as fast as I could. The sound emanating from the instrument resembled a combination of fingernails on the blackboard and that of a cat when its tail is stepped on. Even I couldn’t stand it; it was obnoxious noise, pure and simple.
Similarly, during firearms deer season, it’s inevitable that some hunter with a case of buck fever, will flail away at a running deer until the gun runs dry. My instinct is that such hunters are as skilled as this young violinist once was with the same result: nothing but noise.
A simple solution to eliminating the fruitless, knee-jerk, firepower response is to develop the single-shot mentality. My epiphany took place some 40 years ago, while afield with a single-shot pistol hunting squirrels. An unsuspecting fox squirrel scampered across the trail no more than 50 feet in front of me and all I could do was smile.
Much like the violin, good shooting techniques must be developed. Having a magazine stacked to capacity won’t do it, either. In fact, it may lead to the very nature of missing by relying on backup shots. Read more