2014 LRH Shooting Class with Non-Typical Outfitters –Review
By Andy Backus
This past August, my dad Len Backus and I, along with Robb Wiley of Non-Typical Outfitters, offered our first long range hunting and shooting class in the mountains of Western Wyoming. The idea for the class was hatched during the many hours Len and Robb spent together hunting mule deer, elk and bear in Robb's outfitting area, which is one of the very best in the entire state of Wyoming. Before each hunt Robb was in the habit of spending an hour or two giving some instruction to all the hunters in camp on shooting in the uneven terrain of the mountains. Over the years Robb has seen countless situations where very experienced hunters and shooters came out to the mountains on a hunt of a lifetime only to crumble under pressure when a trophy animal presented itself and a quick setup and shot was needed on uneven terrain. The hunters did not have the skills and practice necessary to set up comfortably and confidently and make the shot. Since Robb began giving the limited training before each hunt he has seen his hunters' success rates increase dramatically. I saw it firsthand this past October on our LRH Group Elk Hunt when several of our hunters used techniques Robb taught to kill their bulls. They had never tried anything like those techniques prior to that little bit of training.
Robb is a very experienced long range shooter and hunter himself and especially loves hunting coyotes and wolves to help control their effects on the game numbers in Wyoming. He has killed thousands of predators over his 20 plus years guiding and hunting in the mountains. He has also personally killed some unbelievable trophy big game animals and works with some of the top Special Forces Units in the country on mountain shooting techniques. He is a true mountain man with an infectious positive attitude and outstanding personality.
Len has been an avid hunter for over 50 years and began long range hunting in the 1990's. With all the experience he has gained over the years, he is a wealth of knowledge on all things long range. Robb found himself constantly picking Len's brain on their hunts together and learning much more in a short time than he could have during years of reading and watching long range hunting videos. They realized that together they could offer a very unique shooting class experience and began planning for last August's inaugural class.
Our LRH Shooting Classes take place in one of Non-Typical Outfitters high camps in some of the most beautiful mountains you will ever see. The stunning scenery alone is almost worth the price of admission. Although camp is deep in the mountains, it is easily accessed by car with about an hour of driving off the pavement on forest service roads. Camp consists of comfortable canvas wall tents with wood floors, comfortable cots with thick mattresses and even a hot shower. A generator provides lighting at night and allows us to charge any batteries. A large mess tent is used as a classroom when we aren't training outside. All meals are provided by an outstanding on-site cook and horses are used to access some unique high-country shooting areas. If you have a future western hunt planned and want to get a feel for what it will be like or just love spending time in the mountains like I do, this camp is the true western mountain experience.
Class began on a Friday morning in early August and ran through Sunday. Some of the students arrived Thursday night while others arrived early Friday morning. We began with a classroom session where we got to know each other and found out the experience level of each student and what some of their goals were along with what rifle, optics, ammunition and equipment they had brought so that we could custom tailor the class to them. Then we presented information about rifle accuracy, optics, calibers, environmentals such as wind, temperature and air density, cant errors, angled shots and many other topics related to effective shooting at extended range. We then moved a few hundred yards from camp to a semi-permanent, super-solid shooting bench where each student's zero was verified at 100 and 200 yards. A fourth instructor named Jared was brought in at this time. Jared recently retired from the military where he served as a sniper trainer/instructor and now he is an apprentice guide for Non-Typical Outfitters and instructor for our classes. We then worked up dope for those who did not already have it and began to verify out to 500 yards on various steel targets spread across the mountainside across from us. It was lots of fun for the guys to be banging steel out that far by the afternoon of the first day of class! I should also mention that Robb invited several of his other hunting guides to join the class to learn as much as they could and also to help the students. Robb's guides are as good as hunting guides get in terms of experience and attitude and they were a big help in teaching the class.
By Andy Backus
This past August, my dad Len Backus and I, along with Robb Wiley of Non-Typical Outfitters, offered our first long range hunting and shooting class in the mountains of Western Wyoming. The idea for the class was hatched during the many hours Len and Robb spent together hunting mule deer, elk and bear in Robb's outfitting area, which is one of the very best in the entire state of Wyoming. Before each hunt Robb was in the habit of spending an hour or two giving some instruction to all the hunters in camp on shooting in the uneven terrain of the mountains. Over the years Robb has seen countless situations where very experienced hunters and shooters came out to the mountains on a hunt of a lifetime only to crumble under pressure when a trophy animal presented itself and a quick setup and shot was needed on uneven terrain. The hunters did not have the skills and practice necessary to set up comfortably and confidently and make the shot. Since Robb began giving the limited training before each hunt he has seen his hunters' success rates increase dramatically. I saw it firsthand this past October on our LRH Group Elk Hunt when several of our hunters used techniques Robb taught to kill their bulls. They had never tried anything like those techniques prior to that little bit of training.
Robb is a very experienced long range shooter and hunter himself and especially loves hunting coyotes and wolves to help control their effects on the game numbers in Wyoming. He has killed thousands of predators over his 20 plus years guiding and hunting in the mountains. He has also personally killed some unbelievable trophy big game animals and works with some of the top Special Forces Units in the country on mountain shooting techniques. He is a true mountain man with an infectious positive attitude and outstanding personality.
Len has been an avid hunter for over 50 years and began long range hunting in the 1990's. With all the experience he has gained over the years, he is a wealth of knowledge on all things long range. Robb found himself constantly picking Len's brain on their hunts together and learning much more in a short time than he could have during years of reading and watching long range hunting videos. They realized that together they could offer a very unique shooting class experience and began planning for last August's inaugural class.
Our LRH Shooting Classes take place in one of Non-Typical Outfitters high camps in some of the most beautiful mountains you will ever see. The stunning scenery alone is almost worth the price of admission. Although camp is deep in the mountains, it is easily accessed by car with about an hour of driving off the pavement on forest service roads. Camp consists of comfortable canvas wall tents with wood floors, comfortable cots with thick mattresses and even a hot shower. A generator provides lighting at night and allows us to charge any batteries. A large mess tent is used as a classroom when we aren't training outside. All meals are provided by an outstanding on-site cook and horses are used to access some unique high-country shooting areas. If you have a future western hunt planned and want to get a feel for what it will be like or just love spending time in the mountains like I do, this camp is the true western mountain experience.
Class began on a Friday morning in early August and ran through Sunday. Some of the students arrived Thursday night while others arrived early Friday morning. We began with a classroom session where we got to know each other and found out the experience level of each student and what some of their goals were along with what rifle, optics, ammunition and equipment they had brought so that we could custom tailor the class to them. Then we presented information about rifle accuracy, optics, calibers, environmentals such as wind, temperature and air density, cant errors, angled shots and many other topics related to effective shooting at extended range. We then moved a few hundred yards from camp to a semi-permanent, super-solid shooting bench where each student's zero was verified at 100 and 200 yards. A fourth instructor named Jared was brought in at this time. Jared recently retired from the military where he served as a sniper trainer/instructor and now he is an apprentice guide for Non-Typical Outfitters and instructor for our classes. We then worked up dope for those who did not already have it and began to verify out to 500 yards on various steel targets spread across the mountainside across from us. It was lots of fun for the guys to be banging steel out that far by the afternoon of the first day of class! I should also mention that Robb invited several of his other hunting guides to join the class to learn as much as they could and also to help the students. Robb's guides are as good as hunting guides get in terms of experience and attitude and they were a big help in teaching the class.
2014 LRH Shooting Class with Non-Typical Outfitters-Review
Because of the relatively large number of instructors, we were able to move some students to the next phase while others remained at the bench to continue working on their dope and getting their guns dialed in at these longer ranges. For the next phase we moved several hundred yards along a side-hill and Robb began teaching the meat of our course which is how to create improvised rests on uneven terrain that allow a hunter to shoot confidently at extended range. This first afternoon's training was similar to the training Robb gives his hunters before actual hunts. It focuses on using your gear to create a solid rear rest and then building up a front rest using shooting sticks, trees, rocks, tripods and other items while seated or lying back into the hill and shooting across the valley. For the average Midwestern, Eastern or Southern hunter this is a very foreign concept and takes a fair amount of trial and error to start feeling comfortable. Several students at a time worked on their positions while one shooter engaged steel as close as 200 yards and as far as 500. We rotated through shooters and everyone got a chance to send quite a few rounds across the valley. This was an exciting end to day one as the students' confidence level grew quickly.
At dinner the first evening, we got a chance to get to know each other better and talk about past and future hunts. One of the students, Terry, had been working overseas for several years in the oil industry and had an extended break in the states. He would be leaving three weeks later for the hunt of his life in Alaska for sheep, grizzly bear and moose. Unfortunately he had not found the time to get himself in the type of shape he wanted for the upcoming hunt and we encouraged him to take advantage of his time in the mountains and get after it. The next morning he climbed the mountain across from camp and painted the steel targets before breakfast and that was his job the rest of the weekend.
Publisher's Note: Within hours of publishing the article we received this from Terry.
"Len, I took the sheep w/ .308 Kimber mounted with the Huskemaw scope (I bought from you) at 315 yds… through wind/fog & rain while the sheep was bedded… It was beautiful… you could see him stand up…. and then his white coat turned red right on the shoulder and he dropped back down !
I took the Moose with the .300 Win Mag used at the school… 376 yds. and he fell like an imploded building… dead on the money shot… He never took a step or even finished his breath … he flat out'.
I did have a shot at a grizzly and hit him twice on the run but we never recovered him… It was a different situation than setting up and making a calculated shot … a lot faster and more adrenalizing that for sure… I would say as far as the bear goes… next time I would try to get either closer… or to an elevated vantage point…
Long story short it was the best trip of my life and I definitely give some of the credit to the few days I spent in Wyoming. - Terry -
Day two's instruction began near camp where Jared, the former military instructor, taught a session on the fundamentals of unsupported shooting techniques in standing, kneeling and seated positions. I must admit that I learned a lot from this session. It was fun to bang steel at 100 and 200 yards from these positions with my new training. Robb and his guides pointed out that although longer shots are common when hunting in the mountains, there are also many times when close shots present themselves where there is no time to set up a solid rest. They have seen many hunters blow these shots because they simply never practice them.
Next we mounted the horses and took a beautiful ride higher up into the mountains, stopping at an area where Robb led us through the timber and showed us how to stalk into a good shooting position and pick a clear shooting lane, then create a solid rest using our gear and deadfall trees to make a steep downhill shot on steel at about 400 yards. This really felt like a true hunting situation and got the nerves going a bit. I think some of the students realized just how much practice they could use prior to their next western hunt after this exercise.
We relocated to several different areas throughout the day and we put the students in many unusual and uncomfortable situations, teaching them how to create a solid rest in everything from matchsticks of deadfall to boulder fields to thick brush. We worked on uphill, downhill and sidehill positions with uphill and downhill shots. There began to grow a sense of teamwork as we cheered each other on and worked in shooter-spotter teams.
At dinner the first evening, we got a chance to get to know each other better and talk about past and future hunts. One of the students, Terry, had been working overseas for several years in the oil industry and had an extended break in the states. He would be leaving three weeks later for the hunt of his life in Alaska for sheep, grizzly bear and moose. Unfortunately he had not found the time to get himself in the type of shape he wanted for the upcoming hunt and we encouraged him to take advantage of his time in the mountains and get after it. The next morning he climbed the mountain across from camp and painted the steel targets before breakfast and that was his job the rest of the weekend.
Publisher's Note: Within hours of publishing the article we received this from Terry.
"Len, I took the sheep w/ .308 Kimber mounted with the Huskemaw scope (I bought from you) at 315 yds… through wind/fog & rain while the sheep was bedded… It was beautiful… you could see him stand up…. and then his white coat turned red right on the shoulder and he dropped back down !
I took the Moose with the .300 Win Mag used at the school… 376 yds. and he fell like an imploded building… dead on the money shot… He never took a step or even finished his breath … he flat out'.
I did have a shot at a grizzly and hit him twice on the run but we never recovered him… It was a different situation than setting up and making a calculated shot … a lot faster and more adrenalizing that for sure… I would say as far as the bear goes… next time I would try to get either closer… or to an elevated vantage point…
Long story short it was the best trip of my life and I definitely give some of the credit to the few days I spent in Wyoming. - Terry -
Day two's instruction began near camp where Jared, the former military instructor, taught a session on the fundamentals of unsupported shooting techniques in standing, kneeling and seated positions. I must admit that I learned a lot from this session. It was fun to bang steel at 100 and 200 yards from these positions with my new training. Robb and his guides pointed out that although longer shots are common when hunting in the mountains, there are also many times when close shots present themselves where there is no time to set up a solid rest. They have seen many hunters blow these shots because they simply never practice them.
Next we mounted the horses and took a beautiful ride higher up into the mountains, stopping at an area where Robb led us through the timber and showed us how to stalk into a good shooting position and pick a clear shooting lane, then create a solid rest using our gear and deadfall trees to make a steep downhill shot on steel at about 400 yards. This really felt like a true hunting situation and got the nerves going a bit. I think some of the students realized just how much practice they could use prior to their next western hunt after this exercise.
We relocated to several different areas throughout the day and we put the students in many unusual and uncomfortable situations, teaching them how to create a solid rest in everything from matchsticks of deadfall to boulder fields to thick brush. We worked on uphill, downhill and sidehill positions with uphill and downhill shots. There began to grow a sense of teamwork as we cheered each other on and worked in shooter-spotter teams.
2014 LRH Shooting Class with Non-Typical Outfitters-Review
Day two was a great day shooting in the mountains and it ended with one of the most fun things a person can ever do with a rifle. Near camp we had set up a zip-line with a steel coyote target attached and took turns in 2-man shooter teams working on a simulated running shot at 100 yards. The competition was fierce and lots of hooting and hollering went on, but let me tell you that the coyote probably had the last laugh as this proved to be extremely difficult and the hits were few and far between. Again a lesson in the need for practicing every type of shot one may encounter while hunting. When we played the game again on day three we did much better. I personally wish I could shoot the coyote zip-line every day, it's that much fun!
On day three we again rode up into the beautiful mountains. The rides were never extremely long or difficult, just the right length to feel a bit of adventure and excitement. We spent much of the morning in the boulder fields working on uphill cross-canyon shots to the left and to the right creating the appropriate support in the rocks. Robb said the goal was for the students to be able to set themselves up quickly, because rarely do the really big trophy animals stand in one spot very long. In fact, they often only show for brief moments before and after dark. He taught the students how to pack their backpacks such that they can use their gear most effectively to quickly create the necessary support.
After the boulder fields we worked our way on horseback to the top of the mountain, where we spent the rest of the day stretching shots out from 700 yards to over 1000 yards from the prone position. Len taught about proper prone position, bipod loading, trigger control, reading the wind and the effects of canting the rifle at these longer ranges along with the proper shooter-spotter communication techniques and how to adjust for misses. The winds were constantly changing, so the students got a chance to experience firsthand how much effect the wind can have on long cross-canyon shots. The students also had the option to shoot our Long Range Rifles, LLC rifles at these long ranges and they were really blown away by their accuracy!
The day ended the same as the day before with a fun-filled round of "running" coyote target shooting followed by a great dinner and chatting around the fire.
All-in-all I believe our first LRH Shooting Class with Non-Typical Outfitters was a huge success. Our students learned a ton of new techniques that are invaluable in the mountains but also are useful in any type of uneven terrain. They also learned or improved upon their long range shooting skills and knowledge and will be much better prepared for future hunts. I believe the unique aspect of our class is that it focuses on real-world hunting scenarios first and foremost. We try to get our students into the mindset that they will be ready and able to handle any situation that presents itself while hunting. On the first day of class if we had said, "There's a monster buck over there, you have 30 seconds. Pick your spot, get set up and take the shot", every one of them would have floundered. By the end of the class they had the foundation and the confidence needed to do what had to be done to make that shot of a lifetime. And most importantly they left knowing exactly what skills they needed to practice, practice, practice in the future to be truly ready for that moment.
We will be offering more class sessions for the summer of 2015 beginning in early August. If you feel you could use some real-world hunting training at both long and short range and you love spending time in the beautiful mountains of Wyoming, email Len for more information.
Andy Backus is a husband and father of two little girls. He grew up hunting whitetail deer in Wisconsin with gun and bow and over the years has been fortunate to hunt and explore most of the Western US states and Alaska. He plays soccer to stay in shape and also enjoys most other sports and outdoor activities. Andy is the Field Editor for Long Range Hunting Online Magazine and also manages the Long Range Hunting Store.
On day three we again rode up into the beautiful mountains. The rides were never extremely long or difficult, just the right length to feel a bit of adventure and excitement. We spent much of the morning in the boulder fields working on uphill cross-canyon shots to the left and to the right creating the appropriate support in the rocks. Robb said the goal was for the students to be able to set themselves up quickly, because rarely do the really big trophy animals stand in one spot very long. In fact, they often only show for brief moments before and after dark. He taught the students how to pack their backpacks such that they can use their gear most effectively to quickly create the necessary support.
After the boulder fields we worked our way on horseback to the top of the mountain, where we spent the rest of the day stretching shots out from 700 yards to over 1000 yards from the prone position. Len taught about proper prone position, bipod loading, trigger control, reading the wind and the effects of canting the rifle at these longer ranges along with the proper shooter-spotter communication techniques and how to adjust for misses. The winds were constantly changing, so the students got a chance to experience firsthand how much effect the wind can have on long cross-canyon shots. The students also had the option to shoot our Long Range Rifles, LLC rifles at these long ranges and they were really blown away by their accuracy!
The day ended the same as the day before with a fun-filled round of "running" coyote target shooting followed by a great dinner and chatting around the fire.
All-in-all I believe our first LRH Shooting Class with Non-Typical Outfitters was a huge success. Our students learned a ton of new techniques that are invaluable in the mountains but also are useful in any type of uneven terrain. They also learned or improved upon their long range shooting skills and knowledge and will be much better prepared for future hunts. I believe the unique aspect of our class is that it focuses on real-world hunting scenarios first and foremost. We try to get our students into the mindset that they will be ready and able to handle any situation that presents itself while hunting. On the first day of class if we had said, "There's a monster buck over there, you have 30 seconds. Pick your spot, get set up and take the shot", every one of them would have floundered. By the end of the class they had the foundation and the confidence needed to do what had to be done to make that shot of a lifetime. And most importantly they left knowing exactly what skills they needed to practice, practice, practice in the future to be truly ready for that moment.
We will be offering more class sessions for the summer of 2015 beginning in early August. If you feel you could use some real-world hunting training at both long and short range and you love spending time in the beautiful mountains of Wyoming, email Len for more information.
Andy Backus is a husband and father of two little girls. He grew up hunting whitetail deer in Wisconsin with gun and bow and over the years has been fortunate to hunt and explore most of the Western US states and Alaska. He plays soccer to stay in shape and also enjoys most other sports and outdoor activities. Andy is the Field Editor for Long Range Hunting Online Magazine and also manages the Long Range Hunting Store.
