MASTER THE FUNDAMENTALS
I have an allergic reaction to people who tell you to squeeze the trigger gently so that you don't know when it's going to go off. That may be great advice for a novice learning to punch holes in paper targets, but it's poor guidance for field shooting.

In the opinions of the best hunters I know, a prerequisite for accurate field shooting is knowing exactly when your trigger is going to go off. You can't do that with a lousy trigger, so either buy a rifle with good adjustable trigger or install a premium aftermarket trigger, such as a Timney.

The next trick is setting the trigger let-off where you need it for hunting. Setting it at 2 1/2 pounds is about right for me. On a big-game hunting rifle, anything less can be dangerous. Anything more can be a hindrance.

Once you have the trigger set where you like it, get lots of practice -- including a good amount of dry firing. Your goal is simple: to train your eyes, brain and trigger finger to make the gun fire at the precise moment when the cross hairs are where they should be. Dry firing can also help you overcome flinching.

Speaking of fundamentals, few things are more fundamental than breathing. I don't know about you, but if I've just sprinted up a mountain, I can't hit a proverbial bull in his posterior with a baseball bat. Always try to get your breathing under control before taking a shot. If you're winded and think you may be close to having to shoot, slow down and take several deep breaths -- hyperventilate, essentially -- to calm down before you reach the shoot/don't-shoot decision point.

At the range, and in dry firing, practice proper breathing technique with each shot until it becomes second nature. Once you've acquired a sight picture, take a deep breath, slowly let part of it out, and hold the rest to take the shot. Don't hold it too long, or muscle tremors will ruin your hold. Better to start over than push things from bad to worse.

Practice until proper breathing happens subconsciously. PRACTICE LIKE YOU HUNT
Unless you tote a shooting bench along on your hunts, practice shooting from standing, kneeling, sitting and prone positions, just as you may have to do in the field. Practice shooting with a sling for greater stability.

Not every opportunity results from a classic spot-and-stalk, set-up-the-shooting-sticks scenario. In the misnamed tactic called "still-hunting" -- in which we theoretically slink invisibly through the cover like Daniel Boone's ghost -- shots often happen quickly, close and unexpectedly.

Although it was a wild boar and not a deer, the last big-game animal I shot -- just days before filing this story -- provides a handy illustration. I jumped the bedded hog unexpectedly while working a brushy canyon. As the hog attempted to exit stage right, I had only a couple of seconds to decide and shoot, offhand, at the quartering-away animal before it disappeared for good.

What would you do? In this case, I had no time to take a rest, no time to kneel -- no time to do anything but click off the safety, swing and shoot. I did precisely that, and anchored the hog with a textbook quartering-away shot.

I was successful for several reasons. First, I practice offhand shooting. Second, I had cranked my scope down to its lowest setting in anticipation of a close shot.