The versatile rifleman practices the four shooting positions - prone, sitting, kneeling and standing - to be ready for any shot he's presented. All of these positions will be steadier if you take advantage of a sling.

7. CHOOSE THE RIGHT BULLET
Never forget it's the bullet that does the work. Today's bullets are better than ever, but rifles are finicky creatures, and some have strong likes and dislikes regarding bullets and loads. You may have to make a compromise between the bullet you really want to use and the bullet that shoots the best in your rifle.

You want adequate accuracy, but on game you also want the right performance. Larger game requires a tough bullet that will penetrate. On deer-size game, you want more expansion. This means that the "super-premium" bullets, which are usually tough, controlled-expansion designs, may not always be the best choice for deer. Use your head, and spend enough time on the range to be sure that your chosen load delivers enough accuracy for the game and country you plan to hunt.

8. CHECK THE ZERO
If you travel a significant distance, you should always check your zero before you start hunting. It doesn't matter whether you travel by plane, train or truck. None should affect the zero of a well-mounted scope, but things happen. It is good insurance to check one last time. This is especially essential if you make a significant change in elevation.

On lengthy hunts, it is also a good policy to check your zero every few days. Carrying a rifle in rough country can be hard on it; horseback hunts are even tougher, and banging around in a truck is possibly toughest of all. While it is unlikely that the rifle has gone out of zero, it's always best to be sure.

Just recently, after nine days of tough hunting, we finally found the bighorn ram we were looking for. He was a long distance away, so before starting the stalk I took a rest and fired one shot at a rock. The rifle was fine, as I'd expected it to be, but it was worth the cartridge to know. Along the same lines, if you miss a shot that you don't think you should have missed, check the rifle immediately. Chances are it was you - and that's okay - but you have to know. Otherwise, your confidence will be shaken even worse when you get another chance.

9. GOOD ENOUGH
Obviously you want the best shot you can get, but there is a fine line between waiting for a better shot and dawdling away an opportunity. The perfect broadside presentation is rare. You certainly don't want to take a going-away shot on an unwounded animal, and straight-on shots are almost as tricky, but you may have to accept some degree of quartering angle. And while it's preferable to avoid shooting through brush, sometimes it's unavoidable. In short, if you wait too long for the perfect shot the animal can simply walk out of your life.

Two seasons ago, Jim Davis and I got the drop on two Tule elk bulls down in a little ravine about 125 yards below us. The wind was strongly in our faces and the elk were facing away, completely unaware. I had the shot, but I didn't want to shoot down through the backstraps. I rested the rifle over my pack and waited. The smaller of the two bulls took a couple of steps, then laid down. Oops. The bull I wanted would almost surely do the same, so a perfectly acceptable shot was quickly going to get worse.

My bull took about three steps forward, then started to turn to the left, probably preparing to bed. As soon as he turned enough to give me a quartering shot, I fired. The bull walked about 10 steps and fell over.

This principle also applies to closing the range. The old adage of "get as close as you can, then get 10 yards closer" is a good one - but only to a point. I would much rather shoot a bit farther from a steady rest at an undisturbed animal than run the risk of bumping it.

10. DON'T GET FANCY
I recommend avoiding head, neck and spine shots like the plague. There's little margin for error and a great likelihood of a wounded and lost animal if you don't do them just right. I believe in the good ol' heart/lung shot. The target area is the largest and most forgiving, and a good bullet placed in this area will be quickly fatal. This area is also the easiest to visualize when the animal is quartering one way or the other.

11. DON'T ADMIRE THE SHOT
African professional hunter Willem van Dyk once told me that most of his American clients were pretty good marksmen, but they had a bad habit of "admiring their shots." What he meant was that, after firing at game, Americans would often watch to see what happened rather than prepare for a second shot. That's a huge mistake because the second shot could well be as important as the first - maybe more so if the first one wasn't a clean miss.

Sooner or later, a hunter will screw up his first shot. When this happens, the only thing between you and a long tracking job - and maybe a lost animal - is quick work with the second shot. I'm not advocating filling a heart- or lung-shot animal full of more holes. There's a fine line between letting the first well-placed bullet do its work and making the horrible mistake of not shooting again when it's necessary.

When the gun goes off, you should know exactly what the sight picture looked like at that moment. Developing this skill can mean the difference between a quick kill and a long tracking job.

On large and tough game there should be no hesitation whatsoever. If the animal is still standing, shoot again. If he's down, keep your rifle on him for a time, then approach with caution and keep your approach as clear as possible so you can shoot again if he starts to get up. On dangerous game, always fire the insurance shot and approach carefully from the rear. On medium-size, non-dangerous game, reload immediately and be ready. If you have the slightest doubt about that first shot, shoot again.

12. CALL YOUR SHOT
One mark of a truly skilled rifleman is that he knows exactly where his bullet went. He knows whether it went high, low, was too far back or was a perfect heart/lung shot. Determining where the shot went--and being able to admit it to yourself instantly--helps determine whether it's necessary to shoot again.

There are other good reasons for learning to call your shots. When you mess up, the only way to avoid the same mistake is to know exactly what you did wrong. If you don't know precisely where the sight or crosshair was when the trigger broke, then you weren't as steady as you should have been. Period.

You cannot learn to call your shots while firing at a deer or two every fall. It's a matter of lots and lots of practice from all positions. Following through is a necessity for the rifleman; you must concentrate on the target and keep the rifle under control - as well as you can - when it goes off. If you're handling your trigger right, the report and the jolt of recoil may come as somewhat of a surprise, but you should know exactly what the sight picture looked like when this occurred. Until you develop this skill, you won't be able to improve your shooting.

Shooting at game is not a perfect science, but if you've practiced diligently and paid attention to these simple tips, you can usually make the shot. All of us will miss, and misses are okay. Try to learn from it - and try very hard not to make a habit of doing it.