Kate Ahnstrom is a falconer, a bird-hunter, an avid wing-shooter, and an instructor for wing-shooting and sporting clays. She's also an amazing instructor who asks you about you and tailors her shooting lesson to what you have going on -- whether it's your gun-fit, your headspace, or something else. How many of us muddle along in something like bird hunting or wing-shooting without ever receiving instruction? Kate gives us a couple hot tips anyone can put to use.

2:00 Who has a freezer full of rats? #falconers

3:00 Falconry is a major lifestyle undertaking

4:00 Faces looking at you from the freezer 

6:00 Redtail hawks have a very low recruitment rate in the wild

8:00 Obtaining a bird for falconry; trapping falcons vs hawks

11:00 Raptor poop details: muting vs slicing

12:30 Goshawks

15:00 The "Winged Wisdom" podcast. Listen here!

16:00 Virginia Shooting Sports - a school for sporting clays and wing shooting

18:00 Demographics of sport shooting: it errs on the side of older, white, men…

22:00 When 20-somethings tell you, "You need to up your social media game"

24:00 The meandering path of an outdoorswoman, then... CLAYS! 

26:00 "I could not eat, breathe, and just sleep enough about clays and wing-shooting."

28:00 From clays only to live animals... it's a huge transition

31:00 Becoming an instructor/teacher of the things you love; Being a leader and a sharer

37:00 Three hot tips: 1) Stop looking at the gun, 2) Stop looking at your muzzle so much, and 3) Know what the bird is doing in front of you

38:00 "One inch of movement with two foot of steel at the end of your nose equates to an 8-foot swing out at 30 yards." (Translate: Birds can't outrun you... but they can best you.)

39:00 Gun fit and patterning... it matters 

42:00 Being "cross-dominant" is to have a dominant eye that's different from your dominant hand... and, the fix

48:00 Ashley's shooting book rec: "Core Archery: Shooting with Proper Back Tension" by Larry Wise

50:00 You're never too experienced to benefit from a class with a great instructor

52:00 Find a Paragon instructor near you at ParagonSchool.com

56:00 #havegunswilltravel

57:00 VirginiaShootingSports.com, also on Facebook @VirginiaShootingSports and Instagram @vashootingsports

59:00 Why have 1-2 bird dogs when you could have 5-6?

1:01 Chukar problems

1:02 July 14, 16, and 19 - Artemis Advocacy Training: Register here!

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