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SOMETIMES the prob- lem is right before your eyes; other times, it might be your eyes.

A week into early muzzle-loader season, I had taken a doe at close range, and then managed to miss two bucks, one a 40-yard chip shot from a climbing treestand.

"This doggone gun must be losing its stuff," I thought.

A couple of weeks earlier, I struggled trying to re-zero the muzzleloader for a new 300-grain saboted projectile. Shot groups weren't tight at all.

I wondered if the Pyrodex propellant had too much age on it or if years of cleaning the bore with a ramrod tipped with bronze jags and pieces of cut flannel had damaged the muzzle crown enough to impair accuracy.

Of course, I first questioned the gun, missing the obvious clue that everything suddenly looked better downrange when I inadvertently looked through the Nikon Monarch scope with my reading glasses.

After missing the chip shot, I called for independent analysis to figure out if it was the gun, my eyes, or both. Longtime friend, expert hunter and shooting aficionado Thomas Burke of Woodford helped me diagnose the problem Sunday.

The "doctor" first examined the equipment. All the scope's rings and bases were tight.

"These Monarchs are good scopes," Burke said, "My guess is it's your eyes. We probably need to readjust the scope for your changing eyesight."

Now the scope and my eyes worked perfectly together when it was new. Heck, this scoped gun and I had taken mule deer at more than 200 yards distant when we were younger. Years ticked off and Lasik eye surgery improved my vision at a distance, but increased my dependence on reading glasses for things close in, including, obviously, scope reticles.

Burke loosened the adjustable eyepiece and told me to look through the scope toward the tops of some oak trees 100 yards away. The slender branches at the very top looked a little fuzzy, but that was what I was used to seeing.

As he began turning the eyepiece, he told me to pick out the finest twigs at the treetops and to let him know if they started looking sharper. After a couple of full revolutions, a miraculous transformation began taking place and the fuzzy branches sharpened into crisp, clear twigs. The reticle became similarly sharp.

The first test shots that followed grouped about 7 inches high and left.

"Yep, that could result in a missed deer," Burke said.

Sets of adjustments later, the gun was drilling a 1-inch group into the bull's-eye. I apologized to the gun and the scope and thanked Burke.

Anyone else moving through various stages of reading glasses and noticing problems with their shot groups could likely benefit by having a quality scope with a one-piece tube, excellent glass and superb low light capabilities. Good scopes can help you pick out antler definition in the waning light of legal shooting hours.

You can bet, though, an annual check of just how crisp things appear in all my optics will be part of future hunting season preparation.

SHOOTING STICKS

A visit with Thomas Burke invariably results in an "aha" moment where he shares some innovation or idea.

Hunters have always known having a rifle rest helps with accuracy. Many cheaper ladder treestands don't come equipped with a rest. Plenty of commercial shooting sticks or rests are available, but Burke showed me what he takes to the ladder stands on his hunt club property.

Two dowel rods, of an inch in diameter and cut about 3 feet long, were simply joined by a couple of heavy rubber bands a few inches from one end.

"Just spread them apart and you've got a set of lightweight, 39 cents shooting sticks," Burke said.

DISABLED HUNTER SQUIRREL EVENT

Andy Hahn is a longtime editor for Sport Fishing magazine. He is also disabled by ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease).

Hahn is working to set up a disabled sportsman squirrel hunt at Bang's Paradise Valley Hunting Club in Ehrhardt, S.C., Dec. 28-30. Hunters will need a South Carolina hunting license, a rimfire rifle (.17 or .22) and an able-bodied companion to help with transport, setting up in the field and other tasks.

Participants may need to use their own vehicles for travel to and from stand sites. "We have a few loaner rifles available and can pair you up with an able-bodied volunteer, if necessary," said lodge owner Bang Collins. "Bring plenty of ammo! The daily limit on squirrels is 10."

Hunters can hunt for one, two or all three days. The daily rate ($75 per person; $150 per two-person team) includes meals, lodging and squirrel hunting. For an extra fee, hunters may take a deer ($150) or hog ($100).

Space is limited. Call 803/267-2825, e-mail
Email: bangspvhc@aol.com or see paradisevalleyhuntingclub .com.

EXCISE TAXES RISE

Firearms and ammunition manufacturers reported federal excise tax obligations to be $122 million in the second calendar quarter of 2009, up 52 percent from the same period a year ago. That's according to a National Shooting Sports Foundation announcement quoting Treasury Department statistics.

Excise taxes are a major revenue source for state conservation programs. Manufacturers pay the tax on firearms and ammunition. Using the latest excise tax collections as an indicator, that translates into sales of $1.14 billion.

Speaking of outdoor enthusiasts doing their part to stimulate the economy, look for our annual holiday gift guide next week.

Ken Perrotte can be reached at The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia Street, Fredericksburg, Va. 22401, by fax at 373-8455 or e-mail at
Email: outdoors@freelancestar.com.

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