FTW and the SAAM program is a great boost to confidence and proficiency. My hunting experience was a success thanks to Tim and Doug.* You can count on a great time, great food and great instruction.* Watch your money if they offer to play Left-Right-Center! :-) -Ann Bates, Ohio
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I can’t thank the FTW Team enough for everything they taught me at the SAAM training, and the 2 day refreshment course just a couple days before leaveing for my Marco Polo hunt in Tadjikistan was so worth it. I left the FTW Ranch on such a high of confidence, tinging metal targets out to 850 yards constantly. When it was time to harvest the king of the Pamir Mountains, I confidently made the shot exactly the way they taught it at the SAAM caurse.. After being a guide and Outfitter for 26 years I can tell you it is a great feeling when you make a shot over 500 yards and you don’t even second think or ask your guide “ Did I hit it” you can say lets go look at my cleanly harvested trophy. -Andrew Mackay
Andrew.Mackay68@bigpond.com
www.Australianoutfitters.com
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Over the years we were generally able to be successful before the end of the season but at times, after many missed shots. In this day and age where range finders are available, that removes one guess. The SAAM Training we received at FTW Ranch removed most of the other guesses. With the training we received, we were given a card with the ballistics for our ammunition and rifles. On the many ranges at FTW we were amazed at how accurately we were able to hit on the first shot when adjusting the scope for the targets when moving from one range to another using the information we were given.
We believe the main benefit we received from the training was the confidence that I could calculate any necessary adjustments rather than relying on guesses as in the past. This really paid off, Thank You! -
Doug and Mark Gottfredson
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Tim! What I learned at SAAM will help me throughout the duration of my hunting career. Before SAAM, I was insecure with my ability to shoot, but after only four days at the ranch, not only did I feel comfortable with my gun, but I walked away with the confidence to shoot accurately out to targets much farther than I had ever expected. I'm not the type of person who likes to depend on other people for help when hunting and the trainers at FTW taught me the skills and knowledge that I needed to be able to take responsibility for my gun and my shot during a hunt. I'm already looking forward to going back for SAAM 2! -Eva Shockey
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Thanks to the SAAM Training, I was able to confidently go on my hunts and know that I was ready and capable to take these great trophies! The FTW Ranch is beautiful; I had a great time hunting Nubian Ibex and Markhor! Cannot recommend it highly enough, I will be back! -Katharine Fraser, CA.
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Success! I did the lighter fluid. Went to range, made an adjustment and walked to 300 no problem.
Last night, in pouring rain, 10 mph wind, 350 yds, approx 30 degree decline, with bipods full extended, sitting, pack back under leg for support - dropped him with one shot. He is well over 340!
Thanks for the guidance and to both of you who helped make this happen - great rifle, great training. Would not have tried the shot without both.
-Jay Townsend
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Best hunt of our life. Three different camps, Zimbabwe, northern and southern Botswana. SAAM made ALL the difference. 2 elephants, lioness, buffalo, kudu, baboon, hyena and several impala all with one shot. That's due to SAAM! An additional elephant took a few more and I had a bad rushed shot on an Eland. Can't thank you and Doug enough for what was some of the best spent $. My only complaint is that now I have spent lots more time and $ on gun cleaning and stuff.
I look forward to coming back to FTW ranch and bringing my children. -Gunnar Klarr, Birmingham, Michigan
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I have attended both SAAM Precision Level I and SAAM Precision Level II where highly skilled former special ops instructors taught me ballistics theory and pushed my field shooting skills beyond what I had previously thought possible. I view FTW’s SAAM Training program as an investment in my hunting career where multiple factors of wind, elevation, angle, and temperature constantly come into play at long range. I have more confidence now in my shooting abilities than ever before and have been successful in multiple high altitude sheep and goat hunts in Western and Central Asia thanks in part to this training. I highly recommend investing in your shooting skills with FTW as a part of the substantial preparation involved to be successful in big game hunting. -John F. Cedarberg IV
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Thanks for teaching the 2-stick trick! Took my sticks as you suggested and paired with the camp’s bamboo set. Used several times.
Quentin had been chasing this Impala for 2 ½ years – very skittish. We chased it several times ourselves. Get within 250 yards and the herd is over the next ridgeline.
254 yard frontal chest shot with 50% of the chest obscured by brush 20 yards in front of the Impala.
Same old Dakota 375 with 6x scope.
Regards,
-Robert B. Towry
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I highly recommend the S.A.A.M. course and believe it is a must for anyone who wants to become a better shooter. The program, however, is not limited to only those who want to learn to shoot at extreme distances. It is for people who want to improve their shooting skills regardless of the distances they are comfortable with and normally shoot at. Under the tutelage of the friendly shooting instructors, students will soon become confident with shooting accurately at ranges they would have previously thought far beyond their capabilities. And as we all learned, yes, they can teach an old dog new tricks! -Bruce R. Keller
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When I first wanted to big game hunt, my husband said that he would go with and tell where to hold the rifle on the animal. I didn’t like that idea, as I had no idea what he was talking about. That is when I decided to go to SAAM Precision Level I back in 2008. I then went hunting for Mule Deer and got the one pictured here. SAAM has taught me to hunt. I know what I am capable of with my rifle. I am no longer nervous before the shot because I have been taught how to get into the best position to take the shot. I have since taken SAAM Precision Level II course that teaches you how to read the wind, which is very important. I recommend the SAAM course to everyone, from the beginner to the experienced hunter. The staff and instructors are first class and make the learning fun. -Betty Gaston Burnsville, MN
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My SAAM training at FTW made the difference for me. We saw five rams from several miles away and my guide thought one may be legal, so we hiked for four hours to get as close as possible. It turned out to be 430 yards. The biggest ram was definitely legal but he was partially blocked by another ram as they were bedded. I assumed a prone position and was able to get heart rate and breathing down in our twenty minute wait. I dialed up 6 moa for the distance on range card of the 375 Ruger 270 grain bullet I was shooting for that distance. Wind was light and angle downward was ten degrees.
The rams rose and started to move. When clear, I "squeezed" and hit him a few inches below the spine. It would have been fatal but he walked another 30 yards and stopped so I shot again at 460 yards. This hit was six inches lower and forward a little and even better positioned. He tumbled and that was it.
The guide had never seen someone dial up their scope like that and was glad I didn't wound the ram as he couldn't shoot that good for the distance. Especially with a 375 Ruger.
Thanks for the training as I wouldn't have felt confident to make the shots.
Good hunting,
-Phil Widman
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“I highly recommend the SAAM Safari course. Unfortunately my first trip to Africa was prior to my SAAM training. I did not shoot as well as I would have liked to. After taking the SAAM safari course I went elephant hunting in Botswana and my shooting was perfect” -John Cato, North Carolina
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Thanks for a great time in SAAM Training, it was a blast. The program improved my shooting skills and gave me the confidence to cleanly shoot this nice New Mexico bull with a 300 RUM across a canyon at 350 yards in a drizzling rain an hour and a half before the end of the hunt. SAAM training works. -Dave Weidman, Texas
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I have now attended both SAAM Precision Level I and SAAM Precision Level II and cannot begin to describe the improvement I have seen in my shooting ability. I consider SAAM to be the single best investment any one hunter can make to increase his or her odds of success. When we spotted this Antelope, my guide didn't feel we could close the range without spooking him. He asked me if I felt comfortable making a 365 yard shot and SAAM training gave me the confidence to say 'YES'...the buck dropped in his tracks! I know I could not have confidently executed that shot without the knowledge of the effects of wind, elevation, angle, and temperature on my bullet's trajectory, which I gained through SAAM training. - Darryl Williams
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“SAAM safari was fun, educational and definitely worth every penny!” -Jane Cato, North Carolina.
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I was starting from scratch as a rifle hunter when I got the opportunity to take my father on a once in a lifetime elk hunt in New Mexico. I happened across SAAM Training when I was learning about rifles, scopes, and ammunition for the hunt. People I knew in the hunting business were familiar with SAAM and gave glowing recommendations. I could not have made the shot I made on my elk without SAAM Training. I used a tip that they gave me to get a solid hold. My guide said that he hadn’t seen this technique before but he would be recommending SAAM to his hunters. I wholeheartedly recommend SAAM if you have any interest in shooting whether you are a hunter or not. It is great field training for a hunter! -Eric Kern, Dallas TX
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I’ve taken a lot of firearms classes and training in my lengthy time—military (Army), law enforcement, and civilian.
And I am the senior concealed carry permit instructor in the state of Louisiana (there are over 500 now!) I teach a heck of a lot of classes every year to civilians. We send more people every year to the Louisiana State Police for their concealed carry permits than any other school or instructor in the state—we are very proud of our reputation for quality training.
Yours is the best firearms training class I have ever experienced. I learned more in three days from you guys than I have picked up in a lifetime of dedicated rifle shooting—and I thought I knew some stuff.
I have never learned so much in a course, or enjoyed the training as much as I did taking it with you, Doug, Fredo, and Carlos...
Monday, the stuff was flying so fast and furious, I thought “I will never remember all this...”
By Wednesday, it was mostly all down, and understandable. I cannot wait now to work out my own DOPE card on my Ruger American once I get it, and mount a new scope on it.
Oh, and I doubt I will ever buy another scope that doesn’t have target turrets.
You guys run a world-class operation.
I am going to write an article on SAAM (and FTW) on my blog (www.theshootist.net )
and for the Sportsman magazines...I will send you copies or a link when they appear.
Best wishes to everyone at FTW/SAAM.
-Gordon “3-Power” Hutchinson
www.gordonhutchinson.com
-Author, “The Great New Orleans Gun Grab”, www.neworleansgungrab.com
“The Quest and the Quarry”, www.thequestandthequarry.com
P.S. Last night, every muscle in my body ached, and I have a knot on my right lower jawbone from grinding into that rifle stock, and “Riding the Bull.”
But it’s good pain.
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Even though I considered myself to be a pretty good shot I learned a lot from the SAAM Safari shooting school. The instructors were great, the various shooting ranges and silhouettes very realistic, the accommodations were great and the food superb. I'm looking forward to going back again sometime to ratchet my skills up another notch! -Trent Latshaw Tulsa, OK
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After SAAM Training, my confidence to make this kind of shot was right on target! SAAM Training is practical hunter training and for these expensive sheep hunts it sure is inexpensive insurance! -Dr. John Dunbar
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