I missed a mouflon ram in Croatia. That moment still stings, a feeling every hunter knows. The shot you’ve dreamed about slips away, and for days, it’s all you can think about.
It wasn’t the rifle’s fault, or the distance.
It was … me.
I missed because, in that heart-pounding instant, my excitement got the best of me. We call it buck fever, or sheep fever, or bear fever. Regardless of what you call it, you get the point.
That miss on Dugi Otok changed me. Knowing you have a problem is easy. Having the courage to own it and the discipline to fix it is what separates experience from growth. I chose growth.
After the shot, during the ferry ride back to mainland Croatia, and for the countless hours I wandered Istanbul’s airport waiting to go home, I agonized over my miss. Instead of lingering in more doubt, however, I decided it was time to create a solution based on my own reflections and what my guide, the ever-observant Ensar Medjedovic, told me.
“Jay, when I point out female mouflons, you spot them right away. You’re calm. As soon as I say they’re male, you tense up. You’ve got to learn to relax.”
Oh, if only you knew how right you were, Ensar.
I’ve worked on anxiety for decades and mostly handled it, or so I thought. But not on Dugi Otok.
One sidebar: there are lots of reasons to have a guide or hunting partner, but one big one is to serve as a witness to your moments; the good ones and the bad ones. If you had asked me if I was calm when I shot, I’d have said yes.
Ask Ensar? F*** no.
My Garmin watch agreed, with my heart rate exceeding 150 bpm during my encounter.
As I said, it’s not foreign to me that I have anxiety. I thought I had mastered it. I hadn’t. So I decided to do something different. So, on the trip home, I sketched out a training program to master uncertainty, adrenaline, and most of all, my process.
In honor of my mouflon moment, I named it the “Mirna Ruka Drill".
Mirna Ruka is Croatian for “Steady Hand.”
The Mirna Ruka Drill is something anyone can try. All you need is a .22, some dice, and some common household targets.
How to Set Up the Mirna Ruka Drill
The beauty of the Mirna Ruka Drill is its simplicity and accessibility. It’s perfect for the backyard, the local range, or anywhere you can safely shoot a .22.
Equipment
- A .22 LR rifle
- Four six-sided dice
- A timer
- A score sheet
- Household targets
Targets:
- Ping pong balls
- Golf balls
- Tennis balls
- Soda cans
- Clay fragments
- 3-inch steel
Scatter six targets across your range, not in a straight line or predictable pattern. Make it feel as close to the field as possible. The shooter should have to locate and identify targets, just as in the field. You can scale this up or down to suit your tastes. You can use a rifle, handgun, shotgun, bow, or even a slingshot. Let’s focus on the rimfire version.
Why a .22?
Because this drill isn’t about shooting. It’s about thinking.
A rimfire allows hundreds of repetitions for the price of a single box of centerfire hunting ammunition. It removes recoil. It removes noise. It removes excuses.
What remains is you, your breathing, and your trigger process.
At 100 yards, a 3-inch target represents roughly 3 MOA, plenty challenging from hunting positions.
As I said, uncertainty, a lack of situational control, and pressure are all part of most hunting situations, so to recreate that, I decided to use dice.
The Four Dice: Adding Realism and Pressure
Every shooting scenario is determined by four dice.
Range Die:
1 = 25 yards
2 = 35 yards
3 = 50 yards
4 = 75 yards
5 = 100 yards
6 = Furthest Available Target
1 = 25 yards
2 = 35 yards
3 = 50 yards
4 = 75 yards
5 = 100 yards
6 = Furthest Available Target
Position Die:
1 = Standing
2 = Kneeling
3 = Sitting
4 = Shooting Sticks
5 = Backpack Supported
6 = Shooter’s Choice
1 = Standing
2 = Kneeling
3 = Sitting
4 = Shooting Sticks
5 = Backpack Supported
6 = Shooter’s Choice
Pressure Die:
1 = 60 Seconds
2 = 45 Seconds
3 = 30 Seconds
4 = 20 Seconds
5 = Match Director Choice
6 = Dugi Otok Mode
1 = 60 Seconds
2 = 45 Seconds
3 = 30 Seconds
4 = 20 Seconds
5 = Match Director Choice
6 = Dugi Otok Mode
Challenge Die:
1 = 25 Jumping Jacks
2 = 15 Air Squats
3 = 50-Yard Walk
4 = 100-Yard Walk
5 = Eyes Closed Visualization
6 = Dugi Otok Mode
1 = 25 Jumping Jacks
2 = 15 Air Squats
3 = 50-Yard Walk
4 = 100-Yard Walk
5 = Eyes Closed Visualization
6 = Dugi Otok Mode
The Five Stages: Building Real-World Skills
Stage One: Cold Bore Ram
Every hunt begins with one shot. No warmup. No sight-in. No excuses. Roll the Range Die and Position Die. Build the position and fire one shot.
Score: 10 points.
Every hunt begins with one shot. No warmup. No sight-in. No excuses. Roll the Range Die and Position Die. Build the position and fire one shot.
Score: 10 points.
Stage Two: Croatian Hillside
Simulates the physical demands of hunting. Roll all four dice. Complete the challenge. Build the position. Make the shot. Five scenarios.
Max score: 20 points.
Max score: 20 points.
Stage Three: The Ram Appears
This is where things get interesting. The shooter faces away from the range. A partner rolls the dice and identifies the target, then shouts: “RAM!” The timer starts. The shooter must locate the target, build the position, manage breathing, and execute the shot before time expires. Five scenarios.
Max score: 20 points.
This is where things get interesting. The shooter faces away from the range. A partner rolls the dice and identifies the target, then shouts: “RAM!” The timer starts. The shooter must locate the target, build the position, manage breathing, and execute the shot before time expires. Five scenarios.
Max score: 20 points.
Stage Four: The Steady Hand
Focuses entirely on process. Before every shot, the shooter takes three deliberate breaths and repeats:
“The ram is not the challenge. The process is.”
No rushing. No panic. Just execution. Five scenarios.
Max score: 20 points.
Focuses entirely on process. Before every shot, the shooter takes three deliberate breaths and repeats:
“The ram is not the challenge. The process is.”
No rushing. No panic. Just execution. Five scenarios.
Max score: 20 points.
Stage Five: Dugi Otok
The final stage combines everything learned. Roll all four dice. Complete the challenge. Build the position. Control breathing. Execute. Five scenarios. No retries. No excuses.
Max score: 30 points.
The final stage combines everything learned. Roll all four dice. Complete the challenge. Build the position. Control breathing. Execute. Five scenarios. No retries. No excuses.
Max score: 30 points.
Classification Levels
- 0–39 Points: Trail Walker
- 40–59 Points: Ram Spotter
- 60–79 Points: Steady Hand
- 80–89 Points: Croatian Ram Master
- 90–99 Points: Dugi Otok Master
- 100 Points: Mirna Ruka Champion
For a quick reference:
- Beginner: 3 of 5 hits
- Intermediate: 4 of 5 hits
- Mirna Ruka Standard: 5 of 5 hits (under time pressure and elevated heart rate)
More Than a Shooting Game: Why It Matters
The longer I work with this challenge, the more I realize it isn’t about shooting. It’s about composure, and for me, that’s my problem. It’s about slowing down when excitement tells you to hurry. It’s about trusting your preparation. It’s about understanding that pressure is not the enemy. Pressure simply reveals what we have trained ourselves to do.
I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to rid my life of anxiety, so I’m going to have to learn how to operate with it, and this challenge helps.
The best part? This lesson applies to hunting, competition, public speaking, leadership, and life.
The mouflon ram I missed in Croatia never made it into my trophy room. But that ram gave me something else, a long-term solution to help kill a demon that’s haunted me my entire life. I’m sure I’m not the only one, so I'm sharing it with you.
I hope The Mirna Ruka Drill will help hunters everywhere gain confidence, trust their process, and find composure, whether in the field or anywhere pressure finds you. Because in the end, the ram is not the challenge, the process is.
Jay Pinsky