Cougar Mountain's August Update
Cougar Mountain's August Update
Denton, TX Red Dot Instructor
In late-July, I taught Pistol-Mounted Optics Instructor Development to a full class of current & former law enforcement as well as several decent, normal humans who are teaching optics to others. One student – Aimpoint’s L/E rep for the western US – was a repeat attendee – because there’s updated material.
Denton PD’s admin was very gracious in letting us open this up to non-sworn. Not common but very much appreciated. They have a great facility there. Indoors with 16+ positions on a 50 yard deep handgun/shotgun bay with a 100 yard five position rifle range that had dual movers!
I will be back there in February for a three-night L/E Low Light Instructor class. Time there, including at their fire tower, has already been reserved.
This Weekend
This weekend I am taking Rangemaster’s Advanced Instructor class outside of Nashville, TN.
We'll see how this goes in comparision to my last class with Tom.
Upcoming Classes for the rest of 2026
9/5 & 6, I will be in Zanesville, Ohio for two days of West Coast shotgun. There are still some open seats
Meridian, Idaho
The last weekend in September will see three classes at the Independence Indoor Shooting Range in Meridian, Idaho. Supported Carbine using the sling and barricades for support and cover on their 100-yard indoor range. That’s followed by two Low Light Application classes – handgun on Saturday and carbine on Sunday.
West Coast Shotgun - Piru, CA
October 3 & 4, I will be at the CTA Range in Piru, CA for two days of shotgun. Pump or Semi, on-duty or for home & business defense. Manipulations to movement & multiples. You’ll definitely get more reps and trigger time than other options that weekend. It’ll be an excellent weekend in SoCal.
L/E Agency Classes
I’ve got a closed L/E Low Light Instructor in Tennessee right after the CA shotgun class.
Commentary on the Low Light Instructor Development class from a current federal Special Agent, a 1811, in the nation’s full-spectrum investigative agency: “Erick Gelhaus, with Cougar Mountain Solutions, is an incredible instructor who puts great forethought into tailored curriculum. Gelhaus expertly balances classroom and hands-on application of low light concepts to prepare law enforcement officers for the current realities of the field.”
ThunderStick Summit
Then there is the Thunderstick Summit at Staccato Ranch – Las Vegas. Three days with some of the best shotgun instructors in the country. I was one of the founding instructors for this event. Always a great weekend!
Cognitive Conclave
October 24 & 25 will be in northern Georgia for the third Cognitive Conclave with Hearne & Weems. This is two days focused on the thinking side of employing defensive firearms. Our material is complimentary and focused on both mental and visual processing of start and (at least as importantly) stop stimulus.
Look for Awerbuck’s Mirage target again as well as the NURO.
Meadhall Range, OK
I’ll be at Meadhall Range in McLoud, OK the first weekend in November. Low Light Applications on Friday (carbine) and Saturday (handgun).
Then Sunday will be the first full-day version of Problem Solving Pistol. This class utilizes the NURO from Dustin Salomon. We will start with practical defensive & performance shooting drills to establish some baselines. Then we will move into processing the presence & absence of visual stimuli for the Don’t Shoot/Shoot programs, including start and stop.
Firearms Academy of Seattle
I'll be at the Firearms Academy of Seattle on November 13th & 14th for Low-Light Applications for Handgun and Shotgun, respectively.
Pistol-Mounted Optics Instructor, New Orleans
As of now, the last class of the year will be outside of NOLA – New Orleans, LA. Eric Hite of Crescent City CCW is hosting me for an open enrollment PMO Instructor Class. Based on student feedback, days 1 & 2 (Fri & Sat) will be full days; day #3 will end at lunch.
I'm actively working on the 2027 schedule. You'll see some of those classes next month. If you are interested in hosting me at your range or agency, please reach out sooner rather than later. I've learned some lessons on traveling classes this year.
For those local to me in northern Utah, things are progressing on a host range. And, one-on-one or one-on-two classes are easy to do now. So, please contact me.
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Speaking of the NURO
If you are an L/E trainer (academy, field training, use of force, tactics) or you supervise in any of those areas, watch this Houston, TX PD video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snYAMigY3Rw
How many seconds of gunfire were these? What else was there worth talking about? I have only seen that video. That said, the higher the round count, the more likely your deputies, officers, troopers are going to get drama and grief from the community.
An advantage of the NURO is that it forces your vision wider and deeper. An advantage of optics is a reduction of self-induced tunnel vision via hard focus on the sights.
Podcasts
That Weems Guy did a session with the inventor of the DADDBOD training tool along with Hearne & me. The three of us also discussed the importance of update training for instructors in another episode.
Articles
Train Like You Work
Teachable Moments
The only real issue I am still seeing with quality pistol-mounted optics is around mounting. Try this article for specifics: AmCop Mounting
I’d be leery of 2032 batteries with child-proof, bitter-tasting coatings. Something about the coating impairs the connectivity. If you have them, wipe them down with alcohol. Or use the ProCell line from Batteries&Bulbs.
Finally, if you are shooting most semi-auto pistols without a magazine, a failure to eject is not uncommon. Most aren’t designed to extract and eject without the next round or follower in the magazine under that case.
Hope you have a great month!
Erick
224 S Main St #211, Springville, UT 84663
(385) 422-2011
www.cougarmountainsolutions.com
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