Update for September 2026 from Cougar Mountain Solutions
September's Update from Cougar Mountain Solutions
Cognitive Conclave #3
Martin, GA
10/24 & 25/2026
Cognitive Conclave – The third one is scheduled for 10/24 & 25 at Redhill Range in Martin, GA.
You can sign-up via Hearne’s website TwoPillarsTraining.com.
As I write this, we need four more sign-ups to make it go. If you believe that being able to Think With A Gun In Your Hand is far more than some other, easily measurable optics – THIS is the event for you.
This Weekend
The last month was pretty busy. And, fortunately, quite productive!
I got caught up on the primary Rangemaster Firearms Training Services’ instructor courses. Finished the Advanced class in mid-August back in Nashville – an article on the class with Tom Givens is HERE. I managed to do reasonably well.
Labor Day weekend was spent in Zanesville, OH with great, repeat hosts John & Sue. I taught two days of shotgun to several serious, hardworking students. And had a blast. The weather turned out to be really good. One Beretta went down with light/no primer hits.
On short notice, I got an invite from Tom to attend the class in Terra Haute, IN. Zero days of excellent historical knowledge on training and equipment, along with shooting from 3 to 25 yds. Alas, I missed making TopGun by 0.5 points, scoring 199.5/200, and lost to a current, working cop from ILL who had 200/200. He also has the good sense to use an M&P 2.0.
And I returned from Flagstaff last Friday. I had gone down there to pick up one of the very few remaining copies of the Mirage target array that Louis Awerbuck designed. I’ll have it up and running at Thunderstick, with the help of the 3D targets from Hearne. Over the winter, I'll recreate it.
Schedule for the rest of 2026
Unless otherwise mentioned, hit the Website’s Schedule page to sign up.
9/26 Low Light Application Pistol – Meridian, ID
9/27 Low Light Application Carbine – Meridian, ID
10/3&4 West Coast Shotgun w/Low Light – Piru, CA
10/6-8 Closed L/E Agency Low Light Instructor – TN
10/16-18 Thunderstick Summit – Staccato Ranch Vegas (Pahrump) NV (VangComp.com)
10/24&25 Cognitive Conclave – GA (TwoPillarsTraining.com)
10/29-11/1 Studenting
11/6-8 Low Light Carbine & Pistol, Problem Solving Pistol – Meadhall, OK
Problem Solving Pistol focuses heavily on visual processing & decision making.
11/13-14 Low Light Shotgun & Handgun – WA
12/11-13 Hybrid (Open Enrollment) Pistol-Mounted Optics Instructor – NOLA
SWAG
Keep an eye out for ball caps and T-shirts. There was enough interest in them on FB & IG that I’ll do more. If you are not on those platforms and you're interested, drop me a line here. There are new stickers too.
Taurus pistol review
I picked up Taurus’ 9mm duty pistol last week for a review. I’m looking forward to working with it.
Articles - mine & others
In addition to my articles, Brent Wheat over at GunsMagazine wrote a piece covering flashlights with strobes. He quoted me a time or two.
Mine:
Zeroing the Dot on your Shotgun
Utah's state-wide L/E Tactical Training Day
Daniel Reedy at Primer Peak penned a solid, well-thought-out piece on the Pros & Cons of IDPA.
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.
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 working on getting that calendar up and running. There’s an L/E class in Texas already and several conferences. For sure … LA, NM, TX, & WA.
If your agency, company, or range is interested in hosting me, please reach out – sooner rather than later!
Podcasts
Well, Hearne, Weems, & I recorded an episode on EvoSec talking about the Cognitive Conclave, but I can't find it. Try them here
Teachable Moments
Revolver manipulations for Lefties. This came up in the Master Instructor Class when Tom kindly asked me to demonstrate mine. Rather than releasing the cylinder with my left index finger, I move the support-side thumb over, manipulate it, then open the cylinder with that thumb before securing the cylinder between my thumb and fingers. The ejector rod is pushed downward by my shooting hand. The reload is done with it as well, while pushing grips into my abdomen.
Remember, it gets darker earlier and for longer every day, so don't neglect your Low Light work! And enjoy the Fall.
Erick
224 S Main St #211, Springville, UT 84663
(385) 422-2011
www.cougarmountainsolutions.com
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