St. Regis shooting class offers tactical training

ST. REGIS- Hidden in the depths of the mountains between St. Regis and the Sanders County line, you will find Tom Ewing and his shooting range.

The pinging of the bullets hitting the metal targets can be heard in the distance, and closer, students load their weapons safely, equipped with safety glasses and hearing protection.

Ewing’s Black Dog Tactical Shooting brings people together not only from Mineral County, but from all over the state and around the country as well.

“We try to bring in as many real life situations as possible,” Ewing said. “We are the only facility in Montana and the Pacific Northwest that has a shooting course like this one.”

Some of the day’s training can include shooting from behind a wooden pole to simulate dodging behind a building, shooting one handed with the person’s non-dominant hand, shooting at targets and being able to move nimbly while shooting in a small area.

By practicing shooting with the non-dominant hand, a person in a restricted situation may need to only rely on one where both hands might not be available to hold the gun, wife Michal said. Ewing even provides training in carjacking situations at his range as well.

Ewing, who operates his tactical training and shooting classes with his wife Michal, spend a significant amount of time in the classroom and on the shooting range with every student. This precision, hands-on approach is almost as important as pulling the trigger with a steady hand.

Each instructor stands next to each student, safely walking them through each step, helping them strive for that perfect shot.

Ewing has been interested in shooting since he was six years old.

“My dad was in law enforcement and we traveled all over,” he said. “I thought that the Dirty Harry range in California was cool back then.”

After he came out of the Marine Corps, he got into teaching and received the NRA certification. He wanted to teach tactical, which is different than target shooting.

“We have a lot of victims that come through who have been victims of rape and domestic violence,” he said.

Tactical training deals more with real life situations and how to handle them if ever in that situation, Ewing said.

Richard Hogt, a truck driver from Missoula, decided to visit Ewing and be coached in tactical situations after he was part of a real life situation out on the road. He just doesn’t want to be a victim, he said. Hogt was shot at in Texas just for doing his job.

“I was driving down the road in an 18-wheeler when a guy pointed a gun at me and shot over my hood,” Hogt said. “I was driving in the slow lane which is where I was supposed to be driving in the first place.”

Hogt said the driver became irate when trying to merge onto the highway when Hogt was driving in the right lane.

“If I hadn’t seen him pull that gun, I would be dead,” Hogt said.