Of all the skills the outdoorsman and defensive shooter can possess, alertness is the most important. The ability to see what is going on in time to react to it is critical. Use of some or all of the five senses is the way we keep up with what is going on around us. And of the five senses, hearing and seeing are the most important.

The hunter uses sight and hearing to determine when game is moving near him. How often have we sat quietly on a hillside and first located game by its movement? We either see the game as it moves or we hear its footsteps as it approaches. Either way, the hunter is able to locate game, get ready to identify it, and take the appropriate action when the time is right.

We know this is true because game animals tend to use the same skills against us. Walking along, we ease around a bush only to see a deer focused on our location. He has already spotted us because of the movement or sound that we have made. And too often, all we see is his tail in the air as he rapidly leaves the area. If you watch a herd of deer as they feed unmolested, you can learn the value of alertness. As they feed, those deer are continually watching for predators. The observant hunter is usually a successful hunter.

In personal defense, our powers of observation are even more important because we must be alert for predators. Alertness is often the deciding factor in determining who wins a deadly confrontation. This is the reason that Col. Jeff Cooper implemented his Color Code. Condition Yellow reminds the person to be alert to what is going on around him. In this manner, he is able to identify a potential threat, keep it under observation, and take the necessary steps to deal with it.

Because we are alert, we notice a person who is focusing his attention on us. It may be that his appearance doesn’t fit the surroundings, or that his actions seem to be very suspicious. Regardless, we keep watch on that individual until we can determine what his intentions are. Alertness also allows us to spot trouble in time for us to simply go the other way and avoid confrontation altogether.

The old gunfighter’s trick of sitting with his back to the wall allows him to keep the room under continual observation. In 1876, up in Dakota Territory, James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok violated that practice and paid with his life. Had he insisted on taking a seat at the card table that would have put his back to the wall, Jack McCall would have probably ended up being the fatality of that encounter.

It is equally important to find a seat near the closest exit when visiting a restaurant or other public place. Should trouble ensue, one simply gathers up his family and leaves the building as quickly as possible, using his firearm only to deal with those who might stand in his way.

Someone once said that the eyes are the window of the soul. While this sounds nice in a poetic sort of way, it’s not very realistic. It’s the hands, not the eyes, that can hold the means to your death. Once a potential threat is identified, the alert person focuses on the individual’s hands and what they might hold.