This was the last weekend before KY’s Rifle Opener.  If it was going to be done before the shooting started, it was going to have to be done before Sunday afternoon.  Angus and I went down to camp. Do to my schedule, I still did not have a rifle sighted in.  There was a big blow on Halloween night as a front came through, so we needed to check the stands one more time as well.

Saturday afternoon I sorted gear while Angus went scouting.  I really like seeing him stepping up this year and starting to do things like this on his own.  He is becoming a deer hunter and not just the son of one.  There was a tree down over the road near Fountain Square, so after Angus left, I took out the S-10 and hauled it back to the house for firewood.  While I had it out, I brought out the rigging and made sure all was in order.  Using chains, a ramp and the block and tackle from the meat pole  we can now get even the biggest deer into the S-10 solo.

After Angus returned, we set about getting my rifles sighted-in.  The first to come to group was the 25-06 Mauser.  It was not long before I had it doing sub-MOA with the new loads.  SuperCore found me some H4350 at Knob Creek.  I’m loading that behind the Hornady 117 grain boattails.

Next to test out was the Savage 99.  This was supposed to be a simple three-shot deal. It was not.  After an uncommonly wide spraying, I tried looking for a reason.  The scope was not loose. There seemed to be no damage to the crown.  I did notice that as I squeezed on the lever, my sight picture changed.  Under further examination, I found the stock screw was coming loose.  I needed a screwdriver long enough and big enough, and of course I had left the tools back at home.  I called O.T. , and drove over to the mower shop.  This is not the first time O.T. has helped with my attempts at emergency gunsmithing.  See
Briar Engineering and the Win 670

It was getting late when we got back. I was grouping back around an inch, so I knew I had fixed the problem, but I held off doing final adjustments on the scope until Sunday.

I called back to the house. KYHillChick is back in school, learning to be a massage therapist, and had to stay in town. When I got hold of her she was excited over seeing an 18 pointer wandering through the neighborhood, trailing a doe. It sounded like a the Seeking Phase of the rut has kicked in at home. It was well past sunset when I hung up the phone and went back to enjoy Happy Hour at the Thoughtful Spot. It was not but a minute or so later than I saw a doe come off Gobbler’s Knob and head down towards Skunk Hollow, walking right past the Jagendhutte as she went. I noted to myself to tell SuperCore. Just as she disappeared, there came a small buck, with his nose to the ground following the same path, and as soon as he had disappeared, another much larger deer came. It was now too dark to see his antlers, but the size of this last deer to be substantial. Yes, indeed, Seeking had begun.

Sunday was the time change. We took it easy, watched the sun rise, ate some breakfast and then went scouting. We went up towards Fountain Square and then ducked down through an unnamed gully that drains the pasture at Redbud, looking for deer sign, and then followed the property line for a while before cutting back up towards Garbage Pit and Glenway. We found what may have been old deer beds at the head of the gully. Glenway needs to be repaired or moved. Garbage Pit was un-touched by the storm, and the new clothesline idea had stayed intact.

Angus left me at Garbage Pit and hiked back alone. I dug around a bit, looking for recent sign. Frankly, it has been very light this year. There is pasture to the west of Garbage Pit that is normally full of deer scat. It was untouched. Angus drove the truck out and met me. We went back to the house and set up for some more shooting. I got the Savage 99 zeroed in quickly (whew!) and then turned to the Winchester 670. It needed a bit of a tweak to the elevation, but soon everything was boxed up and ready for the trip home.

And now comes the long wait. Counting the hours, checking the forecast, and waiting for it all to begin.

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