So with the deal in the bag with the 7mm-08, I headed down to the farm to get PLAN B going, namely the 30-30’s. I’ve got two. One is the Marlin 336 that I’ve had since 2002. Even though I stopped hunting with it, I’ve kept shooting it and developing … Continue reading →
The Bad News 2 weeks ago I took the Ruger Model 44 out to do a final sight-in with the ammo I was going use for hunting. The first round went off and was perfectly placed on the target, but I just could not find the brass. I finally checked … Continue reading →
If I were the NewGuy at Camp, what would I want? That’s an interesting question. None of what I’m going say here is an outright endorsement/best of class recommendation of anything in particular. What I’m giving is based on a scenario of my nearly 2-decade experience at our camp and … Continue reading →
Yesterday marked the 12-week mark in the countdown to the Rifle Opener in November. It found me staying home from camp to escape the all-day rains that never quite materialized. So what needs to be done? Odds and Ends By this time of the year, I have all my clothes … Continue reading →
Last night #3 son, Angus, was asking me about camo. He’d seen some Youtubes with this guy touting the ultimate new super-duper stuff. He wanted to buy a set. I explained to him that I’d been where he is starting off about 30 years ago. I had not only 1st … Continue reading →
For my recent birthday, KYHillChick bought me a Teslong borescope. $50 from Amazon. What’s not to like? It comes with the flexible 3-foot borescope, a nice long USB cable and a decent set of instructions. First off, it did not fit my older Samsung smartphone. It’s got various adapters USB … Continue reading →
The last piece of the Perfect Deer Rifle Puzzle is Ammunition. There are guys out there that will tell you Barnes TSX is all you need to know. I have a friend that hunts with it exclusively. Let me just say up front, if you’re hooked on premium ammo, there … Continue reading →
In the previous missive, I examined what makes an ideal deer rifle from the perspective of chambering. The answer was “Yes, one of those will do nicely.” Now, I’m going to start getting into the real meat of it. What action? What length? The answer is still the same: “Whatever … Continue reading →
What DOES make the perfect deer rifle? I’ve tried to answer this several times over the past couple of decades. Most of those thoughts ended up on this weblog. The question continues to haunt me. Part of that is that I spent so many years trying to come up with … Continue reading →
Some guys use pinwheels. Some people use streamers. I opted for the wind vane concept. The key to a good wind vane-style flag
Continue reading →Folks seem to think there is a lot more to deer hunting than there really is. General Mattis: ‘The most important six inches on the battlefield is between your ears.’ This is your most important tool. The rest is gravy. Whitetails are not hard to kill. Equipment is largely unimportant. … Continue reading →
So Shaman, exactly how many deer rifles do you need? If I said just one, this would be a really short post. In a way you do only need one. As I’ve written many times before, just about anything can kill a whitetail– certainly any modern centerfire rifle. Okay, maybe … Continue reading →
Over the winter, I purchased a Boyd’s AT-One stock to go on my Ruger American Predator in 223 Rem. The whole idea of this was to start a dedicated platform for improving my accuracy. This is the first rifle I’ve actually purpose-built for the job. Normally, I’m a hunter that … Continue reading →
Moose and Angus invited all their friends out for a weekend of camping and shooting. I mostly stayed up at the house watching the weather. We had on-and-off thunderstorms– just enough to make it interesting. Views: 7 Related posts: Mooselette Comes to Camp Sorry I haven’t written. … Continue reading →
Originally Posted by StrayDog Shaman, I enjoyed reading about your trip and especially the informative regarding photos of different types of colorblindness, Especially the example of what deer would see. Thanks. You know, of all the things I’ve written over the years, I think the thing on what deer really … Continue reading →
The Thunderstorms are due back after Noon. I’ll be beating it back to town shortly, having concluded a very productive trip to the farm, and one of the best days I’ve ever had. I’ll give you some highlights. As soon as we heard they were relaxing the quarantine, The Shamanic … Continue reading →
 Being trapped at home in Covid-19 purgatory gets a mind to thinking. I’ve had a real dearth of reloading projects. I have two major windows for reloading each year; they are between my two main hunting seasons. By 1 March, I have a backlog of projects that are done and … Continue reading →
As early as SuperBowl Weekend, I could see a potential weather window open up for an early return to Camp. This past weekend would marginally fit the profile: High on Saturday of 50F or better No rain until afternoon Sunday No other problems like recent ice storms or heavy snowfall … Continue reading →
I’m starting to get ready for the upcoming shooting season. One project I’ve had on the back burner for quite some time was fine tuning my M1 Garand. It’s a 1942 vintage Springfield. One addition is a gas plug. A few years ago Moose wanted to take the Garand out … Continue reading →
Some years, the switch from deer hunting to turkey hunting just happens automatically. In a way it already has. I just don’t feel it yet. Back in the day, it was about this time of year that I would have to consult the rule book and see when my check … Continue reading →
I won’t bore you with all the family Christmas pics. However, I would like to focus your attention to two gifts that Angus and I traded this year. Angus received from me a combination shooting mat and tactical rifle case that I discovered on Sportsmansguide.com. This is really well built. … Continue reading →
What do you do when you’re middle-aged, and the internal alarm goes off at 0400 on a Saturday morning? After a massive infusion of coffee, I headed to the Shamanic Reloading Cave to mount my new Hornady Concentricity Tool. By the time KYHillChick was up, I had it all fixed … Continue reading →
KYHillChick was looking for that special gift that says how much she loves her favorite outdoorsman, and lookee what I found on a flash sale at Natchez Shooters Supply. This is the Hornady Lock-N-Load Concentricity Tool. What the hell is that? Look, I’m no expert on this. However, … Continue reading →
 I cannot help but mention Big Bob’s passing one more time as well as talk about his Ruger Model 44 and the 44 Mag as a deer round. Big Bob only made it to our camp a few times. I rode him around in the truck. His legs had … Continue reading →
(I missed posting about this earlier, because I was sick and tired and my head was a fogged up from cough syrup.) Friday morning of Opening Week, Â it was colder than usual. I admit my hands were cold and fumbly when I got up into the blind. However, they were … Continue reading →
