Hunting

I went hunting this weekend with my good friend, Greg. His family has been leasing the same acreage since 1982, and they have quite the camp. They graciously gave me a place to hunt on a well-traveled-by-deer piece of pipeline. I didn't see anything, but I had a great time.

We sipped cheap whiskey, told lies by the fire, and ate like kings. Saturday,  one of the guys shot a 4 point, and watching lifelong hunters process and skin a deer was very cool. In a total time of about 4 hours, the deer was completely processed, and all the waste could fit in a 5 gallon bucket. They were very efficient in using all the meat possible, and soon had piles of steaks, roasts, loins, and burger.

I also learned that my target gun is just not very friendly to hunting. A 14 pound rifle is a chore to carry, and doesn't shoulder quickly. Unfortunately, we were hunting a pipeline, so 200 yard shots are common. This made my rifle choice for me. A lever action chambered in a pistol caliber with iron sights just wouldn't be up for those shots. One day I will fill the hole in my gun collection left by a sensible, no frills hunting rifle for making 100-300 yard shots, but in the mean time, I will make do.

I made no meat, but had an awesome weekend, nonetheless.