The first drops of rain I've seen since leaving NE/WY and it was a massive rain storm.
As I cross the mountains and get onto my home soil I get a certain calm knowing I'm almost home.
Total time driving from Nebraska/Wyoming to Indiana to my doorstep in Virginia, 29 hours nonstop driving. I was beat when I walked in the door so I unloaded my gear, took a shower and went to bed. I'm writing this up and posting it with a hot cup of coffee this morning and I feel like a new man.
Despite Brad's comments about my shooting, Brad is a much better shot than I'll ever be. He was taking his time and really reaching out on some longer distant shots then I was. I had sighting in issues with my 22-250 but once I had that dialed in it was game on for me. I'll update this thread once I've had time to count my shots, hits vs misses, etc. I have been asked many times; "what's the count" and "what's your longest shot". The longest shot I took that was a hit was roughly 410 yards. 90% of the shots I took were less than 250 yards.
Here's a few of my thoughts of my journey...
- Wow! What a help Brad was on giving advice on what to bring. He was spot on and made the trip very enjoyable.
- Yes, the drive is terrible from the east coast but in the end, it's worth it. Trust me, make the time and go.
- In retrospect, here's my wish list for the rifles I wish I brought. 20 SCC, 6 BR, 6 PPC and maybe a rimfire, 17M2 or 17 HMR.
- A decent bench to shoot from is a must have. One that collapses and is easy to stow would be ideal.
- The 20 SCC was simply amazing, 200 yards no holdover and just a little holdover for 300 yards.
- Bring minimum a 1,000 rounds of ammo. Have your gear ready to shoot, sighted in, etc. (unlike me)
- Hydrate! The sun will zap your energy in a hurry.
- A 16X scope is all you need, any more is just too much.
- Always, always look behind your shot, livestock was all over and it's easy to get caught up in the moment of hammering dogs.
- Forget about turning dials, you just don't have time. KY windage is where its at and once you find your groove it gets easy.
All my life I have never had so many targets of opportunity then I did this past week. It's hard to fathom this after 50+ years of the style of shooting varmints that I've grown accustomed to. I'm sure there are days where it is nonstop shooting of PDs and according to Brad the numbers we were shooting at were just OK. To me it was epic and a real treat so zero disappointment for me.
I don't know why Its taken me a lifetime to make a trip like this. I get so busy living life that I forget to live life if that makes sense. I don't know if life will allow me to make another PD hunt again but I sure hope so. I got to see some of the most amazing states in our nation here in the US. It really is something to see. I'm still grinning reflecting on my trip.
My apologies for the off topic dribble on this blog. My intent was to just share what I was seeing and experiencing along the way. I didn't focus too much on pics of dead critters as we've all seen them so I hope there was enough for your entertainment. I hope this thread brought a bit of sunshine to your day.
I have met so many great folks on forums like this one. I would have never been able to take this great trip if I didn't cross paths with Brad. I am deeply indebted to him as well as others that have helped me on developing my micro caliber reloading on this forum. Many thanks to all!
Thanks for reading and commenting folks.
Until next time...
Eric
