Johnny Rebs dog'n adventures!

The Virginian

The Virginian

New member
Whelp... I'm tired of talking about it and sniveling about having to travel from the right coast. Brad and Clint have been pinging on me for years to make the effort. So it shall be!

This thread will be an ongoing blog of sorts about the journey, success, failures, sights and notable items along the way. I'll try to update this thread daily as we go.

To make a long story very short, I quickly rediscovered the forgotten fact that I love to varmint hunting and I haven't even taken a shot in two years. Well, Brad sold me his CZ 20 SCC, dies and even loaded up some rounds for this purpose. The plan was to pick up this gun in transit to Wyoming and FFL it back to ole Virginy when we return. A year or more later, that time is upon us and I'm scrambling to get my act together. The end is seeing, exploring and hunting prairie dogs for the first time in my life. I hope to see interesting places and try to share with some depth, which will be the stuff of this thread.

I don't know if I possess the ability to take long shots. Here in VA you're lucky to get a 200 yard shot and that's waiting half a day for that shot at a groundhog so you better make it count. I can't fathom a target rich environment...

Originally I was going to strap a rifle to my m/c and ride your to Indiana and meet up with Brad. Yes, I'm a glutton for punishment as quality of life isn't the destination, it''s the journey. I closely watched the weather and as bad luck would have it, the rain storms are wreaking havoc for the trip so I'm taking my war wagon much to Brad's chagrin.

My weapons of choice for this trip is a Rock River Arms AR 15 in .223, Remington 700 VTR 22-250 and a custom CZ chambered in 20 SCC.

So I loaded up a ton of ammo and packed up the truck.


I needed some ammo boxes as I never had to carry this much ammo before. I found these pretty cheap at Natchez. You never know when there might be zombie PDs coming at ya!
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https://www.natchezss.com/mtm-zombie-ammo-can.html


My trusty drag bad for my AR.


Here's the first leg of my journey. Can I get just a few more construction zones please!
 
I love the mountains of VA and WV!



One of 6 frog strangler thunder storms that slowed traffic down to 25 mph.


Almost heaven, West Virginia, Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River.
Life is old there, older than the trees, younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze.

Country roads, take me home to the place I belong.
West Virginia, mountain mamma, take me home, country roads.

All my memories gather round her, miner's lady, stranger to blue water.
Dark and dusty, painted on the sky, misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye.

Country roads, take me home to the place I belong.
West Virginia, mountain mamma, take me home, country roads.

Yep, I'm a dork...


I brought one of my cowboy hats! Ya think those folks will spot a phony cowboy from the east? lol


Dang truckers blocking both lanes! Grrr... (sorry Kevin
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Highest elevation was in WV at 2,600 feet. My ears were popping.
 
More crappy weather ahead!


Some of the best bridges I crossed on this drive. Just awesome.


Charleston, WV (sorry for the bad pic)


Always a great view when crossing them.


Getting close! As I skirt around Dayton, the grandaddy of thunderstorms lays into me.


I finally arrive in Indiana safely and I go to the local motel. This is what I parked next to. Dang! Good thing I'm packing heat in this joint.
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What strikes me in Indiana is how flat the land is. It amazes me how acclimated I get to my home area area and take the hills and valleys for granted. This part of Hoosier State reminds me of how America used to be. Small town USA where everyone is friendly and helpful. Some random shots.


Preparing for the carnival coming to town for 4th of July weekend.


I needed a haircut so I ventured into town and found RC's 4 Corners Barber Shop! I loved this place, it reminded me of Floyd in the Andy Griffith show in Mayberry.


Meanwhile back home in VA...


Be patient, I'll get to the dogs sooner or later!

More to come.
 
While I have some down time here's a few pics of what I'm packing for this trip.

First up, the custom made CZ Varmint chambered in 20 SCC. Note the altered bolt to accommodate clearing the scope. I'm using a Konus M30 4.5-16 X 40 mm.



Next we have a Remington 700 VTR 22-250. My go to rifle and it has taken over 300 groundhogs over the years. It's sporting a B&C stock, Timney trigger set to 12 oz. and has a Hawke Sidewinder Tactical 6.5 - 20 X 40 mm. Yes it's a bastard rifle with the triangular barrel but it shoots light out for me.
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I'm trying a different bipod for this rifle and I'll write some more on it when I've had a chance to use it some.


And finally my Rock Rivers AR 15 which has been modified quite a bit. I normally use D-Tech uppers like Tac 17, Ruger 204, and the like. Love his uppers and his quality is by far the best I've seen. The scope on this rifle is a Vortex 5 - 15 X 44 mm.

 
The War Wagon is packed to the brim and we hit the road.


Some random shots of a very long trek to get here.

There was a massive rock quarry that actually had a bridge with the highway crossing it. This picture doesn't do it justice but it was amazing.




Chasing the sun across the country.


As soon as we crossed into Nebraska, the skies got ugly and I mean the mother of all frog stranglers came down on us. Naturally I was driving for this leg.




Some great views of a lake in the middle of the flatlands here in NE.




Barn church?


Lots of coal trains. I had no idea Nebraska had so much coal. I always think o f WV and PA back home on this front.




Stopped to see a monument almost to our destination.

Chimney Rock is a prominent geological rock formation in Morrill County in western Nebraska. Rising nearly 300 feet (91 m) above the surrounding North Platte River valley, the peak of Chimney Rock is 4,226 feet (1,288 m) above sea level. During the middle 19th century it served as a landmark along the Oregon Trail, the California Trail, and the Mormon Trail, which ran along the north side of the rock. It is visible for many miles from the east along U.S. Route 26.




Tomorrow we get to the point of this thread. I hope to be taking my first shot at a dog!

Thanks for reading,

Eric
 
good luck great pictures, but none better than the mts. of W.VA. lived in nokesville va. for 6 years.
 
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We showed up very early this morning and it was perfect! 78 degrees F and no wind at 6 AM.


Set up shop and the fun began.



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Brad taking a poke with his 20 SCC bench rest. Nice rifle!




It got hot and really windy so we packed up and headed into town for some Mexican food.


I took about 130 shots today and had two doubles! After a while they get skittish and stay down a while. We shot for roughly 6 hours. I paced myself and took some amazing shots. A couple at the 400 yard mark. The shots from this point on with the wind made your hit percentage go way down. It was still super fun when you connected using KY windage.
 
A look from our office window this morning!
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The 20 SCC heavy benchrest rifle (19 lbs to be exact) with a muzzle brake this thing doesn't even budge when being fired. You can easily see the hits thru the scope each and every time, so easy it almost gets boring after a little while.
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Today we dipped into Wyoming and it was overcast and darn chilly this morning. Extreme temperature changes for the low 60's to over 100 takes a bit to get used to.

The winds were blowing 4 to 5 mph and the temps dipped down into the low 60s. 63 was the lowest I saw this morning. Naturally i didn't bring a jacket!



The skies started to open up and the sun shined through and looked like sun beams shining down. This picture doesn't do it justice. Amazing scenery 360 degrees around you.



I saw my first pronghorn today. They turned out to be quite neighborly as a heard of them hung out with us the better part of the day. Strange the shooting didn't scare them away.


 
OK, back to the dogs. Brad and I set up in a great field and had decent success this morning despite the chilly weather. The wind was blowing but we still managed to have a stellar shoot this morning.

Way over there we set up!


Brad dusting off another
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A couple of glory pics...



All in all today we had a great day. The dog towns we visited dried up quickly and/or have been shot quite a bit. Sipping a bourbon tonight reflecting on my journey. I wouldn't have changed a thing.

Thanks for stopping by and reading.

Eric
 
Ok, here comes the spam! I took a lot of pictures today so I hope you enjoy them...

Up at 4:30 AM to get ready and have a bite to eat before we venture out. Local weather is calling for 104 degrees! Wow the temp swings are huge!

We set up and the temps were perfect early this morning. The dogs were a bit shy but eventually they started popping up and it was on. Brad was like Dr. Evil with his laser rifle mowing them down. Seriously, he's a [beeep] fine shooter!

Click on this pic, it's a short video showing the 360 degree view. Just amazing!


I start out with the 20 SCC and Brad hits up his 223 AI.
[url=http://s164.photobucket.com/user/DeathWraith07/media/2016%20Hunting/48A252C4-0D6B-40CB-BE8A-486301444EC5_zpsknibdrp3.jpg.html t=_blank]


My view this morning. No place I'd rather be at this moment.



I decided to sport the 20 SCC shirt today! lol


After a couple of days of 90s to 100s I'm browning up good.


And for all those folks that say pics or it didn't happen. Here's a couple of the 20 SCC's carnage. Wow, the damage is awesome! We had very little wind which was a curse and a blessing. The no wind allowed long distance shots but with the heat it was stifling. My personal best was 400 yards (non measured).

We both shot around 100 - 150 rounds today.






 
By lunch time we pack it up and head back to the motel, it's just too bloody hot now.

We decide to head on over to Cheyenne and have a nice steak and poke around a bit. What a scenic view driving out there. I'll let the pics do the talking.

Love this pic with the cows.








When we left for Cheyenne I thought I had enough gas. Good night! I think i drove 80 miles before I saw the first gas station. We roll into a gas quickie stop. Ummmm No comment!
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My truck holds 17 gallons. I believe we were at DEFCOM 4 and rapidly approaching DEFCOM 5. 16.272 gallons!
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Stopped at Sportman's Warehouse to pick up a few things. Wow! What a store!


Got gun powder?




Tempted but I didn't get any...


We then headed into the historic part of town. I saw this on the street. How cool is that? A license and tagged Polaris Ranger.


Museum.



Cool western shops.


Free horse carriage rides but tips would be very much appreciated.


Even the liquor store had a western feel to it. (needed some bourbon for medicinal purposes only)
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