We Were scheduled for snow starting yesterday, so on Monday I got in a few hours of PD shooting before things get messy.
It was a beautiful day, 50 degrees, NO WIND, and partly cloudy. I left @ 5:30 AM, drove 170 miles (the last 22 were dirt) and shot Dogs for 4-5 hours.
First town is a very large one. It's been shot some this year, but there were still pockets of PDs that were visible in several spots. Part of the town had a bunch of inactive holes. Plague maybe. It wasn't hot shooting but pretty steady. I started with my Rem VS (.223) and then switched to a Tikka Lite (.223) as I had to keep moving my plastic table and lawn chair to line up on the PD pockets. I stayed for 2 1/2 hours and had my lunch after shooting about 65 rounds. Long shots were around 275 yards-- I missed one and got one double.
The next town was several miles away thru the sagebrush and only 20 acres or so. It hadn't been shot at all this year. It was in a tiny valley that driving down into would have put the shooter too close to the Dogs, so I shot from an elevated position above the town. When I got there I could see 30-40 PDs in one binoc field of view. Short shots were 275 or so but most ranged out to 375 to 400+. My longest Dog was 417 but I missed quite a few -- more than I should have. All shooting here was done with the Rem and it's 6.5x20 Leupold. Shot another 25 rounds or so before the Dogs went down.
After that it was time to head out. It was well after dark when by the time I made it back to the pavement. Stopped in a small hamlet and got a bacon burger and a bit of libation. Dodged at least a dozen Mule Deer that were snacking by the roadside in various places. Home around 9 PM. Great day.
Well, time to unload the truck and clean the guns. Good shooting!!
