Shaman, have to say reading your post about the realities of your deer hunting circumstance I thought that sounds about how it is for me too only then did I look at your location. The sad thing is for eastern hunters we live in what is a rural area, I can't imagine what it must be like in more populated areas.
Having said that I am torn between trading off ole Betsey for a 7mm weatherby magnum with a 4-16 scope so I fling those high BC billets and get a flatter trajectory. My 308 just isn't getting out there fast enough ;-)
I think we have a huge disconnect anymore. What we dream about as hunters is no longer the reality. Heck it may have been that way for 50 years for all I know. In fact it may never have been what we expected.
Years ago I used to read Outdoor Life and dream. I wanted to fish real fish and hunt real deer. Then I started going to the places I'd read about and it was nothing like what I read. In the end, I had to admit that I'd been taken. What I was doing, I liked, so I stayed with it, but this wasn't what I signed up for.
The Greater Ohio Valley is one of the most beautiful and rich sporting destinations out there. Cincinnati is at the heart of it, but you never think of either as a premier hunting destination. Growing up, folks around me always wanted to go deer hunting in Michigan or go fishing in Canada or Florida. What the heck was I thinking all those years?
I have seen Musky jump in the river less than 10 miles from my farm. I have had elk, bear, and bobcat on my property. However, I know very few people that would point to Bracken County Kentucky as a sports Mecca. And who knows? Maybe I'm living in a sports slum. Maybe your place is tons better, but nobody writes about either, so we won't know.
I am at least trying to do my part to fix it. The deer hunting at The Hole in the End of the Stump Deer Camp may not be pretty, but it's real.
BTW: I'd keep Betsy and pick up and move closer. My rigs are set up for a maximum 250 yards, and I think I've actually taken one at 170 yards. Hitting flyspecks are not my cup of tea and you may find they are aren't yours. Remember that the average whitetail east of the Mississippi is taken at under 80 yards.
