Over the last couple of years I've taken my oldest (12 yo) son Samuel on Western hunting trips while my youngest (10 yo) son Elijah has enjoyed shorter, closer trips, expressing no interest in hunting or shooting.

Until the past year or so!

He completed Hunter Ed this past fall, spent a little bit of time chasing tree rats with a .410 and he endured a very tough Michigan deer season logging quite a few hours without even seeing one deer. Not only did he not complain or use the "b" word (bored; a higher offense than an F-bomb in my vocabulary) but he really enjoyed the quiet time outside.

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As a reward for his excellent attitude and to see if we can tip the scales in his favor a bit, we're leaving Friday at 1 pm for a ranch in Mountain Home, Tx where my hunting pard Tom (brntrout here) and I hunted in 2006

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and again in 2008

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The query I am hoping Elijah can call his first big game kill is feral hog, but we'll also be flinging lead at a hardened steel bison 500 yards off the front porch of the lodge.

Elijah has become a pretty good shot with the Savage 223 that I cobbled for him,

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and I know he's looking forward to an opportunity to hone his skills at longer range. He'll have about 200 rounds with which to practice!

In addition to his 223 I'm bringing a newly cobbled 7-08, my 5.56 M4,

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the 1911 I won in Whelenman's club raffle this summer, my 6-250 and my 257 AI. All will be used to dispatch pork.

My goal is to get Elijah his first big game animal, enjoy fellowship w/ my hunting partners Tom & Ricky who live far from me, and fling lots of lead with Elijah & Tom's 12 yo son Kyle. I am also extremely excited to finally meet face-to-face my friend Kenjs1 who I've gotten to know here. I always enjoy 'fire meetings! If I can stick a hog (the tastiest bullet testing medium God has made) with a 95 gr VLD from the 6-250 and/or a 90 gr GMX from the 257 AI so much the better!!


It should be interesting navigating the People's Republic of Illinois with such an assortment of guns & ammo, but the I'm figuring the Prius is good camo!

In the past we've journaled our trips in writing, but decided to try doing so here instead and will report each leg of our journey here; please keep us in your thoughts & prayers as we travel,

efw