As a young kid growing up in the rural north west area of Louisiana, my Dad did all he could do to make a hunter out of me. He took my brother and I along when he knew doing so would be detrimental to his success. I left home 29 years ago to start my own life and live up to the way I was reared. Over those 29 years my dad and I still hunt together every year around the old homeplace. We have never taken a road trip together on a hunt. Oh, I have been on road trips and so has he, just never together.
Lets go back to about 15 years or so ago. I was in a pawn shop and saw a left handed bolt action model 700 in 264 WM. I had heard him on a few occassions during the discussions on rifles and ballistics state he thought it would make a fine long range rifle. I couldn't understand why he would want it for NW Louisiana hunting but he told me if he ever had a chance to go out west and hunt antelope, that would be what he wanted. I bought the rifle and gave it to him for a Christmas present that year. He began shooting it for whitetails on Pipelines and even took a couple Mule deer in Colorado with it.
Three years ago, he brought me an application for the Colorado Antelope drawing. We fille dthem out and did not get drawn. The next year we did so again. Feeling confident we would get drawn on the third try, I sent off a Ruger model 77 in 25-06 and had it rebarrelled to 25-06AI.
We got our tags in the mail this last summer for area 145, SW corner of Colorado. I loaded some 115 Nosler BT and they will run in the 3400FPS range. I felt this would do the trick. He opted for the 140 A max from his 264.
I talked with SKB from here several times over the next months getting helpfull information as to what to expect and how to go about making a successfull hunt.
On Thursday at 8 am of October the 2nd, I had the oppurtunity to return a favor that was long over due. I loaded him up in my truck and we began our trek to Colorado. At the 2'nd stop for gas, he walked over to pay his turn. I told him he didn't get a turn. This was his trip, my truck, my food, my gas, my camper, just sit back and relax. We arrived in Colorado on Friday morning. Stopped at the Campo Cafe and met a rancher. After a conversation with him, we had a place to camp on his property just out side of town.
We got settled in and set up. We began searching out places to hunt from the Comanche National Grasslands map that evening. By dark, we had not found an antelope and had only seen one set of tracks. We eliminated those tracts from our map and decided we would look at the other tracts the next day, opening day.
Once back to camp, I grilled up some Ribeyes and fried some taters.
Here is dad Relazing and talking with mom while the steaks cook.
Here is a house on the place we were staying. The owner said his grand parents raised 6 kids in this. It was the house they built when they moved out of the Dugout they had been living in.
Opening Morning, I fried up some sausage and eggs and we headed out.
We spotted a heard about the time the sun broke over the trees. I tell dad there is a good buck and he gets first shot. He hit him a little forward at 347 yards (Leica 1200) and cut his throat with the A max. I went into a stalk on the herd as they went over the next ridge. I closed to 350 yards, again Leica1200 afirmed this, and I sent a bullet into his front right shoulder from a sitting position off my Harris bipod.
Dad's hearing is not what it used to be.
I field dressed them and took them to camp. Sent dad into town for ice and had both in the ice chest by the time he returned. That evening PDBuster, the rancher and his wife and a very nice officer of the Colorado Game and Fish Dept showed up. They were all treated to a Cajun shrimp boil. We shot PD's on Sunday and headed home on Monday. Stopped in Oklahoma and did some coyote hunting, but no takers. Got him home Tuesday Night.
Payback was complete.
Lets go back to about 15 years or so ago. I was in a pawn shop and saw a left handed bolt action model 700 in 264 WM. I had heard him on a few occassions during the discussions on rifles and ballistics state he thought it would make a fine long range rifle. I couldn't understand why he would want it for NW Louisiana hunting but he told me if he ever had a chance to go out west and hunt antelope, that would be what he wanted. I bought the rifle and gave it to him for a Christmas present that year. He began shooting it for whitetails on Pipelines and even took a couple Mule deer in Colorado with it.
Three years ago, he brought me an application for the Colorado Antelope drawing. We fille dthem out and did not get drawn. The next year we did so again. Feeling confident we would get drawn on the third try, I sent off a Ruger model 77 in 25-06 and had it rebarrelled to 25-06AI.
We got our tags in the mail this last summer for area 145, SW corner of Colorado. I loaded some 115 Nosler BT and they will run in the 3400FPS range. I felt this would do the trick. He opted for the 140 A max from his 264.
I talked with SKB from here several times over the next months getting helpfull information as to what to expect and how to go about making a successfull hunt.
On Thursday at 8 am of October the 2nd, I had the oppurtunity to return a favor that was long over due. I loaded him up in my truck and we began our trek to Colorado. At the 2'nd stop for gas, he walked over to pay his turn. I told him he didn't get a turn. This was his trip, my truck, my food, my gas, my camper, just sit back and relax. We arrived in Colorado on Friday morning. Stopped at the Campo Cafe and met a rancher. After a conversation with him, we had a place to camp on his property just out side of town.
We got settled in and set up. We began searching out places to hunt from the Comanche National Grasslands map that evening. By dark, we had not found an antelope and had only seen one set of tracks. We eliminated those tracts from our map and decided we would look at the other tracts the next day, opening day.
Once back to camp, I grilled up some Ribeyes and fried some taters.
Here is dad Relazing and talking with mom while the steaks cook.
Here is a house on the place we were staying. The owner said his grand parents raised 6 kids in this. It was the house they built when they moved out of the Dugout they had been living in.
Opening Morning, I fried up some sausage and eggs and we headed out.
We spotted a heard about the time the sun broke over the trees. I tell dad there is a good buck and he gets first shot. He hit him a little forward at 347 yards (Leica 1200) and cut his throat with the A max. I went into a stalk on the herd as they went over the next ridge. I closed to 350 yards, again Leica1200 afirmed this, and I sent a bullet into his front right shoulder from a sitting position off my Harris bipod.
Dad's hearing is not what it used to be.
I field dressed them and took them to camp. Sent dad into town for ice and had both in the ice chest by the time he returned. That evening PDBuster, the rancher and his wife and a very nice officer of the Colorado Game and Fish Dept showed up. They were all treated to a Cajun shrimp boil. We shot PD's on Sunday and headed home on Monday. Stopped in Oklahoma and did some coyote hunting, but no takers. Got him home Tuesday Night.
Payback was complete.
