Youth Rifle .223 - Get Close - Recipe - Success

     If you have perused this blog a bit ......

     You might agree with me on the heavy gun thing.  You might agree light recoil helps accuracy.  If you have not perused my blog, please check out some of my earlier posts and note I have a recipe for all this:

    1.  Heavy gun, check,

    2.  Light recoil, check,

    3.  Bipod, check,

    4.  Light caliber - preferably a .223

    4.  The final ingredient is the most important - “If you think you are close enough, get much closer.”

   Here in Texas with deer blinds and bait, you have the perfect situation for accurate shot placement under hunting stress.  100 yards is pretty easy at the rifle range, on a bench, with a sandbag.  But hair and horns result in central nervous system overload.  So, cut it in half in the field.  Yup; 2 X 25, the mid-field stripe, 50 yards – maybe less!    Rig the deal my good man!   

     55 grain soft points pushing 3,000 fps create a delightful "POP" on impact.  They are quite convincing.  My son's first hog, right at 200 pounds, was not ballistically astute, had not considered a 55 grain bullet as too small.  He responded by sticking his feet up in the air.

3 months later we picked up his skull.  Notice the baseball sized chunk missing just left of his artistically applied eye. There are no chew marks, so this is not the result of an over zealous coyote wielding a Sawzall.

Our .223 has another nuance.   We call it, "The 1st gun" meaning:  If this is the first time you are hunting with us, we give you our Handi Rifle Ultra Varmint .223, the same one seen above.  WHEN you are successful, your name is permanently engraved on the stock.  Tipping the scales just under 10 pounds but she's "muscular" - but not "fat".  Recoil is almost non-existent contributing to a healthy blog roll.  This picture is dated. Three more names are on there now and we have a hunt coming up in the next couple weeks.

A little bullet in the right place beats a big bullet pulled due to pucker factor - every time.   (I highly recommend the H@R Handi Rifle Ultra Varmint!  It is offered in larger calibers's) - whatever gun you choose, take my recipe, liberally apply rule #4 - your success rate will skyrocket.

Hunting and fishing is the ultimate "green" experience.  Teach every kid you can find how to participate in the ecosystem.  Lord knows they get enough tree hugging propaganda out there.

Small Boy with Laugh Lines

A.D.D. is AWESOME

Youth Hunting – Feral Hog – Shot Placement – Cheek Grenades

I realize Traditional Bowhunter printed a very similar article this week.  Hey, I am on a roll and decided to round it out for rifle wielding folks, here’s a tip for youth hunters that just might work for us old guys too!:

 

            Reality TV has taken hate to a new level.  Poor hogs, I guess it’s okay to hate some things. That is too bad!  This outdoor correspondent gets the giggles every time he can pursue them.  Think about this.  Our pork friends are available year around, they have no curfew, no season, and remain high in number; what could be better?  Significant behavioral problems – that’s what!           

            Anthromorphically, imagine a psychotherapist describing feral hog behavior as such:  “The subject is easily pre-occupied while showing no regard for other species in its daily activities.   Intensely self absorbed and moderately aggressive while seeking the presence of its own kind.  The hog is a peculiar case.   Of note, when confronted with a food source the subject exhibits A.D.H.D behavior.  Given this erratic combination of behavioral opportunities; the subject in not recommended for a traditional classroom setting.”  

            Moving on -

            Kids are literal.  An interesting thing happens when you describe a head shot as follows: “It’s easy kid.  Just shoot them in the head.”  Or what I used to say is more descriptive but apparently still confusing, “wait till they are broadside and shoot them right under the ear.”  The kid doesn’t really know which part of the head or “exactly how far below the ear?”  Coach them this way and you’ll get the Labrador retriever head tilt and the kid just goes along.  So, make it more concrete.  Tell them, “take a broadside shot.  Shoot them in the cheek.”   (Noted: if you coach kids to shoot a pig in the cheek, they will wait for a broadside shot because the cheek is on the side of the pig; handy.  Man I wish I was smart enough to have figured this out before making all those other mistakes!)

            Now on to rifle skills before we wrap this up:

            The typical new hunter (including adults) will lift their head at trigger pull looking over the scope for a neatly dispatched critter.  End result is high bullet impact or a pulled shot.  On the pig’s end of the deal, a squeal and missing parts followed by bulldozing into brush a fast moving rabbit would avoid.  They say mean things about your family too.   If you like adrenaline, it’s a hoot.  Try it at night with that dim flashlight we all own.  You know the one.

            Or shoot the cheek.  Here’s a picture I pulled off of biggamehunt.net.  A contributor named gknutson used this diagram to describe shot placement for archery.  I borrowed it with permission, then added the red lines to show the cheek shot I am recommending.

 

  

 Photo located at: www.biggamehunt.net/tips/hit-mark-feral-hogs

 

           What you have is a shot delivered to a large, lethal, area.  It is all bone.  Bone is good!  I know this is graphic but I am literal, just like the kids.  Bone turns into a grenade when your bullet arrives on target.  Anatomically, all the major arteries and spinal nerves funnel together here.  Sheer impact breaks the neck.  It is very humane.  Shots pulled high, previously discussed, result in direct brain impact and bone grenade scenario.

            End result – dirt nap.

            A .223 along with a kid is a great combination.  55 grain soft point, loud whop, you got pork.  Low recoil helps young hunters (and old guys) place that little pill in the bone/grenade area.  If you think it takes a .300 Weatherby Magnum to get this done.  Go for it.  That will work too.  But please do not give your .300 to a kid!!!!

            Go get yourself some hog hunting action.

             

 Small Boy with Laugh Lines

A.D.D. is AWESOME

Ranch Birthday - Spongebob - Rock River

Most boys like the idea of a ranch birthday.  Well, since I am an outdoor blogvangeist expanding the hunting and fishing world, I am the perfect ranch birthday party guy.  There happens to be a ranch as well.  My son Thomas on the far right turned 9.

I feel all creative this morning and will use a "start at the end and take it back to the beginning" writing trick.  Linear is so straightforward, it ain't fun.

At the end of the trip the boys gathered for a picture at the gate.  Another successful ranch Birthday.

Then there were ranch Fairy duties.  Basically, I am the ranch fairy.  If something breaks, or the feeders run out, or...about 9,234 other things "just call Uncle Troy" is the standard response.  Well, today we arrive to a broken pipe spewing water all over the bottom of the house.  I am glad it is on piers or things would have been tough.  A little glue and a handy 3/4" cap - water is tight and the house is back to normal.  (Showers are great at the ranch!).

Quick unload and we started the barrage of .22 shell popping - a required ranch birthday activity.  Mitchell getting warmed up with a Henry single shot.

(This is an excellent starter rifle for kids - as safe as a rifle can be)

Like grannies rushing a girdle sale "more, more, more, give me MORE!"

Two of my buddies own sweet AR - 15's with retractable stocks (yeah I know most of them are that way).  But alas, here is the teaching part.

Low recoil, relatively inexpensive ammunition, and a 500 yard target at the ranch make for some significant rifle work. 

Here's Rick ripping away with the new Rock River.

This is a FACT:  Boys are gun curious.  If you do not teach them how - they will never learn how and then you get some serious issues later on in life.  Like I say every time at the ranch,

"Boys" I bellow out -

"Guns, knives, chainsaws, fast cars and women will always be interesting.  They will also kill you" 

We'll work on the cars and women part later.

Introducing every anti-gun weenie's nightmare!!!!

Mind you - these guys are shooting 500 yards at 9 and 11 years old, which proved quite difficult in 25 MPH SE wind, when you hit the steel target (the size of your chest) it was barely audible.  The military might want to put in a draft pick......

Of course there was Spongebob cake - what do you think - I am a southern, redneck, tough guy, lift kit truck driving, tied down knife wearing "wanna be?"  Oh, yeah, those guys DON'T TAKE THEIR KIDS........they are home tire shining the "33's.

There was pig population control, I will report later - waiting on photo's.

If you don't teach the next generation, who will?

I told you I was going to use a writing trick.  I started with harmless gate pictures and a little plumbing problem, brought in some subtle (ha!) pro-gun nuances, then spun it back to finish with boys standing like runway models, on a cistern, below a harmless spongebob cake.

Not bad for a wanna be tough guy outdoorsman who is building the next generation of outdoorsmen.

Small Boy with Laugh Lines

A.D.D. is AWESOME