~~ Austin's official Western U.S. hunting trip thread ~~

[RedRocket1647545505]

DISCLAIMER: THERE WILL BE GORE IN THIS THREAD!

**I'll be updating this thread daily with pics and stuff**

 

A little backstory on this whole thing:

 

-It's been in the works for a little while now. My father, who pretends to be an electrical engineer, travels all over the country doing electrical design work for nuclear facilities. His current assignment just so happens to be in Eunice, New Mexico, though he's staying in Hobbs, NM. The area is about as flat as it could possibly be, dry, and HOT. "Oh, but it's a dry heat...." Fuck that. It's 98* out here.

 

Anyways...he's been on me to drag my happy ass out there to go hunting with him. So, I finally did. According to him, there's Cotton Tail and Jack rabbits everywhere out there, and the elusive coyote as well (though from what he tells me, they're hard to call in out there due to their plentify food supply [the rabbits]). There was also mention of some hog hunting in West Texas. Sweet. Count me in.

 

Plan was to fly into Houston, gawk at some Texas womenz, and then fly onto Midland/Odessa.

 

So, onto some pictures:

 

7/2/09

 

-First, location and terrain-

http://web03.bestplaces.net/city/Hobbs_NM.gif

http://i39.tinypic.com/ztudk.jpg

http://i41.tinypic.com/2qixrhf.jpg

 

-Some old WWII runway-

http://i43.tinypic.com/11kh75e.jpg

 

Like I said, hot, dry, flat, and absolutely NOTHING around. Well, besides Mexicans.

[Scotty2Hotty]

I spent a week out in Midland, had an offer to become a cop out there

They've got some decent hog out there that's some good eating.

[AngryBMW]

This will be a great thread.

-Marc

[RedRocket1647545505]

Day 1 = Pre-Game

 

My weapons of choice:

-Savage 12FV chambered in .22-250 rocking a Bushnell Banner 3-9x40IR-

http://i43.tinypic.com/r7rdz6.jpg

 

-Savage 93R17 chambered in .17HMR (shown here with the cheap scope that came on it-

http://i41.tinypic.com/e6ojli.jpg

 

-Scope that's on order for the .17 (should be here Monday)-

Mueller Optics Eradicator [8.5-25x50]

 

-.17 in Mossy Oak Brush vet wrap (this shit's handy)-

http://i41.tinypic.com/2h5lh8l.jpg

 

The 12FV and scopes will also be wrapped prior to field use, but I've yet to do so.

[RedRocket1647545505]

My new camo

 

-Cabelas Super Mesh in Seclusion 3D Open Country pattern-

(It's cool to wear, and I look like a bush )

http://i40.tinypic.com/333bjo3.jpg

 

-Camo and wrapped .17 combo-

http://i41.tinypic.com/2n0ucyc.jpg

 

-1st level of SKB case (thanks to Jason on here for letting me borrow)-

(Can't take much ammo due to weight restrictions)

http://i43.tinypic.com/s10t91.jpg

 

-2nd Level

http://i43.tinypic.com/2zqhb1x.jpg

 

-Ready to rock this shit-

(awesome case BTW)

http://i39.tinypic.com/o9iu1i.jpg

[RedRocket1647545505]

I guess I should start this out with the rounds that we have at our disposal whilst here in New Mexico. Most of the guns that fire these have been purchased within the past 3 months. My dad's been on a big bore kick lately.

 

http://i41.tinypic.com/2pycqpj.jpg

 

 

Anyways.......

 

 

7/3/09 - Day 2

 

We started off early today.

http://i44.tinypic.com/8xudj8.jpg

 

We decided to start off our hunting excursion the easy way by going after cotton tail and jack rabbits for most of the morning. By 'the easy way', I mean driving around the back rounds (there are millions of access roads here) in the air conditioned truck until we spot something, hop out, shoot it, rinse and repeat. Out here, it's open season on rabbits since they fuck like....well...........rabbits. They're quite abundant around these parts.

 

I decided that my weapon of choice would be the trusty .17hmr. However, since mine is still awaiting a new scope, I just borrowed my dad's.

-Remington 597 Magnum (7shot autoloader; kinda sketchy loading IMO)-

http://i43.tinypic.com/2nuhsw5.jpg

 

Other weapons we dragged along were:

-Weatherby Vanguard chambered in .243Win (great gun for the $, IMO)-

http://i41.tinypic.com/294pj60.jpg

 

-Henry lever .22-

http://i41.tinypic.com/29o08eq.jpg

[RedRocket1647545505]

Onto the carnage :bangbang:

 

Rabbit #1 - cottontail

shooter - me

weapon - Glock 23 (.40)

note - shot him from about 20yd. away. I think I hit him in left side of his chest. He was still hopping around so I walked up and shot him in the face. Yes, I'm an :asshole:

http://i40.tinypic.com/2nq40nk.jpg

 

Rabbit #2 - Jack rabbit

shooter - me

weapon - 597mag (.17)

note - these things are ugly as all fuck, and run like a god damn kangaroo.

http://i43.tinypic.com/2wnad7a.jpg

 

Rabbit #3 - Jack rabbit

shooter - me

weapon - 597mag

http://i39.tinypic.com/oa59fq.jpg

 

Rabbit #4 - Jack rabbit

shooter - me

weapon - 597mag

Note - no pic of this one. I hit it at about 150yd out and didn't feel like walking to go take a pic.

 

Rabbit #5 - Jack rabbit

shooter - my dad

weapon - Wby Vanguard .243

Note - .243 > Jack rabbit....shot was also taken from about 125yd.

http://i42.tinypic.com/10p1468.jpg

 

This is also a part of Rabbit #5. It was found about 40ft away from him.

http://i40.tinypic.com/ny7arr.jpg

[RedRocket1647545505]

Rabbit #6 - Cottontail

shooter - dad

weapon - Henry .22

http://i39.tinypic.com/f59ete.jpg

 

Rabbits 1-6 were killed within about 1.5hr. We then drove around for about 3.5hr without seeing a damn thing. Highly unusual from what I'm told. Someone must have sent out a memo to the rabbits that I was in town.

 

Finally....

 

Rabbit #7 - Jack rabbit

shooter - me

weapon - 597mag

note - shot this one off the runway I posted earlier. These thing are tough. I shot this one about 4 times before he finally died.

http://i43.tinypic.com/2wbvx3n.jpg

 

That was it for our hunting today. The morning started off great, but then things fell on their face. I wasn't in any rush to get my k/d ratio up. I've got another 9-10 days out here.

[Mr. Jones]

You flew out to NM to kill bunnies for the hell of it?

 

Seriously ?

[RedRocket1647545505]

We dicked around for the afternoon, grabbed some dinner, hit up the local gun shop (if you want to call it that), and decided to take some of the big bores to the range. I decided that my .22-250 wasn't sufficient (for me ) for our hog gun on Saturday night. So I told my dad I was taking one of his and wanted to put a few rounds through it/sight it in before we left for the hunt.

 

My hog hunting weapon of choice:

-DPMS LR308 (16" HBAR); Millet TRS-1 scope; horrible ring setup (I'm trying to convince him to go LaRue)-

http://i44.tinypic.com/257lnx2.jpg

 

The other guns we took to the range just to shoot:

 

-CZ 550 Safari Magnum chambered in .416Rigby-

(this thing kicks like a mule)

http://i42.tinypic.com/2h5o3fl.jpg

 

-Winchester 1895 Texas special in .405win (T. Roosevelt's 'Lion Medicine)-

http://i41.tinypic.com/2vwa809.jpg

 

-Ready to do work-

http://i44.tinypic.com/2qxxhyg.jpg

 

-400yd Range (abandoned airfield)-

http://i44.tinypic.com/24448k9.jpg

[RedRocket1647545505]

You flew out to NM to kill bunnies for the hell of it?

 

Seriously ?

 

My main goal is a coyote or 10. Rabbits were just for shits and giggles. There's also a hog hunt planned for tomorrow night. Besides, I rarely get a chance to go out and have some fun with my guns, not to mention, get out of Ohio.

[Mr. Jones]

Poor bunnies.

[RedRocket1647545505]

Poor bunnies.

 

I'll hug a bush for you while I'm out here.

[TheHaze]

Doesn't look like fun.

[RedRocket1647545505]

Doesn't look like fun.

 

It's a blast.

[Doc1647545523]

We then drove around for about 3.5hr without seeing a damn thing. Highly unusual from what I'm told.

 

You must be wary, wary quiet when you are hunting wabbits !

[oh8sti]

dude, that looks like a blast!!!

[verse]

Doesn't look like fun.

 

I have no idea what you are talking about. That sounds like a great time to spend with your father. I wish my dad was still into guns.

 

Your dad has some very nice weapons it appears.

[TheHaze]

I have no idea what you are talking about. That sounds like a great time to spend with your father. I wish my dad was still into guns.

 

Your dad has some very nice weapons it appears.

 

I used to go hunting with my father all the time; we didn't target practice on little bunnies, though.

[Alex L.]

I used to go hunting with my father all the time; we didn't target practice on little bunnies, though.

 

For each one rabbit killed, there's many many more like it out there.

 

Looks like a good time Austin, have fun!

[nurkvinny]

Good stuff.

[1veryfastvr4]

looks like a fun father/son trip!

[Avenger1647545502]

That 1895 Winchester.....damn, thats purty! I've been wanting one for YEARS, my dream is to find one of the Russian contract "muskets" in 7.62x54r (yes, I'm a Mosin nut), or the .30-'03 version.

[RedRocket1647545505]

I used to go hunting with my father all the time; we didn't target practice on little bunnies, though.

 

They're pests out here. The cattle are free range and the rabbits fuck up the land.

[RangerTurbo]

Looks like FUN. Rabbits run a-plenty here in Utah too, I just need to find a nice place near me that isn't hunted to death (fucking rabbits get smart when they are pressured).