WVA Deer Opener !
 

Nope I didn’t kill anything with a Parker today but I had a Grade 1 10 gauge 2 frame with factory 26” barrels up the tree with me along with my little Mannlicher Schoenauer MC in 6.5x54 MS . Had a four point walk up to about twenty five yards of me and when I started walking away I let him have it and flip that was at 07:05 AM . Sat there a bit longer and a doe angled up behind me so I let her have it at about forty five yards . Shot both with my handloads but killed the buck with a Nosler 140 grain Ballistic Tip and the doe with a Nosler 140 grain AccBond . That makes six deer I’ve killed with that rifle and each one using a different 140 grain bullet . All with the same sight in .

I had three tags two buck and a doe tag . It appears I’m down to a buck tag . Brought along my 6.5-06 and my suppressed 260 . The 6.5-06 is lighter so it’ll get the nod for the remainder I think . Probably not drags shotgun along now :whistle:

I have been thinning the herd as well. This guy came by early yesterday and ran off 4 does so I let him have it. Still no signs of a big deer here this year. EHD has taken its toll, evidenced by the lack of shooting as well. I keep hoping a traveler will come through but the odds are long. Probably turn to stocking the freezer after the holidays.

It’s a PITA skinning and cutting up without hanging the darn things ! And yes that’s what I’m doing at the moment .

Well the winds blowing like heck today and the forecast says rain all day . Game plan has changed ! I’m gonna get just about everything loaded today then Wednesday morning homeward bound hopefully by 8 AM . It’s 3 1/2 hours back over the Alleghenies and Blue Ridge mountains as well as being the day before Gobble Bird Day so the sooner Wednesday I get started the better .

Be safe in your travels.

Randy, those 'yotes make for great jerky and Slim Jims. :cool:

Great, I'll freeze the next one for you and bring it to the Rock:rotf:

When I came over here in the warmer months I went by Harrisonburg on 33 all the way to Elkins and as I may have mentioned before that road is like a coiled up snake almost . So sunday I took a different route got on 64 in Charlottesville and took it over to Staunton and then took 250 . In some ways the road was better but you still had curly que roads to travel .

I’ve got most of my stuff loaded up . All I need to do is haul a cooler and duffle out in the AM .

I’m sitting here in my cousins I guess you’d call it a breakfast nook tapping on the PC and watching outside for a Buck to walk by and it dawned on me all my rifles are in the truck LOL’s . The view here is kinda nice however .

Just put on "My Home's Across the Blue Ridge Mountains" by the Carter family and you'll be home before you know it!

Yes sir ! You need a couple CD’s for the trip either way you go because radio signals are sporadic at best .

Encounter any suitable grouse cover in them thar woods?:)

I’d say so on both sides of the mountain .

Locked up the cabin at 06:30 this morning got out to 250 topped off and got a bag of ice . It was foggy going over the mountains but I took my time (not something I’m known for lols) . Stopped once for a nature call . 250 to Staunton was calm , 64 from Staunton to Charlottesville was a bit congested , but the final leg from Charlottesville to Orange was normal . Don’t know if I’ll do it again , but if I do I’ll have something rigged up to go in my reciever hitch to hang , skin and cut up :whistle:

Craig, glad you’re back safe and that you had a successful hunt. I know those roads pretty well. I-64 can be bad in traffic. Always good to get away, always good to come back home.

Craig, check Midway #163001. A simple hitch hoist that makes hanging, cleaning, AND loading easy. About $120. Lots better than rolling them in the dirt and a back injury to boot!

Thanks ! I saw those things after I got back . Most likely I won’t go back but if I do I think I’ll buy one .