Guns & Outdoors Forum

Joe was coming down last weekend for a management axis and pigs. Little be o own to me, there was a stow away. Chris surprised me by showing up as well. A pleasant surprise. In a morbid way.
Goal for the weekend was hunting, shooting, and chilling. We accomplished that and more.
They arrived Thursday afternoon and we had Joes axis by that evening. A nice young buck as we had too many. It turned out to be an exciting hunt. Unplanned in how it played out.
The axis were bedded down in the pasture under the mesquite because of the heat.
They are used to the Kubota driving around doing chores. As long as it doesn’t stop or come close to them, they are generally chill.
Plan was to have chris drop Joe and I off at the irrigation well, which was running and very loud. We would hide at the well and wait for the axis to get up and start moving. Chris was to then drive up to the house on the hill. To provide “overwatch” for us and let us know when and where the axis started moving and where they went.
Well, some overwatch he was!! About 30min into out stand, the neighbor rancher pulled up in his Kawasaki Mule to turn the irrigation off. No heads up to us at the well. Overwatch didn’t even see him. Joe and I were tucked in hiding between the fuel tank and the engine. It’s VERY loud when running. We couldn’t hear anything but the engine. First notice we have is when an old man walks next to us at 5 feet!! Unaware we are there. He shuts down the engine with us right behind us. Walks over and shuts off the drip oil. Turns around and there we are with a rifle on a tripod pointing out into the pasture. Me looking over Joes back. He jumps in fright! Then laughs. I whisper we are after an axis. He whispers he owes me on and he’s sorry. Drives off. And our overwatch never knew he was even there!!!
Fail!!
Anyway!!! The axis finally move. And our overwatch has no clue. They are too far away and obscured by trees. Joe and I hatch a plan to observe and leapfrog close to them using trees as cover. We execute a perfect African stalk. Taking turns duck walking across the pasture with trees between us when they weren’t looking. We finally reach our target cover. I think it was 165yrds, but I can’t remember. How makes a perfect platform. Sitting off a tripod and shoots the buck. He doesn’t react. Takes a few steps forward. Then turns and takes a few step back. Falls over done. With a suppressor, the other bucks with him have no clue what happened. They just walk off.
Our Overwatch didn’t even see us stalk.
Job opportunity……….anyone want an Overwatch job? Hiring now.

More post to follow. I’ll do installments.

That night, after cleaning the axis, we went varmint hunting.
Called in two fox off the bat but we passed on them. After about 30 min, a yote showed up on the other side of the fence and sat down. I have permission for that place as well. I called out the yote and chris got on him but he was behind some brush. I looked to my right and saw joes rifle on a tripod and no Joe.
Look behind me and he taking a leak!!! Tell him we had a yote and he shakes and zips and runs to his rifle. Get them both on the yote but the brush is in the way. Tell them to shift left or right and chris gets clear. Makes a shot and drops the yote. I can see the glowing hot spot on the fence where he hit a wire. But, shooting a bonded bullet, enough still hit the yote to drop him. He jumped. Flipped. Dropped. Then, got up and stumbled off.
Good enough for me. Didn’t feel like climbing a high fence to find him. We called it a night.

Next day, I had an appointment in SA. So, they went with me. Had my appointment and Google Maps seems to be above some. While I was there, they went to a gun store. Only problem was, they couldn’t find me afterwards. After about 30 min circling the block………I walked to them. Ha!
Then, we went and ate lunch at an awesome barbecue joint!! Stuffed ourselves silly and drove home.
The day wore poor Joe out.

Once home, it was up to Chris to get some axis meat for the ranch owner. Our first opportunity came at 220 yards.
I asked him if he was good for it and confidently he said yes. A couple others presented themselves but didn’t work out. So, back to the 220 doe. With his Ruger American in .308 with a SilencerCo suppressor and 168gr ELD-M, he laid prone and made a perfect shot! She made a short run, stopped, and fell over.
When we drove down to her, I saw her yearling and, since our numbers are high, told him to take her as well to help balance the herd.
From the back of the Kubota on a rushed time frame, he made a perfect head shot on her at about 50 yrds.

Then, it was zeroing thermals after cleaning axis and off to pig hunting!!
I wanted to see Chris take a pig with a sub .300 BO suppressed. We found a pig in a field and chris and the Devil Child made a perfect stalk to within 50 yrds while Joe and I watched through thermals.
A perfect shot and the pig ran off into the tall wheat. I lost sight of him and assumed he dropped.
Extensive searching in the dark and following day and we couldn’t locate him in the tall wheat. I know the pig was dead. We just couldn’t find him in the wheat. Which, isn’t an issue as we were just eradicating. Not after meat. Just helping the farmer.
But, no body…….no kill. The .300 BO still sucks until proven otherwise. I stand by that.
So, off we went to get Hoe a pig. Went to another field where a big bore had given us the slip multiple times. Found him way out in the pasture and, playing the wind, made a stalk.
Got within about 160ish yards and Joe hit him with a 6 ARC. Good chest shot. He ran and Joe hit him again on the run. He turned and Joe hit him again at about 250something on the run! Dropped him.

Next day was chores and repair and fabrication.
Fixing broken things and building shooting platforms for training. Then shooting .22s and cooking out.

That’s a lot of jackassery! Love it!

We even did some 1K yes shooting with chris and his .308 Win and one of my 6.5 CMs. Both did exceptionally well with new rifles at that distance.

Then, it was venison/pig burgers on the grill and shooting Dung Beatles with a pellet gun under the shade tree the next day. Along with pistol shooting and clean up.

A wonderful and full weekend. Full of successes, failures, experimentation, creation, laughter, brotherhood, fun, and Jackassery.

Hater to see them go. But, we will meet again.

Elk Creek wrote: ↑Fri May 15, 2026 11:38 pm That’s a lot of jackassery! Love it!

You have no idea.

Zee wrote: ↑Fri May 15, 2026 11:58 pm

Elk Creek wrote: ↑Fri May 15, 2026 11:38 pm That’s a lot of jackassery! Love it!

You have no idea.

Elk Creek wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2026 12:05 am

Zee wrote: ↑Fri May 15, 2026 11:58 pm

Elk Creek wrote: ↑Fri May 15, 2026 11:38 pm That’s a lot of jackassery! Love it!

You have no idea.

Some pictures shouldn’t be posted.

Zee wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2026 12:07 am

Elk Creek wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2026 12:05 am

Zee wrote: ↑Fri May 15, 2026 11:58 pm

You have no idea.

Some pictures shouldn’t be posted.

Now there’s a shock.

Did some 1000 yard shooting with my Ruger American 3 oh late. Hit it on the second shot. Some toolbag douche wad of an “instructor” forgot the rear bag for us to shoot from. He says “use your shoe.”

I mean, I got the impact, but it’s not ideal. Being me and needing a better option, I stripped down to my chonies and rolled them up for a rear rest. Slightly better.

Made some shots with an Accuracy International also. While I appreciate the level of quality machine work, the extremely tight part to part tolerance, and the overall design (other than the cock-lock fore end system….FYI AI, M-Lok is a thing) I could build two very badass rifles with premium parts for the price of one AI, and I’d like them much better. The quality was impressive, but the experience was…meh.

I concede their Forend system is stupid. Much like Sig in their proprietary mindset. It’s not a match rifle. It’s a working rifle. And the best made. For work. Tell me another factory that I can take the bolt out of mine and put it in yours and fire it without checking headspace? Tell me another factory rifle I can take the barrel off mine and put it on yours and fire it without checking headspace?
So forth and so on.
Yes, there are better custom rifles and such. This rifle is a knuckle Draggers dream. And yes, their attachment system on the Forend is gay.

Zee wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2026 12:07 am

Elk Creek wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2026 12:05 am

Zee wrote: ↑Fri May 15, 2026 11:58 pm

You have no idea.

Some pictures shouldn’t be posted.

Some pictures shouldn’t have even been taken.

Zee wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2026 1:19 am I concede their Forend system is stupid. Much like Sig in their proprietary mindset. It’s not a match rifle. It’s a working rifle. And the best made. For work. Tell me another factory that I can take the bolt out of mine and put it in yours and fire it without checking headspace? Tell me another factory rifle I can take the barrel off mine and put it on yours and fire it without checking headspace?
So forth and so on.
Yes, there are better custom rifles and such. This rifle is a knuckle Draggers dream. And yes, their attachment system on the Forend is gay.

It’s 100% suited for the purpose. But my knuckles don’t drag. So there.

CPJ 2.0 wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2026 1:19 am

Zee wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2026 12:07 am

Elk Creek wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2026 12:05 am

Some pictures shouldn’t be posted.

Some pictures shouldn’t have even been taken.

True.

CPJ 2.0 wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2026 1:20 am

Zee wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2026 1:19 am I concede their Forend system is stupid. Much like Sig in their proprietary mindset. It’s not a match rifle. It’s a working rifle. And the best made. For work. Tell me another factory that I can take the bolt out of mine and put it in yours and fire it without checking headspace? Tell me another factory rifle I can take the barrel off mine and put it on yours and fire it without checking headspace?
So forth and so on.
Yes, there are better custom rifles and such. This rifle is a knuckle Draggers dream. And yes, their attachment system on the Forend is gay.

It’s 100% suited for the purpose. But my knuckles don’t drag. So there.

True. I am what I am.

Decided to Trunk Monkey Zed. It’s a long story, but Z basically screws up our plan. Thankfully he didn’t recognize my wife’s car, nor the Missouri plates. Inside in the bed of the rental truck under the cover. He pops open the tailgate.


“SURPRISE MOTHER ****!”


He.
Didn’t.
Even.
Blink.


Total disappointment. On the flip side we honestly had the discussion on how to surprise him, and we had to come up with a way for me to not get stabbed or shot. I told Joe before I got in the truck that he had to tackle him if he drew on me.


Some will think this post is made up. I assure you, these conversations were real.

Ha! Yes, I was pleasantly surprised and pleased to see you. Just not scared. I was among friends.

AS TO THE OVERWATCH DEBACLE…
I was watching EXACTLY where I was told. The area the Mule came from SHOULD HAVE BEEN visible to the HUNTERS. I most certainly DID see it, long before it got to them. Zed is being a tad grandiose.
As to not seeing the stalk, that really does suck. But the trees that concealed them from the deer, concealed them from me.


But I did get a great lesson on binocular usage, and to be honest it was really the first time in my life I used them to look for game. Hunting hardwoods where 75 yards is an insane long shot, there’s no reason to pack them. Now I’ve got a more open spot to hunt. So I was coerced into spending some money on some Vortex 10-42 Diamondbacks. Asked the midget and devil child what size to get, the both said 10x42 at the same time. Since they are trustworthy in seeing shooting stuff, I figured that’s good enough for me.