What crazy times we live in. Never seen anything like it except the Cuban Missile Crisis of '61 or '62. Stores sold out, every one scared to death. Nuclear missile drills in school
hiding under our desks to protect us from radiation!! Our gov.
issued stay at home, social distancing like most other states.
All I'm doing now is groundhog hunting. I called the local game warden to see if this qualified as exercising. He said I was good as long as I was by myself.
I figured I'd add a little bit of safety for me and by groundhogs by setting a 50 yd. safety zone. Started first with my 5 1/2" Ruger Redhawk which really likes lead bullets. I did a big walk around at a large chicken house complex. Saw this 'hog sitting on his hole jest beside the tree in the photo.
51 yds. offhand, 265 gr. SWC. Head shot with Ruger Express sights.
That satisfied me. Next I switched to my 10" Taurus .500 Mag. I really want to use it in Sept. on my bear honey hole farm. Shots are from 130-150 yds. Since I did my brown bear at 129 I figured the gun was up to. I wanted to use the new Win. 400 gr. Platinum Tips. Franchise was good enough to sell me some of these as well as some 400 gr. Woodleigh Weldcores. I put both of these plus a 375X and 400 Cast Performance in a 1.45" group at 100. So much for my cheap inaccurate Taurus.
I had a couple places with holes in my needed distances, but I needed to be a little flexible. Quickly, I found one at a hole at just 110 yds. A Platinum Tip glued him to the ground
Internal damage was not great, but he's not bulky enough to provide much bullet resistance. Hit him exactly where I was aiming.
Next, was this guy I came up on at 90 yds. I switched to a 400 gr. Sierra FP. Hit the artery in the neck for a lot of damage. Accurate bullet ,too.
I had this one upper spot where the hole was 139 yds. from where I set up for a ground shot off my backpack. The other shots were off my PSR.
Took a few visits before I saw him. Bottom line , I missed him 3 times!! 1st-400 gr. Platinum Tip 2" low (must have pulled it), 2nd.- 1-2" over him with a 400 Sierra (trying to save my few Plat. Tips), 3rd.- 375X, 1" low. I thought this shot burned him and didn't expect to see him for a while.
Two days later I sat for 20 minutes and he showed! He only stuck his head out of his escape hole, first time he used it. I waited a good while and he never moved. I set up on the backpack. The head was awful small in the Bushnell Elite on 6X. I finally got impatient waiting and got ready to shoot holding the crosshair at the dirt/head junction. Just as I was pulling the trigger he raised up just a little.
The 400 Woodleigh got him right in the shoulder. It lifted him out of the hole! See the fence in the background with the open gate area. This is where I sat 8 days, up to 1 1/2 hours at a time in 40-50* temps. I was persistent I was going to get him after those misses. I do hold grudges.
I retired the .500 after this. I'll try to do a few crop damage deer with the Plat. Tip, Woodleigh, X, and Sierra out to 150-160. The .500 will go on the bear hunt.
My social distancing continues as well as my exercising. My even pull the trigger a little. Last 3 days I did 3,7,3.
Stay safe out there.
