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Friday, September 28, 2007Goats Galore with Swarovski
More speedgoats than I've ever seen before. The Tillard 55 ranch is run by Casey and his father Marty, true gentlemen ranchers and big hard working sturdy men. The ranch is at about 6000 feet and is mostly for sheep. They said "sheep for money, cattle for prestige." About 100,000 acres of high desert sage and cactus. Lots of bald and golden eagles, prairie dogs, coyotes, mule deer, elk, and hospitality. Thirty to forty mile an hour winds were ridiculous, even for Wyoming standards. I passed a few times at a few hundred yards because of it. Bullets drift several feet in those conditions at that distance and I'm not capable of making an ethical shot in conditions as described. My shot eventually came at somewhere over a hundred yards and ended with a beautiful pronghorn buck that might make book. I'll see after drying.
I spent my binocular glassing time with Swarovski SLCs and 10x42 ELs. No finer glass on the face of the earth exists. I've been in love with the ergonomics of the EL binoculars since they came out, and no binocular has ever felt better in my hand. For long range viewing through a spotting scope nothing beats the awesome HD-ATS80 with the 20-60 eyepiece. The neoprene protective cover is worth every penny. I used the angled and straight models and there's good reasons to use both. The angled is easier for shooters at a bench and for stargazing, but the straight is easier for digiscoping and using from a vehicle with a window mount. The Carbon 101 tripod sure took a beating and was none the worse for the wear.
Dustin and Jeff were my hunting partners. Dustin is the Western Regional Sales Manager with Swarovski, and Jeff owns Adventure Outfitters out of Oregon. Jeff told me some of the greatest hunting stories I've ever heard. He's absolutely freaking nuts with his hunting and lives for it. He's leaving again right away for an extended horseback hunt at 10,000 feet for mulies. Stories included a jackass of a guide during an exiting brown bear hunt as well as the nuances of using his pack goats for hunting. Really. Pack goats. Crazy, man.
I used 5.11 trousers and boots for the hunt. I ripped and blooded the pants, but the ATAC boots were absolutely indestructible. The zippered sides were such a pleasure to use. I also used 5.11 cushioned socks. A nice feature of the sturdy but comfortable pants is that they have an inner pocket in the knees that accept hard-cell foam pads for knee cushioning. They were worth more than their weight in gold while crawling, and I got stuck with less cactus because of them.
A secret weapon for body odor I swear by is the Protech Tactical shirt. I've been wearing these t-shirts for a couple of months now for various sweaty work and my pits never stunk once. I really can't believe it, but the antimicrobial protection works so well you can't take my word for it. Buy one or two. They're amazing.
I used several rangefinders including my Nikon 1200, a Leica Rangemaster 900, and the Swarovski 8x30. All worked well, some better in some applications than others.
My scope was a Swarovski AV 4-12x50 with the BR reticle. Perfect for this application, and clearer, brighter glass can not be found.
This hunt was typical of everything that Swarovski touches. High-class, elegant, and no shortcuts to quality. My thanks to Dustin and Swarovski. I didn't break any equipment or myself, and my Shirley and I are droolfully looking forward to antelopekabobs very soon.
Leaving to Hunt Sunday
The guns runs good. I'm getting 1 1/2" groups two inches high at 100 yards sitting with the bipod. Good enough. Nikon 1200 rangefinder is great. Swarovski scope has my yardage dope pasted to it. I only have access to a 100 yard range so I'll fine tune in Wyoming. I should be perfectly zeroed at 200. At the range last week I cut my trigger finger reassembling a bolt someone took apart. Then I came home and cut my left pinky choosing a knife for the hunt. Sunday looks like thunderstorms out there, Monday calls for a snowstorm, Monday night a thunderstorm. My 5.11 boots are fantastic, as are the rest of their clothes I'll be wearing. Things are green for go and I'm ready.
Sighting In
Went to my range Saturday with only one gun instead of an arsenal. Had work to do. I'm leaving in a week for pronghorn and mounted a new scope. I put a Swarovski AV 4-12x50 in medium rings. The medium rings give me just enough barrel clearance to work. If you ask me what rings for a 50mm lens I'll tell you highs. Mediums must be tried for fit. Barrel contour makes all the difference. Scope caps need to be cut and taped for clearance. I lapped the Leupold Dual Dovetail rings with Iosso paste and an old Harley handlebar. I've been using this handlebar for years. It's hard chrome and measures .9997 and is perfect for lapping rings. I have about fifty rounds of the original 10 box case that I've been shooting in this Howa 1500 around the world, and these 180 grain Nosler Partitions shoot great and have never failed me. I put up a shotgun patterning target with four sight-in targets around it. Started with a clean and tight gun and aimed for the center of the targets. I used my Leupold boresighter first, and the first shot was 14" low and 4" right at 100 yards. I dialed the adjustment to be two inches high at 100 yards and put the next shot right there. I never touched the turrets again. I practiced with an old box of Sears' Ted Williams ammo I had laying around that is older than me. It shot fine. I'll be out again this week to sight in with my hunting ammo. I'll start packing soon and cut the foam in my Pelican 1750 case for my gear.
5.11 Boots for Hunting
I'm currently breaking in a new pair of boots for my upcoming antelope hunt in Wyoming in a couple weeks. They're light and supportive enough for my needs over rocks and tough terrain, and I love the side zippers. I chose the #12110 ATAC boots in Coyote Tan. Hunters and hikers should not overlook so called "tactical" boots just because they aren't marketed for hunting and hiking. These are as good of a boot as I have seen so far. I have lots of very good (read expensive) boots, and these will match the quality of any. In a couple of previous jobs as buyer (among other duties) I have purchased thousands of pairs over the last couple decades, so I am familiar with hard-use footwear. I'm also quite surprised at the comfort and the minimum break-in required.
5.11 Tactical has done an excellent job with this product.