2010 Wyoming Trip

[MNbogboy]

Well it looks like my sons are not going to be able to make it to WY with me this year......I will probably go alone on a combo mulie/antelope hunt in the TBNG....The Savage 110 that I built has proven to give me luck in WY taking a 13" lope and a decent 5x5 last year.....Neither shot could be considered LRH, 325 for the lope and about 304 for the deer......With only 400 rounds thru it so far it was really starting to like those 115 VLDs......49 grs of IMR 4350 or 51.5 grs of H4831sc didn't seem to make a difference in 3 shot group size averaging about .28 to .62....I don't have a chronograph but these loads are not "hot".......
Douglas 1-10 26" stainless tube
Bell & Carlson stock
Timney trigger set at about 2.5#
Topped with a Mueller 4.5-14 apv

The biggest problem now is my rangefinder a Bushnell sport 450....I cannot seem to get it to range consistently over 350 yards...once in a while it will pull a good 500 yards or more if the reflective is a broad leaved tree.....a needled tree is good only to around 300 or 350.....yellow grass on a slope to 300 or so....anybody have any pointers on this one, or is it junk for LRH?......


Here is a couple of pics of the beast...The early one is topped with a Tasco before the Mueller arrived.....

Maybe I will run into one of you guys when we are out there....
Randy

 

[trebark]

What's the cartridge/caliber of that stick?

 

[SBruce]

My opinion of the rangefinder.........get a better one.

I've been using the Leica 1200 for about 5 years now. It beats the pants off the Bushnell 800 I had before that. The Bushnell 800 beat the pants off of the 400 that I had before that.

Which part of the TBNG are you planning on trying??
Are you gonna be out in October??

 

[MNbogboy]

trebark, its a 25-06

SBruce, I was afraid that you would say that about the range finder....We had a pretty tough year at work and were down to four days a week.....My hunting trip budget is tight....But I really want to get that first 1/4 mile antelope....I have a friend with a real good one...I might try to borrow it.....

My longest shot back home here in MN and WI is 405 yards with the Rem 25-06....Ranged with known landmarks and paced after the shot....But I am just entering into this science of LRH.....I am confident in my abilities with the Savage at least to 500 yards (that is as far as I have shot it)...If I do my part right it will group 4" and under at that range...I am hoping under perfect conditions it will do around 2 or three, but I haven't done that yet.....

I was thinking A27, I hunted there in 2007 and took my first lope with my Rem 700 25-06.....My youngest son Mike also took his first mulie a nice 3x3 and a lope doe.....So I have an idea where to go....Unless you have any good suggestions for me...I like the early Oct. hunt because there is a less of chance of weather upsetting the apple cart......My middle son John and I hunted south of Douglas in 2008....The Oct 10-11 snow storm put a damper on our hunt....I did find a decent goat on Oct 10 (A30) antelope opener to put in the freezer....We scouted the next week in the snow/mud for the 15th deer opener and did manage to find a 3x3 John's first mulie and I got lucky the next day on a smaller 4x4....But public land was rather hard to find because of the road conditions.....I ate my cow elk tag because we couldn't get close to the area in the Laramie Peaks where we planned the hunt.....Oh well, live and learn.....

Where are you located in the Thunder Basin, if I may ask?

Thanks,
Randy

 

[SBruce]

Where are you located in the Thunder Basin, if I may ask?

I live on the Cheyenne River Rd. south edge of western 1/4 of area 6.

Area 27 has quite a bit of public land, but it also looks to be limited draw. You'd probably be ok with "special" or preference points though.
Area 7 doesn't have as much public land as 27, but there still is a fair amount. Area 7 has a higher quota and usually has leftover tags.
Area 6 has even less public land, but enough to hunt if your willing to get out on foot. Area 6 usually has leftover tags too.

Hopefully your buddy will let you borrow his RF. I've gotten a few 450 - 500 yd antelope and deer over the years with the 25-06. Love that Caliber!!!!

7MM Sendaro is also on this site, and he comes out and hunts with me every year. If you're hunting in eastern area 27, maybe we can all get together and have a beer or two?

Good luck in the Draw!!

 

[MNbogboy]

When we hunted A27 & Deer "B" in 2007 I made maps for a lot of the area including the eastern edge of A27 nearest you....We ended up camping about 10 miles east of Highway 59 in the Red hills area south of the antelope coal mine....That is probably 30 miles cross country from you....I was just looking at some of the maps again and noticed the Bruce Rd. between the Cheyenne River Rd and Highway 450......Is that road named after you or your relatives?.......

We have always did all our hunting on foot from camp and to me that is part of what hunting is all about....If I hunt there alone this year I may do a little more scouting closer to your area (if the weather and roads cooperate with me).....I only have a two wheel drive so unless it is bone dry, I stick to the better graveled roads and walk from them.....I did notice when we were there last, that the USFS has put quite a bit of effort into some of their roads......

The first year in WY we relied on dry ice to keep our meat cold...The dry ice disappeared real fast and it got pretty expensive.....The last two years we brought along a small freezer.....When we hunted in A30 I plugged it in at a friends house in Douglas, that was real nice.....Last year we used a generator off & on to keep the meat cold....It proved to be a lot cheaper than dry ice.....

The Deer B tag is not a 100% draw either but there has been leftover tags each year.....When we hunted there I drew but my youngest son Mike who went with me that year had to draw a leftover tag (when they still had a drawing for them)...Last year they had them available over the counter when the leftover tags became available.....So I hope I can draw one (I have no points for deer).....

It would be great to meet a couple of forum buddies and exchange stories....A beer or two after a long day in the dry wind blown prairie sounds good too....
When the draws are over and the hunt plan is complete we should exchange numbers to make connections when I am out there......

Looking forward to this years hunt,
Randy

 

[SBruce]

The cooler/generator idea sounds like a good way to keep the meat cool out here on the treeless plains. Last season 2009, it was very cool for the majority of it. We were able to hang the meat until we got a chance to cut it up or take it to town. Some of it even froze solid!

I had not ever heard of someone not drawing their Region B deer tag. It used to be advertised in the G&F site as a 100% Success Draw area.

I am a little familiar with the red hills area east of 59. I spent some time over there hunting coyotes back when I did it professionally.

Yea, the Bruce Rd. is named after my family. It's been called that since I was a little kid. Alot of county roads in Weston County are named after the families that lived at the end of them once upon a time. My Great Grandfather Bruce came here from OK in the early 1900's and built a homestead here. That's been over a 100 years ago now. Someone in my family has lived here for 6 generations, counting my grandson.

It would be great to see some other LRH members out in this part of WY this fall. It's pretty much tradition for 7mmSendaro and I to have some Beer and Venison Salami every night after hunting out here.

 

[7mmSendaro]

It would be great to see some other LRH members out in this part of WY this fall. It's pretty much tradition for 7mmSendaro and I to have some Beer and Venison Salami every night after hunting out here.

Sounds like I better make some extra salami . It is always a great time at the Bruce ranch..............can't wait until October!

 

[MNbogboy]

I am not only anxious to get out there again.....Now I am hungry for some of that salami too....I just finished last week making my winter's supply of venison and antelope sausage....Hot Italian and Bratwurst burger....and it is really tasty....If I have any left I certainly have some in the cooler come October.....

Randy

 

[mconwa951]

Hey guys I am from minnesota and will be coming out this fall as well plannign a hunt in either zine 25 or 26 for antelope and deer making the calls now fo private land access and stuff like that. It would be neat to tet together and grab a beer if you guys are serious about it. Not to invite myself or anything.

good luck in the draw fellow MN hunter.

Mike

 

[MNbogboy]

Hi Mike,
I can't speak for 7mmSendaro & SBruce but if I find time and am able to make connections with you, refreshments at the end of a hard day afield sounds pretty good.....It looks like you will be west of where I am planning to hunt...Area 26 is a hard to find a public place to hunt area....I have heard that outfitters have sewed up a lot of the private there too......Area 22 used to be a separate draw for deer but now I see they have combined it into the regular Deer B license....I thought that I may do an excursion over that way by some of the few public spots and see if there might be a few decent deer there...Its only a hunch but worth a try....Being that it was not heavily hunted by the general public for several years.....

There is a old "watering hole" in Bill along with a motel & eatery that are new within the past couple of years...The bar looked pretty busy the times my sons and I drove by in the evenings.....So probably not the best or quietest spot place to visit (and the smoke in the WY bars is just like MN used to be)....

Are you going to camp?....If you are going out prior to season...A coffee & lunch a day or two before the opener might work out too.....I am driving down from northern MN (Hibbing) probably arriving Sept 29......

I am new to LRH.....been sort of a mid-range guy for years....Where I hunt the clear cuts in MN and WI for whitetails 200-300 yard shots are common have made a few beyond that.....Antelope hunting the last three years has given me three decent bucks but not the 1/4 miler yet.......

Really looking forward to this years hunt and maybe getting to meet a few of the forum members sounds interesting and fun......

Later,
Randy

 

[mconwa951]

Started calling to find some land to hunt most are ok with antelope but not with deer the maps shoud be here today for area 22 deer and i previewed on the internet looks like a lil public land if you are willing to hike in a ways which we are definatley willing to do that.
We will be camping i have a really good friend with a 2008 30' camper we borrow we used to tent it but this makes life really nice trying to find a private person that will let us set up on there land.
Ya the smoking was bad in SD last year at the bars too i hate that. We will head out in late july some time to do some scouting i have a baby on the way in august so cant go when i would like to but cant wait to see my second child.
When we get a lil closer we will have to hook up and do some shooting this summer if you are game for it. I too am new to this LRH thing I have almost exclusivley archery hunted for the last 10 years but now with kids it is hard to get away as long as i want so this is a lil better for hunting but way more addicting also getting into reloading this year as well.
I heard there is a 1000yd range in Harris have you ever been there.
Mike

 

[7mmSendaro]

I'm sure Sbruce will chime in here in a week or so. I believe he's working out somewhere pretty remote. When season get's closer we'll have to be sure and exchange contact info so we can meet up. Looking forward to it!

 

[MNbogboy]

Mike congrats on the little one coming.....We just had our eighth grand kid last Oct.....My wife and I have seven kids between us and now eight grandchildren.....

I have heard of the range at Harris...wish there was a long range close to us...I can shoot 100 from my bench in my back yard....200 and 300 from a portable bench in my back yard..but not the perfect setup for sure.....There is a pipeline and power line going through my hunting 80 in WI there I can setup for 400 & 500 yards but it is 110 miles from here.....Around here I can drive into the Superior National Forest and usually find a clear cut where I can shoot 300 to 400 safely but not convenient and they usually grow up in a year to a point where you cannot get a clear shot because of brush.....

later,
Randy