Mustangs Rule
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2021
- Messages
- 890
A fine friend I have known for 39 years is visiting me right now. He is a very fit 75 years old
After returning from six months into the deepest reaches of Tibet and the most remote parts of the Tribal Highlands of India, still tiger country, he returned to his family in our deep south.
He joined his wife playing with another new baby grandchild. He did some chores around their home. Also did some work on his son and daughter in law’s home.
Then he got restless again and drove 2,500 miles to visit me.
He is an excellent photographer and when he was here four years ago, he took lots of photos of Mt. Goats, Bighorn Sheep and Elk. He is not a hunter; I am and in my youth was a big game guide.
I used my skills to get him close to some fine animals. The mountain goats offered a surprise.
Instead of going high to stalk them, I suggested he stay put low and make noise. They are ever so curious and often come to visit when they do not feel like prey.
They did come down, slipped into low bowl then came up peeking. My friend took some great shots of them with their eyes and nostrils just sticking up above rocks covered in lichens. I have taken a Desert Bighorn Ram, but I could never shoot a Mt Goat.
Often, I watch them off my porch with a 60X spotting scope. Too innocent these Mt. Angeles are too ever kill.
Over the past few days my friend staying with me now and I have been talking about bucket list adventures. I am 78 and with a new knee am frisky again.
I told him about two trips I had done long ago in Alaska.
On one a friend and I got dropped off by boat near the Columbia Glacier in Alaska. We had our Kayaks and camped on a little spud of an Island, exploring the area and watching Brown Bear walking on the shore.
With another friend we got dropped off in the interior for a few weeks of grouse hunting, tracking, and exploring. The birds were aplenty.
We stayed in these sturdy state of Alaska log cabins we reserved.
We cooked our grouse down by a big river, ideal mud for tracking the inland grizzles which checked out our cook sites.
That was the last adventure in which I took my 35mm Leica Safari SLR camera. I miss using it. Maybe again someday?
Anyway, just a few nights ago, Russ, the friend staying with me, and I were craving some adventure, and I pulled one out of my bucket list and threw it out for examination.
“What say we fly up to Kotzebue, Alaska at the mouth of the Noatak River. Then get dropped off inland with a canoe by bush plane. Then live off the land hunting small game like ptarmigan and huge arctic hares and float the river for a few weeks”?
Russ’s eyes opened wide.
I took him to my gun safe and brought out my 100 year old Grandfather rifle. A beautiful model 54 Winchester in 30-06. Love the midnight bluing and the snhabel for end.
Years ago, I downloaded some cast bullets for small game. With that factory installed Lyman sights I could shoot the head off a wild turkey at 30 yards or more. Such a sweet long graceful old rifle from my youth when I did horseback desert mule deer hunts in the mountains next to the Mexican Border.
I had a cabin way back in those mountains', way back in time. Of course, I had a 94 30-30 but it never had the needed reach in the wide-open country. It was Desert Bighorn country and often the small Desert Mule deer went somewhat high to avoid lions. Such fine stalking hunts they were.
Inspired, I went to the range today and shot my model 54 (made in 1926) for the first time since 2008 when my eyes were just getting old.
In order to shoot it well now, I had to polish up the brass bead on the front iron sight. When all shiny I could shoot much better.
The 54’s were never deigned for scopes, being totally made in all ways for open and peep sights. Mine came from the factory with the finest Lyman peep sights, and double leaf African dangerous game sights forward of the receiver. Pure Hemmingway era.
The bolt is out proud and offers such a secure hold for working it fast from the shoulder. Bolts made for scopes could not be so out and proud as they would hit the scope. Such a cool rifle, even has the stripper clip notch in the receiver for fast loading.
It put my first shot with it dead center bullseye, at 100 yards, after being in the safe since 2008. Sadly, so many 54's were butchered up for scope use. Mine is one of the few 100 % original in excellent condition.
Russ and I have been all excited making plans and checking regs. There is a stretch of the Noatak River and a period of time when flying big game hunters is not allowed while native/local caribou hunters are coming up by boat.
Last I checked when this bucket list idea was born, there would be no regs against flying in two crazy old men that were hunting small game. The non-res small game license was $20
Be cool to be doing that trip when it was locals only, visiting their boat camps and offering a trade of rabbits for some caribou steaks.
I recall as a kid, reading some old dime store western novels in which they advised mountain men if captured by Indians to act insane. Apparently, these natives respected the mentally ill and were forbidden to harm them.
Wonder is that is still so,,,a crazy old man hunting hares, with a heavy brass bodied 35mm Leica Safari camera hanging around his neck as a pendant might qualify.
I want to see as much as I can of this beautiful game country,,,,while it is still beautiful and filled with game.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, our last frontier, has lost it's protection from drilling.
MR
www.americanrifleman.org
www.bing.com
After returning from six months into the deepest reaches of Tibet and the most remote parts of the Tribal Highlands of India, still tiger country, he returned to his family in our deep south.
He joined his wife playing with another new baby grandchild. He did some chores around their home. Also did some work on his son and daughter in law’s home.
Then he got restless again and drove 2,500 miles to visit me.
He is an excellent photographer and when he was here four years ago, he took lots of photos of Mt. Goats, Bighorn Sheep and Elk. He is not a hunter; I am and in my youth was a big game guide.
I used my skills to get him close to some fine animals. The mountain goats offered a surprise.
Instead of going high to stalk them, I suggested he stay put low and make noise. They are ever so curious and often come to visit when they do not feel like prey.
They did come down, slipped into low bowl then came up peeking. My friend took some great shots of them with their eyes and nostrils just sticking up above rocks covered in lichens. I have taken a Desert Bighorn Ram, but I could never shoot a Mt Goat.
Often, I watch them off my porch with a 60X spotting scope. Too innocent these Mt. Angeles are too ever kill.
Over the past few days my friend staying with me now and I have been talking about bucket list adventures. I am 78 and with a new knee am frisky again.
I told him about two trips I had done long ago in Alaska.
On one a friend and I got dropped off by boat near the Columbia Glacier in Alaska. We had our Kayaks and camped on a little spud of an Island, exploring the area and watching Brown Bear walking on the shore.
With another friend we got dropped off in the interior for a few weeks of grouse hunting, tracking, and exploring. The birds were aplenty.
We stayed in these sturdy state of Alaska log cabins we reserved.
We cooked our grouse down by a big river, ideal mud for tracking the inland grizzles which checked out our cook sites.
That was the last adventure in which I took my 35mm Leica Safari SLR camera. I miss using it. Maybe again someday?
Anyway, just a few nights ago, Russ, the friend staying with me, and I were craving some adventure, and I pulled one out of my bucket list and threw it out for examination.
“What say we fly up to Kotzebue, Alaska at the mouth of the Noatak River. Then get dropped off inland with a canoe by bush plane. Then live off the land hunting small game like ptarmigan and huge arctic hares and float the river for a few weeks”?
Russ’s eyes opened wide.
I took him to my gun safe and brought out my 100 year old Grandfather rifle. A beautiful model 54 Winchester in 30-06. Love the midnight bluing and the snhabel for end.
Years ago, I downloaded some cast bullets for small game. With that factory installed Lyman sights I could shoot the head off a wild turkey at 30 yards or more. Such a sweet long graceful old rifle from my youth when I did horseback desert mule deer hunts in the mountains next to the Mexican Border.
I had a cabin way back in those mountains', way back in time. Of course, I had a 94 30-30 but it never had the needed reach in the wide-open country. It was Desert Bighorn country and often the small Desert Mule deer went somewhat high to avoid lions. Such fine stalking hunts they were.
Inspired, I went to the range today and shot my model 54 (made in 1926) for the first time since 2008 when my eyes were just getting old.
In order to shoot it well now, I had to polish up the brass bead on the front iron sight. When all shiny I could shoot much better.
The 54’s were never deigned for scopes, being totally made in all ways for open and peep sights. Mine came from the factory with the finest Lyman peep sights, and double leaf African dangerous game sights forward of the receiver. Pure Hemmingway era.
The bolt is out proud and offers such a secure hold for working it fast from the shoulder. Bolts made for scopes could not be so out and proud as they would hit the scope. Such a cool rifle, even has the stripper clip notch in the receiver for fast loading.
It put my first shot with it dead center bullseye, at 100 yards, after being in the safe since 2008. Sadly, so many 54's were butchered up for scope use. Mine is one of the few 100 % original in excellent condition.
Russ and I have been all excited making plans and checking regs. There is a stretch of the Noatak River and a period of time when flying big game hunters is not allowed while native/local caribou hunters are coming up by boat.
Last I checked when this bucket list idea was born, there would be no regs against flying in two crazy old men that were hunting small game. The non-res small game license was $20
Be cool to be doing that trip when it was locals only, visiting their boat camps and offering a trade of rabbits for some caribou steaks.
I recall as a kid, reading some old dime store western novels in which they advised mountain men if captured by Indians to act insane. Apparently, these natives respected the mentally ill and were forbidden to harm them.
Wonder is that is still so,,,a crazy old man hunting hares, with a heavy brass bodied 35mm Leica Safari camera hanging around his neck as a pendant might qualify.
I want to see as much as I can of this beautiful game country,,,,while it is still beautiful and filled with game.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, our last frontier, has lost it's protection from drilling.
MR
An Official Journal Of The NRA | The Timeless Winchester Model 54
Born out of post-World War I demand for bolt-action sporting rifles, Winchester’s Model 54 proved to be a successful marketplace competitor—one that still performs well.
images noatak river - Bing
Intelligent search from Bing makes it easier to quickly find what you’re looking for and rewards you.
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