Don't just get hung up on hitting the long shots. The closer shots are just as satisfying when you notice your kill count raking up! Get yourself one of those push button counters. I picked mine up at a Office Depot. Makes keeping track of the kill count way easy.
I am a groundhog shooter. Thought I knew what PD hunting would be like.
WRONG. Different game, similar guns.
I have only PD hunted one time. I took a Contender carbine 22K Hornet and 500 rounds, a 40X 222 and 500 rounds, and a 17 HMR HR Sportster with 400 rounds. I took a bench and rest, and a Mcfadden Tripod, as well as using a table provided by a friend. I shared a day of shooting with my daughter and my son. I WISH I HAD A PUSH BUTTON COUNTER!! I had to rely on two other daughters who were reading, listening to the radio and generally sunning themselves to keep count as we called out "five more" for the talley sheet. I think the count was WAY off. We ended the day with an "official" count of 237, all under 350 yards, most from 100 to 300. We fired about 525 rounds. The K Hornet got so dirty I stuck a brush in it. Sure glad I had a bottle of bore cleaner to pour in the barrel! We had a blast. Since all guns were single shots, we had to take care to aim and plan better between shots. We did not try the real far shots because we did not have the gun and frankly, since we were shooting a bunch of pups, it was tough enough in the wind at 300 anyhow. It was very rewarding. I can see where an AR would be fun, but shooting the single shots kept it sane, and sorta made us care about our shots missing (but nothing like missing a chuck, never to be seen again)
i do admit to shooting several PD hat were not the intended target...several on the mound, pick one, wind blows, buddy bites the dust...cool, "I planned that!"
I also learned that residents of the area can see a PD at 300 yards or more and say "he is next to the sage brush" while I say "Whaaaat sage bush..???" Now, I am sure he would think the same when I pick a chuck head out of a field of alfalfa at 500 with a glance. It is all in learning what you are looking at, and to me, the PD looked like the rocks, which looked like the bushes, which looked like the grass...
At the end of the day i was hot, tired, had a minor headache from sun and not enough water (We had it, I was just so busy I did not stop to drink any). For this kind of shoot i was so glad I left the BR, the 22-250 at home. It was a joy to shoot the K and Duece. I decided I NEED a 20 Vartarg. I learned that the 17HMR is a gas on PD. Perfect for them at appropriate range, whereas it is NOT so much for a 15 pound chuck. I fell in love with the Duece all over again. The Mcfadden is the cats behind for this kind of shooting. truckable, quick to action, swivels and is rock steady, even in the freakin wind that stole every thing that did not weigh 100 pounds.
Like 284 i too was sated at the end of the day, did not feel the need to shoot real far, and the experience was wonderful, but sure made whackin hogs this year at home feel like I was shooting bears.
I will go back if my generous host will have me, and this time I am bringing him a nicer gift! It was very fun, and I hope to do it again.
