So: All the food plots are planted and we are only a short time until opening day of hunting season in Bama. I'm all sighted in and the RMK's are all sharpened-up and ready-to-roll!
What is "not" done is riggin' out all my "new toys", acquired over the past year since last year's season. (I'll try and get some photos up later..."BUT"...I was wondering what ya'll would
* Prefer
* Hope for
* Wish for
* Plan to acquire your own self
for your "R&R" rig. Your "Randall"/"Rifle" combo! ...and for what game?? (Multiple answers are, not only acceptable, but encouraged.
Let's hear from you.
Stay sharp, Capt. Chris

Acquired Finn (King Charles Cavalier) Jan. 2020 and my 2020 XUV825m s4 acquired in May 2020.

Finn lives for Gator rides.

Our whitetail deer hunt here at my house is open until October 31, either sex. Saw a couple of bucks earlier, but now scarce. Lots of does, but not interested. My bull elk hunt starts November 8-30, and holding out for that. It's a black powder hunt. I have my old 2006 Kubota 900 UTV 3 cylinder diesel 4x4 that has hauled out many elk over the years. It gets 60 mpg, and all I've ever done besides regular maintenance, is add a new battery and tires. Not fast, only goes 27 mph, but when hunting off it, that's plenty fast. I haven't decided which Randall model I'm using on the elk hunt. Down to the 19 or 5-6. They are both virgins, so which one would you pick?

Pap

Squirrel season opened early September and goes on until end of February.

Favorite piece is my old Savage Model 24 22LR/410 O/U with a Randall old Model 8.

A back up piece in case a coyote gets too close is a North American Arms Black Widow in 22 mag.

Wayne

I always wanted a Savage 24 in 222/20ga, but never found one for sale.

Pap

I love the opportunity to tell a story so thanks Pap. I bought my Savage .222/20 gauge 44 years ago, in the woods, in VA spring Gobbler season. I was in the middle of a 14 day backpacking-hunting, trout fishing expedition with my life long hunting pard (first met at age 14). VA Spring Gobbler season then was daylight till noon Mon.-Sat. so to make full days we changed from guns & cammo into hip waders and ultra light spinning rigs until back to the campfire time. VA weather in mid April has ranged from 75 & hot sunny to 18 & snowing sideways, so always packed for both.
Anyway, on a beautiful, sunny day when the Gobblers were jarring the ground with fighting talk I’d heard another hunter shoot 4 times. Ran into him at midday lunch time sitting on a buck trail in a saddle on top of a mountain and looking mad. Seems he’d called up “biggest gobblers he’d ever seen” 4 times. Missed 4 times.....with this “brand new sorriest gun he’d ever owned.” And when he “got down off that mountain he was going to sell it at a loss just to get rid of it.”
Kept talking and he said he’d give it away right there for $100.00. I always carry my “mad money”, peeled off a crisp one and the deal was done.
Since then I’ve taken many, many turkeys, fox squirrels, bobcats and coyotes with it. My son took his first two Gobblers with .222 head shots & it’ll go to him “someday”.
Yep. A great gun.....with a pretty good story.

Great story Duke, and a great buy too.

Pap

Certainly a great story, Duke.
Thanks for sharing.
Walker

Duke,
That,indeed was very nice. For turkeys,did you handload down the 222??

Savage had made a number of great combinations with the Model 24,sorry they discontinued the line.

I just got in rom the squirrel woods. Every Oct.27th,when possible I go hunting to celebrate Theodore Roosevelt's birthday.

There were more squirrels in my front yard.......

Wayne

Yep,.....seeing 6 squirrels off my deck chasing each other through the trees. Just kinda takes the thrill outa that hunt. Unless I had a young’un to teach.
Platters full of fried squirrel on Saturday morning or my mom’s squirrel & dumplings for Sunday lunch were truly a treat when I was growing up. Right up there with canned salmon, jack mackerel and salt fish fish cakes. I never saw it happen but heard some men licked the big squirrel/dumpling pot clean whenever she took it to the dinner on the ground Sunday’s.
I’ll never forget when my city cousins & their mama came to visit for a week one summer & mama always cooked her best, of course, The two girl cousins both said “what’s that?” When I passed the big platter to them first and proudly told them they could each have a head, my & grandpa’s favorite part for the brain of course. One said “like we see playing in Byrd Park?” And the other ran from the table crying. Boy-O, did Aunt Sandy give them a bit of whipping.
Anyway I’ve always and only shot my own hand loads in almost every hunting rifle. The .222 will shoot better than I can and I’ve not changed the load in over 25 years. A 50gr. Spitzer(Speer or Sierra) over 25.7gr of 748. I will shoot low back on a turkey at 125 with great confidence; 100 yard head shots. One of the two gobblers my 14 year old called in and shot was a 37 step neck shot....thin little piece of skin keeping the head and body together. The only turkey I’ve ever seen shot and not move, no flapping at all. Nothing.
Asked him why he aimed there and he said “it was all I could still hold on and I was afraid he was going to bust.” Well, okay then.
And I sware I thought Savage started making them again. At about $500.00. I see the older ones at auctions sometimes for $4-500.00 . Always think of my old $100.00 gun.