Like most wilderness areas, there isn't a bad time to visit. But avoiding some of the busy trailheads during the fall hunting season isn't a bad idea. Late April is a fine time - things are green, the weather isn't hot, and the turkey are gobbling.
I had the pleasure of packing 20 miles into...
In a 20 gauge I doubt the weight difference between an aluminum and steel receiver is enough to make a big difference. The Instinct LX comes in a case hardened steel receiver.
Good enough for now. I'll order an original butt plate to replace what's on it now, an original rear sight, and a cleaning rod. The original cleaning rod on this gun is bent and doesn't slide in the holding groove very well. The rust cleaned up well. The wood is still rough but it is a 150 yr...
I took the gun to Kurt Hardcastle to look at today. That guy is an encyclopedia on rolling block rifles. He said the gun was made in Egypt in the late 1870s. That would explain the weird writing on the barrel I could not read. The cartridge is .43 Egyptian. The muzzle is worn out, thus I...
My granddad had this old Remington Rolling Block on his wall for a long time. I'm not sure who gave it to him. It was gifted to me a few weeks ago. It's in pretty rough shape. The cleaning rod is stuck, the sights are broken. But the hammer spring is strong, the bore is decent, and the trigger...
Found a small cliff dwelling perched above the river bottom today. I'm certainly not the first person to find it but it's not publicized or on a map so it was a nice surprise.
A lot of changes with the Iditarod in recent years with dropped sponsors, COVID, etc. But good to see it still going. My wife volunteers at a check point usually every other year. Always fun to watch the strategy unfold.
When I worked for SD GF&P, we'd spawn Chinook at the Whitlocks Bay facility each fall. There was a contractor who collected the spawned out fish from us, processed them, and sold them somewhere. I was always curious to see the label to know how that guy was marketing what he was selling.
They can be quite vocal. What I've found hunting turkey in the mountains of NM is they're much lower density than I was used to hunting them elsewhere. Some days you might not hear any. Some days you might work one or two birds. I tend to find them in singles or pairs rather than in flocks.