Social Distancing Camping/Hunting?cooking Adventure (pictorial/video)

Crosman999

Well-Known Member
Jul 26, 2015
358
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Ventura, CA
Hey everyone, just wanted to share my most recent trip that Marley and I took into the remote mountains for two days. I had a bit of work to do on reviews so went ahead and documented our adventure the best I could through video. I know it's difficult for some to be able to get out in the field so thought it would be nice to bring you guys along with us on this adventure. For this trip I had decided to travel much further into the mountains to a hidden spot where I was positive to stay clear of any people, some extreme stealth camping. Marley and I set up camp in a spot that I had previously scouted out and used my OneTigris Backwoods Bungalow Bushcraft style backpacking tent that camouflages well into the surrounding trees. Our plan was to set up camp and spend the day target shooting, hunting, and doing a bit of cooking later on in the evening. I had brought several different rifles to work with over the two days but would be hunting with the Brocock Sniper XR in .25 caliber. This is a rifle that I reviewed for Airguns Of Arizona and have much enjoyed using it over the past several months.



It's durable, accurate and suits my needs as a rugged field rifle under heavy conditions. My Airgunning buddy Michael was kind enough to tag me in a recent social media post to participate in a weekly target challenge found on one of the popular Airgun forums. The challenge was to print out this target and place between 25 and 50 yards and then to document through either video or photographs. I took my stapler and tacked down the target to a small box where I set it out to 50 yards, the targets were fairly small and challenging enough, especially with some wind coming through.



I took my time and did pretty well on the targets staying within the black. After taking a break and having a snack Marley and I headed away from camp to spend the day varmint hunting a few places within hiking distance. This area is beautiful this time of year with all the yellow flowers and green grass. Marley and I made our first stop about 2.5 miles from camp on top of a large mountain range overlooking a field. The field below us had plenty of Ground Squirrels moving about from 85 out to 130 yards.





Marley made her way down to recover one that I was able to take down at 128 yards, most are difficult to recover due to sliding back down the holes.



This one took a pretty nasty headshot that sent out a loud POP!! These shots were not easy at those ranges as I was having to fight a fairly strong wind on the mountain top.



After making eight confirmed kills over the few hours Marley and I headed back down the mountain to relax and situate the camp for the evening. Getting down the mountain took awhile for me as I had to navigate the steep hillsides covered with thick brush and overgrown pines. Back at camp I collected some firewood that would hopefully get us through most of the night. Thankfully the weather has been a bit warmer so my heavier cold weather gear wouldn't be needed on this trip. I dug a fair size fire-pit just in front of the tents awning with a high rim that would reflect most of that heat back into the tent to keep us warm.





When I come out to these remote locations I always bring a ton of water, much more than I would need. We never know if we may have to stay and extra day or in the event we have a vehicle breakdown. This area is no mans land and if not properly prepared, you will be in serious trouble. I really enjoy my coffee, especially when camping so I always bring my peculator.




Cheers to a beautiful day spent with my best friend and of coarse a few badass Airguns. This my friends is what life is all about for me, living it to the fullest and trying to share my experience with others.



As I had my coffee I pulled out some "Bacon" that we would have for dinner along with some diced potatoes. To go along with the bacon I added some famous D'Lynn's EBR Sauce to put some extra into our dinner.





Marley and I truthfully eat like pigs when we come out and camp, haha Can't eat this crap at home. She enjoys eating everything I do so we are in heaven with meals like this. She absolutely loves cheese! That night we feasted on our Hobo Stew with bacon, cheese, potatoes, bbq sauce!! Unbelievably good. After dinner I fixed myself some more coffee, put a large log on the fire and got Marley settled into bed.



That night we slept very sound and thankfully had enough blankets to stay warm through most of the night.



This morning we woke up around 7:30 just as the sun was starting to crest over the mountains behind us, not to cold but enough to want to spruce up the fire. That night I had some strange dreams, kept waking up thinking I was hearing people..nobody around for many miles. I think I went to sleep on a full stomach and had a little added stress of the ongoing pandemic. Marley would have certainly alerted me to any type of presence during the night as well.



As we waited for the sun to come up over the mountain we warmed ourselves by the fire and I enjoyed a nice cup of coffee. It was a beautiful day, the plan was to set off from camp and visit a few of the areas from the previous day.



I had wanted to scout the area for Jackrabbits and look for signs of Coyotes for an upcoming long range hunt I had planned. I filmed a few segments for the enclosed video where I discussed my poor experience with Amazon! We headed away from camp and set up in one of the lower fields under a large pine tree. The green grass and yellow flowers made for a stunning backdrop and thankfully the wind wasn't as strong as it was the day before.



I was able to take several Ground Squirrels in this spot between 60 and 85 yards. Most of these Squirrels were very skittish and were taking awhile to come back out after taking a shot.





Marley and I took our time and moved to the higher elevation to more of a sniper position, the New Accu-Tac bipod leg extensions are for me the best tool for this type of hunting.






After spending a few hours out in the hills and taking down 10 Ground Squirrels Marley and I headed back down our newly formed trail to camp. We really enjoy coming out here and exploring new areas, for me it's not just about the hunting but the entire experience. To be honest it was worth the trip just for the amazing dinner we had, I really enjoy camp cooking more than anything. I know with everything that's going o right now it's difficult for most people to get out into the field. Luckily I'm in a position to be able to get away very easily so plan to document as much as I can and publish something once a week until this is over. I enjoy bringing you all with us on these trips, they are "Our Adventures" Thank you to all who have subscribed to our channel, It has helped us out immensely. Enclosed is the more detailed video of this adventure I hope you all may enjoy!

Cheers,

Dana

 
I like the pic of you and Marley on the ridge. Marley looks like he has some Dachsund in him, must be a good tracker. Glad it didn't snow on you.
 
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Hey Dana, Had a question for you. Maybe it's not an issue because you probably know all these areas you're going to very well... but I just keep thinking I'd be nervous about having a smaller dog off-leash like that. I know darn well just how tough some of them can be.. I mean I've got a Rat Terrier. But the idea of taking her out like that to fetch, solo. And it's only you that can help her if something pounces on her at a distance or grabs her up in its mouth and runs... ya know? Ya ever have any nervy or close-call situations while with her out in the bush? Or is it like the fact that you and the human scent being in the area seems to clear-out any of the predators that might try to cause her harm?
 
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Thanks for all the kind replies! Marley was actually bread for Badger hunting and is vicious and strong considering her size. Depending on the area and situation is when I run her and only then if I'm comfortable to do so. The only time I don't let her run is summer months due to rattlesnakes.
 

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