Write up from Tyler Argo:
This last year I had the opportunity to do something that was very special and meaningful to me. With the passing of my sweet grandma, I realized that I did not have as much time with my grandpa that I would like. My grandpa has been the second most influential male in my life, behind my dad. I wanted to do something I knew he would appreciate and that I could look back on. I decided to put my archery Equiptment and my regular hunting rifle away for a season and dedicate the entire season to only hunting with my grandpas first rifle he ever bought. It is a 1952 Winchester 94 in 32 Special.
The year started with acquiring brass, powder, and deciding on a bullet. I decided on a 142 grain Hammer Bullets Shock Hammer bullet. I worked up a load using leverevolution powder and starline brass. The velocity out the barrel was 2150fps. The original sights were not built for accuracy according to modern standards, so I put a Skinner barrel mounted peep sight and a Lyman front globe sight. The Skinner peep sights allowed me to not have to drill and tap any holes in the receiver and leave it as original as possible. After trying out a handful of different sight combinations, I ended up settling on a 6 MOA dot in the Lyman globe sight. With a 200 yard zero, I used the top edge of the dot for 0-200yds, the middle of the dot was dead on at 250yds, and the bottom of the dot was dead on at 300yds. I was going out on the desert multiple times a week practicing and grouping out to 350yds.
Spring bear season came and went pretty quickly. We were expecting our new baby boy middle of May so spring bear did not get the attention it normally gets. However I have an absolutely amazing wife that is fine with me hunting like a mad man so I was able to get out a couple times. I found 2 very large bears. I was all in on them and I was going home with at least one of the or nothing. I had opportunities at a couple medium-ish bears but they got the pass. long story short, things didn't play in my favor and those two bears lived another day.
I drew an Idaho Rocky Mountain Sheep tag. I was all in. After reading everything I could get my hands on and learning everything I could about them, I decided on the type of sheep I was going after. I wanted Old. Like really old. I was going for a 10 year old ram. I also knew I wanted a heavy horned mass monster ram. I was hunting an area I had seen this caliber of ram before and I was not going to settle. I would rather not fill my tag and re-draw that same tag after the 2-year waiting period than shoot a ram I wasn't 100% happy with. Well, I ended up eating that tag. I had opportunities to shoot rams. Just nothing I looked at and thought "thats the one".
Elk season came and I found a great heavy old bull a little over 5000ft in elevation gain above the elevation I started at. I snuck into 200 yards, settle my sights on him, and squeezed the trigger. The bull froze at the shot, and I could see a perfect shot right behind the shoulder mid way up. I jacked another shell in the gun and by that time he was tumbling over. That night I had tenderloin over a fire, turned on some pre-downloaded podcasts on my phone, and started getting all the meat taken off the bull to start packing in the morning. 4-days straight from sun up to sundown packing meat, and on the last day I packed meat through the night.
Next was mule deer. I packed for 7+ days and the weather looked to be cold, rainy, and foggy the whole time, with a little bit of snow, fog, sleet, and hail at the higher elevations. A couple days in I snuck in to 35 yards from a nice 4x4 buck. One shot and he dropped in his tracks. This buck was a long ways back in the backcountry and roughly 5500 ft in elevation gain above where I started.
That buck was the last animal I shot with my grandpas gun this past year. But that gun spent MANY MANY more miles either being carried in my hand or strapped to my back pack. I was able to go hunting with my good friend David and we found a GREAT old and SUPER heavy bull I had found in 2022. We spent the whole day getting to where he was at and stalking in on him. David was up to shoot. The elk had no clue we were there and everything was perfect. When the bull stepped out and I told David the big bull was out of the timber patch, in the heat of the moment David went full tunnel vision, saw a bull with antlers, settled in for the shot and put a PERFECT shot using a 160 gr Hammer Bullets hammer hunter. The bull went roughly 10 yards down hill and pilled up. Unfortunately, he shot the wrong bull. But one of the things I really respect about David is that he wasn't even in the least bit mad. He loves the hunt and wether it was a rag horn or that old heavy sucker, he was stoked either way. That pack out ended up being my farthest pack to day. When David shot his bull we were a little over 14 miles from the truck. After two days of packing, a total of 43 miles each , packing meat in country that is widely known as some of the most brutal country Idaho has to offer, we were pretty beat!
I spent a handful more days searching new areas looking for a mule deer. I passed on some bucks and never did find the one I was after.
I went to Colorado. Had a couple opportunities at some younger bulls that were within range but they just weren't what I was searching for. So I spent the whole Colorado season covering country and learning the habits of the elk in that area.
After the hunting season was over, I was able to collect and print all my pictures that were taken from this years worth of hunting, exploring, and the adventures my grandpas gun was with me on. I then put them in a photo album and presented it to him as his Christmas gift along with showing him the Euro mounts of the deer and elk. I got the exact reaction I expected and wanted. You can tell that something means alot to him when he gets quiet and doesn't have much to say. He will sit and ponder on it for a good bit of time.
This year already has ALOT going on and already have some really awesome adventures planned. although this past hunting season was one I will always vividly remember, I am also looking forward to picking up my bow and my personal hunting rifle again to chase animals in country that VERY few people ever lay eyes on.
This last year I had the opportunity to do something that was very special and meaningful to me. With the passing of my sweet grandma, I realized that I did not have as much time with my grandpa that I would like. My grandpa has been the second most influential male in my life, behind my dad. I wanted to do something I knew he would appreciate and that I could look back on. I decided to put my archery Equiptment and my regular hunting rifle away for a season and dedicate the entire season to only hunting with my grandpas first rifle he ever bought. It is a 1952 Winchester 94 in 32 Special.
The year started with acquiring brass, powder, and deciding on a bullet. I decided on a 142 grain Hammer Bullets Shock Hammer bullet. I worked up a load using leverevolution powder and starline brass. The velocity out the barrel was 2150fps. The original sights were not built for accuracy according to modern standards, so I put a Skinner barrel mounted peep sight and a Lyman front globe sight. The Skinner peep sights allowed me to not have to drill and tap any holes in the receiver and leave it as original as possible. After trying out a handful of different sight combinations, I ended up settling on a 6 MOA dot in the Lyman globe sight. With a 200 yard zero, I used the top edge of the dot for 0-200yds, the middle of the dot was dead on at 250yds, and the bottom of the dot was dead on at 300yds. I was going out on the desert multiple times a week practicing and grouping out to 350yds.
Spring bear season came and went pretty quickly. We were expecting our new baby boy middle of May so spring bear did not get the attention it normally gets. However I have an absolutely amazing wife that is fine with me hunting like a mad man so I was able to get out a couple times. I found 2 very large bears. I was all in on them and I was going home with at least one of the or nothing. I had opportunities at a couple medium-ish bears but they got the pass. long story short, things didn't play in my favor and those two bears lived another day.
I drew an Idaho Rocky Mountain Sheep tag. I was all in. After reading everything I could get my hands on and learning everything I could about them, I decided on the type of sheep I was going after. I wanted Old. Like really old. I was going for a 10 year old ram. I also knew I wanted a heavy horned mass monster ram. I was hunting an area I had seen this caliber of ram before and I was not going to settle. I would rather not fill my tag and re-draw that same tag after the 2-year waiting period than shoot a ram I wasn't 100% happy with. Well, I ended up eating that tag. I had opportunities to shoot rams. Just nothing I looked at and thought "thats the one".
Elk season came and I found a great heavy old bull a little over 5000ft in elevation gain above the elevation I started at. I snuck into 200 yards, settle my sights on him, and squeezed the trigger. The bull froze at the shot, and I could see a perfect shot right behind the shoulder mid way up. I jacked another shell in the gun and by that time he was tumbling over. That night I had tenderloin over a fire, turned on some pre-downloaded podcasts on my phone, and started getting all the meat taken off the bull to start packing in the morning. 4-days straight from sun up to sundown packing meat, and on the last day I packed meat through the night.
Next was mule deer. I packed for 7+ days and the weather looked to be cold, rainy, and foggy the whole time, with a little bit of snow, fog, sleet, and hail at the higher elevations. A couple days in I snuck in to 35 yards from a nice 4x4 buck. One shot and he dropped in his tracks. This buck was a long ways back in the backcountry and roughly 5500 ft in elevation gain above where I started.
That buck was the last animal I shot with my grandpas gun this past year. But that gun spent MANY MANY more miles either being carried in my hand or strapped to my back pack. I was able to go hunting with my good friend David and we found a GREAT old and SUPER heavy bull I had found in 2022. We spent the whole day getting to where he was at and stalking in on him. David was up to shoot. The elk had no clue we were there and everything was perfect. When the bull stepped out and I told David the big bull was out of the timber patch, in the heat of the moment David went full tunnel vision, saw a bull with antlers, settled in for the shot and put a PERFECT shot using a 160 gr Hammer Bullets hammer hunter. The bull went roughly 10 yards down hill and pilled up. Unfortunately, he shot the wrong bull. But one of the things I really respect about David is that he wasn't even in the least bit mad. He loves the hunt and wether it was a rag horn or that old heavy sucker, he was stoked either way. That pack out ended up being my farthest pack to day. When David shot his bull we were a little over 14 miles from the truck. After two days of packing, a total of 43 miles each , packing meat in country that is widely known as some of the most brutal country Idaho has to offer, we were pretty beat!
I spent a handful more days searching new areas looking for a mule deer. I passed on some bucks and never did find the one I was after.
I went to Colorado. Had a couple opportunities at some younger bulls that were within range but they just weren't what I was searching for. So I spent the whole Colorado season covering country and learning the habits of the elk in that area.
After the hunting season was over, I was able to collect and print all my pictures that were taken from this years worth of hunting, exploring, and the adventures my grandpas gun was with me on. I then put them in a photo album and presented it to him as his Christmas gift along with showing him the Euro mounts of the deer and elk. I got the exact reaction I expected and wanted. You can tell that something means alot to him when he gets quiet and doesn't have much to say. He will sit and ponder on it for a good bit of time.
This year already has ALOT going on and already have some really awesome adventures planned. although this past hunting season was one I will always vividly remember, I am also looking forward to picking up my bow and my personal hunting rifle again to chase animals in country that VERY few people ever lay eyes on.
