Have a 5-digit serial number '86 in 45-70 with peep and adj vert site.

Neat old gun. Haven't poked a hole in a critter yet, but we're threatening to make deer camp a "levers-only" weapon for a season. I know another outfit that does it, and they have a hoot!

The only hunting rifle I own is a 50 year old Marlin 30.30...I love hunting with that gun, and look forward to more of it!

Fish on...

Todd

Nice.

First time afield as a ruddy-faced boy, I toted a weathered 336 my father had borrowed for me to use. Subsequent paper route money went to a 99EG in 300 Savage with stories to tell....

Nothing wrong with a 32 Special.

Just sayin'.... *grin*

Same gun. It was my old man's gun before that, I think he bought it right around 1970, and right around 1980 was when it became mine.

It's at Nick's house right now, as the original scope is finally being swapped out to a new Vortex that I picked up in September.

Fish on...

Todd

Blurrrbbbhhhh

Marlin 336/1895...what a great design.
I'm going to try the Skinner Alaskan peep and see how that goes.
The Skinner is beautifully made and it fits the big Marlin receiver perfectly.

Hard not to think about Custer's troopers trying to fend off that overwhelming force while single-loading those 45-70 rounds.
At 405 grains, the round could most likely bang-flop a horse as intended.

Always wanted a '94. Sold off some other guns to get one. Wanted a carbine but what they had was a rifle (longer barrel). Made in 1900, a .30-30. Don't know the history but it will be my preferred hunting rifle for modest range animals. Open sights and age help to make it that way. The backups are a .243 and .30-06 that my Dad made. Sporterized an Enfield and purchased the .243 action from Herters. Did all the stock work, bluing, and such. Have taken two deer with the little one.

Love me some SA's but the .243 is a personal fav. If one has a quality barrel twisted faster than the SAAMI 10, she really shines. Barnes now has a 95 grain LRX that elevates that little pill to +P. Easy-peasy recoil in an easy to tote flyweight package, flatter that a pancake external ballistics and with 80, 85 or 95 grain X's for flawless terminal performance, she's a slayer.

Just got an email from Henry.
They are adding side loading gates to several popular models.
This is good news, Henry has been criticized for their tube-fed lever guns.
Nice-looking rifles they are.
https://view.email.henryusa.com/?qs=c730...4691dfeb7be6cdf

Those guns just got 549% more interesting to me.

Fish on...

Todd

Here's my completely not in-depth wrap up for Deer Camp 2020.

It's not a 100% given, but nearly so, that you get two tags where we hunt...the "second deer - antlerless" is almost a sure thing.

Plan was to shoot an antlerless deer, and unless a masher walked out, sit on my buck tag and take a trip over to eastern Washington to my turkey grounds, which also happen to be good whitetail grounds, and see about a big WT for the other half of the take.

Took care of the antlerless deer easily enough, sat on the buck tag, and took a trip east.

Nick and I saw a metric shitton of deer over there, and plenty of legal bucks, but none of the mashers we were hoping for...so didn't fill the buck tag on that trip.

Whidbey was kind enough to provide a big bodied 3x4 for me, and while he wasn't as big as a few of the deer I passed on in eastern Washington, he was a good one for a blacktail!

FWIW, my third biggest blacktail since hunting on Whidbey commenced seven years ago now...

He and I spent about 15 minutes together waiting for hunting hours to commence, and about 15 seconds into legal time he was down...



...and then a bit later when Nick arrived, pic #2...



The other fellas can fill in their stories...or not...as they see fit

Fish on...

Todd

My 2020 report:

Nick drank all the Whiskey, and Todd Drank all the beer.

Tough year, but I shot a deer.

The end.

Seems only fitting that this be in a haiku.

Whiskey did Nick Drink
That damn Todd drank all the beer
but I shot a deer

My multi-season tag remains open. 2nd Doe tag has been filled. Spent 3 days over Thanksgiving with the muzzy, but no shots fired. I have another 8 or so days going after late Archery Elks and Deers. Time is starting to run out a bit, but more to follow...

[Bleeeeep!] Parker, LOL....I specifically remember in 6th grade, thinking to myself "I will NEVER need to know WTF or HTF to write a phuggin' haiku once I'm an adult"! Almost made it to 50yo, and then "Smarty Pants Parker" pulls one out from the Way-Back-Time-Machine, Noice'!!

Those Blackies are sure neat lookin' swamp rats! Another fine specimen for the freezer/wall Todd! Appears "The Island" has furnished "The Crew" with a decent amount of venison for the winter.

The boy's N.M. buck was deer #4 for the larder. Just me and my wife here for T-day, but socked in with fog for 3 of 4 days so the elk (if they were here) were safe. The weather has been pretty mild the last week, and by all indications, the local elk boogied out. Had a chance a week ago, and didn't pull the trigger...Regerts! 1 month count down offically starts now for the end of cow season.

Thanks, Snit.

It really is a labor of love to consistently harvest mature blacktails on the island...there are a ton of deer, of course, but seeing as how they are about 99% nocturnal, even during the rut, getting one roused is a trick.

Getting in the bushes with them with a shotgun and being within 30 yards of them to get a shot, another trick, the trickiest one.

If you are a trophy hunter, it's a tough sell...they do not get "big", though we have shot several that actually are big...and their racks are not going to impress mule deer hunters or those who hunt Cascade blacktails all up and down the coast; the island deer are a breed all unto themselves.

The difficulty of the hunt, both the critters and the terrain, is what makes it special to me...and there is no tastier deer in the woods, period.

Fish on...

Todd

Good lookin' animal. Well done.

Hey Nick, I still have the 2x3 buck here in the hood, along with a couple spikes and a hunerd does if yer in stick-bow mode. At least I think they're all still here; I heard 2 shots ring out just after daylight this morning down the hill.

Thanks Salmo! I may just take you up on that offer depending on how my next hunt goes. Archery closes on 12/31, so there's a few days left.

This.



Managed to stealthily shadow does almost every day I had opportunity. As unsuspecting bait, they yielded romantic spikes, forks and one trey letting an unsuspecting fork horn lead the charge that were all left for future opportunities. One can afford to be a tad particular when there's still bounty in the freezer. Regardless, bearing witness to Ma Nature's delicate dance as performed by her wondrous creatures, many memories were made....

Congrats on a fine BT buck Todd. Are you finally using slugs?