The other problem is that insect
repellant eventually gets on your hands. You may spray it on, but at some point you will itch, scratch, and notice your rifl e that cost more than a used pickup truck suddenly has fingerprints etched into the barrel and stock. After using up my government
surplus insect repellant, I tried milder versions. Some of these smelled like watermelon and apparently attracted ants and yellow jackets. I’m guessing I was mistaken for a picnic. Then came Deet. I don’t know
who named Deet, but it’s a fitting name. It sounds like the noise a mos- quito makes fl ying into a plate glass window.
Deet’s effective stuff, but I’ve
heard it can be absorbed through your skin. As long as it keeps the bugs away, that’s OK with me; besides, I haven’t been wormed in a while. The most recent development is
even better. Now I have one of those gadgets about the size of a cell phone that you load wafers into and it emits insect repellant. This is undoubtedly an improvement, except for when my cell phone rings and I answer my gadget. I spent a half-hour one eve- ning while on a camping trip trying to fi gure out how to retrieve voice mails from the bug gadget. But at least I had no gnats in my ears. When it’s all said and done, I’m
not sure how this gadget works, but I’d like to think it’s putting out some noise or smell irritating to gnats. Not that I’m vengeful, well, maybe a little, but it’s so comforting to think I’m fi nally getting even. Besides, if I’m going to hunt var-
mints, I have no qualms about starting with the really little ones.
Jim Mize has collected the
best of his outdoor humor in an award-winning book titled The Winter of Our Discount Tent. Cop- ies are available for $18.95 plus shipping and handling by calling 1-800-768-2500 or going to their website at
www.sc.edu/uscpress/
Too Many Rifl es Member Rick (Red) Barbarossa
OK, I admit it. I am kind of a gun
nut. Just like most other guys, I read the nice glossy magazine ads, drool on the photos depicting beautifully machined steel and polished hardwood, and the next thing I know, I am at the local gun shop spending more money. It’s like I’m in some sort of Zombie trance. I just love hardware that goes BANG. It’s beautiful, feels nice to the touch, and I want it. Yeah, that’s right, “I want it.” I tell myself (and my wife) that
it’s not a sickness and my proclivity for new rifl e purchases can be easily com- pared to a golfer and his bag of clubs. I explain that just as it takes different clubs to hit the golf ball accurately to suit the range of the hole the golfer is playing, the same holds true for hunters who hunt different game under varying conditions. Well … sort of. The truth of the matter (not that
truth has anything to do with my de- sires) is that if need be I easily could whittle my long arms down to two rifl es and a shotgun. Oh my heavens! What am I saying? Yeah … it’s true, I probably could do that. I never would, but I probably could. Paring down the rifl e locker makes perfectly good sense. Taking into account the many
bullet choices available to reloaders today, one can reduce the number of rifl es owned by tailoring the rounds of a particular caliber to a variety of game. Taking that fact into consideration, I could indeed keep and shoot just two rifl es. Hmmmmmm, maybe I’d hold on to my Howa .243 (with a faster twist) and my AR in 6.5 Grendel. Uhhhh … no, maybe my .223 AR and my Grendel. But the Kimber .308 and my Husky/ Mauser .30-06 would be good to have, too. They both offer varied bullet weights and versatile loadings. Oops, I almost forgot my Tikka .25-06 that dropped those antelopes like a brick. Now that’s one rifl e I would not want to do without.
Hmmmmmm … but wait … what
about my light calibers? Yeah, my CZ in .17 Remington really kicks butt with those 30-grain Berger hollow-points
jamming at 4,200 fps. It liquefi es coy- otes. And this rifl e is such fun to shoot. Yikes, I can’t forget my Howa in .204 Ruger. That’s another one that really is fun to shoot. Dang, but how could I ever give up my Tikka T3 in .22-250. It is such a sweet shooter and what could be more versatile than the trusty, classic .22-250 cartridge. OK, let’s see, … plink- ing. We all love plinking. Well, that’s .22 LR territory for sure. I gotta keep one of those handy. OK, then, the 10/22 is a keeper. Plus, I have so much money in that stupid 10/22, I can’t afford to sell it. Sure, but that Marlin in .17 HMR has to be one of the rifl es that is the most fun I own … and most accurate. How could I part with it? Come to think of it, my C&R rifl es
are really worth holding on to also. The Enfi elds in .303 British really have some smack-down power. My Enfi elds in .308 kick butt, too. Even the Nagants in 7.62x54 Russian can slam a deer well. In a pinch, what military rifl e is more versatile than my old M1 Carbine? I could never part with that. Nor could I give up that old, collector’s classic 8mm Mauser with Nazi markings. You’ve heard the saying, “Beware
of the man with only one gun.” The fact he owns only one means that he knows its limitations and shoots it very well. Amen to that! Maybe I’ll keep only one rifl e and wring all the accuracy I can out of it. One man, one rifl e. Yeah….that’s it. Just like the saying goes. NOT! I can assure you any suggestions
that I sell off some of my arms would be met with laughter. Why? Because they’re fun and I enjoy each and every one of them. They all have individual character, shooting characteristics, and memories attached to them. Nope, I ain’t selling even one of them. Come to think of it, they may be a gittin’ lonely fer some new company. I don’t own one of them there short, fat cartridges yet. I may just have to amble down to my buddy’s store and have a look see. Not that I need one…. Dang, here come the Zombies again!
www.varminthunter.org Page 175
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