NINTH ANNUAL DOGGIN’ TRIP Member Steven Fiamengo
Steven Fiamengo, 548 yards, 204 Ruger on AR15 platform, with White Oak precision upper and Rock River lower with two-stage match trigger.
the final shot down range (an aerial display, I hope), an assessment of the year’s shooting begins. What went well? What needs to be improved? Then implementation of these observations needs to occur. Next I must find a place to shoot
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for the coming year. Last year (2011), I shot prairie dogs in Colorado with two friends from Houston. We shot in the southeast corner of the state, hard up against the Kansas state line. I con- sidered my hunting options. Should I stick with Colorado? It is 10 hours closer to my home than Billings, Montana. However, next year the Houston pair would be unavailable. When I contacted Ty in Montana, he told me about a few dog towns that would be hard to resist. Ty is a good friend who has been my “boots on the ground go to guy” in Montana. The shooting had been lively in Colorado but there had been shooters there prior to us and the dogs had been educated – close-in shots (less than 150 yards) were infrequent. In Montana, we would have the dogs to ourselves
Page 164 Spring 2013
rairie dog shooting is a year- long process for me. With
with no prior hunting. The added travel distance would be worth it. With my final goodbyes to good
friends in Colorado, I turned my truck toward South Carolina and thoughts of the 2012 prairie dog shoot. Equipment for the trip needs to be assembled and rechecked. I had two rifle problems in Colorado. These would need attention before going afield again. My bolt ac- tion 204 Ruger needed some cartridge feeding attention – the follower was sticky and needed a new spring. The “Big Hammer,” my 338 Lapua Mag- num, was having problems with the bolt’s cocking mechanism and the sear was intermittently not holding. The Big Hammer required a through cleaning and adjustment of the Jewell trigger to rectify the problem. Hunting partners are needed for
these distant hunts. One consistent de- nominator has remained my traveling partner, Star, an 11-year-old Chesapeake Bay retriever. Star was introduced to our readers in my first article in The Var- mint Hunter Magazine® (March, 2010). He was diagnosed with a malignant thoracic tumor in September 2010 and
Star, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever.
his veterinarian gave him only a few months to live. But owing to excellent home care and love, he’s still enjoying our trips to the prairie and out to the shooting range! Once home, I talked up the West-
ern shooting at work and soon had several interested listeners. Ron, John and I began planning our trip in earnest in January. It wasn’t till mid-spring that another member was added. “When are children old enough to go doggin’?” Ron asked. “Y’all need a mature person who
is capable of handling the rifles that he will be using,” I responded. “What do y’all mean capable?” “The rifles need to fit him, ya’
know, length of pull and appropriate position of the scope for the child’s cheek weld. In addition (actually most important), he must know and obey safety rules, such as those promulgated by the Appleseed Project (
RWVA.com),” I replied. “He needs to be aware of other shooters and domestic animals; walkabouts may be occurring while an- other group is shooting off a bench. We try to avoid walkabout issues by using
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