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August means a second field cutting is at hand

4 min read

August is a slow month for most people who enjoy the outdoors sports. Temperatures are unusually high and we cling to either our air conditioners or the shade.

The first cuttings of hay are in the past, and it’s almost time for that second cutting. Groundhogs are only visible when they stand at attention and must stay that way for a hunter to get a shot.

Many times, the hog stands for only a few seconds then drops. When he appears again, it’s at a different spot.

I call those tricky devils “Jack in the Boxes” but you probably have to have grey hair to know what a Jack in the Box is. There it is and now it’s gone. Find it in the scope, then lose it again.

Another issue groundhog hunters face is the heat. It seems you can only see well from some knoll that is smack in the sun.

I should have planted a tree when I was young then I could sit comfortably in the shade. That tree would be mature by now.

One of life’s great inventions is bottled water, at least in some ways. It leaves little excuse for dehydration.

But it is either awfully hot or raining, so we tend to sit around and pass lies back and forth.

A shot that was at a hog 300 yards away now becomes a 400-yarder. The ½-inch group shrinks with time to ¼ inch. So it goes.

As most readers of this column know, I am a reloader. I haven’t shot an animal with anything but a hand load since 1956.

Actually, I stand corrected. The exception is the .22 rim-fire and a shotgun shell that I personally don’t count.

Lately, because of the scarcity of grouse and pheasants, my shotguns are relegated to those used for geese and turkey and I would bet I’m not alone. I respect those who shoot trap and skeet but it’s not what I do.

In fact, a shotgun is shot differently than a rifle. A shotgun you point and swing with the target a rifle you aim. My problem is I aim a shotgun. Oh well, no one is perfect.

• How many readers remember the rush to send for antlerless licenses? The first day to purchase an antlerless license fell on a Monday and everyone rushed Saturday to get the application in the mail so it would be postmarked by Monday.

Even under those circumstances, many apllications were returned. They were sold out.

Today, the first day in mid-July comes and goes quietly. Even the second round on Aug. 1 passes without fanfare. It won’t be long when Washington County applications will be available over the counter.

Even the change in the rush to get a license has changed. There is one constant in life and that is there will be an increase in cost. The price of an antlerless license is now $6.90.

• A few weeks ago I mentioned the outdoor festival held at Ryerson Park in Greene County, and evidently we had a wrong date. The festival will be held Sept. 10. While it is a small event, it is one I enjoy. If you are not too busy stop in and meet some wonderful people. Incidentally, that’s a Saturday and God willing I’ll be there.

• I know what I’m about to say is a strange statement coming from one who shoots rifles for a hobby but there are too many new rounds coming on the market these days.

I have lived through an era when many new rounds have appeared on the market but not as many as today. Just look at the many .30-caliber rounds that have been introduced in the last 10 years.

Just in the .300 magnum class gun there are three short magnums from Remington, Winchester and Ruger. Now the market must support all three along with the old traditional rounds such as the .300 H&H and the .300 Winchester Magnum.

Just in .30 caliber rounds with more punch than the old .30-06, I count at least seven rounds from the short magnum to the huge .30-378.

The rule of economics says some will fall by the wayside. They compete with each other and what one does so will the other.

A grizzly bear doesn’t know if it was shot with a .300 short magnum or a .300 Weatherby. Much the same could be said with many of the new and growing in popularity .264 diameter rounds.

I constantly argue about the merits of the 6.5 Creedmore versus the established .260 Remington. Rifles being equal, the performance of these two is all but identical. Case capacity is almost the same.

There is no magic.

George H. Block writes a Sunday Outdoors column for the Observer-Reporter.

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