Final Prep for Elk Hunt

 Pumpkin Patch perimeter was compromised this week.

I guess that the smell must have worn off the tape and I'm guessing that the pumpkins are a good source of moisture in the dry weather that we've had.  I didn't find the time to reapply the stink to the tape.

 This week's harvest.  Slowing down a little.  There are some nice green pumpkins still out there.  I hope that they eventually turn orange.

 The dinner that I cooked for myself Friday night.  Don't worry, I only ate half.

The field edge oaks appear to be pretty naked but the oaks down in the woods are definitely producing nuts.

Saturday morning I stepped out of the barn and watched 12 turkeys wander down to the pond edge for a drink.

 They left their mark and it is obvious that many other critters have been visiting the pond too.

 Graham caught this bass which we thought might be the biggest of the day.

 Then Dave caught this one which we thought might give it a run for its money.

So we went with the "Hollywood shot" to make it look bigger.

 Ok, the super Hollywood shot.

I had quite the time with the 30-06.  I started with groups with the Boss setting around 5.5.  It was shooting about 2" high but the groups weren't great.  At 5.45, the group tightened up but dropped down almost to the aim point (bottom right).  I shot another group - not bad (bottom center). Then I shot another group and it widened out (hot?).

 Then I shot another group - worse yet.  I let it cool.  Then I took the aim up 2".  The group went up 5" and was worse.  So I took a break.

 I shot the 223 and it shot under 1".  Repeatedly.  So after going for a Ranger ride, I took 1/2 of the scope change out on the 30-06 and decided to just shoot a bunch at a fresh piece of paper.

 Center of group is about where I want it but I'm still not happy with the spread.  I went back to 180 yards and shot a few more off sticks - barely tight enough to stay in the kill zone of an elk.  Gun was smoking hot though.  At this point, it is what it is.  I better get close. 

Trailcams this week had a nice assortment.

 Lots of interest in the block and salt on the stump.

 These guys always seem to travel in a crowd.

 This buck doesn't seem inclined to share.

Nor does this buck.

 I think that he's the guy that keeps knocking it off the stump.

 Coyote

 Hard to see but three of them.

Many turkeys.

 All over the place.

 A couple of nice bucks.

 Archery opened this weekend.  I never made it to stand.

Back to Basics at the Range

 I wasn't happy with how my Browning A-bolt was shooting.  I asked friends for advice and I did some investigating.  My gun has a muzzle brake system called a BOSS.  It allows you to tune the harmonics of the barrel to whatever load that you are shooting.  Back in 2011, I went thru all settings to find the best arrangement for the Hornady Superformance 180gr load that I planned to use for elk hunting.  2011 Test Shoot  I have been speculating about hot barrel, loose Boss, or something else that has changed.

 I watched a YouTube video on the Browning site and it said that you have to back the lock lug back to the zero position and then rotate the scale on the lug to zero.  Focus isn't good on the photo but there is a ring with zero to 10 graduations on the lug and also zero to 10 on the barrel.  I found that my zero was way off on the lug ring.  I returned it to zero.

 I went back to the 100 yard bench and shot off bags.  The results were very surprising.  I have been using the 6.5 setting that I determined in 2011.

 Now, at 6.5, I was shooting a 3"+ group.  I tried harder to keep the barrel cool and clean during this experiment.  And I routinely checked to be sure that the Boss was tight.  It is a nice feature for tuning to different loads but it can also be a source of variability.  I got it to pretty decent groups at a setting of 5.5 or 5.6.  Then it started to rain.  I have one weekend left before the next elk hunt - hopefully I can dial it in more.  That is a difference of 1.0 setting from optimal previously and is about the limit that can be explained with the lug calibration.

 It's hard to find the pumpkins in the weeds.

 They are out there somewhere.

 Some are ripe and some are still growing.  Many vines have died.

I harvested the ripe ones.

There are more jack-o-lantern pumpkins than I expected.  Lots of specialty ones too.  Small to medium regular pumpkins are lacking this year.

 I've been having some chigger issues so I took defense to the next level this week.  It worked.

A visitor on the porch.

 I had more to haul than I had room this week.

 Starting to build the finished inventory at home.

 Brassica in the main field with storm clouds rolling in.

 Turkey evidence at the pond.

 I had another good hour of fishing at the pond.

 This size bass on the fly rod is fun.

 The old, beat-up popper on the left. A new one on the right.  Both worked this week.

 Not quite every cast but close.

 The house at the head of the driveway has a dumpster and appears to be getting gutted.  Apparently the neighbor across the street bought it from the bank.  I think that is a good thing.

I haven't organized to pack for the trip yet.  Nor have I done much bow shooting for archery season - opening soon.  So little time.