As a sort of followup to this:

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_11/672165_He_s_BACK___Every_Season_Versatility_in_Picture_Form____pic___heavy____.html


Thought I'd take you along on my exercise hike.  Leaving the house I head across the fields toward this;




Headed for the peak.  The whole hike is 5 miles with the part to the top  little over a mile and 1000 feet in elevation.  First 1/2 mile is gentle uphill, then it goes straight up with 70% slopes.  It is a HARD pull.

Once over the top I keep my eyes out for ground squirrels in the ravines. I carry a pair of small Zeiß binoculars, a parang for clearing and maintaining my trails and a small pack with water in it for the dog.  Rifle is my Smith and Wesson M&P15 w/ an old 3-9 Buris scope w/ German 4A reticle. Zero is very important as the critters are very small so we fine tune our zeros from sitting position on the ground, elbows rested on knees as it is the most practical shooting position.

 

Shooting position most commonly used;

 

 

There's one;

 

At the shot, in goes the dog who finds what's left and brings it back.  Trained for collecting coyote bait!

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The hike goes on and another stand is taken and the slopes are glassed, another critter sited and shot taken;

 

 

 

The dog goes down the slope and searches out the critter;

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And finds it and retrieves it;

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We keep going, circling the mountain and coming down by a stock watering spring;

 

And a little further on, a stock pond that no self respecting Lab can avoid...

 

And we head back into the valley, and home off in the distance;

 

Looks like beautiful country sir! That's the life.

I live in the wrong place....I know that.