[Hawkeye]

Richmond, Va. got 12-14" of rain from "Tropical Depression Gaston" last week... terrible flooding, several killed as their cars were swept off city streets, and extensive damage to the river bottom area of downtown that has been revitalized of late.... So far, we have been spared large quantities of rain from Frances, but there have been tornado warnings all day, and at least one funnel cloud reported in the vacinity of Charles City County, Va. this afternoon. I haven't listened to the latest weather report, so there may have been more.
My heart goes out to those Floridians, Georgians, Alabamans and all others who have been battered by hurricanes this year. We got pounded by Isabel last fall, and Floyd five years ago, but we've been relatively unscathed so far this season. Ivan is looking like Ivan the Terrible in the south-western Atlantic, with reported deaths on Granada. He's sizing up the Gulf of Mexico as I write these words, and I can bet there won't be a soul happy to see him where ever he makes landfall.... I was thinking there were several areas in either Georgia or Alabama that could really use the rain, but nobody wants to make up for three years of dry weather overnight, especially when the rain comes in 80-100 mile per hours bursts....

Thank God Frances lost strength before making landfall.

 

[Hawkeye]

I was leanin' toward a .243 Winchester... but I don't know if that's legal in Texas.

 

[Hawkeye]

To tell the truth I was actually thinking .22 Mag from short range, but didn't want all the safety elves to jump out and yell SHAME SHAME SHAME.

BTW, Hawk, you aughta see the new toy I pick up this weekend at the gun show. SWEEEEEETT Ruger .270, stainless, with "red" laminated wood stock, man is she PURTY! And you talk about groups. 100 yard 1/2 in groups with Winchester Fail-Safe's from a bench rest. 1 inch groups at 50 yards on sandbag. I been lookin for that model for a coupla years, and finally found one while I had the cash. She is almost too purty to hunt with.

I figure with a rifle like a .243, you'd still kill the fish even if you miss... concussion...
I've never been a huge .270 Win. fan myself, but for folks who do like 'em, it seems to be more LOVE of the 270 that any loyalty to a cartridge that I've ever seen. I am a big fan of Ruger firearms, and I like the model 77 enough that if someone gave me one in .270 Winchester, I suppose I'd be in love with it too. Those are pretty impressive numbers for factory ammunition. I did a lot of handloading in the day, it it's difficult to get better groups out of good handloads without either a lot of work or luck.... That stainless monster ought to be death on a deer out to about 400 yards or so. Do you get to hunt over bait like they do in Texas? It's illegal here (I hunted over acorns for twenty years... if that's not hunting over bait I don't know what is, but it's legal) to bait deer... I never needed to, but out terrain is a lot different than what I've seen in Texas. We have a lot of open woods and fields. Most of the hunting country (pictures) I've seen where they bait seems to be very dense cover...

I Had a friend (yes it is true) once that used to hunt from a tower he made. It was positioned so that he could see and shoot about 500 yards in any direction. The tower was located on land owned by his uncle and he generally shot deer from there every year. Sometimes he would wait until two deer lined up so he could kill two with one shot. I know it sounds like a lie, but it's true... He used a .300 Weatherby Magnum and could probably have killed three or four at a time if it were legal... The first time he killed two it was pure accident.... then he got the bright idea to TRY to do it, and had quite a bit of success over the years. I have been out of touch with him for ten years or so now, so I have no clue what he's shooting with or at these days.

Most of my "hunting" is done at night, with a crop damage permit, these days. I don't get excited about killing deer like I used to... sore back, too many carcasses hauled out of the woods... who knows... it just doesn't move me like it used to do. If my family liked deer meat more than they do, I'd be inclined to shoot a half a dozen or so deer a year to fill the freezer. We just don't eat that much meat anymore. There's plenty of deer around, and I never had a hard time finding them... I might take up goose hunting again. The "resident" (non-migratory) geese are getting way too overpopulated and somebody needs to do something about that. We used to trade geese for turkeys and such with other states, but we don't need any more turkeys to stosk with, and no one seems interested in our "problem" geese anymore either.... they do tatse good... so I might have to give them a try next fall....

Fingers crossed up here for a good running motor to be picked up Saturday....

 

[Hawkeye]

1984 model Mercury 115 "tower of power" inline 6 with tilt/trim... The guy's transom broke and he didn't use the boat enough *his words* to make it worth fixing it. He told me the motor came from Maine or one of the other New England states, where it was used in fresh water. If all of the above is true (sounds like that little old lady from Pasadena) it shouldn't have many hours on it. I'm planning a trip to Raleigh on Saturday to look at it and but it if it is a good motor. He's told me I can have my money back if I'm not satisfied... something the last guy I bought a motor from didn't even consider, I'm sure..