On this trip, I bring out another new GUEST hunter. The 1st year was Doug, the 2nd trip to Colorado with with Nick and this trip was with HunterOne who has a successful YouTube hunting channel (HunterOne). Mason, my son, was also in attendance. This trip would be new adventure for HunterOne and Mason's 2nd trip. Mason did not score any hits on P-Dogs while he and I where in Colorado. He actually told me that he needed this trip due to "REVENGE" because he got "SKUNKED" in Colorado. These where HIS words...lol. Needless to say, the pressure was on and the determination levels by Mason and HunterOne were pretty high.
On this trip, 4 guns were taken by Mason and Myself. The infamous TD257, Mason's TalonP .25 cal, the newly acquired Hatsan Galatian .25 cal and my trusty Marlin 17 HMR The Galatian was for backup purposes just in cause one of the main intended airguns failed while on this trip.
We left California in the wee hours of the morning and arrived to our AZ locale roughly at 9am. We promptly filled up our trucks and grabbed some ice and snacks as we knew this was going to be a long day. What was left of it. Our 1st destination was a local ranch. Once there, we took a few minutes to take scenic pics. We then sped off to a known spot and started our P-Dog hunt. It wasn't very long until we spotted some dogs in the distance and set up on them. HunterOne and I both ranged the dogs at 190 yards. I break out the folding table and my TD257. Mason grabbed his TalonP. HunterOne took out his Hatsan Hercules .357 and his homebrewed cast slugs. HunterOne took a few shots at the P-Dog but passed off the shot to me. I then take a few shots to get in the zone. The 1st shot was very high and the 2nd shot was just under the Dog. The 3rd shot found its mark and proved fatal. It was a 190 yard headshot, ON VIDEO! WooHoo, excitement filled the air. After Mason and I retrieved that Prairie Dog, I told him it was his turn.
We now head back out into the field to find Mason his 1st P-Dog. It would end up being one at 75 yards and another at 40+ yards! He was so stoked and his revenge had been settled.
HunterOne heads off and finds his own targets while Mason and I pair up together. HunterOne took a couple of P-Dogs with his Hatsan Hercules. He was also super stoked. We all meet back at our trucks and decide its time to move to another local. We all headed out to a different part of the ranch and found much success. At this point, it was all about Mason and HunterOne. Mason quickly racked up 4-5 more confirmed kills while HunterOne got a handful himself. So did I. We then decide to go check into our hotel and drop off our luggage and any other unnecessary items that we were not using. And of course, we grab a bite to eat when we finish with the Hotel and decide of course to hit the fields again for the evening portion of the hunt. Even though we had been up since 2am, the concept of being "TIRED" never struck us. We where there to hunt and hunt is what we did. We all score a few more Pdogs and decide that its getting late and that we should pack it up and start off bright and early the next morning. And that's just what we did.
We rise early the next morning and decide to hit another locale. To go scouting if you will. Well, we wondered up on the best spot of the trip. The area had peaks and valleys and plenty of PDogs. Hunter one and I decide to start the morning off with the Rimfires and then use the airguns for the 2nd half of the hunt. HunterOne brought along his trusty Marlin 60 .22 lr. HunterOne set up in one field while Mason and I drove up the hill and over into our own area. And man was this a great idea as it was all this territory to ourselves. Unlike hunting in California! I could hear HunterOne in the valley behind me lighting up PDogs with his Marlin and he later confirmed that he could also hear my 17 HMR making connections. My longest shot on this day with the 17HMR would be 150 yards and the longest shot with my TD257 would be 182 yards. Mason's longest shot was at 100 yards using his TalonP and it was a head shot. 1 shot, 1 kill.
All in all, the was a great P-Dog shoot and Mason got his revenge. HunterOne got his chance to get his first ever Gunnison P-Dog. We all had so much fun and plan on going back before long. And when we do, I will film the 2nd installment on my video series titled "NUAH". Which stands for "NUTTIN' UNDER A HUNERD". Which means, all shots will be 100 plus with airguns. As a matter of fact, I will push deep into the 200's. See ya'll real soon!
Love it, great story. Started putting my Talon-P to use lately myself in our PD towns, and found it very rewarding. Thanks again sir!
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