Hunting seasons come around fast, and there’s plenty to think about before that first morning in the field. Is your rifle still properly sighted in? Do you know your bullet drop at longer ranges? Have you spent enough time shooting from the positions you’re likely to encounter while hunting?

For Larry Weishuhn, being ready has always meant knowing his equipment and its capabilities, as well as his own. In his latest Hole Story blog, a tale that begins with a big Colorado mule deer and a rather distracting encounter on a neighbouring ranch eventually brings him back to a familiar question: it's time, so are you ready?

“I’ll stop by the ranch’s headquarters this afternoon. Bet I can get us permission!” announced my friend.

Later that afternoon…

“She came to the door wearing a partially buttoned, full-length bobcat hide coat. Most of her auburn locks were hidden under a brown western felt!” said my starry-eyed friend. He hesitated. “Not sure she was wearing much else!”

“She had an ancient mother-of-pearl-gripped Peacemaker in her right hand and a Winchester Model 1895 in her left, barrel pointed skyward, stock resting on her hip. You know I love those guns!” I nodded.

“She has the prettiest green eyes…”

Hmmmm!

My friend had knocked on the door of the neighbouring rancher’s home, hoping to gain access to their property. It bordered the ranch I managed at the time, near where the Yampa and Little Snake Rivers converge, just north of the Dinosaur National Monument in the far northwestern corner of Colorado.

Scouting earlier that morning, we had spotted a monstrous typical mule deer, easily Boone and Crockett, cross onto her property, one to be regaled around many a campfire.

“What did she say when you asked her? Did she grant permission?” I asked.

“Er… ah… ah… ah… I didn’t. I was so smitten, I forgot to ask about hunting her ranch,” said he, staring at the ground, which turned to a broad smile. “But I am taking her to dinner tonight.”

“I did learn she is recently divorced. Ended up with the better part of the ranch, as well as the house, several horses and saddles, a couple of four-wheel drives and trailer, and most of her ex-husband’s rifle collection. That Model 95 she was holding is a .405 Winchester,” said my smiling friend. “Did I tell you she loves to hunt… My gracious, her eyes are beautiful!”

“Ya think so?” I asked, smiling. “You remind me of a rutting mule deer. Good you’re recently divorced as well. I don’t think that former wife of yours would have taken kindly to you inviting that woman to supper.”

As we walked back toward our camp, I asked, “Are you prepared?”

My friend stopped and questioningly looked my way. “What?”

“Tomorrow’s hunt. Is your rifle properly sighted in, and at what distance? Do you have sufficient ammo? Since you don’t use a dial-up scope, do you have a rangefinder and know the bullet drop at longer ranges?” I queried.

“Yeah… I guess it is. It’s the same .270 I’ve been shooting for years. Like you, I shoot Hornady shells. It should still be sighted-in one and one-half inches high at a hundred. Should be good out to about 225 to 250 without having to hold over. At 400, I know the bullet will drop about 24 inches. So I should be good.”

I was impressed and surprised. Being so enamoured and smitten with his newfound lady friend, I thought he might have forgotten what kind of rifle he was hunting with.

I had a few last-minute horse and mule chores to do before heading to my cabin to start supper.

Equines gathered and fed, I was poking split oak cordwood into the old cast-iron cooking stove when Fred walked out of his room. As soon as he opened the door, I could smell his cologne.

“Think that lady will appreciate your hoity smell?” I asked, then added, “From what I know of her, I strongly suspect you’d make a better impression smelling of freshly burned gunpowder or Hoppe’s No. 9!”

My friend hesitated, digesting what I had just said.

“You know her better than you’ve let on!” he responded. I started grinning.

“Do! Spent time around her and her husband the last couple, three elk and deer seasons. They used to come over and have supper with me and occasionally borrowed Jubel and Jules, my pack mules, when they had a bad pack out.” Then added, “I do know she dearly loves to hunt. Did she show you pictures or mounts of some of the critters she’s taken in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and the Far North here on this continent? Ain’t much she hasn’t killed! I swear, she’s a thing of beauty, but she’s tougher than Rochester’s boot soles. That woman does love to hunt! That bobcat coat you mentioned, she trapped and skinned every one of those cats to make that coat. Better treat her like a fine lady, otherwise her next coat might be made of your skin!”

My friend nodded. “Don’t wait up for me!”

Several years later, after the neighbour lady had run through my friend’s money paying for hunting trips, she “released him”. That was about the time the ranch I was on sold, and I, like my friend, moved on.

After his rebound, having built and sold another company, I ran into Fred at the DSC Convention and Hunting Expo. As we visited, he announced he had just booked a deer hunt in Oklahoma on the Choctaw Hunting Lodge for this coming fall, one of my favourite places on this earth!

“Are you ready? Booked a hunt for you there as well! You gonna hunt with a rifle or a handgun?”

After thanking him, “Both! I’ve got a really sleek, sexy Ruger No. 1 RSI, with wood befitting of royalty, chambered in 9.3x62, topped with a prototype Stealth Vision scope. It really likes Hornady’s 286-grain InterLock SP-RP Dangerous Game ammo. Now, before you say anything, I know it’s a big round. But it’s one I have long wanted to own and shoot something with. And yes, I know we’re not hunting buffalo!”

“Of course I’ll have my 7mm PRC topped with a Stealth Vision SVT scope, loaded with Hornady Precision Hunter, 175-grain ELD-X, with me as well. Don’t think I can leave home without it."

“The handgun I am hunting with a lot this coming year is my .454 Casull Taurus Raging Hunter revolver. It’s topped with a vintage Thompson/Center scope and loves Hornady’s Custom, 240-grain XTP, as well as 200-grain MonoFlex Hornady Handgun Hunter. With it, I feel comfortable shooting out to 125 yards and even beyond. It’s the same combination of revolver, scope and ammo I’ve been using to shoot out to 500 yards. Would never shoot at an animal that far, but it surely is fun hitting steel that far away. What about you?”

“I’m still shooting my old .270 Winchester. And still using Hornady’s 130-grain InterLock handloads. I swear that combination borders on being magical!” said Fred.

I knew he had used that combination throughout North America for moose on down to prairie dogs and had also taken it to Africa several times to shoot eland on down to the diminutive blue duiker.

What about you? Are you ready? Now is the time to spend time at the range getting to know your rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader, handgun, crossbow and bow, learning their capabilities and yours with them. But don’t only shoot from solid rests; shoot from real-world shooting positions.

It’s also high time to take care of last-minute details, making certain all your hunting gear is truly “hunt ready”. And, if you anticipate any coming distractions that might interfere with the coming hunts, it’s time to take care of those as well, as well as spending time with family, knowing you will be gone from home once hunting seasons start!