Well, Michigan's Youth Hunt weekend is over. Our county Wildlife Unlimited sponsored 30 kids for this DNR promotion. It's a great idea. Once more, the Handi-rifle platform proved its utility. My .30-30, equipped with a youth butt stock for several years, fits smaller framed hunters well. Its short OAL works especially well in the confines of a blind, and the tried and true 150 gr. Corelokt once more proved deadly on whitetails.
I outfitted another Handi (a Superlite in .223) for especially small or recoil shy hunters after last year's season. A particularly small framed hunter was equipped with the gun after some time on the range (during which he shot just fine). I was really hoping to have a field report on the Barnes 53 gr. TSX. However, the hunter chose not to shoot when his opportunities (plural) came. No matter. The purpose of this weekend is to spend time with kids, and give them positive experiences afield (read "fun"). Harvesting deer is only important if it's important to the kids. Anyway, the "field report" will have to wait.
I also "guided" one hunter who used one of my Marlin 336s also in .30-30. Since this rifle seems to prefer the 170 gr. CL, that's what he used. Performance of gun and load (and hunter!) was also flawless.
So, the weekend is over. Many of the discussions about the effectiveness of gun "platforms" and cartridges have been substantiated by more field experience and, as usual, the "grown ups" enjoyed themselves even more than the kids. (When I picked up my first hunter @ 5:15 a.m. on Saturday, I found him waiting for me on an outdoor porch in the rain. He said he'd been up since 3:00 a.m.
I had the privilege of taking this young man on a hunt while his Daddy serves our country in Iraq. How special is that!
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