An Afternoon Hike 'n Shoot

The last few weeks around here has yielded over 15" of much needed rain, and that has been creating extra work for me. This has been putting a damper on my shooting and outdoor activities, so I decided to get out yesterday afternoon for a hike through the woods and to shoot some steel, regardless of what the weather had to offer. A friend was suppose to join me, but he grew lady parts and baled out on me. It is more fun to run team drills, and have some mostly friendly competitions, but I'm fine by myself too. I keep some steel targets set up and usually drive to them, but I decided to pack up everything I needed and hike in. With all of the rain, the grass is thick and waist deep in places. The ground is so saturated that walking through the pasture is like walking on a sponge. The creeks and washes are muddy, as are the old cattle and game trails. All of this added to carrying in my ammunition and gear made for a more challenging hike. The weather pretty well cooperated, with temps around 80º, humidity at 100%, and no rain. I stretched the hike in to just over 1½ miles, and checked all of my targets to make sure they were still standing, because the pigs will rub on them and knock them down. I move the targets every now and then around the place, but in this spot I can get back to 200 yards on a few of the targets.

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My load out included 11 rifle and 8 pistol mags. I dropped my pack and spare mags at 200 yards, and shot off of 2 rifle/pistol mags on my belt. I walked back and forth to replenish ammo, get a drink, and pick up brass. Overall, I walked, jogged, or ran 1½ miles while I was shooting.

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I shot 280 rd. of 5.56 and 105 rd. of 9mm, leaving me a full mag for both rifle and pistol on the hike out. I should have brought twice as many loaded mags, because I wasn't ready to be done shooting when the ammo ran dry. I recently got a new woodstove that I wanted to try out, so I got packed up and moving through the woods again. The spot I was shooting at was very wet, so I decided to get higher and go to a spot that I figured would produce some dry (enough) wood and a place to sit down without having to do so in a puddle. Here are some shots from along the way. It is nice having access to high ground in the area.

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I got to my spot and unpacked my stove. It is a Core 4 Ultimate Titanium.

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Luckily, I keep a pretty extensive fire kit on my pack, because even the dead wood still on the trees was damp. There was not much of any chance to build an effective tinder bundle with available resources, so I prepared some of wax infused jute string and fatwood that I carry in my kit.

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The jute string and fatwood worked like a champ, and overall, I was very pleased with the way the stove performed as well. After the wood that I stuffed in the top burned down, I placed the grill on top and began front loading the stove. I had a small pouch of freeze-dried Beef Stew that only needs 3/4 of a cup of boiling water. It took right at 5 minutes for that to boil, and less than 15 minutes total to have some hot food going down the hatch. Sometimes, I carry MRE's just for the convenience, but I would much rather eat freeze-dried food and I am sure that I am not alone with that feeling.

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The stove burned down great, and cooled off quickly. I got the stove and trash packed away, and got mobile again. The total hike 'n shoot lasted 5 hours and I covered 6 miles. I was able to get within 25 yards of several deer, and the turkeys were headed to roost on my way out. There was plenty of pig sign, but they are really hard to hunt on this place unless I'm running dogs, which I don't anymore.

If you have made it this far through this thread, feel free to share where you get out to hike 'n shoot.

Man I'm jealous. Looks like an awesome time!

I feel like I just read a chapter from the grown man's / gun lover's version of My Side of the Mountain! Are you doing this all on private land?? We are in the process of closing on 40 acres here in Michigan with a good mix of dense woods, hilly/sandy topography, a few open green spaces, and a small creek. I hiked it a couple days ago with my son and we did about 2 miles on the trails. Would love to do this with some steel plates set up at various areas around the property. Seems like it would be a fun workout! Thanks for sharing!

Yes, it is a little over 300 acres of private land. It has a lot of trees and brush, so it is easy to zig zag through the place along the tree lines or game trails or through the creek and not see the same sights. The creek is mostly dry, with steep sides and the bottom is deep sand. It is a great workout. The last pasture that I had my plates set up in was much more spread out and went from 100-600 yards. One of these days I will get real creative with a pistol/CQB range back in the woods. I'd like to add a dueling tree and plate rack, too.

Great looking hike on gorgeous looking land.

That stove looks similar to my Emberlit titanium stove. (Not my picture). I usually use my WhisperLite or Pocket Rocket but for a light wood burning stove, I really dig the Emberlit.

I hike the Smoky Mountains but don't have anywhere to "hike n' shoot" :(
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I have a similar set up here in South GA... But it is no where near as picturesque... Also the ground here is covered with all kinds of bugs and the occasional reptile, going prone is a painful experience. I tried to eat outside today and the gnats couldn't help but assist me with my chicken and rice.

When I do something like this my wife calls it "taking my guns for a walk".

I have a similar set up here in South GA... But it is no where near as picturesque... Also the ground here is covered with all kinds of bugs and the occasional reptile, going prone is a painful experience. I tried to eat outside today and the gnats couldn't help but assist me with my chicken and rice.

When I do something like this my wife calls it "taking my guns for a walk".

Our main reptiles are copperheads, and I hate them with a passion. I have only seen a few rattlesnakes on this place in my lifetime, but I would much rather encounter them compared to copperheads. If something is lying on the ground, you better treat it like it has a copperhead or ten underneath it. The snakes are the worst part about moving around at night or off of the beaten path. I really prefer to camp there in the winter, but I will in the summer as long as I have a hammock or am off of the ground.

The bugs are pretty bad here as well. The mosquitoes were out, but I was out of there before dark so they weren't too bad. The chiggers will also eat you alive at night. Luckily, I was wearing gloves and long sleeves, because I had a big ass scorpion try to climb up my arm while moving some dead limbs to get to some brass. My grandmother contracted Lyme disease on this place, so ticks are a serious threat. I also walked closely by a bumble bee nest, and I quickly GTFO of that area. Bumble bees and scorpions around here pack a pretty painful punch.

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When I do something like this my wife calls it "taking my guns for a walk".

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I like that.:) She sounds tolerant and understanding.

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It's great to have the ability to do that anywhere in the USA now days.

I was at a shooting range in Nevada (for those folks around Minden, you'll know this is also where the local LEO train) recently and the Sheriff's show up because somebody complained there was shooting going on.

You can't make that up.

A combined hike and shoot and the events you describe make for decent real conditions training.

Thanks for sharing.