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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

My Favorite Rifle

I walked out to the old corral and stock chute, looking for a place to take a pic of my favorite rifle.
Wonder how many head of livestock have traveled through this thing.

I have visions of cows, beef steers and spent bulls being loaded into the back end of an old pickup......stock panels on each side of the pickup bed to contain them while being transported to the vet, sale barn or ?...





My favorite rifle... I use it during deer season.
It's a Marlin .30-30 lever action with open sites..





I absolutely love this thing. It's light weight and accurate.



One of the places I hunt.. This pic was taken during deer season. I'm sort of an old fashioned hunter I guess. No deer stand, blind, camo or feeders. I wear my blue jeans, farm boots, warm coat, coveralls when the snow flies....

Oh yeah.. I also wear my lucky little diamond earrings. :)
They must be lucky, I'm always able to bring home a deer.



It 's a good feeling to be able to provide meat for the table. :)

46 comments:

Mrs. JP said...

Really like your rifle. It is good to bring home meat for the table. Can you load a deer and do you process it yourself or do you have a butcher that does it? I know venison is so lean so I'd guess you'd need to add some fat for ground meat. I've never cooked wild meat but I like it when other people cook for me.

Rocco said...

i feel the same way about my henry riffle jeanie

cowgirl said...

Thank you Mrs JP. I love that rifle. :) I process deer myself. If I don't have help close by to load a deer in the pickup, there's a comealong handy. Field dressing it as soon as possible helps a bit with the weight too.
I'm definately not a trophy hunter. I just go for the meat.
I add bacon fat when grinding venison.. it adds moisture.
Dove season starts this week and I think my hunting fever had kicked in. :)

Thanks again!

cowgirl said...

Rocco Henry rifles are great!! I know how you must feel. :)
Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Isn't the 30 30 a great rifle?! I have my fathers, and it has to be one of my favorites as well. Wish I had more opertunities to use it around here though... Good luck with the doves. :)

Dave~

Triple T said...

Hay Jeanie! Nice rifle!! I got me a 300 win Mag last yaar this thing is a cannon! My dad said this thing will get meat at both ends.lol It is pretty hard on the shoulder! Hope you have a good dove hunt. BE SAFE!! and take care of your arms we want you to be a "happy girl" when it's over! Thanks again for sharing with us. Hope you have a blessed day. Your friend Mark.:)

Ssteppe said...

I'm jealous. Here in Indiana, we can't use a .30-30 for deer hunting. (Basically no center-fire cartridges.) If you want to use a rifle, it has to be able to use a handgun cartridge, .357 magnum or larger.
Stupid law...

Anonymous said...

Funny you should post pics of your favorite rifle today! I literally just walked in the door with my first "new" rifle purchase in 20 years. I have not felt the need to "replace" anything I have but some co-workers have bought these and they are kind of fun to plink with. The price was right and I could not resist. Sorry if I,m stepping on any patriotic toes ( head hanging in shame) a Moisin- Nagant 91/30. Another Chris

Anonymous said...

I have one just like it and it is a nice one. Easy to get ammo for it too. I really need a nice .22 long. My dad has a Ruger .22 with a scope that we used to keep the wild dogs down with. It has a neat little magazine that loads from underneath. It was an awsome little rifel.

Jim Dorchak
Qm2ss.blogspot.com

cowgirl said...

Hey Dave! That's great that you have one too. :) This one is my favorite rifle. Hope you get to go deer hunting sometime or just to a shooting range. (I'm not sure if you have deer in your area).
Thanks Dave, I am looking forward to dove season this year, they seem to be thick around here right now.
Hope you have a nice week! :)

cowgirl said...

Thanks Mark! :)
Your rifle sounds great! Do you deer hunt too?
I will be careful during dove season..Thanks. My 20 gauge doesn't kick too bad.:)
I go back to the doc tomorrow for my arm.
Hope you have a great week! :)

cowgirl said...

Dang Steve that's too bad! I agree the law should be changed.
Good luck hunting this season! :)

cowgirl said...

Wow Chris, we both had rifles on the mind today. :)
Contrats on your new one, I googled the Moisin-Nagant 91/30 and they look like nice rifles!
Don't worry, you haven't stepped on my toes. :) I enjoy hunting and "gun" talk.
Wonder if we are going to do the same thing tomorrow. lol
I'm going to put a grill together, are you? :)
Thanks for stopping by Chris!

cowgirl said...

Jim that's great! Don't you love the little rifle. :)
Your .22 with a scope sounds nice too. I have a .22 rifle and a ruger pistol. They make good rattlesnake and coyote guns.
Thanks Jim, hope you have a nice week!

Cindy said...

Oh Jeanie, I'm so happy to hear about you and your rifle sporting diamond earrings. This week on our wedding anniversary, I was walking thru the warehouse proudly toting my new steel toed boots under one arm (new safety regulations applied to our lab) and the receptionist crammed a bouquet of flowers under the other arm. I caught a lot of flack for that display. I'm glad to see there are others more than willing to coordinate for success.

cowgirl said...

hahaa.. Cindy! That sounds great... Glad I'm not the only one.
Hope you had a wonderful anniversary.
Thanks for stopping by! :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks Jeanie. Should say the Marlin looks sweet. I "inherited" a Browning lever action several years ago and really liked it except it was chambered in 44 mag. and really made a mess of my shoulder and the hog I shot with it. It has since been sold off. I may have to look into another one in 30 cal. someday. Hoping to break in the Moisin this weekend if I get the time off. As for grilling, with the heat we've had that's an almost nightly thing. No way I'm firing up the stove. Take care. Another Chris

cowgirl said...

You're welcome Chris. :)
I bet that 44 did have a bit of a kick to it! I've not been hog hunting but would like to someday. They are in Oklahoma but not in my area yet. I hear that they are getting closer though.
Sounds like you are going to have a great weekend. The Moisin looks like a nice rifle. Hope you have fun with it. :)
Shooting is relaxing to me. I enjoy keeping familiar with my firearms too.

Glad to hear I'm not the only one avoiding the stove. :) Hope the weather cools off for you soon.
Thanks Chris, have a nice week! :)

Old Smoke said...

I have one of those chambered in .44 mag. Great gun, I reload 250 gr HJHP bullets for it. After a couple of boxes of "plinking" your shoulder knows you've been havin' fun. Although it is not very good for long ranges, it is sure good for "up close and personal" encounters...lol
Over the years I have "harvested" a few hogs, coyotes and lots of renegade dogs that were messin' with the herd. I carried it in a scabbard while riding and I never worried about any 4/2 legged critters botherin' me....:)
Good luck with the doves, buy LOTS of shells. If I remember correctly my "kill ratio" was about 2 per box....:) Seemed like pretty expensive eatin' but was GREAT! fun....

Anonymous said...

I like your definition of an old fashioned hunter. It just seems more sporting, not to mention stylish.

I'm more of a trap and shotgun gal, although I can appreciate the aesthetics of a good rifle. My husband has inherited a few nice ones.

Anonymous said...

Jeanie,
We don't have a lot of deer hunting here in the bay area. But just a few hours north and you're in the red woods, on the coast. The hunting's pretty good there. You can get good fresh sea food too along the mendocino coast. That's where my folks were raised. My son and I usually just go to the shooting range though...

Dave~

LindaG said...

Awesome! And congratulations of getting a deer every year. That's great!
I want to practice more with my shooting so I maybe could get a deer sometime, but I am not much of a hunter.

Hope you're having a great day!

cowgirl said...

Sounds like a great gun Rick! I bet you didn't have anyone bothering you! :)
You know... I forgot to count my shells. Not sure how many I have on hand.
Good luck this week Rick, I'll be sending good thoughts your way. Hope all goes well for you!

cowgirl said...

Kirby Thanks..
I feel like I have a huge advantage by using a high powered rifle to hunt. I won't bring deer in with feed...it's kind of like shooting my cattle or farm animals that come in to a certain spot for feed every day. Just rubs me the wrong way.
I don't hold it against anyone for hunting this way or for doing what they need to do to put meat on their tables.
It's just the way I was taught to hunt.
I would love to learn how to bow hunt someday.
You're a shotgun gal, I bet you would love dove hunting! :)
Thanks again Kirby, hope you have a great weekend!

cowgirl said...

Dave, your area sounds great! To have both hunting and fresh seafood so close by. I would love to live in a place like that. Sometimes I think I need to find a place closer to the ocean. :)
It's nice that you and your son are able to shoot together too. I've not been to a shooting range but love to set up targets here in the pasture. I like shooting.. it keeps me comfy with my guns and I'm told that I'm a pretty good shot. lol
Hope you have a great weekend Dave, thanks!! :)

cowgirl said...

Thanks Linda! I bet you would enjoy shooting and hunting. It's rewarding to provide meat for the winter and target practice is a great stress reliever. lol
Hope you have a nice weekend! :)

Anonymous said...

lol Jeanie, it's funny how the grass is always greener ya know. I look at where and how you live, and it seems so apealing. But truth is I do love living here. Everything is just a few hours in one direction or the other. We've got mountains, desert, oceans and beaches, and the beautifull redwoods. But I have to say I've seen some of your favorite haunts here on your blog, and where you live is awfully beautifull too. Guess we all just have to take a minut sometimes and count our blessings eh. :) You have a wonderfull weekend too!

Dave~

Chris C said...

Jeanie,
Mice looking rifle! I have a Winchester 94 In 30-30 Caliber. Its a blast to shoot! Its one of my favorite guns to use for Javelina and aa all around fun gun to shoot!
Chris

Chris said...

I'd like to pick up a nice lever action, it's one of the few guns I have never owned. I've got bolt action, semi automatics, and shotguns but no lever action.

cowgirl said...

lol Dave you are right!
I love this area too... I try to find the beauty in things around me and to be thankful for what I have. :)
Even with the drought and brown crunchy land around me right now, the night sky is sooooo pretty. I love sitting at the top of the hill south of my house and gazing at the moon and the stars... puts things into perspective for me. :)

Thanks Dave! :)

cowgirl said...

Thanks Chris C! Your Winchester sounds great.... I like Winchesters. :)
Some day I would like to hunt javelina, that must be exciting. There aren't any in my area.
Do you ever cook them?

Thanks for stopping by Chris! :)

cowgirl said...

Chris you need to get one.. Bet you would enjoy it!! :)
Sounds like you have a nice collection too.
Thanks Chris!

Smokin Don said...

Now you just have to admire a woman who hunts in style, a Marlin .30 .30 & diamond earings!!!
Don

Chris C said...

Yes I go with a bunch of people so we end up pit BBQing one of them during the hunt and then make the rest into churizo or sausage. You should try to hunt them sometime they are a blast to hunt!

cowgirl said...

hahaa... Thank you Don! :)

cowgirl said...

Chris C That sounds like a lot of fun! I bet the churizo and sausage are tasty too!
I hope to try them sometime.
Thanks Chris! :)

Aaron Simmons said...

My best friend has that same model of Marlin. Mine Winchester 92 .30-.30. Best deer gun in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri! Thanks for Pics!!!

cowgirl said...

Thanks Aaron! Aren't these .30-30s great! I like the Winchesters too. :)
Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it. Hope you have a great weekend! :)

Anonymous said...

I have a confession, I don't like the taste of dove. I'll shoot skeet and trap all day long, but unless I'm going to eat it myself I'd rather not hunt it. Now chukar, that's another story. I'd hunt those in a minute if offered the chance. My husband, coincidentally, is off for the dove opener today. He donates his birds, and the birds of a few friends, to a coworker who cooks them up for the whole office. They all seem to like it. I don't know, maybe I ought to give it another try.

Anonymous said...

I first read: "I have visions of cows, beef steers and spent bulls being led to... My favorite rifle..."

d.

cowgirl said...

Kirby I hear ya. I enjoy chukar and quail more than dove. Most folks seem to wrap dove breasts in bacon with a sliver of jalapeno then grill but my favorite way it to remove the breast from the bone, flatten, chicken fry, smother with gravy and pour over smooshed potatoes. They are small but I like em. :)
Hope your Husband had good luck today! It's nice that he donates the birds to coworkers. :)

Hope you have a great weekend!

cowgirl said...

lol Donald! I've not had to shoot any of my cattle.. yet. lol
Hope you have a great weekend!

Anonymous said...

A little late on this Cowchick but couldnt let it go without a comment. Up here in Central NewYork until recently we could only use shotguns to hunt, no rifles. One of the few rifles I have is a Winchester Model 94 given to me by my grandather a few years before he passed. Lever action and open sites like yours. Mine is not in as good a shape as yours but holds a lot of sentimental value. Just wanted to share :)

Frugal Canadian Hermit said...

Nice gun Jeanie. I've been thinking about getting one real similar to that one for quite some time now, but just hav'nt quite got around to it yet. Someday soon though.

cowgirl said...

It's good to see you Mr D!! Hope all is well in the North East. :)
That is interesting about your hunting laws. Glad they allow the rifles now.
Your Grandfather's rifle sounds nice... I'm sure it does hold a special place in your heart. Hope you are able to pass it down to Little D when he is old enough to appreciate it. :)
Good to see ya. :)

cowgirl said...

Hey Mark! Nice to see you. Hope you haven't been working too hard. :)
Thanks about my rifle, I really like the thing. If you get one, you will need to take up hunting. I know your area is full of wildlife.
Maybe you could even can some venison? :)
Good to see you Mark!