A .44 magnum for Grouse?

The day started out well enough. I arrived at work on time and had everything ready to go by the time my clients for the day showed up. A Florida couple. Let’s go through the checklist.

1. Gas tanks topped off on two Honda 420's and my Arctic cat 500.

2. Emergency gear strapped down to the front rack of the Arctic cat.

3. Winchester .44 magnum carbine in the gun rack loaded with Buffalo Bore 305 gr. bear killers.

4. Client lunches strapped to the front rack of the husbands ATV.

5. Client got their helmets on.

6. Off we go.

About 2 hours into the trip I start going over the list again cause I keep thinking I forgot something. “I’m probably the only one who does this”. Suddenly in hits me. I forgot my lunch. Now with the prospect of being out for 8 or 10 hours without lunch is not very appealing to me so I was starting to get a little depressed. The longer we rode the more it bothered me that I had forgotten something as important as “My lunch”. Just when I thought I lay down in the trail and let the Ravens and Magpie’s peck out my eyes and eat my liver a Grouse flies up out of the trail and lands in a tree. I don’t know what came over me. I was off my ATV pulling off my helmet and chambering a round in the .44 magnum carbine before the ATV came to a stop.

In the blink of an eye the butt stock hit my shoulder, the front sight settled into the rear sight at the same time it settled on the birds head. “BOOM!”. The 305gr Bullet took the birds head clean off and the Grouse fell to the ground. I walked over and picked up my lunch and walked back to the clients and ATV’s.

As soon as I was close enough the following conversation ensues:

Wife: “You just killed a bird!”
Me: “I sure did, a perfect head shot”
Wife: “Why did you kill the bird?”
Me: “Because I forgot my lunch”
Wife: “You’re going to eat that bird?”
Me: “I sure am”
Husband: “This is so cool, I wish I could have gotten a picture”

I ate well that day.

LOL! Reminds me of a story my dad told me. When he was a young man working as a forester with his dad and brothers, they loaded up the cart, hitched up the horse and off they went. After a heavy morning shifting logs with the horse my gramps said to dad "go and get the horse his lunch, and water. Then the realisation hit them, they'd left it behind. Gramps made them give up their bread to the horse. Gramps said this lesson was twofold, work harder than the horse and you'll get fed, and never ever forget his feed again!

Hey, old man!! About time you showed up!!! I hope everything has gone well for you this year and no injuries have run over you. At least it's good to know you're still alive and kickin'. Glad to have you back!!

Your clients will probably be telling the story of ole Grizzly Kevin the Mountain Man for a long time. Nice to see you back around.

It's good to be back. It was a long summer.