A​ ​shooting​ ​vacation​ ​not​ ​a​ ​vacation​ ​from​ ​shooting

I’d​ ​like​ ​to​ ​take​ ​a​ ​vacation,​ ​i’d​ ​like​ ​the​ ​focus​ ​to​ ​be​ ​shooting.​ ​I’m​ ​not​ ​averse​ ​to​ ​hunting​ ​,​ ​I​ ​am
making​ ​the​ ​distinction​ ​that​ ​i'm​ ​looking​ ​for​ ​a​ ​shooting​ ​trip​ ​not​ ​a​ ​hunting​ ​trip.​ ​Infact​ ​I​ ​​​was​​ ​​going​​ ​​to​
​start​​ ​​a​​ ​​thread​​ ​​asking​​ ​​how​​ ​​to​​ ​​/​​ ​​where​​ ​​to/​​ ​​when​​ ​​to​​ ​​go​​ ​​ground​​ ​​hog​​ ​​hunting.​ ​After​ ​some​ ​thinking​ ​i
realized​ ​i​ ​didn't​ ​want​ ​to​ ​go​ ​groundhog​ ​hunting​ ​as​ ​much​ ​as​ ​i​ ​wanted​ ​to​ ​go​ ​shooting.​ ​I​ ​realize​ ​as​ ​a
hunter​ ​that​ ​some​ ​of​ ​the​ ​best​ ​hunting​ ​a​ ​shot​ ​might​ ​not​ ​ever​ ​be​ ​fired.
Because​ ​of​ ​where​​ ​​i​​ ​​live​​ ​​and​​ ​​what​​ ​​I​​ ​​do​​ ​​march/april​​ ​​is​​ ​​the​​ ​​perfect​​ ​​time​​ ​​to​​ ​​go​​ ​​on​​ ​​vacation.

So​ ​starting​ ​from​ ​MN
My​ ​timeline​ ​is​ ​about​ ​a​ ​week,​ ​my​ ​budget​ ​is​ ​500/1000​ ​.​ ​It​ ​Is​ ​my​ ​hope​ ​that​ ​I’ll​ ​find​ ​someone​ ​to​ ​go
with​ ​me​ ​,​ ​but​ ​could​ ​be​ ​solo​ ​trip​ ​or​ ​me​ ​and​ ​very​ ​well​ ​behaved​ ​bird​ ​dog​ ​.

I'm​ ​thinking​ ​of​ ​something​ ​like​ ​drive​ ​to​ ​a​ ​state​ ​i​ ​can​ ​go​ ​on​ ​a​ ​reasonably​ ​priced​ ​one​ ​day​ ​guided
ground​ ​hog​ ​hunt.​ ​Hit​ ​up​ ​a​ ​few​ ​sporting​ ​clay​ ​courses​ ​on​ ​the​ ​way​ ​?​ ​​ ​maybe​ ​there​ ​are​ ​some​ ​local
range​ ​competitions​ ​to​ ​check​ ​out​ ​not​ ​too​ ​far​ ​off​ ​the​ ​path?​ ​I've​ ​never​ ​seen​ ​any​ ​cowboy​ ​action
shooting,​ ​prob​ ​be​ ​fun​ ​to​ ​watch​ ​for​ ​an​ ​hour​ ​or​ ​two​ ​along​ ​the​ ​way​ ​???

What​ ​do​ ​you​ ​suggest​ ​i​ ​do​ ​?​ ​​ ​​ ​Any​ ​cool​ ​ranges​ ​you’ve​ ​been​ ​to​ ​?​ ​Museums​ ​Tours​ ​?​ ​burgers​ ​or
pizza​ ​of​ ​significant​ ​note?​ ​​ ​Whaddya​ ​recommend​ ​cast​ ​booliters​ ​across​ ​the​ ​midwest​ ​?

I suggest you decide what direction you intend to go in, what manner of 'shooting' you are interested in, and a more precise time of year in which you plan to make your trip.

The other option would be to plan your trip around a particular event and hope you can 'luck into' some shooting-related activities on 'the side'.

And pardon me for pointing out the obvious, but burger and pizza joints are in no short supply anywhere in the continental United States, so I'd not spend a great deal of effort planning a trip around such establishments. :2 drunk buddies:

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Originally Posted by Hannibal

I suggest you decide what direction you intend to go in, what manner of 'shooting' you are interested in, and a more precise time of year in which you plan to make your trip.

The other option would be to plan your trip around a particular event and hope you can 'luck into' some shooting-related activities on 'the side'.

And pardon me for pointing out the obvious, but burger and pizza joints are in no short supply anywhere in the continental United States, so I'd not spend a great deal of effort planning a trip around such establishments. :2 drunk buddies:

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time of year is spring, has to be

do you have an event you would suggest ?

NOT all burger and pizza joins are the same, for example if i knew someone was going to be near a Clyde's id sure suggest they make a point to eat there

You might consider the NRA Whittington Center in Raton NM. They have every range you can imagine. Camping and lodging on site. Beautiful setting. You might be able to find some prairie dog hunts on the ranches around it. They have matches most weekends.

NCBS

I'd sure like to get to this one day.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...1689-Ncbs-2017

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Originally Posted by butchbrandt

You might consider the NRA Whittington Center in Raton NM. They have every range you can imagine. Camping and lodging on site. Beautiful setting. You might be able to find some prairie dog hunts on the ranches around it. They have matches most weekends.

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+1 on Raton!

Go to Nevada. It has all of the above. The Gardnerville, Carson City, Reno area has many great ranges. Plus the whole state is pretty much a range, lol.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by JonB_in_Glencoe

NCBS

I'd sure like to get to this one day.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...1689-Ncbs-2017

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There is Christmas, there is NCBS, and the rest of the year is irrelevant. I will look forward to meeting you and zymguy.

http://www.claytargetsonline.com/minnesota/


For other states shotgun shooting
http://www.claytargetsonline.com/

And I love Raton's Whittington Center, YEEEE Hawww

:???: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.I hope that you folks noticed that his budget is $500.00 to $1000.00 dollars.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

Camping is free around Winnemucca which I do before and after but I recommend four nights in town during the "party". That would be about $250 for two people plus some fine food and drink with the rest of us.

I stayed in a campground in my tent when I went to the NV-CBS.
I wanted a shower.
but I found some 'other' shooting opportunity's around the area besides just hanging with the guy's at the range.
we ended up staying 2 extra days after the shoot to explore those opportunity's as fully as possible.
I got in all the trigger time I wanted for about 6 weeks.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JonB_in_Glencoe

NCBS

I'd sure like to get to this one day.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...1689-Ncbs-2017

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carpool ? this is later in the year than ideal , but sounds perfect !!

a shooting vacation to me means prarie dogs.

North of Cutbank, Montana, you would find tens of thousands of Richardson ground squirrels to shoot, and the ranchers are glad to get rid of them. If shooting centerfire, you will need 3-4 guns to allow time for barrels to cool. Ranges from at your toes, to as far as you care to try a shot. We killed over 1500 in one weekend.

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Originally Posted by zymguy

carpool ? this is later in the year than ideal , but sounds perfect !!

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I'd "like" to get there someday, but I doubt it'll ever happen. I don't travel much anymore.

My plans for a shooting vacation are to travel to areas that members live and shoot with them on ranges in there area. Want to put faces with names an enjoy fellowship with guys I want to meet and shoot with. the ncbs has always come at times I can't make it trying to arrange schedule this coming year so we can do leisurely drive out there but all will depend on the doctor and wife's eyes.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by runfiverun

I stayed in a campground in my tent when I went to the NV-CBS.
I wanted a shower.
but I found some 'other' shooting opportunity's around the area besides just hanging with the guy's at the range.
we ended up staying 2 extra days after the shoot to explore those opportunity's as fully as possible.
I got in all the trigger time I wanted for about 6 weeks.

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Hence the reason we go a couple days early to camp and stay a couple days longer. Yes, those ground squirrels are plentiful but since the event is now in early June to avoid occasional snow, a lot of those little critters have already gone back to their dens for the summer. The last couple years my pre-NCBS camp has been in an abandoned mining camp where I could sit on a hill listening to nearby quail and chukar and watching freshly minted fawns while I practiced sniping at coyotes out to 1,000 yards. Next spring, if snowmelt is over, I will be camping in the aspens on a trout stream and walking the hills for coyotes (less chance of long range practice though). No hunting license is required for jackrabbits, ground squirrels or coyotes (plus a couple other varmints).

yep.
there is a nice place just southish of town we stayed in for a night.
it had some trees and a little stream.
there was a lot of quail running around too.

June is just getting going for our little squirrels, I usually have to break through snow drifts in may to get into the early rock chucks,[and maybe see a few squirrels] then the little guy's really follow them up as they start going into hibernation for the heat.
about mid august is when our squirrels head back underground for the year.
no rhyme or reason out one day and done the next [shrug]

Another vote for Whittington Center. Great bunch of folks there, and the camping facilities are good too.