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Shootin’ ‘em up in Colorado
By PK | October 24, 2008
Almost sounds like a ‘how the west was won’ article, but not quite. It’s just Jeff, Dalton and I target shooting. If you’ve kept up to date, you know by now, we didn’t get that elk during bow season and if you’ve ever tasted elk meat, you’d have a drive as strong as ours!
Dalton recently purchased a Weatherby 7MM-08, hoping I could use it without too much of a kick. As soon as it quits sounding like a cannon going off, I might just try it. That’s him on the right sighting it in. We had just picked it up from a very friendly gun shop in Craig, Colorado where they mounted the scope. Jeff is on the left using a 30-06 Remington. I had to take this picture when they weren’t shooting, as I still had the tendency to jump when they fired.
I’m the baby shooter, with this being my second time shooting with a rifle, a .22 Remington. For a beginner, I’ve already mastered up to 100 yards and at that distance, I’ve managed to hit the target every single time except two in the kill zone. Not bad shooting for a beginner.
Our next hunting experience will be on a private ranch south of Craig on the old Wilson Farm and as always, I’m looking for a new story to write. At this ranch, I noticed some very old buildings and decided to ask Mr. ‘Pee Wee’ Wheeler, the current owner, for more information.
This was the old schoolhouse, he told me, long before Craig, Colorado was a settlement. In 1878 the area consisted of a number of ranches and two businesses: Himley’s Ford (which allowed crossing of the Yampa River) and Peck’s Store (a one room trading post). This schoolhouse provided education to the children of those nearby ranches.
I never would have guessed what this building was used for back in the olden days. Mr. Wheeler informed me it was the ice house. The ranchers cut ice from the Yampa River during the winter, hauled it up to this building, and insulated it with saw dust. In the summer, they had large Fourth of July picnics here and the Wilson’s provided ice in which to cool their drinks. The small trap door located on the left side of the building is where they pulled the ice through for such an event.
The old homestead burned down and no longer is standing, as well as the windmill and a big redwood tank that provided the old ranch with a water supply.
The old outhouse made it through the years, though is no longer serviceable.
Two Arabian horses were grazing in the back pasture and with my love of horses, I soon found myself making friends.
Sabu, a 9-year old gelding, was quite friendly. He didn’t seem to mind at all there was a new herd member in the pasture.
Sara, a 23-year old mare, seemed to tolerate my presence, though she did approach me once when I offered a handful of alfalfa.
Sabu seems to be saying, “You gonna take my picture again?”
As we were leaving, some mule deer moved into the pasture to enjoy the alfalfa, but in the winter months, thousands of elk settle nearby to help themselves to the amenities on Mr. Wheeler’s ranch. I was even told that the elk climb the tall fence surrounding the hay and do incredible damage to the property.
We spent the better part of the day here on the Wheeler Ranch, making new friends, sighting in our rifles, listening to history, and enjoying the wildlife. We had a great time! Thanks Mr. Wheeler!
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Topics: Colorado, Uncategorized |
One Response to “Shootin’ ‘em up in Colorado”
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October 25th, 2008 at 1:16 am
Yet again you are setting a fantastic advert for the region with this blog. A step back in time is what it shows, so many people want a piece of that nowadays. Keep them coming…