An accidental test - Lost in a snow storm
 

well for starters, this test was done on accident! Yesterday evening my brother and i went hunting on the state wildlife area about 10 miles from home. We had hiked up into the area and sat for a while and decided to go a different route and come back to the truck through a long "park" that had a water hole and big meadows. While we were up at the original spot, foul weather moved in, started just to sprinkle a snow flake here and there. Well, on the way to the new area, it was a full out snow storm with mild wind, blinding conditions.

Well as we worked our way down the mountain and into the meadows, the image of the old 4x4 road " no access by motor vehicle" we were walking on was kind of a confusing situation as there shouldnt have been a path in that Park.

After a couple miles of walking down this trail trying to figure out what the heck was going on, we started to get worried as it was pitch black out and the snow coming down on us hard.

After sitting down for a break and getting the print out map " good thing it was a lazer printer!" we were looking on the map and my brother was showing the direction that we took. He thought i was going to a different area than what i told him we should do! Lack of communication between two hunting partners will never be over looked again after this.

Turns out that during the storm, i had been taking a sharp right turn and then turned left when i thought that was the park that would lead us out. I know the area fairly well, but a distant mountain view i use to navigate was obviously blurred out with the heavy snow fall.

Our rifles, a CVA Optima and a new CVA Accura V2, both luckily had had Gun Shield Applied to the stainless steel barrels and other parts that could be coated. My Optima also had Ultra Coatings Bore coat applied but the V2 did not.

After hiking through the storm for over 3 hours, we finally got back on track and got to the truck. Our scopes lenses were filled with snow, rifles blasted/ covered in a thick carpet of snow. I was worried about them to be honest.

Once we got home, warmed up and had some dinner, i went out drying the rifles off with a towel and took them apart for inspection.

No rust on either of them, whatsoever! I was happy as heck to see that the products had worked.

Both rifles shoot the 300gr Thor conicals and 100gr Blackhorn209. Both barrels were wet inside and so i decided to just take the plugs out and push out the loads and dry them.

No rust in either barrels, including the one without the bore coat. I think we got lucky on that one. I now carry finger cots to put over the muzzles!

Once i got the loads pushed out, i had to use 4 dry patches to mop up the wetness from the snow. Good news was that the powder wasn't wet in either guns.

Once the rifles were dried and reloaded, i cleaned up the scopes and am taking the scope covers next time out! Neither scope fogs up on us during the hunt so i guess that's another test i can write off LOL.

A few days prior to this incident, we took some photos of the Optima up at 11,400" in the Sangre De Cristo Mountains. I actually was checking to see if the scope would fog up while at that altitude. It worked out perfectly, got some great pictures but sadly, this season has only been full of fun, photos and only One deer. No elk to be seen in sight from 99% of the hunters/locals we've talked with.

After getting home we checked on the map and we figured we walked a good 7 miles out of our way while lost in that storm!

MD You Worry too Much. Snow Storms are part of our everyday Hunting Season, especially Late ML Season. We get Snow that comes down sometimes 3" an hour, you have to brush yourself off and your scope every few minutes sometimes just to see and be seen. As long as you have your Muzzle covered you should have no problem with Rust or your ML going BOOOOOOM, I never have anyway. And yea I've been there where it's Snowing so hard you get lost and everythig looks the same, even though your in your Hunting area that you've Hunted for years, a Compass is a Friend Indeed. I've got more stranded lost Hunters back to there Home, Truck or Road that I can count.......I love the SNOW!
(BP)

oh i love the snow too. But when you are in a valley thats pitch dark, wind driven snow, you do start to worry. I was pretty much in control mentally but my brother was huffing pretty hard so i had to worry about him freaking out. It was one of those situations where you think, Damn! every tv show i watch where they dont go back the same way they should have, does happen! We should have headed back up that mountain when we knew something wasnt right.

As for being lost? Done that myself in the snow and it is not fun especially if it is dark. Now I carry a Garmin GPS to be safe. I hunt some big woods and as you guys know, if it is dark and cloudy all the trees look the same.

With the Garmin I can navigate right back to my truck without ever looking up. And I can mark my deer and go right to it without putting 100 pieces of tissue out while trying to remember where I am at.

As far as hunting in the snow. We count on half the hunting days being snow. Here in Northeast Ohio it is a given.

Therefore I purchased an Omega with Weathershield and it works great. I also have flip up caps for my Nikon Omega BDC 300 Scope.

Whether I am driving deer through snow filled brush, or sitting all day in the sleet or snow, there is never a problem with rust. I do keep a latex glove over the end of the bore.


D

Oh I've been there too MD. we Hunt there are some nasty Ravines at one of My Buddies Properties. It's up one ravine and down another to another creek and up and down, it's real easy to get lost and turned around and not only that it's dangerous. When there's snow and your going up or down a Big Steep Ravine it easy to slip and fall and the rocks will cut you bad, I know I slipped once and fell and slid down one a ways , well a piece of Shale cut my Butt right through my New Cabelas MT050 $200 Pants I just got. I was bleeding pretty bad and had to get stitches when I got out, plus I ruined My Pants, that Hurt Worse.
Just to be safe along with a Compass I bring My Cell Phone, a extra Fully Cahrged Cell Phone Battery, a Walkie Talkie with 2 sets of extra AA Batteries, 2 Bic Lighters, some Protine Bars, a long Rope wich I also use for Dragging Deer and some good Bandaids so if I get stranded I can survive untill I find my my out or get help.
One other place I hunt there a Big Swamp on the property and you can get turned around in there and get lost easy too. One of My Treestands is about 2 miles from the Truck so if I get a Deer it takes about 3-4 hours to Drag one out, so I always only shoot one if it;s worthy out of that spot because of the drag out. And No you cant get a 4 Wheeler to it, to much deep water and Beaver Dams to cross, also the Swamp Grass and water that's over your Boots to get to it, I have to wear My Waders, and if you ever walked 2 miles in waders through water and snow with a Deer, your ML and gear than you know what I mean.
Yea the Cell Phone I have with me is so they can find My Body after I drop Dead one of these days dragging out a Deer from there, but what a way to go! And a Little Rust on My ML never crossed my mind anytime I was going in or out of one of these Hunting Spots, I was just Happy to come out and see My Truck.
(BP)

Glad you made it out ok. I don't think your rifles were in any danger. I've hunted hard snows all day with rifles and sure they are snow covered, and the scope is snow covered, but back at the house, I can clean them up and never see a sign of rusting.

Weather today is kind of ruff outside. A real winter storm moved in and is coming off Lake Superior. So that means lake effect snow. They said 6-10 inches is all through. It makes my drive way look nice.



Or I might spend the day on the range. But it is kind of hard to see into the woods today. Could be a real challenge there.

To all of you hunting, be safe and take care. No deer is worth your health or life. Although I seen a couple bucks up here that would come pretty close... Good hunting there MD.

That looks Awsome Dave, that Cold Weather and Snow your having is comming our way, I cant wait! You also be Safe and Enjoy the Weather.
(BP)

MD..Sometimes the best thing to do is just hunker down,build a fire and wait it out.You may still be lost,but you would be 7 miles closer to home.Lost is a bad word.Temporarily confused sounds much better.

Charlie

Haha reminds me of the Mountain Men movie:

Aint you ever been lost?

Hmm, fearsome confused for a month or two but never lost.