Andrea Bogard used the opportunities she had last season to whitetail hunt in Michigan with a new Ruger American Gen 2, and created new additions to her traditions.
Hunting is rife with traditions. From camp customs to opening day rituals, there is a certain beauty in the seasonal cadence. Sometimes our hunts call us outside of these yearly patterns into new seasons and adventures that can challenge us more than expected – and bless us more than imagined! Come with me on a late season antlerless (whitetail) hunt in Northern Michigan to see just how amazing these non-traditional hunting moments can be.
“Tradition is only kept alive by something being added to it.”
Henry James
Tradition is something I crave but don’t have much of when it comes to hunting. My “Deer Camp” was a community made up of my former husband’s family. When we got divorced, my fairly new hunter traditions ended, as well. I don’t have a place to deer hunt locally, so our archery and rifle openers typically find me at home enjoying time with my youngest (who doesn’t hunt) while my ex and oldest head to camp.
Last year found me toward the end of our deer season with two to three sits under my belt. With schedules, work commitments, homeschooling and life in general, I just hadn’t gotten out. I wasn’t sure what frustrated me more – the fact that I hadn’t gotten out or my attitude of indifference toward that fact.
Regardless, I arranged my kid schedule with my ex, cleared my work calendar and took myself to the woods. I needed to fill the freezer. More important, I needed the solitude. If we’re honest with ourselves as hunters, venison is more expensive pound for pound than most burger we could buy at the store by the time you factor in all the time equipment that goes into the getting one in the freezer. It’s not necessarily about economy. It’s about peace. Regeneration. Growth. Health. Gratitude.
I sat in the blind that night and enjoyed the crisp late December air. A new year was fast approaching and there was a lot for which to be grateful. One of which was leaning in the corner. The new Ruger American Gen 2 was tucked gracefully in the corner of my heated blind. Compact, durable, utilitarian, accurate and fun to shoot, the Gen 2 was quickly becoming my new favorite – both on the range and in the blind (all three times I had been out in Michigan).
I had the opportunity earlier in the month to take the Gen 2 out to 1000 yards on the range and carry afield in search of various quarry at the beautiful FTW Ranch in Barksdale, Texas. The ergonomics, accuracy, functionality and ultra-customizable fit at an off-the-rack price-point made it a great go-to rifle.
On the fit note, the Gen 2 comes standard with the option for spacers to alter the length of pull and inserts to adjust the comb height. Coupled with a 20-inch barrel on the 6.5 Creedmoor, it was a compact and efficient package indeed.
The first two “sits” of the season had actually been walks. The only time I had was mid-afternoon, so I elected to still hunt for a few hours each time. I cut trails and glassed, but didn’t have a shot opportunity. On those forays, the Gen 2 carried effortlessly through both dense foliage and brambly thickets. With the short barrel and textured composite stock, the Gen 2 withstood berry patches and low hanging branches with equal aplomb.
Tonight I found myself in a heated box blind for my last ditch effort to get a deer for the 2023 hunting season. I had already butchered and packaged 8 deer this year for my ex, my oldest son and one of his friends. Now it was my turn. And I didn’t have long to wait.
About 25 minutes before legal light ended, a herd of does/fawns came across the field like a wave. I quickly shifted my position to accommodate the side they looked to be heading and carefully slid the nimble 20-inch barrel out the window. The hybridized foreend settled comfortably in my hand on the narrow window sill. The raised comb and perfectly fit stock gave me a flawless cheek weld and sight picture through my Leupold scope.
With a prayer and breath, the deer stopped as if on command. The largest doe toward the middle was my target. She had nothing behind her to cause a problem if pass-through occurred.
Click. The safety came off and a clean, smooth trigger press was punctuated by the 140 grain Hornady ELD-M leaving the ported barrel (definitely wear ear protection). I cycled another round in immediately and waited, watching my target through the scope the entire time. My respirations were harsh to my ears and my breath momentarily fogged my scope, blurring the MIL dot reticle.
I watched her stumble then fall. After waiting and watching for what seemed an eternity, I gathered my pack and my Ruger and walked down the hill toward her. With my gun beside me, an extra headlamp on my pack lighting my efforts and a grateful heart, I knelt in the icy darkness to process my harvest.
After loading her in the bed of my truck, I carefully wiped the blood from shaking hands. Hunting is not only something filled with tradition, but also with emotion. Sometimes that emotion comes not from the fulfillment of tradition, but rather from the courage it takes to try something new.
That night I not only forged a lot of “firsts” in my hunting journey, but did so with a rifle that broke tradition in many ways, as well. The Ruger American Gen 2 is classic in platform, but embraces the importance of fit, customization and fierceness in the field. It brings together the elements of a custom rifle and an off the rack price point in a fun, accurate and highly effective package.
For more information, check out Ruger.com and explore new additions to your traditions.
Andrea Bogard’s love for the range began at 12 with competitive handgun and expanded to encompass sporting clays a few years later. She became an NSCA instructor at 18 years old and spent the next 18 years getting married and raising two sons, ages 17 and 9 currently. Andrea started hunting six years ago and learned to shoot a rifle and a bow. She is now 41, a full-time writer, homeschool mom and business owner and has hunted three countries, three continents and 19 states. Her sons and lab (Mr. Moose) are the focus of her world. View all posts by Andrea Bogard
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