It’s fall. My daily scroll is filled with elk trophy pictures, mule deer grip and grins, youth hunt whitetails and assorted feathered critters artfully arranged on tailgates. Sometimes, I just keep scrolling, looking for the “Labs of Instagram,” or various other non-standard entertainments. There’s nothing quite like a lab smile … which leads me to today – a re-centering of sorts. Just a girl in the woods with a gun looking for critters. Let’s take a look at the Heritage Settler Compact as our small game/big thoughts companion.
The Settler Compact from Heritage is feature rich and component strong:
Lately, especially, I’ve been craving simplicity. Iron sights, classic mechanisms and clean lines have held my attention recently. While I love complicated reticles, top grade- materials, spicy barrel ballistics and elaborate engineering, sometimes I just crave a more essentials-focused approach. The Settler Compact from Heritage resonates with that desire in a beautiful, petite and effective package.
Our small game season here in Michigan opened recently. The unseasonably warm weather ruled out a long bird hunting adventure with my out-of-shape chocolate lab, Mr. Moose. Instead, we planned a leisurely squirrel hunt.
Basically, this entailed walking around in the woods, breathing in the sunshine and watching for movement in the trees and on the ground. Mr. Moose was looking for rocks and any late season blackberries he could nibble off the bush. I’m happy to report, he found both.
Having spent quite a bit of time on the range with this effective little .22, I was very comfortable with it from an accuracy and function standpoint. Carrying something through the woods highlights different features than straight up range applications, however.
The Settler Compact felt light and nimble to carry. The sling swivels allowed for a sling to be attached, creating additional carry options. The radius of the grip was perfectly proportioned for my small hands and the short barrel was nimble enough to maneuver under low hanging branches.
As we walked through the woods in search of a peaceful day and perhaps a squirrel, a few things about the excursion struck me.
First, this was a fairly new experience. I spend a lot of time afield with a shotgun chasing birds or with a rifle or bow after big(ger) game. Carrying a five-pound lever rifle with irons through the woods was a relative novelty. With a jeans pocket stuffed with .22 shells, my lab by my side and my boots crunching atop years of leaves, I felt like a little kid spending an idyllic day in the woods in search of mischief or critters (or perhaps both).
Many of my activities are very gear heavy – rifle or bow, binoculars, rangefinders, extra ammunition or a quiver, packs for additional stuff and snacks. For others, I’m toting a shotgun while wearing a game vest filled with extra shells, water for the dog and, ideally, birds. But not today.
Today it was a pair of jeans with a pocket full of ammunition, snake boots and an Orvis pullover to satisfy the blaze orange demand. The case-colored receiver glinted in the morning sun. The rich patina mingled with the sweat from my hand in the 85 plus degree September day.
This rifle had a lot of attributes that translated well to hunting and not just range entertainments:
Let’s talk execution. A hunt is many things – only one of which is an actual punched tag or critter in the game bag. From a trans-continental adventure to a backyard ground squirrel quest, many of the same components carry through. The caliber, cost and components may vary, but the overriding principles remain consistent.
My squirrel hunting adventure with the Heritage Settler Compact did not result in a squirrel (at least a dead one). This particular small game stroll did result in a few other things, though.
From the moment I set eyes on the Settler Compact, I was drawn to its beauty, elegance and classicality. It felt like the perfect addition to my gun closet. Prior to the Settler Compact moving in, I filled slots with performance-focused rifles, target and hunting shotguns, large-caliber safari rifles and assorted carry-centric handguns.
Now, in a sea of carbon and composite sits my beautiful little Settler. She is my reminder that big thoughts and bigger things exist in the seemingly smallest pursuits and packages.
As a hunter and lover of the outdoors, it is a great reminder to embrace that girl who breathes in the magic of the woods with a good dog by her side and a beautiful gun in her hand. I can’t wait for my next small game/big thought adventure with my Settler Compact from Heritage and Mr. Moose.
Find out more about the Heritage Settler Compact here.
MSRP: 499.99
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
