Deer Season 2026 Prep Work Plus Tractor Update

 In my journey as a hunter, it looks like I will finally be able to establish a more permanent hunting setup starting in the 2026 to 2027 season. In previous seasons, I had to rely on portable ground blinds or just not having anything at all such as taking a folding chair or sitting at the base of a tree (I actually like this option). A few stands exist on the Little Farm but they were there from previous hunters with at least one having been there so long the tree is swallowing up the blind. My previous setups worked well enough but I have been wanting to put up a stand that isn't tied to a tree. 

The stand I chose is the Game Winner 10 foot tripod. At the time of purchase, they were on sale for $199. I've used just a handful of stands and towers before. During the 2025 deer season, I used one of these and found it to be decent. I am very uncomfortable with heights and many stands and towers haven't been great. This one was just fine; enough so that I scooped up one once the sale started.

The kit was very well packaged and weighed about 100 pounds. It was small enough to fit in the back of our little SUV.  The box fit along with all the tools I needed for the day with plenty of room to spare for gas cans, a tractor wheel and a target stand. If you have at least a mid-sized truck with a 5ft bed, you'll be fine. Small trucks like the Maverick and Santa Cruz will need to angle the kit or lay down the tailgate. Larger SUV's like a Tahoe will eat up the box without issues as long as one rear seat is out and you have the captain's chairs for the middle row. That's how I did it when we picked it up from Academy.

I laid all the parts out then put all the hardware into one of the halves. As it were, they have all the nuts, bolts and washers individually packaged into bags with the Step number printed on it. Those bags correspond to the steps in the instructions book. Generally, the instructions were easy to follow but after baking in the 92 degree heat of mid-September, I started getting a little tired. 

Ultimately, it took about 3 hours to get the stand vertical. I ended up building the seat part later on which took about 30 minutes. While not terrible, I do wish that I had brought a drill with a socket adapter which would have saved some time. That and a canopy for shade plus WAY more water than I did.

I was able to climb up and prune a tree branch back to clear out the view and take a good panoramic image. All in all, I'm very excited to use this stand. It'll be nice to not have to worry about the wind blowing over my blind or other issues I've run into before but the most exciting thing will be not getting winded. It happens every year. I have become very familiar with the sound of a doe snorting at me. The typical shots are expected to be around 50 yards.

Once the stand was up, I turned my focus to maintenance. Weeds are a, literally, huge problem. I have a lot to learn about agriculture, especially weed management. It's amazing how much knowledge you lose in a generation or two. Thankfully, I was able to mow the worse half of the field the day I put up the stand. We have Bradford pears that have huge spikes when they are saplings that destroy my front tubes. The 2026 year alone we ate through 3 inner tubes on the fronts. It cost a lot more than just a days efforts to mow.

 

That same day, I took a recently foam-filled wheel out. The process was completed by a local shop who did it while we were on vacation. About $154 later and we had a solid tire that now weighs 122 pounds. I only did the one wheel as the tire is fairly new on it and it was the one that got a puncture. I left the opposite side alone for now but I suspect that I will find a flat tire next time I go out. 

The amount of Bradford pears in the wildflower field was terrible. I know the opposite side took a hit but I don't know if it will have survived. We've also had punctures on the rear which ended up being a $300+ repair. If the opposite side did take a hit, I will try to order a new tire and have that same shop do the same thing.

Once done, we will have added about 200 pounds to the front of the tractor but that's just ballast. That's a good thing as now I don't have to add a bracket to the front to add weight to counter the brush hog.

This is about as done as I can be for this year. Between the new job and a toddler, I just haven't been able to easily dedicate time to driving out like I used to when we first got the property. The best thing is to move out there. We have a floor plan and are sorting out the cost and logistics of building it but these interest rates are brutal.

Regardless, I am very excited to get our for deer season 2026. Rifle season opens 17 OCT and runs until 10 JAN. That should be enough time for me to confirm and adjust zero on the What Would Stoner Do AR-15 300 Blackout Hunter build and the Barnes VOR-TX 120 grain load I am trying this year.

In other news, our second baby is expected to arrive early NOV so those first two weeks will need to be the main times I get out. I might be able to run out in DEC and JAN.

You can find the Game Winner XLR Tripod at Academy Sports. No, I don't get any kickbacks and I'm not sponsored.

https://www.academy.com/p/game-winner-xlr-tripod

The Fifth Circuit isn't Done Knocking Down Junk Law - Elite Precision v. ATF

 Apparently, the Fifth Circuit is continuing it's Second Amendment cases machine going. Don't get your hopes up just yet but the Elite Precision v. ATF case is targeting the ban on out of state sales. 

For the most part, it's not a big deal for me since I usually live away from the border but for some people, the local gun shop is likely on the other side of the border. I have, however, ran into the issue that I was unable to purchase a pistol from a shop while visiting Florida while living in Georgia because of the law.

It won't end up being a big ruckus for the average very day American. That said, the Control Enthusiast states like Illinois and New Jersey will complain as it negatively impacts their ability control residents. 

The DOJ can appeal this. Not sure if they will. Even if it goes into effect, it won't has widespread impacts as it will likely only benefit the named plaintiffs.

https://www.firearmspolicy.org/fifth-circuit-strikes-down-federal-interstate-handgun-purchase-ban

https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/25/25-11206-CV0.pdf

Weird Gun Idea - Smooth Bore Rough Rider

 Some years ago, I stumbled across a list of firearms that the ATF had removed from the NFA list or something similar. It featured a Colt Single Action Army in .45 or .44. I went and dug up the file and it's the Curio and Relics list that you can read. I'm not versed in the topic.

What was interesting is that there several pistols on the list that say smooth bore or smoothbore. It got me wondering why they had smooth bores. One is listed as a factory mistake but the rest don't have details like that.

I had been wondering if they were exhibition guns for trick shooting or similar but I haven't found out why yet. Later I started thinking about having a pistol using shotshells for pest control, which I have started carrying with me when on the tractor when I mow. Mine is a High Standard Sentinel with CCI shotshells.

Where is really went was that the recent court case that said the NFA process for certain items is unconstitutional and that AOWs were on the primary case. Since smoothbore pistols are AOWs, if we get to a point where these items are sold as Title 1 guns, then maybe we can start getting back to garden guns but this time as revolvers.

Initially, I was thinking about reaming and polishing a Heritage Rough Rider with a 4 inch barrel but then I starting thinking about chokes. The Henry Garden Gun is a fixed choke but I assume it's cylinder bore. .22 LR shotshells aren't know for producing tight patterns at "longer" ranges. I'm thinking like 6 ft here for my needs so maybe things are fine. Regardless, since the Henry Garden Gun exists, why not have a revolver with a smooth bore dedicated to shotshells?

I would like to specify that I would prefer to have a fixed full choke for this project. I picked the Rough Rider since they are very inexpensive. I don't see much need for a more expensive gun for this roll unless it's double action like the Diamond Back Arms Sidekick. I would be good for one of those in smoothbore.

30Mau - Something I Just Learned About

 While scrolling through Instagram, my feed fed me a post of someone I hadn't heard of. The content was interesting and very eye catching. The reel/short video showed someone in the woods with one of the new DarkMTN Stowaway guns tricked out with an optic and a bright orange suppressor. They were able to harvest a coyote with this setup.

Reading the description, I learned that in a collaboration with a few companies, a company called Halworx Ballistics has developed a wildcat cartridge using the old 7.63 Mauser pistol cartridge and heavy .30 cal bullets usually reserved for .300 Blackout. A quick Google search lead me to the Halworx website for more details. They call it 30Mau.

What they've done is use the Mauser's case as a host for heavy bullets for subsonic use to minimize powder charges. They then worked with MOS-TEK to make custom barrels for use in the single shot Stowaway gun. Given that the bullets are substantially longer than normal, they won't work in most traditional platforms.

Apparently, despite the tiny case size, Halworx is claiming 950+ fps with 190 grain bullets from a 5 inch barrel. Unfortunately, the overall length is 1.7 inches which means the 30Mau won't fit an most in most pistol caliber platforms. Sticking with single shot platforms or modified bolt actions will be the ticket.

I do see a use for this but nothing that .300 BLK is doing other than being more efficient with powder use. I do like the idea of a dedicated subsonic hunting platform, in fact, it's right up the alley of that concept I have been working on for a while.

I'm glad the algorithm sent that my way because I also found that there are 8.6 Blackout barrels for the Stowaway. It might just be what I am looking for.

Instagram

GREAT NEWS - The $0 Tax Stamps are Unconstitutional

The Gun Owners of America blog (along with numerous other outlets) is reporting the $0 tax stamps are unconstitutional. That said, it doesn't apply to everyone.

What makes this more interesting for me is that Palmetto State Armory and Silencer Shop are listed. I am a customer of both of these shops so I should be covered. I suspect that I will be able to purchase silencers without issue but I am waiting on further details on converting some of my firearms to what would have been "Short Barrel." 

My .22 bolt action project was already registered but I haven't chopped the barrel plus some other things I would like to make the change over to are under consideration.

While it's not the total victory of the destruction of the NFA that I want, this is a wonderfully practical step in the correct direction. Machine guns and destructive devices are still requiring the tax but this will majorly help with dismantling the nonsense argument favored by the anti-rights advocates who argue these are "Gangster Guns" and have no utility in "civil society."

Thank you Lord God above for restoring parts of our Rights that have been infringed! This is a prayer answered. All Glory to Lord God!

Update: No word yet on if the Fed's will appeal. They have until the 12th or 13th I believe it is as there is a stay on this going into effect. I would completely recommend joining the GOA as a member as then the ruling could apply to you. There is another case under Jensen v ATF that was joined with the Silencer Shop case so you might be covered in other ways. Stay tuned to see how this fully applies before you go buy or make something.

Update 2: There is one more day for the ATF/DOJ to appeal. Apparently, some members of Congress are pushing them to NOT appeal. That said, there is another case outside of this one that is preparing to be heard on the Second Amendment part of the NFA that could be a big deal. See Second Amendment Foundation's website.

Update 3: The DOJ did not appeal and the injunction has gone into effect. I would recommend waiting on guidance regarding what all of this means before you start sticking stocks on your AR or AK pistols. I am waiting for guidance as I am looking at doing just that. I also want to put the Pork Sword back to the 10.5 inch barrel but with a stock this time. I have so many things I want to do but I don't want to get messed up because of something I missed and now I have to back-date a bunch of Form 1s. I have reached out to some of the rights groups for guidance on what used to be the Form 1 process.

Update 4: Looks like I won't be putting stocks on any pistols soon. Georgia's laws/code says below.

• "(4) Possession of a sawed-off shotgun, sawed-off rifle, machine gun, dangerous weapon, or silencer by a person who is authorized to possess the same because he has registered the sawed-off shotgun, sawed-off rifle, machine gun, dangerous weapon, or silencer in accordance with the dictates of the National Firearms Act, 68A Stat. 725 (26 U.S.C. Sections 5841-5862);"

I have emails out to my state representatives to see if they can assist. It may just be time to remove these laws from the books before the next election this year. It may be too late to have Congress make the change needed. It might be that the GA AG will need to provide guidance or an opinion saying someone like myself is in compliance with those rules regardless of paperwork.

Update 5: Word on the street is that President Trump is saying they wouldn't respond however, there is a 60 day window they can challenge the injunction.