AAR: Hinckley, MN -- April 20-21, 2013

[AFTERMATH]

Still kicking the snow off my boots....  Stay tuned. 

[JOEMORGAN]

Lots of wintery weather....it was fun thou....

and some pics.......

[AFTERMATH]

Wintery indeed!

After being dumped on with snow the night before, the optimistic shoot boss filled his car with a couple of shovels and some high hopes and headed out Friday evening - to get the range ready for the next morning. 
Just as he expected, he found it would be near impossible to even pull his little car into the drive - totally impossible was prospect of getting his car back out of there before spring...  In MN, that's still several months away.

I had recruited a local gent, Eric, who was interested in shooting that weekend.  The weekend before, he had offered to come up and help clean and set things up on Friday night.  That was before we received another 18 inches of snow.  As I sat in my car surveying the situation, he and a friend pulled up right on time.  Driving his truck right in to the range in what I thought was surely a one-way ticket to the snow blown abyss.  Fortunately, it wasn't. 

As we all shoved our way through the knee-high or better snow and drift, we came to the realization that shoveling out the 200 ft drive, parking area and firing line would prove to be a fool's errand as there was not enough daylight hours between then and the beginning of the shoot the next morning.

After assessing the situation, I made contact with Corey, Hinckley Conservation Club's range officer and inquired as to whether he had a snow blower.  He did one better.  A tractor and plow was just what was needed. 

As the sun made it's final decent below the horizon.  The drive, parking and firing line were clear.  Paths could be touched up in the morning. 

The regulars began their march, the alarm was spread and the men of Massachusetts were getting ready for the assault.