Ptarmigan, CA Ranger 22, and small game meat care

[Marbles]

Title edited following post #3. The original question was answered by @go_deep in post #2.

Does anyone do anything different for small game meat preservation in the back country than what they do for big game?

I found a spot to ptarmigan hunt, but the hike in is long enough I would want to do an over night. The weather will be cool, and I'm thinking I can limit out on the day I hike in and then again when hiking out. I was thinking gut and skin, then hang in game bags over night. Or, should I leave the skin on and just pluck?

 

[go_deep]

If it's cool I just gut grouse and hang from the head. I've left them like this for several days. If cool, gutting them, plucking, and storing hung up in game bags will definitely work.
Good luck and post up some pictures!

 

[Marbles]

If it's cool I just gut grouse and hang from the head. I've left them like this for several days. If cool, gutting them, plucking, and storing hung up in game bags will definitely work.
Good luck and post up some pictures!

Worked well, thanks.

I drove a few hours, hiked through a pass and saw some goats (don't have a digiscope adapter, so bad pick is due to just holding the phone up).

Did not have the success I had hoped for on the first day (I got there too late in the day).


The second day I limited out before noon, and had several tempt me after that (daily limit is 10, 20 in possession), but resisted.


Shots where from 10 to 65 meters. Most around 25-40 meters. I need to work on my shooting, notice there are no head shots.

This was the first time taking the Ranger 22 out, and I brought a paper target and sighted it in on the hike in. The action is a little finicky, I have never short stroked my Kimber 84L, but repeatedly fould myself short stroking the little Ranger. It is nice to carry, but the mag release is poorly located and designed, both from an accidental mag drop perspective and from a carrying perspective.

 

[go_deep]

Looks like a great time, and looks like you'll be eating well!

 

[Baddog]

Looks fun! Maybe a set of shooting sticks would help for the head shots? I’d probably use a 20 gauge and try shooting them on the wing just for fun

 

[Marbles]

As an update if anyone is thinking about a CA Ranger 22.

I sold the Ranger. The below are my complaints.
-Had to fit the bedding pillars properly myself as they were too long and once they broke free of the stock the action would rock up and down.
- Feed terrible, had to put a lot of force on the bot to get it to feed.
- The magazine was finicky, sometimes it would not quit go all the way in and the bolt would not pick up a round.
-The stock was very thin around the action and could be flexed with light finger pressure.
-The mag release was prone to being tripped if you carried it in one hand at the balance point.
-The final straw was when I had to pry the magazine out with my knife on a wet day, once it dried it would come out like normal.

It shot great. The ergonomics of the stock are good. It was a lot of fun with a bipod in the high alpine and shooting ptarmigan at 60 meters was easy.

I sold it on consignment locally so whoever bought it would have hands on before paying.