TexasHand

Ohhh we get plenty of arse time…. There’s no doubt. Also, if an operator pushes 250k they are absolutely going to miss some events. I’ve done it and I missed some things, swore I’d never with that much OT again. BUT, through promotions and yearly raises, I have to work less and less to active my income. Ops is a very front loaded career, at least it was for me. I have some built in advantages most don’t have, I work for one of the big 3 and my facility is non union. You don’t get promoted on time, you get promoted on ability. I told my wife going in, I’m going to go hard for 6 years to get where I want to go. Now, outside of my scheduled shift or turnarounds, I work when I want. These are my experiences and I absolutely can’t vouch for everyone. If they are lying, that’s on them…..this is common for the plant I work at.

I’m not to the can’t get dirty part yet lol… soon soon

Most people only see the 20ish to 30ish operators we call those “pussy and pocket change operators”…. And make no mistake, I’ll take a crew full of those fellas because they are hammers. People don’t see the 40ish operator that takes vacation around their kids bring out of school, birthdays and anniversaries. They don’t see the operator that comes off nights and stays up smelling like FCC bottoms and gets their kids ready for school and on the bus. Or the operator that puts in 12 then drives 2hrs to make a sporting event, goes home, sleeps 2hrs and goes back to work. Are sacrifices made? Absolutely! Is there a balance you must work to achieve between work and family? Absolutely! Family first, full stop…. If you can keep that mindset, it’s a great job. I’d venture to say, with 200k income, a pension, a 401k, vacation hours and an excellent health insurance, there may not be a better career for a man with a 2 year degree lol.

Hourly? No idea, but it’s fairly consistent across the board. An FQO can make 200+ per year IF there are willing to work 800+ hrs of OT a year. My cousin is a DE for the same company I work for and I’m here to tell you he doesn’t touch what I make BUT…..he’s home twice as much so that’s the real benefit.

My CVA cascade is one of the few rifles I own that will just shoot everything. I prefer the 180 TTSX but that gun will shoot everything inside an 1” @ 100. It’s the cheapest rifle I own… that Bergara heavy barrel will flat spin a bullet.

Little bucks were pushing around yesterday….. the big boys will be on the move 18th is

I use a lone wolf hand climber top. Have for 4-5 seasons. I’m glad people are coming around to the idea and coming up with better options. It really is the fastest way to climb a tree, especially with 30ft of rope and a madrock safeguard. It was a game changer for me. The only real downside side is parts of the Midwest I hung are low and limby trees. Sticks or ground hunting are a must at that point.

There is no rubber stamp answer…. There are a pile of quality options out there as I stated above. I choose to put my 7 year old daughter behind and 26” barrel full size .243 because for me, it’s the best option and I know if she does her job, it’s game over. My rule is simple, I don’t care if it’s a .35 Whelen (hammer), a .300 win mag (hammer) or a .243, she better be able to hit a pie plate at 100 yards on command. We need to take less pride in the weapon and more pride in teaching these kids what an ethical kill means and why it’s important.

We had 7yr old, a 6yr old and a 9yr old in camp this weekend take their first deer. All does, all in the 150lb range, 2 shot with 100gr interlocks and the other shot with 100gr core lokts (which I hate lol) and all within 125yds…..none left the food plot and 2 never took another step. I dunno how much reference you need but I’ve seen it happen too many times. A bad shot is a bad shot, no matter what you hit them with. Bullet construction and placement matter. If they can’t hit a pie plate at 100, they can’t go, full stop.

I have the CVA Crossfire. It’s a tac driver with 100gr federal charges (orange) and 290gr Barnes TEZ. I love mine!