Crossroads of sorts.

[Elk Creek]

I’ve noticed for the last 3 years or so I’m not really tore up about not hunting. I put in for tags, half heartedly, but get no tags. I came to a thought the other day. “Why do I have all these big game hunting rifles if I don’t hunt big game?” Some rifles are crossover rifles, some are pure hunting rifles and some are paper punchers. I seem to be punching a ton more paper these days and throughly happy about it. A few days back Sako and I say a couple marmots in the Snowy range and it was fun to see those chubby rodents doing their thing. I had no real desire to shoot them, I don’t care if others do. I use to shoot them so it’s not that I don’t want them shot…. I’ve cut up more game animals than most hunters have ever seen and really don’t need to cut my own up any more….. hmmmm random thoughts. Changing seasons maybe.

[CPJ 2.0]

I got there after my uncle passed away, where we hunted. Just wasn’t the same. Then marriage really effed everything up, but then I started taking the kids. Totally new and better experience.
Now that season is over, well as of last year. She will still go, but with her husband not her dad. Which REALLY sucks. But, that’s life. Now I’m back into bow hunting, and rifle hunting has been changed to a more relaxed activity.
Which has been a theme with everything lately. fudge off, don’t bother me, I’m going at my speed. Go around.

[FJB]

Couldn’t agree more with either of you. Slowing down and more appreciation for what is available to you.
Opening day of dove season today. My son was out in my little sunflower patch and he had a great time. At the same time, rather than shoot doves, invested time in my 6 year old grandson showing how to shoot his BB gun, safely and accurately. I’ve harvested enough critters in my life and of all types available to me. And in my younger days, to the point of neglecting my family at the time.
Life now is about the youngins though I do still enjoy rifle time when no youngins around. They’re not yet old enough for that and hopefully I’m still around when they are.
Times do indeed change. Problem is, a lot of us don’t stop to take it in while available. Just my ramblings……..,

[Diver43]

And here I thought that I was the only one.
I still enjoy shooting, but is seems making holes in paper that are all really close together makes me smile.
Last season I visited a certain guy in Texas that took me hog hunting like I had never done before. In the darkest of night, with night vision and thermal scopes. I hope to don't again. That same guy put on a beautiful 8 point that sits in .y gun room and makes me smile each time I look at it. That trip filled the freezer, but more importantly, I met an old friend on that trip. I think we are beginning to understand what the old guys meant when they wouldn't miss deer camp but didn't care if the didn't shoot a deer. Guess I'm now one of the old guys

[Rugerfan]

I would like to dove hunt but there’s just no fields around here anymore. And I ain’t paying $100 to shoot for a day.

I’ve about quit deer hunting. I go 2-3 times/yr. I realized several years ago it’s “work” if I kill one so I haven’t killed a deer in probably 10 years. Plus, I’ve gotten to be like Goldilocks: it’s usually too cold or too hot. Very rarely is it “just right”.

[CPJ 2.0]

Couldn’t agree more with either of you. Slowing down and more appreciation for what is available to you.
Opening day of dove season today. My son was out in my little sunflower patch and he had a great time. At the same time, rather than shoot doves, invested time in my 6 year old grandson showing how to shoot his BB gun, safely and accurately. I’ve harvested enough critters in my life and of all types available to me. And in my younger days, to the point of neglecting my family at the time.
Life now is about the youngins though I do still enjoy rifle time when no youngins around. They’re not yet old enough for that and hopefully I’m still around when they are.
Times do indeed change. Problem is, a lot of us don’t stop to take it in while available. Just my ramblings……..,

6 years old? It .22 time.

[jbp-ohio]

I sold off all my stuff before moving to Florida. No desire to reequip since we've moved back. Only pest control on the home acre. 2-3 groundhogs and a dozen or two grinnys every year so far.

I cut some briars down this morning a groundhog has been hiding in. Has several holes thru the roots. May take a day or two to come out.

20240901_114301.jpg (4.71 MiB) Viewed 2539 times

[FJB]

Couldn’t agree more with either of you. Slowing down and more appreciation for what is available to you.
Opening day of dove season today. My son was out in my little sunflower patch and he had a great time. At the same time, rather than shoot doves, invested time in my 6 year old grandson showing how to shoot his BB gun, safely and accurately. I’ve harvested enough critters in my life and of all types available to me. And in my younger days, to the point of neglecting my family at the time.
Life now is about the youngins though I do still enjoy rifle time when no youngins around. They’re not yet old enough for that and hopefully I’m still around when they are.
Times do indeed change. Problem is, a lot of us don’t stop to take it in while available. Just my ramblings……..,

6 years old? It .22 time.

Just bought a Henry octagon barrel large loop for exactly that. I’ve got 7 of the li’bugger factories to work with! Life is good!

[Elk Creek]

Bringing the next generation along is great. My nephew likes to hunt but is in a “meat eater” back country phase and I have no desire to kill an elk 9 miles back in and making it 36 miles to pack it out. My niece’s new guy is showing some interest in shooting so that’s a bright spot!

[Wambli Ska]

I love hunting, always have. And I’ve killed a LOT of stuff over the years. But since I sold the ranch I’ve only had a few opportunities to do so and I have really have not missed not pulling the trigger all that at much.

My kids are not really into it anymore, too busy with “life”. My SIL is but he’s way too busy with his career. I look at the pile of hunting bolt guns and really wonder if I really need them anymore.

I would like to start again and I think when we get our own place again then that’ll be the trigger. I also know my 13 year old granddaughter really would love to try. My daughter was 14 when she got her first deer so that would be amazing if I can do this with the next generation. So we’ll see, but for now I think I’ll be passing along a bunch of rifles to the next owners over the next few years. I’m kind of out of reasons to hang on to them, except that I just love owning them. I’ve also considered what I’m passing down to my kids etc. but I have more than enough guns to outfit 5 families so…. Yeah, crossroad.

[sakodude]

Pretty much there myself as you know. Still have the interest but the legs are not what they used to be. Especially when you hunt with someone like MHS who puts on mountain miles like they were nothing maybe I need to try turkey, a little more sitting involved there
I've thinned things out quite a bit and any purchases have been with who will someday inherit them in mind. My daughters and SIL's all enjoys shooting but have no interest in hunting. my granddaughters are just now showing some interest and will be starting with the Red Rider soon.
Hopefully getting a little health issue resolved this year and take another crack at big game next year. If that doesn't happen, i have plenty of memories to reflect on into old age.

[Orchidman]

I am still learning about hunting and have been for the last 65 years........( Was 5 years old when my dad firsts took me)
The biggest buzz I get is in stalking animals and beating them at their own game.....as far as squeezing the trigger on them I am not fussed as I keep my freezer full with culling deer/peacocks/turkeys etc....and normally give the shot to any younger hunters with me.

Passing on my knowledge though is still a buzz. Yesterday BH and his mid twenties son and I headed up to the range in separate vehicles. I told BH's son to get his 243 out as soon as they drove on to the property and get BH to stop before he went over the ridge that leads to the range. I told him there would probably be a deer in the bowl where the range was. I was 5 minutes behind them. When I drove over the ridge, I saw BH driving down into the bowl and a dead deer laying in the grass on the opposite side. His son had stalked over the ridge and sure enough there were 3 deer sitting in the bottom of the bowl. They ran to the far side and stopped to look back. He took a red spiker with a neck shot at 150m. While Bh played with his new 243 I helped his son dress the deer out and showed him all the tricks I had learnt about doing so.

He rang me today to thank me again and wanted to know if there was anything I wanted at one of the gun shops I frequent on the far side of town. He is a good 'Kid'.

The buzz I get from duck hunting is still as fierce as it ever has been.

The trouble with stopping any activity when you are my age is that you will never go back to it in my experience.....and I do want to retain that ability for as long as possible.

[Chiro1989]

I still need to get an elk, some dove hunting down south would be cool too, but as Sako says, I am not up to MHS speed. It is more about my kids and my cousins kids these days, an ideal deer season involves filling the freezer opening day and getting to be camp cook the rest of the season

[JunkCollector]

Hunting for me is in my blood.
I like being out there.....playing the game..
Just being in the woods.
I'd rather see someone else son, nephew kid be the one pulling the trigger.

[Bigslug]

Been sorting it out the last few years myself.

I got my 4th deer in 2022. It was a pretty businesslike affair - learn the area, stake out a trail, wait - and the shot was a bang/flop/no-need-to-even-cycle-out-the-empty. Dragged him downhill about 150 yards to the derelict Forest Service road, gutted him out, and waited for my backup to arrive with the game cart. Satisfaction with a job well done? Sure. Adrenaline rush? Not really. Not even much of an elevated heart rate.

In contrast, 2021 and 2023 were real let-downs. The former getting drawn for a premium zone only to find the population wiped out/displaced by drought and fires, and the latter a probable combination of previous winter kill and too many tags being issued for the zone. Dad & I talked on it and agreed that if it wasn't for our waking and moving schedules being dictated by hunting hours, both would have been great camping trips.

No kids following behind. Dad's got "mileage related" issues and my "FIX BAYONETS" drive for it is a little subdued. We're in "prep mode" for deer camp next month - including my wife canning up the last of 2022's ground deer for meals. Gonna be some good times around the fire, but it'll probably include some discussion about what the next chapter will be.

[Elk Creek]

The wife and I took a ride yesterday up in the “close mountains” about 10-15 miles from the house and saw more turkeys then I’ve seen in recent memory. That might be fun

[Wambli Ska]

The one thing I want to do is a horseback guided elk hunt. Other than that nothing really gets my heart racing. I am working on getting on horseback again with the wife, that would also be a contributing factor since it would allow me to go off trail into areas that very few venture into.

[bullsi1911]

I’m still really excited with hunting. But I am starting to do more “stunt” hunts. Take one with an iron sighted handgun? Check!
Scoped handgun at long range? Check!
Thermal? Check!
Night vision? Check!
Iron sight surplus rifle? That’s this year, I think,

[Freezer]

When I lived in California 10 years ago I'd hike up the mountain at 4:30 and stay there until after dark. The quiet days and stalking deer was wonderful. I also loved waterfowl hunting and did a lot of it. Alas since moving to Pa there really isn't much waterfowl hunting in my area and I didn't know where to hunt deer and turkey. Three years ago I had my knees replaced and that has really affected my ability to hike the woods. I have since started to hunt again but in blinds I have built and maintain. My eyes have changed and open sights haven't worked for me for at least 12 years. I have started to sell off and give away a few firearms and I'm pondering what I really need, one or two rifles will do everything I need. The same with my shotguns, I have three and I'm considering selling my goose gun. This year will help me make decisions. It's all good and has been a good ride to this point, the memories are great!

[Zee]

I still enjoy hunting. But mostly prefer to take others these days.

[CPJ 2.0]

Just got back from setting up a tree stand or two, started building a blind, and generally scouting and having a look see with a friend. Pretty decent time. Sometimes I think I like the process of hunting (getting ready) better than the actual hunting.

[Wambli Ska]

I remember a friend/mentor that when I was in my 20s and he was around my age now told me, "All the fun of hunting stops when you pull the trigger. The only way I'm shooting a deer nowadays is if the effing thing attacks me.".

He still went "hunting" every year. He would cook breakfast for all the guys in camp, then sit and read a book 'till about 11:00, then he had lunch, then he'd take his rifle out for a walk in the woods (his words), back to the cabin by 3:00 to prep dinner and while the guys were doing dishes he would sit back with his book, a bottle of cognac and a cigar until he passed out on his chair. Start again the same schedule next day.

I thought he was nuts, now not so much.

[Elk Creek]

Well, my nephew called last night at 6:30 and said I’m in Walden(2 1/2 hrs away) , and I’ve got a deer down. I chuckled to myself and said “bring it down put it in garage I’ll work it up.” Hunting seems to find me anyway! Well this morning I got up early and 2 hours later with cleanup the deer is in the freezer and my nephew is back on the mountain! He did call asking if I wanted help, I told him “well, it’s already cut just packaging now.” Life is funny….. it’s good to put my cutting talents to work for the kid…..
I did have my helpers and cleanup crew working this morning…..
The one thing I did teach that kid is how to keep that animal clean. I found 2 pine needles and 4 hairs…… that’s it!

[Elk Creek]

I remember a friend/mentor that when I was in my 20s and he was around my age now told me, "All the fun of hunting stops when you pull the trigger. The only way I'm shooting a deer nowadays is if the effing thing attacks me.".

He still went "hunting" every year. He would cook breakfast for all the guys in camp, then sit and read a book 'till about 11:00, then he had lunch, then he'd take his rifle out for a walk in the woods (his words), back to the cabin by 3:00 to prep dinner and while the guys were doing dishes he would sit back with his book, a bottle of cognac and a cigar until he passed out on his chair. Start again the same schedule next day.

I thought he was nuts, now not so much.

That sounds like the perfect camp, my luck is a stupid deer would walk right it!

[Japhy]

I used to deer hunt every season in the Midwest both firearm and archery. Considered returning a couple of years ago but the crowds, CWD, and no longer have friends and relatives with large farms on and on decided to skip it.
I did get to do the opening weekend of pheasant season with a couple of great brittanys a year ago. It was great! That will never get old even if I do