Hunting Traditions

[rufgr]

In 1999 my two sons and I started taking a trip each year to bird hunt. My youngest son was still in college at this time so we had to limit our trip to 4 or 5 days. We have since expanded this considerably. Initially we went to Wisconsin ruffed grouse hunting but in 2011 we added a pheasant hunting trip to South Dakota.

This year we spent 7 days grouse hunting in Wisconsin and 2 weeks later 7 days pheasant hunting in South Dakota. This year in Wisconsin the birds seemed to be down considerably we only saw and harvested half of what we did last year. In South Dakota the pheasant population seemed about the same but we harvested more than we ever have. In both states we hunt only on public land.

This past April I turned 75 but I am still able to hunt pretty much all day. In Wisconsin we only hunt the trails and two tracks. In the South Dakota the going is much more difficult but I only occasionally wait in the truck.

Clearly I don't have many more trips in me but as long as I can walk I will continue to go.

I encourage all of you with children to establish some sort of tradition with them, as for us this has been a source of great enjoyment and has been a great way to spend time with my sons.

 

[6518John]

Your son's will be talking about these trips when they are 75! What shotguns do you hunt with?

 

[rufgr]

6518John--I have lots of shotguns but I primarily hunt with a Benelli Ultralight 20 or a Winchester 23 featherweight 20 gauge. My youngest son uses an old Browning Citori Upland 12 gauge and the oldest son a Benelli Ultralight 12 gauge.

 

[Rudi]

Back in high school and college friends and I would do a Thanksgiving morning duck hunt. The good old days.

 

[Tom S.]

My biggest hunting tradition involves my car keys.

 

[twodog max]

I think you have a fine tradition. I wish I had something similar but my son and mine hunts together are sporadic. Keep it up as long as you are able even if it is just watching from the truck.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Never hunter much, so never hunted at all with any of my 3 sons. The oldest and youngest did shoot a lot of sporting clays with me. It is a good thing to see any man be graceful with a shotgun! It is Blessing to watch your sons swing through a covey and see the results of you instruction bear fruit!

About 21 years ago, the oldest two were home on leave for Father's Day and wanted to go shoot Clays with my brother and me. The younger never shot as much as his older or younger brothers. But just out of Boot Camp (and full of piss & vinegar), he challenged his brother! Per Station, looser does 10 Push-Ups! Their final scores were within 5 points (mid 70's) on a 100-bird course, and they were very even on Push-Ups too. Just turned out to be one of my best shooting memories!

Ivan

 

[max]

I have been going to SD for 28 years. I have gotten close to the farm family I hunt with and have given each of the grandkids at least 1 shotgun and 2 for some. Most of them weren't born when I started. I have attended family weddings and graduations.

I am 77 and walked every field this year except for the last. The guy who had been blocking wanted to walk the last one. I used my Ruger Red Label one day and my Franchi Al-48 20 gauge the other 2. Birds were up this year and we limited out easily each day. We also limited out easily last year.

We eat at the local American Legion on Thursday evening. It is in a town of 300 or so and they have steak dinners each week of the season. It is their fund raiser for the year. We stayed at the same hotel the first 15 years or so, but it went from family owned to a foreigner who let it fall apart. We have been staying at the Holiday Inn Express ever since.

I have taken a number of friends over the years and two have since passed away.

 

[GypsmJim]

My Dad was an avid hunter when he was young. He had 2 buddies that went with him. When he came back from WWII he didn't want to hunt again. His buddies didn't come home. (I didn't know what PTSD was back then, but I know now)

When I was of age I convinced him to hunt again. His old Parker double harvested a buck the first year. Eventually MY buddy joined us, and my son when he was old enough.

When my son got his first buck, grandpa was not in good health (walking) so we made him a stand close to camp. When he heard the news on walkie talkie he climbed the mountain all by himself to help with the gutting.

Dad is gone now, my buddy just had quadruple bypass surgery and my son moved to TN for his job. He comes home for one weekend so we can continue the tradition. My buddy showed up, but only for dinner. Hunting 3 weekends in a row is now relegated to a Saturday and half day Sunday.

While rummaging thru my stuff I came across Dad's last backtag. He was 75. This year I am 75. Made me think.....

 

[Golddollar]

Just about everybody I used to hunt with has now passed away, and I am just too decrepit for a number of reasons. I watched my granddad, my dad and his brothers hunt and I finally was able to go with them. Pop retired his original red wool hunting coat when blaze orange started to be required, but never got rid of it. I wore it when I started hunting. Now his old "American Field" coat is hanging in my closet. I sewed the holes in it and pinned the rip. I'm still a little rotund to be able to button this coat but there is always hope. I'll have the coat hanging in my closet forever.

 

[garddogg56]

Started this ever since the boy played football on Friday nights,I come out of my stand early to feed everyone a fish or game meal every Saturday.This place is known as Bobs kitchen ,even wardens and other hunters come in for sum fresh brewed camp coffee and a story or two.. now it's the grandkids cause of hockey.One tradition I hope never stops.Nothing like a meal in the Maine wood AYA

 

[Muley Gil]

Growing up, it was the Thanksgiving morning rabbit with friends and neighbors. When I started college, those trips were fewer and farther apart. A number of my friends are no longer with us and worst of all, the land we hunted is now a collection of housing developments.

 

[boykinlp]

Never hunted with family because nobody else in my family hunted or fished. But, one of my best hunting buddies and I used to go duck hunting on Thanksgiving morning and striper fishing in the late afternoon, after eating a delicious noon meal.
Larry

 

[Simson-Suhl]

My father's rules about hunting. Boy, you kill nothing you do not intend to eat, except snakes and men. You can kill them, but you do not have to eat them!

 

[Farmer17]

Just got back from my annual pheasant and quail hunting trip in Great Bend Kansas. We use to hunt turkeys at the same time also and they flush out of the ground just like a pheasant. I've never seen that anywhere else, in Oklahoma you have to sit motionless for hours and call one in and I'm way to hyperactive for that. But the Kansas turkeys got some kind of disease a few years back and the population went down so they sadly changed the turkey season to a different time. The pheasant and quail hunting was better though than the previous couple years the problem was, I couldn't shoot worth a hoot this year.

 

[S&W ucla]

Great Thread! Interesting to see and read about some of your traditions. Had a great hunt for bobwhites the last few days, culminating in one of my favorites. Quail with butterbeans, mashed potatoes, hoecakes, topped off by peach cobbler and ice cream I hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving!

 

[Mule Packer]

We have our annual pheasant hunt. Not everyone can make it each year, but there's always a few of us...sons and grandsons. Like others have said, it makes for great memories.

 

[Narragansett]

As a teenager I used to hunt with a couple friends on Thanksgiving morning for rabbits and birds which would all go to my Italian grandmother to be cooked with potatoes and hand picked wild mushrooms.

Then one friend moved away and the other one and I continued the tradition for a while till the land was gone to development. Then it became early morning striped bass fishing on the tail end of the season.

All my friends that I ever hunted with or shot tin cans at a sand bank have all passed. A few pictures and memories are all that is left

 

[twodog max]

Sad thing about getting past three score and 10 is that faces in pictures are what we have from old times.

 

[llowry61]

Like many others here, all of my family / buddies have either passed, have bad health or the land has been sold etc. So, I have one buddy I deer hunt with and I suppose once he quits I will as well.

We did a lot of hunting, ducks in MO, AR & SD, pheasants in SD, pronghorn in Wyoming, fishing in AK. I am only 63 and would like to hunt more just not fun or really safe on my own.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

My Dad was my hunting friend and mentor.......He had PATIENCE!....As a small toddler he'd put me in the rumble seat of of his big tired Modal A as he chased birds with pointers...Got me started with my own shotgun around 8 ( H&R 20 ga Topper). Then I started roaming the hedgerows/field and woods alone. Killed my first deer with it at age 9....He bloodied my face.......He was my rock of wisdom...When He died a piece of me died too.
Now at 70 and retired I still hunt a LOT. Fish and farm a little.......Wish he was here to see it.

 

[twodog max]

My Dad got me started hunting when I was was very young. Back then there were not many deer so it was rabbits and squirrels I was hooked for life. Not many years before he passed away he, my son and I went on a deer hunt together. The first morning my son and I both killed bucks. My dad saw many deer but never shot. I asked him why and he said he could no longer see the sights on his iron sighted Model 94. So I loaned him a scoped 270 of mine. Shortly we heard him shoot and he had killed a big doe. The three of us were elated that all had scored. My Dad told me later that the hunt was one of the best ever as he got to hunt with me and his grandson. It turned out to be one of the last hunts he ever made.
You never know when that last hunt will be with important friends and family. So treasure each one.

 

[brucev]

I began actively hunting when I graduated from seminary in 1982. We moved to a little town in south Georgia where I began my pastoral ministry. Up until recently I always went deer and hog hunting, just about always using a Model 1903-A3 or a M-1 Garand. Right now I am sitting in the den of the condo that my wife and I purchased when I retired in June of 2023. I have no access to hunting land and no vehicle that I could use to get in the woods. But, I have some special to me revolvers, and a couple of 03 and 03-A3 rifles and a few M-1 Garands left. If I ever get the chance to again go deer or hog hunting, I have a 1898 Krag infantry rifle that I would love to use. We'll have to see. Sincerely. bruce.

 

[llowry61]

Like many others here, all of my family / buddies have either passed, have bad health or the land has been sold etc. So, I have one buddy I deer hunt with and I suppose once he quits I will as well.

We did a lot of hunting, ducks in MO, AR & SD, pheasants in SD, pronghorn in Wyoming, fishing in AK. I am only 63 and would like to hunt more just not fun or really safe on my own.

On the subject of hunting, I shot this little guy Friday 11/15. Not a big deer, but gave me a 35 yd broadside so I took him with my x bow.

 

[boykinlp]

My Dad got me started hunting when I was was very young. Back then there were not many deer so it was rabbits and squirrels I was hooked for life. Not many years before he passed away he, my son and I went on a deer hunt together. The first morning my son and I both killed bucks. My dad saw many deer but never shot. I asked him why and he said he could no longer see the sights on his iron sighted Model 94. So I loaned him a scoped 270 of mine. Shortly we heard him shoot and he had killed a big doe. The three of us were elated that all had scored. My Dad told me later that the hunt was one of the best ever as he got to hunt with me and his grandson. It turned out to be one of the last hunts he ever made.
You never know when that last hunt will be with important friends and family. So treasure each one.

GREAT story! That's the kind I love to hear!
Larry

 

[jeffrefrig]

My favorite hunting was when I was a kid and Dad and I went up to our camp in Crawford County. I always went with him before I was legal as a hunting dog. He gave me my first shotgun Christmas when I was 11. He let me carry it for the 2nd small game season that year. I turned 12 and became legal then we were up camp every hunting season, small game and doe seasons. I believe my heaven will be Dad & I back up at the cottage!

 

[Kaarde]

fond memories

My two brothers and I used to go rabbit hunting on Thanksgiving morning before we ate when we were still at home. I live in another state now, so haven't hunted with them in a long time. I have taken my son dove hunting the last few years. I hope to continue this as long as I can. We both really enjoy it. The first pic is him after bagging his first dove a few years ago. The second pic is both of us after a hunt this past September. He's grown a little bit! I'm not well off and he won't get a big inheritance, but I trust the memories of the times we shared together will be more valuable than tangible assets.

 

[Golddollar]

I began actively hunting when I graduated from seminary in 1982. We moved to a little town in south Georgia where I began my pastoral ministry. Up until recently I always went deer and hog hunting, just about always using a Model 1903-A3 or a M-1 Garand. Right now I am sitting in the den of the condo that my wife and I purchased when I retired in June of 2023. I have no access to hunting land and no vehicle that I could use to get in the woods. But, I have some special to me revolvers, and a couple of 03 and 03-A3 rifles and a few M-1 Garands left. If I ever get the chance to again go deer or hog hunting, I have a 1898 Krag infantry rifle that I would love to use. We'll have to see. Sincerely. bruce.

Nice to hear about someone enjoying the old classic rifles.

 

[YeshuaIsa53]

Used to travel and hunt ducks with two good friends years ago. Family issues, business issues, and money issues changed all that. I have memorabilia, and hunt with them between Christmas and New Year in my memories now. Sure miss those hunts.