Well, I can't replicate the entire hunting 2019 thread but I happened to have the draft of the last post I made so here it is. If I think of anything else I will add to it. I may add some favorite photos as well as I run across them.
Random Thoughts-Hunting 2019
-Spent 32 days out in the woods this fall from Sept into November. That's the most ever.
-The number of deer I've seen in the woods since September 2 more than doubled this year over last. I've kept a diary of every time I go to the property for the last three years. I record weather/temp and deer/animal sightings. Obviously I saw more because I was out in the woods more but I've also seen more deer on the cameras. I'm guessing some of it is because I had the field planted which draws the deer in. Something I didn't do last year. Going to have to think on what to do for next year. The alfalfa/oats that was planted in early August was kind of interim plan while we figure out how to bring the sandy soil up to speed to grow a more sustainable food source. It's going to cost money to do that.
-Hopefully by next fall the new house will be up. Talked to a builder, just need to sign the papers after the first of the year. That means spending even more time at the property. The plan is to move up to the new house eventually. Can't really leave where we are with 4 parents in their 90s to look after.
-It's fun trying out new guns/calibers, working up loads and putting plans together. It's even funner when the plan works. Last year it was the 44 mag in the Marlin lever. This year it was the 450 and 350 in the AR. I am probably set for awhile. Will likely drag out something vintage next year like my dad's Savage 99 made in 1903. Would be kind of cool getting a deer with a 117 year old rifle.
-The nice thing about the AR is the ability to change calibers by just changing uppers.There are at least 8 different calibers suitable for deer that work on a standard AR lower not counting the 223 which I consider marginal for deer. Not to mention an AR is relatively light weight and you can use different length barrels on it. My son carried an AR 10.5" bbl pistol w/suppressor in 300 BO this year.
-While I like ARs and my 450 Bushmaster and 350 Legend AR uppers, hunting with an AR just doesn't seem natural. I kinda miss wood and blue steel guns. Of course I have plenty of conventional rifles but none in 450 or 350. Might have to sell off one or both of the AR uppers and buy a regular rifle in one of those calibers...but probably not.
-Where do the deer go on opening day? We saw 6 deer the day before opening day. Between 5 guys we saw (and killed) one deer on opening day and one the second day. Never saw another deer until I shot my second deer 10 days later. Altogether I hunted 10 days of the first two weeks of the season.
-Where do all the bucks go? I saw at least 10 different bucks on my game cameras during the fall including at least one 8 pointer, 2 different 6 pointers, a couple 4 pointers and a bunch of spike horns. I saw scrapes all over the place. I saw a number of spikes and a 4 pointer during the bow season. Yet, when the rifle season started the only buck we got was just one spike horn and the rest disappeared off the cameras for the rest of the two weeks.
- I really enjoy it when my brothers and son come up and hunt. They continue to come up every year even though its been a decade since some of them got a deer. The brother who shot the spike got his last deer in 2002. He's been hunting for 40 years. Of course the odds would be better if they didn't just come up the day before the season started and stayed longer but it's obvious they don't come to bag a deer. So no, deer camp is not about killing deer but it is more fun when someone gets something.
-This year marked the 50th anniversary of when I started deer hunting. I haven't hunted every single year however. I played football in college on opening day a couple times and one of my sons was born on the day before the season started so I missed that season. Other than that, I've been hunting for 50 years. It wasn't really until I bought my property that I started getting deer on a regular basis (which was the point of buying the property in the first place). I've averaged about one deer a year since then. I've gotten 6 deer in the past 4 years. I passed on at least 3 spike horn bucks and one 4 pointer during the bow season this year as well as 2 small doe. Last year I passed on numerous spikes and 4 pointers and several small doe as well. I finally took a mature buck with long spikes, he wasn't gonna get any bigger horns. Pretty much looking for 6 points or more these days other than doe which fills the freezer.
Just awesome!