shooterinthefeild3
Senior Member
Over the course of 40 years, I grew up hunting the unforgiving cold region of Caribou, Maine, Barre, Vermont and western Massachusetts. Hunted in New York up near Canada, and then have hunted below the Mason Dixon, my point? Ive seen hunting practices really go freaky. This year was the first year I actually hunted from a tree stand! Not on a hot seat on the ground back against a tree.
I’ve seen a decline of true hunting. Putting out feeders, making sure you have an ATV to Drive 200 yards to your heated stand. The over abundance of AR rifles, because let’s face it, you NEED 30 rounds to hunt a deer. What kind of cart to carry your deer out? Really? Best and cheapest: a rope and a hint of body strength, c’mon folks, put a LITTLE work into your hunting. I go to the processor: ungutted deer???? Why: they don’t know how! Ugh! Then the endless rows of camo and cover scents... my hunting gear is usually a pair of jeans or shorts if it’s warm, and a Bruins sweatshirt that’s yellow with black lettering and an old beat up, smelly pair of slip on shoes from LL Bean and get ready to gasp... I actually smoke in the stand! This year I put down 8 deer, every one of them was while OR just after smoking. The industry has you fooled with “Buckmasters” and “pros” of all types, try going backward a bit.
My muzzle loader? A CensoredCensoredCensored CVA Bobcat I got 15 year ago for $65 non adjustable fixed sights, sidelock, patch and round ball
My bow? A Bear Super Grizzly recurve with cedar arrows and fixed 2 blade broadheads, no sights, no tree stand, I sit on a log that I’ve lugged into my hunting area.
Firearms: some fancy, some not. Trigger pull weight? No idea. MOA? How about MOD (minute of deer). And yes I know how to use iron sights. Magazine capacity? Not a concern, one in the chamber and that’s that, if I miss I miss, shame on me, that’s hunting.
Somewhere the sport has gone sour and makes me sad, there isn’t any skill in it. I’d give up hunting if I ever used a crossbow during archery season. Primitive firearms season? Doesn’t exist, with pre measured pellets, in-line with scopes, the thread is split very fine between muzzle loader and modern firearm. I don’t know how people can be happy hunting in a club with feeders where deer come in like Pavlov’s dog and “must shoot a trophy deer”.
Long are the days of shooting a bruiser up in Maine, so cold you put Vaseline on your eye lashes or they’d freeze, and have to drag it out, by yourself, 2 or more miles, my record was approx. 5 miles, and I dragged it out all night.
Hunting was hard, work, misery, and so rewarding, sadly there is the dying breed, deer hunters, proud of the doe, or spike, or 4 point, because we are deer hunters, I don’t know what to call antler hunters. If you can relate, I’m sure you’ll smile.
5 miles? That's a little much.