[Big Buck 173 B&C]

Hello guys new to the board, I grew up in PA but now live in KS. I would like to share and hear some of your favorite memories of hunting and memories of hunting from when you were young. Here are some of mine

1. Saving pop bottles to buy my first deer rifle
2. Looking at all my shells to see which one felt lucky to me and would be the one in the chamber.
3. The smell of wood smoke hanging in the cold night air as I walked home from a hunt.
4. Riding with my neighbor and mentor to every ones house to see their bucks and hear their stories. Which I soaked in like the summer sun.
5. My mom saying she always new when I was comming from school because my beagle would look for the school bus and start barking when he saw it because he knew we was going hunting in a few minutes.
6. Never missing a day of school so I could hunt the second day of deer season. After deer season I never had a reason to care about school. LOL

THese are Just a few.

 

[BCozhunter]

2. Looking at all my shells to see which one felt lucky to me and would be the one in the chamber.

And I thought I was the only one who did that! And still do

 

[Pa.Bone]

Welcome Big Buck to HuntPa. My best memories looking back was my dad taking me out of school every year the first week of archery to hunt at our camp in Medix Run. Also to many memories to mention hunting with my three kids as they grew up. Grouse hunting back in the 70's also is a great memory, its never been the same since with not many birds around here.

 

[TrashPanda]

The one memory that keeps popping into my head was around 1978. I was not old enough to hunt yet and was standing with my dad on opening day of rifle buck season. My grandfather was about 150 yards from us.
I spotted a deer feeding out the ridgeline toward us and my dad and I were watching it. It fed right out toward us and up over the top of the rise a little bit. But made the mistake of passing by my grandfather first. We watched him sight on it and fire the shot. It fell over right where it stood. We walked over to help him dress and drag it to the truck. Turns out it was a half rack 3-point. (Amazing since all I hear is that all pre-AR bucks were spikes. Somehow I have a box full of racks to disprove that.)

Anyway, that buck was the last deer my grandfather ever got. I was right with him when he caught his last trout the following spring as well. Two pretty special memories to me.

 

[g3trappernc]

Oh.....There are so many...

1. Laying down on the ground under a camo blanket (I was 9) when my dad missed a spike buck in archery.
2. My dad and I calling coyotes, and called in a bear to within 5 feet.
3. First rabbit, first grouse, first squirrel
4. At 8 years old, dad and I walked up within 40 yards of a doe in Hicks run. I was wearing a bright blue winter coat!
5. Best was sitting at camp, listening to the old timers tell their stories.

 

[steelhead125]

First squirrel hunt when I was 12. Still can picture my dad pointing him out to me on a branch up in a big oak and watching it fall after I shot. Still remember hearing the thud it made when it hit the ground.

Hunting the farms with my dad and jumping on old tin roofs and piles of junk trying to kick out rabbits.

Flushing cackling ringnecks walking through goldenrod and getting the crap scared out me.

Most of all deer season. Nothing like having Thanksgiving at my Grandparents and eating stuffing, pumpkin pie, and talking about opening day. Sighting in our rifles. Going out and scouting a few days before with my father. Clearing leaves around the tree we finally picked out for Monday and not being able to sleep for days. My dad making a thermos of hot chocolate and packing sandwiches, candy bars, cookies and pop. Wearing a hunting suit way too big for me. The smell of gun oil. The jingling of shells in my pocket.

I could right pages and pages of memories from my youth. Still creating memories every season.
Still hunting with my father and brother. Lost a lot of guys along the way due to them either passing away or just quit for one reason or another.

I hope I can make hunting as special for my children as it has been for me.

 

[browninggold]

Its funny how when I read someone else's story, I picture the story taking place in the areas that I am familiar with. Sometimes for what ever reason, my memory takes me to places I haven't been in years but a specific spot comes to mind. I love other's stories!!