Flintlock Season Hunt Reports(Updated 2021 Season)???
Jan 15, 2020 15:24:16 GMT -5
3212, Loggy, and 1 more like this
Post by CoureurDeBois on Jan 15, 2020 15:24:16 GMT -5
The older I get the more I realize how lucky I was to be able to retire at age 60. The following 9 years for the most part were great, the last 4 not quite as good. Had a couple of surgeries, some turn out good , some nots as good as I hoped. The last 3 years have been the worse. I've noticed each year it's harder to get truly excited, and just getting to where I want to hunt wears me half out. Mountains that I use to climb in 15 - 20 minutes now takes me a half hour to 45 minutes. I'm sure if I'm going to continue to hunt in future years, which I will, God willing, I'm going to have to change not only how I hunt but where also. Hate to think about it happening, but it's a fact of life we all need to face.
Son called me last evening and talked me into going out with him this morning. He was headed for the top of the backside of the mountain behind my house at first light. Told me where to be at 9am, he would push the side off toward me, but down hill some so I didn't need to climb so high. I told him make it 9:30 and I'll be there. He saw deer, but got no shooting, told me that they started heading down over toward me, but all of a sudden they turned and went back over the top. I told him I had a coughing spell about the same time, but when he checked the wind, it showed the thermals were blowing up the mountain, so they may have smelled my stink when starting down.
We returned to where the trucks were, he needed to remove a layer of clothing and plan next hunt. The following is what transpired and why I hate 2 way radios, and would like to kick my own butt for suggesting we use them.
I was to walk an old logging road while he climbed back up the mountain to the bench above it, he would do a mostly silent drive along it, hoping to push something down to me. He said he would yell when he was ready to start, I suggested he call me on the radio, in case I couldn't hear him, due to not having my hearing aids in. I moved out a 100 yards or so in front of where I thought he would be and waited. While standing there, looking up the mountain I saw a deer move near the lower rim of the bench, which was about as far as I could see, way too far to shoot. Shortly after I noticed a good size doe heading down the mountain right at me, Cocked and raised the gun, thinking if thing go right I would have a very short 10 yard broadside shot, they didn't. Just before she got to the rim of the 8 foot bank, the radio crackled, deer came to a screeching halt behind two small pine trees surrounded by brush, I could no longer see her. A few seconds later deer is now airborne, I swear she made a 90 degree turn in mid air, she was still broadside coming off bank but all I could see when she hit the ground was the east end of a west bound deer. She made another jump off the road down over the bank and was gone. I looked back up the mountain and here comes a smaller deer down the same path, I got set up on her and she did the same thing, came to a complete stop behind the pine trees. I waited, radio squawked again, deer started to turn a 180, I caught a glimpse of front shoulder in peep and fired, deer continued up the mountain at a fast pace. I reloaded, climbed the 8 foot bank and checked for hair & blood but found nothing but turned up wet leaves.
The good news is, I didn't wound her and she got away, and seeing how I'm kind of tired butchering version , I don't have another one to do up next week, at lease as of right now.
But it was fun.
Son called me last evening and talked me into going out with him this morning. He was headed for the top of the backside of the mountain behind my house at first light. Told me where to be at 9am, he would push the side off toward me, but down hill some so I didn't need to climb so high. I told him make it 9:30 and I'll be there. He saw deer, but got no shooting, told me that they started heading down over toward me, but all of a sudden they turned and went back over the top. I told him I had a coughing spell about the same time, but when he checked the wind, it showed the thermals were blowing up the mountain, so they may have smelled my stink when starting down.
We returned to where the trucks were, he needed to remove a layer of clothing and plan next hunt. The following is what transpired and why I hate 2 way radios, and would like to kick my own butt for suggesting we use them.
I was to walk an old logging road while he climbed back up the mountain to the bench above it, he would do a mostly silent drive along it, hoping to push something down to me. He said he would yell when he was ready to start, I suggested he call me on the radio, in case I couldn't hear him, due to not having my hearing aids in. I moved out a 100 yards or so in front of where I thought he would be and waited. While standing there, looking up the mountain I saw a deer move near the lower rim of the bench, which was about as far as I could see, way too far to shoot. Shortly after I noticed a good size doe heading down the mountain right at me, Cocked and raised the gun, thinking if thing go right I would have a very short 10 yard broadside shot, they didn't. Just before she got to the rim of the 8 foot bank, the radio crackled, deer came to a screeching halt behind two small pine trees surrounded by brush, I could no longer see her. A few seconds later deer is now airborne, I swear she made a 90 degree turn in mid air, she was still broadside coming off bank but all I could see when she hit the ground was the east end of a west bound deer. She made another jump off the road down over the bank and was gone. I looked back up the mountain and here comes a smaller deer down the same path, I got set up on her and she did the same thing, came to a complete stop behind the pine trees. I waited, radio squawked again, deer started to turn a 180, I caught a glimpse of front shoulder in peep and fired, deer continued up the mountain at a fast pace. I reloaded, climbed the 8 foot bank and checked for hair & blood but found nothing but turned up wet leaves.
The good news is, I didn't wound her and she got away, and seeing how I'm kind of tired butchering version , I don't have another one to do up next week, at lease as of right now.
But it was fun.
Seriously though. He did the "retirement tango" right, and I'm planning on doing the retirement tango not quite as right as buzz, but sooner than everybody thinks I should. 
Gotta have some fun while my faculties, and general physical health are still in place. Screw chasing the almighty $. 
To top it off my oldest Daughter is due in 5 weeks!! 
Kiddin aside.....life couldn't be any better!! Won't be long though will be drifting for flounder.
