Had a good season.

ShadeTree

Handloader
Mar 6, 2017
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I wish I had seen deer more often than I did, but I had a good yr. I realized this yr that I used to not enjoy the hunting part that much, I just wanted to hurry up and kill something. Now I truly enjoy the aspect of hunting and figuring out game.

Was able to kill a buck at 100 plus yds with my 35 Remington that was pretty much a bang/flop. That was with re-worked factory ammo that I came up with for that rifle so that was a satisfying experience for sure.

The last evening about 15 minutes before season was over I killed a big doe at a spot I specifically set up for as a last ditch effort and it payed off. That was 100 yds plus with my old 98 Mauser in 30-06. Did not make a good hit as I was too far back and caught just the tip of the rear of the lung on entry, destroyed the liver, and exited the flank. Pure stomach. That was with the Speer 165 SPBT which is a soft bullet. Deer went 100 yds and when I caught up to it shortly after was doing it's final death head flops. Not bad performance for a poor hit on my part.

Somebody else gave us their cleaned out freezer deer meat from last yr to make room for this yrs deer. 11 or 12 packs of hamburg, a couple packs of backstraps and tenderloin. So we got plenty now all together.

Final tally from the garden that is stored away in the canning room and freezer not counting everything we gave away, is.....49 qt of pickles, 11 pints of relish, 22 qt of sauerkraut, 20 qt of tomato sauce & 15 pts of the same sauce, 13 pts of tomato soup, 30 qt of green beans, 5 qt of beets, 12 qt of sweet corn in the freezer, 55 loaves of zucchini bread in the freezer, 15 pts of pizza sauce, 7qt of peppers, 102 lbs of potatoes, 6 pts of tomato juice, 60 lb of turnips, and we did 26 qt of applesauce.

The world is gone mad at times, but I sit here a blessed man lacking for absolutely nothing. God bless and I hope all on here and in your world have a Merry and Blessed holiday season.
 
Congratulations on a good year. There is a lot of good to be said for self sufficiency. Too bad so many people think that those same things that you worked so hard to have in reserve think that they are owed the same thing for simply existing. Dan
 
NYDAN":rzvjxrpl said:
Congratulations on a good year. There is a lot of good to be said for self sufficiency. Too bad so many people think that those same things that you worked so hard to have in reserve think that they are owed the same thing for simply existing. Dan
Amen.
 
When we actually pause to cogitate, few of us are hard done by. Excellent post. Trust you have a fine Christmas that permits you to recall good friends and great times, even in the face of bumbling politicians and multiple efforts to steal your joy. May God bless you with a New Year filled with goodness and rich delights.
 
ST, you had a great 2020!

Any of us that make it to 2021 had a great year!

I’m on vacation now and hunting daily, but my local deer herd is MIA. I’ve seen one doe that wasn’t shootable, heavy cover.
With a little luck, I’ll figure out where they went.

I did get a buck with the 45/70 during rifle season. Had some ground shrinkage, but considering a saw a doe, and nothing for the next five hours...then my “shooter” buck.. I count myself lucky.

Kids are doing well. Oldest is an MD, and youngest working as a part time nurse and in an auto plant. He’s still looking for the girl of his dreams. 2020 wasn’t the year to be looking...


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Just reading this post makes me aware that most of us have more to be thankful for than we realize.
We just don't slow down enough to be aware of it. Shade Tree was blessed with plenty and processed it so he could store it. What a great way to show thanks for the blessing of plenty. Lot of work to. I love to read on here of the joys and successes of the rest of you, and to some times feel the pain of the hard ships some you are enduring. What a great group of fellow hunters.
 
Thank you all for the good comments. Yes we all have a lot to be grateful for. A whole lot of people in this world a lot worse off than probably any one of us on here. Add to that we are coming into the greatest time of the yr.

Not to get all sentimental on a hunting forum, but there is a wealth of knowledge among the people on here. Keep your heads up in these somewhat uncertain times, next yr is another grand opportunity to come out on top no matter what, and hopefully be able to share with others around you some of your benefits.
 
"Cogitate" Dr Mike?? - Confess I had to go get "webster" to define that one for me. :grin:
 
Al in SC":18rp59r8 said:
"Cogitate" Dr Mike?? - Confess I had to go get "webster" to define that one for me. :grin:

Ha. Yes Dr Mike has a way of making you burn up your keyboard to keep up if you're going to dialogue back and forth with him. :lol:
 
Al in SC":3mhawm0g said:
"Cogitate" Dr Mike?? - Confess I had to go get "webster" to define that one for me. :grin:

Yeah, I do a lot of that! Unfortunately, the busyness of the business ensures that there is considerably less time for rumination for the next couple of days.
 
Shade this is a real good post. Glad you have been blessed with a plentiful year in the garden and the woods. Agree with you on having more than lots of others. Thank you and everyone on here willing to share knowledge and be helpful. Merry Christmas, Dan.
 
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