Saving the big un for the Grandson

Hard to do sometimes. My trigger finger gets to itching. Around 5:30 out steps this old gray muzzle 8 point. Tall wide rack. Big body and sorta sway backed. Never seen him before. What a beauty.

Only problem with my plan is that the starving college kid soon-to-be-lawyer is in love with she-who-now-likes-CFS, or at least in rut. Hunting may not be on his mind. Worst case though is that the old buck continues as one of the herd bulls, and that’s just fine.

But if I see that 9 point with the kicker....

I thought you were talking about a little kid. He’s a grown man, he will be fine.
Shoot what you want.

Good luck sir

It’s best to kill a good one when you see him.

Over the decades I’ve killed somewhere in the range of 300 deer. One thing I don’t really need is another set of antlers in the barn. Once I have a doe or two in the freezer for the wife and me, I could just quit hunting. But, I like hunting, so I keep after it when I feel like it. Over the last 10 years or so, I’ve ‘saved’ the nice bucks for the Grandson, except for occasions when I’ve seen an “Oh S___” buck that I just can’t pass on. The GS is the only one that hunts with me, and truth is that I want that to continue, so the nice bucks are the bait to get him here. Hunting by myself all the time, with nobody to share stories with, is sort of lonely. That’s why I talk to you guys and why I like having the GS here.

Used to be I hunted with my Dad and brothers, brother in laws, and cousins. I miss that. Hopefully the GS will soon be over this ‘love/lust’ situation and get back to hunting.

The 9 point with the kicker qualifies as an “Oh S___” buck. I passed on him once on opening weekend. That’s the only pass he’ll get from me.

And it kills me to say it, but I wish the pigs would come back. Some pig for the freezer would be good.

That makes perfect sense. I hunt alone, it’s not that fun.
I have two daughters who are in high school and have 0 interest.

The other guys on my lease haven’t went in three years.

Say no more!

I’m only 40 but I get it.
Memories are worth more than antlers on the wall.

Enjoy those

I haven't killed anywhere near 300 deer but I've hit the point that seeing them is more enjoyable than killing. I took a nice 10 point opening weekend and wish I hadn't. Other than pigs, which I'm butt deep in, my season ended opening day. I've thought about breaking out my wife's over priced camera. I consider that like kissing your sister. It's still a kiss, but...

I hope your grandson gets him!

I'm in my early 50s and have killed more than my share over the years
I'm just not that mad at em anymore and don't feel desire to just shoot any deer......it has to really trip my trigger to pick up the rifle now.

I get it. I pass on deer to keep my teenage kids interested. Even though no one did that for me.

Let a decent 9 point go the other day, he would have been My biggest buck with a bow, but it would have been just another deer for me and he hasn’t killed a buck In 3 years, in part due to bad luck and in part due to laziness.

I’m not gonna coddle to them much anymore, if I see a good deer I like I’m gonna take it, but I’m not gonna kill a buck just to kill a buck.

Hopefully your GS will come out of the fog and still enjoy hunting with grandpa. College is an interesting time for them. Out of my two boys I think one will stick with it with some passion and the other will maintain a passing interest at best.


Also, what is CFS?

Chicken fried Steak.

I hear ya 603. My son and daughter do not have the time to hunt that I do so I will pass on a buck in hopes that one of them will get a shot at it. I do have 3 grandsons ages 4-5-6
That love to shoot.

You explain things so well, I feel like I know you. As for the GSs interests, I think hes pretty smart to hang close to that HP cutie. On a serious note, if you REALLY get lonely hunting you should join a lease(we have a great one.)

Understood, at 68 I too am at the point where it takes a lot to get the adrenaline pumping.I absolutely take a deer or two a year for the freezer but usually I opt for nice mature does.Yuo know, unless I get surprised by a truly big buck. Seems I enjoy having my son, nephew,son in law in the blind while I campfire cook and listen to the action on the radios we all have. It's still in me, the love of the pre dawn world, the sounds, the stars, but the desire to drop one has faded.

Your going to feel good when he gets that buck!

We only get to shoot so many deer and so many bucks on our place. My whole family hunts there so we kind of take turns. Saw a really nice ten opening morning i passed on because i shot a buck last year, was happy to see my brother get him that afternoon.

Tell the grandson he can take the girlfriend with him to the deer blind

The GS is here, but hasn’t seen a good buck yet. He said the girlfriend wanted to come here to the ranch with him, but he said he wanted to hunt seriously, so he left her in Dallas. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t still sweet on her.

We aren’t hunting this afternoon because the wife has big steaks on the grill. I’m into the Irish whiskey.

Ho ho ho...

do steaks turn to dust after sundown?


You beg and plead for him to get down to hunt then take away his evening hunt?

I didn’t take it away. You know I call him the starving college kid. He’s lean, but always hungry. I said we were having steak and he said “wine too”, and I said yes. He said he’d hunt next trip.

Steaks had to be almost 2” thick. Yum!

Left the GF in Dallas!

That boy is going places! Got a real head on his shoulders!

My 22 year old grandson shot his first deer when he was 6 or 7. Nuts about hunting until he got a whiff on the wind that drives bucks crazy. Now, if I need help, he will show up. He hunted, with her, opening weekend. Last weekend, he hunted Saturday morning and then headed back to Fort Worth for a social engagement.

Not sure whether he will hunt anymore. Other priorities.

But, his best friend, who is like a Grandson, showed up when he was 10 or 11. Dang good hunter and prefers a bow. He had appendix surgery recently. He called and asked if I would drive from Bowie and pick him up to hunt opening weekend. I did and he killed a very nice 8 point that I had to drag through lots of trees until I could get it close enough to haul out in the front end loader of the tractor. I did. He will hog hunt this weekend while I’m stuck in the metro mess.

My 15 year old is like your grandson . I finally had to come to grips with the fact that he ( and most other people ) isnt that intense about hunting and fishing as I was at that age. I only had a few hobbies I enjoyed but I was 100% all about catching fish and shooting game. I would leave a girl in the dust if I thought I could catch a limit or kill a good buck. He is content to sleep in and skip hunts to go watch football games and Play fort nite.


Once I accepted this life got easier

👍

When I was a kid, all the big high school kids were big hunters and fishermen, and they were my heroes. They were big and strong and played football and baseball and ran track, and I hero worshipped them. So I grew up to do the things they did. I bought a 270 when I got a little older because my hero had one. That was small town Louisiana America. I suppose life just isn’t like that any more. A dang shame.

In the big city, who are the heroes for the teen boys? Not the same sort of heroes I had. The country kids around here are more like how we were.

Well said 603.

Idk but try and be one it’s all you can do

I do believe hunting involvement is on the decline

I’ve witnessed it from kids around my kids, 15 and 13 years old

Hell, I'll go hunting with you 603 if you're looking for just a little interaction with a fellow human. I won't even bring a gun, that's guaranteed to make the 9 point show up! I don't mind helping haul and hack after you say hi to him

Same. All my hero’s were tangible and all hunted and fished. If you had a game head on the wall your stock went up in my book.

But as I write this my 13 year old is on the couch watching his 4th hour of Randy Newberg hunting shows I have hope. He is already dreaming big, talking about hunting in Alaska and Africa. He wants to go on an elk hunt soon and I’ll damn sure take him. Thinking about taking him on a Sitka blacktail hunt as well in a few years.

But as much as I’m encouraged by his interest it still isn’t as great as mine was, but to be fair he’s killed better deer at 13 than I had at 23 so maybe he is just waiting on the next conquest