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Consider my eyebrows raised

UPSman said:
I'll tell a little tale on BSK's family. Cathole isn't far from his place. One of the guys on our lease shot a buck and Brian let us put it in his cooler. It was MZ season and there was hardly a place to put another vehicle at his cabin. When we pulled up in the truck….no joke, the whole house emptied out to see it. Nothing huge…maybe 115-120 inches but everyone came out to look at and say something. That's the way it should be I think.
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Yes sir!
 
UPSman said:
I'll tell a little tale on BSK's family. Cathole isn't far from his place. One of the guys on our lease shot a buck and Brian let us put it in his cooler. It was MZ season and there was hardly a place to put another vehicle at his cabin. When we pulled up in the truck….no joke, the whole house emptied out to see it. Nothing huge…maybe 115-120 inches but everyone came out to look at and say something. That's the way it should be I think.
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Yup, if a deer comes into camp, everybody comes out to admire it. There will be 15-20 people standing around watching the hunter gut his/her deer (we gut them at camp so we can get a live weight first). It's funny how "into" the hunts the non-hunters in the family get. Most leave their window cracked open at night so they can hear any gunshots early in the morning. All the hunters communicate by text-chain, and many in camp want to be included in the text-chain so they can keep up with what everyone is seeing. They like being part of the excitement. When the hunters start arriving back at camp after a hunt, all the non-hunters pour out onto the front porch asking, "What did you see?"
 

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BSK said:
Yup, if a deer comes into camp, everybody comes out to admire it. There will be 15-20 people standing around watching the hunter gut his/her deer (we gut them at camp so we can get a live weight first). It's funny how "into" the hunts the non-hunters in the family get. Most leave their window cracked open at night so they can hear any gunshots early in the morning. All the hunters communicate by text-chain, and many in camp want to be included in the text-chain so they can keep up with what everyone is seeing. They like being part of the excitement. When the hunters start arriving back at camp after a hunt, all the non-hunters pour out onto the front porch asking, "What did you see?"
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That's awesome and gets me fired up. We too have the same scenario. Love it
 
BSK said:
Yup, if a deer comes into camp, everybody comes out to admire it. There will be 15-20 people standing around watching the hunter gut his/her deer (we gut them at camp so we can get a live weight first). It's funny how "into" the hunts the non-hunters in the family get. Most leave their window cracked open at night so they can hear any gunshots early in the morning. All the hunters communicate by text-chain, and many in camp want to be included in the text-chain so they can keep up with what everyone is seeing. They like being part of the excitement. When the hunters start arriving back at camp after a hunt, all the non-hunters pour out onto the front porch asking, "What did you see?"
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No doubt you have a great thing going there!
 
BSK said:
I'm just afraid all those traditions will vanish as myself and my siblings vanish. Of the 14 grandkids, only 2 hunt, and one of those lives far away.
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Unfortunately....it will. I can remember as a kid that a whole big family group of us would hunt during Thanksgiving holiday. With moves, deaths, and many kids that no longer hunt, that tradition died over 25 years ago.

I would say the main reason that yours works so well is you have access to large enough chunk of land and a nice place to stay.

I would have to run some guided hunts out of that place in December. $1-1.2k or more for 3 days.
 
Antler Daddy said:
Unfortunately....it will. I can remember as a kid that a whole big family group of us would hunt during Thanksgiving holiday. With moves, deaths, and many kids that no longer hunt, that tradition died over 25 years ago.

I would say the main reason that yours works so well is you have access to large enough chunk of land and a nice place to stay.

I would have to run some guided hunts out of that place in December. $1-1.2k or more for 3 days.
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No the money isn't worth it. Don't ruin a good thing. No guided hunts.
 
Antler Daddy said:
Unfortunately....it will. I can remember as a kid that a whole big family group of us would hunt during Thanksgiving holiday. With moves, deaths, and many kids that no longer hunt, that tradition died over 25 years ago.

I would say the main reason that yours works so well is you have access to large enough chunk of land and a nice place to stay.

I would have to run some guided hunts out of that place in December. $1-1.2k or more for 3 days.
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When all the siblings have passed, I'm sure our kids will sell the place as a hunting lodge. Hope they get top-dollar for it.
 
BSK said:
I'm just afraid all those traditions will vanish as myself and my siblings vanish. Of the 14 grandkids, only 2 hunt, and one of those lives far away.
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Tje key to keeping it going is get the girls (niece and daughter who hunt) to bring their boyfriends to the gathering. Get them hooked, and you have the next generation set. At least that's what I'm doing!

Last December my 22yo daughter wanted to bring her boyfriend up to the farm. He has never hunted before. I hunted with the two of them and she was willing to give up her buck for him to take one. Last day of the hunt, he killed this nice 3.5yo. Daughter went buckless and she was fine with that (she has already killed a 150in and 148in, has passed up hundreds).

This year he is so excited about coming back up, was just telling me he finished up the last of his ground and sausage a few weeks ago. Wouldn't be surprised if they get married and they turn deer hunting into their annual vacation.

H
 

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BSK said:
...then I picked up pictures yesterday and got this video. Consider my eyebrows officially raised! Definitely one of the largest 8-points I've ever photographed on the place.
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I watched this video couple times a day since it was posted. I am surprised nobody has tried to guess a score yet. I am not a good guesser on velvet and rear views.

It is a wonderful buck and my guess is 135 to 142. I hope somebody gets a chance at him.
 
megalomaniac said:
Tje key to keeping it going is get the girls (niece and daughter who hunt) to bring their boyfriends to the gathering. Get them hooked, and you have the next generation set. At least that's what I'm doing!

Last December my 22yo daughter wanted to bring her boyfriend up to the farm. He has never hunted before. I hunted with the two of them and she was willing to give up her buck for him to take one. Last day of the hunt, he killed this nice 3.5yo. Daughter went buckless and she was fine with that (she has already killed a 150in and 148in, has passed up hundreds).

This year he is so excited about coming back up, was just telling me he finished up the last of his ground and sausage a few weeks ago. Wouldn't be surprised if they get married and they turn deer hunting into their annual vacation.

H
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Right now, neither of the hunting girls (grandkids) are in a relationship. But another niece is bringing her husband for the first time. He's a Special Forces guy originally from Maryville, TN. I think he'll enjoy the event.
 
BSK said:
For us, hunting is a "family event." It is myself, my brothers, my BILs, my daughter and one niece. It is just an excuse for us all to get together, have fun, and spend most of our time in camp telling old stories on each other. Greatest event of my year, and I spend all my time all year round managing the property so the whole family can have fun.

Our harvest rules are very simple: no yearling bucks. Other than that, shoot what you want. But because so many people are hunting, we generally limit each hunter to one buck. Although, if someone has already shot a buck, but has a chance at the buck of a lifetime, fire away. No one will begrudge the hunter that. Because of these rules, we've killed a snot-load of 2 1/2 year-old 8-pointers, most of which score 80-100. In fact, although we've killed over 100 bucks off the property, to make the "Top 20 All-time" it only takes a score of around 115. Myself and one BIL, both of whom have all season to hunt, are the only ones that hold out for something better. My BIL will take anything 3 1/2, while I'll take anything 3 1/2 that makes the Top 20.

What makes it even better is the multiple additions we've made to our hunting cabin. In now has beds for 20, with pull-out couches for more if we need them. We have a big family, and a bunch of them show up for opening weekend of MZ season. It's about the closest thing to a yearly family reunion we have (although the Death Hike is getting that way!).
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That's exactly the way it is supposed to be. I do the same thing with the property I lease. I look forward to my kids (22 and 20 now) and my hunting buddy being in camp with me. It used to include my Dad but we lost him 2 yrs ago. Those deer camp stories and times shared are what I will hold onto for as long as the good Lord allows me to do so. It's amazing what money we will spend and what we will do to a piece of land (even when we don't own it) just to be able to share in those times. It truly is not about the kill. It's about sharing the experience with those you love!
 

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