doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Hunting Alone

I didn’t realize, exactly, how few my hunting partners were until my Dad died.

It was a difficult lesson. I am down to just a few, unfortunately one of those is 3 states west of me. I’m blessed to have Lloyd as a friend, hunting buddy is icing on the cake. I just had a conversation with my last local hunting buddy, who had a reconstructive surgery to one shoulder, that really didn’t deliver all that was hoped. We both hunted this week, just not with each other. We will, again, when our schedules align a bit closer. My son, will tag along if there isn’t anything else to do (I went through a similar phase with my Dad, as well, coming back in my early 20s).

My season ended on Tuesday, New Year’s Eve, just Louise and I. I worked until 10:30AM, and hit a spot I’ve hunted for most of fifty years, first with kids in my neighborhood, who, to a one, have aged out, and mostly by myself, of late. We got about 4 hours in, just us, the Federal Game Warden pulled in to check the locks on a few gates, and left with no comment. There was a bow hunter to the east, had the River bottom and birdy areas to myself. I made a note to myself that the dog is good for 1/2 to 3/4 of a day, she will be 12 in April.

I’ve been here, before.

We moved one rooster out the end of a dense wood lot, I tripped on a half buried piece of pig fence about ten paces later. I moved a grouse near the edge of the river, a doable shot, I even grabbed the tight choke in the Nitro Special 16, but, I missed. The birds are quite cagey this time of year, and really don’t have much time for pointy dogs.

The little gizmo that my son loaded a bunch of music on for me can take a picture, as well. I hope you all had a season of beauty and good memories.

Best,
Ted