Charls, You indeed are living a treasured life! If I were to have the opportunity to do as you have I would be unable to return home. Here in Pennsylvania we are fortunate to have WhiteTail deer, Black bear, turkey, waterfowl, grouse and dove. We may also include an infinite population of groundhogs and predators like fox and coyote. I will mention Elk too, but as a after thought because the poulation is small and though huntable the chance at a tag is slim.
In my early years I and my family would often travel to a tract of public land north of my home. We would camp in unheated tents and stave off the cold with open fires and good sleeping bags. We hunted whitetails, grouse and turkey, but enjoyed the camp as much as anything. The older men used Savage model 99s in 300 savage, for the most part, except for my father who used a 303 jungle carbine. We younger ones used 30.06s and 308 Winchesters. Our shotguns were mostly pump action 12ga. Snow was what we wanted though we new it would make for a harder time in camp. When in the woods after game weather was of little consideration unless the tree tops began to break in the wind and fall near our tents. The freedom felt hunting hundreds of thousands of acres of land where one could explore without concern of trespass was more than a insignificant element of the over all experience. I am sure you and your freinds know what I am saying. It is the memory of these hunts I find the most appealing when the troubles of life make sleep elusive. Conditions now have, admittedly, moved things further back than they once seemed, but for those who can appreciate it, it remains. I hope you will write here frequently of you experiences and I hope your experiences are frequent! Thanks for the posting and all the best!
