The Hunting Season -- with your Henry

[PT7]

hunt-with-a-henry.jpg

Good Day, Henry Folk.

I know that no one needs a reminder that fall hunting season is fast approaching. With Autumn beginning this week, many are getting their plans finalized, gear gathered, rifles (handguns) cleaned, and ammo at-the-ready. I got an email note from RFC this morning with a couple of cool Henry photos included. So.....this post is just in case you've forgotten! [Click on photo for larger look]

Hunt Safely, Enjoy and Have Fun!


Fall Hunt
© Nate Howard, 2014 - Posted by allpoetry.com/

Pants wet to the knees,
fresh fallen vibrant leaves.

Rubs scrapes,
and contemplates.

Blaze orange in the tree
Dogs flushing pheasant flee.
Sunset God sent pleasant to see.

Be still, listen.
Was that? But the wind.
Snort, huff, and nosed again.

Be still, listen.
Coyote, fox?
Snap brush white tines glisten.

Be still listen.
Thump, thump through your body,
Trembling in your arms.
Beating in your ears,
count the barns or farms.

Here he comes.
Upright, strong, king of his domain.
Hooting owl, screeching hawk.
To hear a robins song in the rain.

Be still, listen.
The wind again.
The flash of a white tail
bounds along a vanishing trail.

[Deadwood Dutch]

Thanks, very nice poem. This will be my 52nd year with my rifle and that elusive whitetail buck. Deer shot and deer missed. Many memories, many good times and a few deer stands that are now just rotten boards in a tree. As I walk the trails, and I am the only one left of our original hunting party, sometimes I think that their spirits are still out there. I keep this picture of "our woods" hanging on a wall, for the time when I can't go anymore.

[Deadwood Dutch]

And here's a couple of old pictures from when I was in my 20's, one with a spike buck and one with my hunting buddies.

[CT_Shooter]

Thanks for sharing the memories and the photos, Dutch. Good hunting this season, too.

[PT7]

All three photos are great, Dutch, and are also valued memories. (I'm very partial to your framed photo of "our woods." Absolutely love outdoor winter scenes!). And thanks for sharing about your "walks along the trails."

When you post a photo of your buck hanging this year, put it alongside this one with the 20-year-old hunter. I bet both hunters will look great!

[Deadwood Dutch]

Thanks, I don't know if I'll take the pump .30-06 or the lever action .44 magnum this year. But the facts are that I don't hunt as hard as I used to hunt, the deer numbers have greatly diminished through the years where I hunt in northeastern Pa. (another whole story) and I don't spend near the days in the woods as I did years ago. I am just happy to be there for a few days and enjoy nature.

[Henry88]

Thanks, I don't know if I'll take the pump .30-06 or the lever action .44 magnum this year. But the facts are that I don't hunt as hard as I used to hunt, the deer numbers have greatly diminished through the years where I hunt in northeastern Pa. (another whole story) and I don't spend near the days in the woods as I did years ago. I am just happy to be there for a few days and enjoy nature.

When you get down to it Dutch, enjoying the outdoors and nature is what it's all about.........

Killer poem PT7. I don't think i'll do much if any deer hunting this year. Mostly squirrels around the house with the Henry and small game at the Management Area down the street with the Marlin xt-22M.

Good luck to everyone.

[clovishound]

I started hunting again a couple years ago after a 40 year hiatus. I haven't taken anything yet. I'm just having fun spending time in the woods, and time with friends. I wouldn't mind putting a feral hog in the freezer this year.

[biglever]

Just put my trail cam's out. Got my wife a new ladder stand. And have the rifles ready.
Love this time of yr.
Going over all the stuff in my back pac. .like getting rid of my p&j sandwich that I left in there from last yr. And some crushed cookie's.

[PT7]

It would be an interesting to hear from you, Dutch, on "another whole story" about the deer numbers in your area. I look at our state's management of the deer population from time-to-time, and it seems like there are those up and down number here at times.

In his post, Henry88 said "I don't think i'll do much if any deer hunting this year." I had planned to get out again this year in December during the antlerless hunt season, but I have had some challenges with getting help to care for my wife (I'm her F/T caregiver). So I had to postpone, and hopefully will get out next year for another deer hunt. I will use my Benelli Pump field s/g in 20-gauge for that.

But this year I have some weekdays that I'm regularly scheduled to take off from my regular caregiver work routine. I just found a nearby MO Conservation Area (CA) that not only has deer hunting, but it's permitted there to hunt either squirrel or rabbit during the October 2016 through February 2017 hunt season. I plan to get out and hunt rabbit with my Henry .22 SGC. And before any hunting, like you, I plan to go out and just "enjoy nature" by visiting the CA, and walking around the upland forest area. I've not been there before, and it will be fun to first check it out. So "all is not lost" for this hunting season!

Thanks, I don't know if I'll take the pump .30-06 or the lever action .44 magnum this year. But the facts are that I don't hunt as hard as I used to hunt, the deer numbers have greatly diminished through the years where I hunt in northeastern Pa. (another whole story) and I don't spend near the days in the woods as I did years ago. I am just happy to be there for a few days and enjoy nature.

[Deadwood Dutch]

Since you asked, here it is. Basically, what has happened since about 2001, is that with the different deer seasons, two for bow plus flintlock and muzzleloader and the regular rifle season and the big factor, too many days to hunt anterless deer especially where the deer population was not that great to start with, there are not nearly the number of deer as in the past. The coyotes add to the problem. Especially in the northern part of the state, the herd has been greatly reduced. It used to be three days to hunt doe with a rifle following the two weeks of rifle deer season for bucks only. Then, the state game commission came up with the idea to run doe season for two weeks in conjunction with the two weeks of rifle buck season and it really hurt the population. Something to do with overbrowsing, so the state said. Now, in certain areas, they have knocked it down to only one week for doe with a rifle. They should go back to two or three days only for doe with a rifle. Now, it's sort of like locking the barn door after the horse has escaped. The state has been accused of mismanagement of the herd by many sportsmans associations and rightfully so. The state is divided up into wildlife management units and especially in some of the southeastern units there are many more deer per square mile, but this is not, and never was the case in many of the northern units in the state. The deer need to be reduced in those lower units, but not where we and thousands of other hunters go to hunt deer. Some deer camps have just about folded up. It will take years, if ever, for it to be the way it once was. It is especially hard for young hunters to understand why they don't see the deer like us old guys once did. That is why I am glad that my grandson also gets to hunt in Maryland with his father where they see lots of deer and that is where he got his first buck the other year. The bottom line is that they left the two weeks of anterless season in place for too long. Also, now they have reduced the allotment of anterless deer licenses in many wildlife management units which should help the situation to a certain extent. To hunt doe, you need a separate license in addition to your regular license. There are many days now, where you can spend the entire day in the woods and not see even one deer. I don't hunt doe anymore.

[Hack]

Just saw this article entitled "Going Hunting with Your Henry". Author recommended also bringing a knife and hatchet.

http://www.ammoland.com/2016/10/going-h ... z4NRWYttzW

[daytime dave]

That was a very good article. I'm glad I read it. Thank you.

[Hack]

Dave, I thought you might like it with your interest in blades.

[PT7]

Very interesting article, Hack....I enjoyed it a lot.

And the photos of the Henry .30-30 and tomahawk were great -- of both the wood and metals! They look like they were built in the same shop!

Just saw this article entitled "Going Hunting with Your Henry". Author recommended also bringing a knife and hatchet.

http://www.ammoland.com/2016/10/going-h ... z4NRWYttzW