Remember when

[Don Fischer]

When I was young to go hunting I'd pick up my rifle, my skinning knife and a piece of string. Usually forgot the string. Today to go hunting people need to pick up their rifle, 20x scope, $200 skinning knife, $200 boneing knife, rangefinder, first aid kit, granola bars, energy drink, 10x bino's, 30x spotting scope, tripod for the spotting scope, tripod for the rifle, overnight shelter, purification tablet's for the water in the stream, ect, ect, ect. And for whatever reason I wonder why they want a lighter rifle. You know, a 5# rifle costing $2000 with a $3500 20x scope on it! Something about the past days, we seemed to always carry more ammo than we needed, seldom hear about how much ammo guy's carry today! Funny thing, still today I take off on a hike, I forget to take water with me and end up drinking out of a stream!

Imagine getting ready for a grizzly hunt. You got all that stuff to carry and so to cut weight you get a 5# rifle, something like a Little Kimber in 50BMG AI shooting 175gr monolithic bullet's! But still today about all I remember to take is a few extra rounds of ammo and my knife!

 

[brnsvllyjohn]

I carried a rifle, a folding pocket knife, one small canteen and maybe something to snack on. I added about 10 shells in my blue jeans pockets. I remember cutting my boot strings a couple of times to tie on my tag. My binoculars were 7x35 from Sears. My scope was a Weaver 4 power. Of course the rifle was a bolt action 30-06.

 

[ccc23454]

I never used binos while hunting till in my 30s

 

[Hammsolo]

Oh, the myth of the good old days. Were there highlights? Yes. Were there low lights? Yes. It’s the same today, but I would never go back.

A little comparison from my perspective, and I won’t even go into socioeconomic changes. I grew up in MT, but moved to WA for economic reasons that still exist.

1988 - My first big game year.
Highs - Low cost of supplies. A parent could write a note to buy ammo at Coast to Coast Hardware. Less large tract private land, and more relaxed private landowners willing to let a kid hunt.

Lows - Quality of supplies. Repurposed military gear SUCKED! Respect to the soldiers that wore that garbage in combat. Vehicles were unreliable and it felt like the old Dodge Power Wagon got gallons per mile. Optics were expensive garbage.

Today
Highs - Quality supplies and gear of all sorts abound. Entry level optics blow the doors off my prized Vari-X 2 I saved years for. Trucks… no comparison.

Lows - More private land, and pressure to sell public land. Many landowners have tightened up access. Inflation… (This may be offset by salaries in my field being 3 to 4 times as high today) Urban damn sprawl!!!

These are just a few highs and lows. I’d never go back purely based on modern boots and socks! Dry warm feet are a sore deal; it just can’t be beat. This has given me an idea for another thread…

 

[diamond hitch]

When I started we had a 1948, 2 wheel drive dodge pickup. At the beginning of the season we would fill the box with rock for traction. With snow the chains were applied at the bottom of the hill hence wool clothing was needed for rolling around in the snow.

As we would spin out I would stand on the bumper and bounce up and down for traction for up to 5 miles.

The heater was so bad that one ft and knee was smoking and the other was frozen. Ocassionaly the windows would fog up or freeze up and you would have to either roll down the side windows and stick your head out or keep scraping the frost off the windows.

Frost bite in at least one rubber boot was normal before you got home.

A 1-3 mile drag out for your elk was common. About every 6-8 years you got a freeby and killed an elk above the road for easy loading.

Meat got cut on the kitchen table and wrapped near the sink. It was a family affair. Suffering to eat was expected.

Are you tough enough to have lived in the old days? Weinies were not allowed.

 

[geetar]

Ok fair enough we have too much crap. The real question where can I get an Ackley Improve .50 BMG?

 

[Dougfirtree]

I still do most of my hunting with wool clothes, Lacrosse boots and a fanny pack that holds some essentials (and usually less than 10 rounds of ammo). I have a stainless rifle now though, which is kind of killing my classic shtick...

 

[Goodfish]

I remember when all pickup trucks came with gun racks. Going to school in the early 80’s no one cared if you had a shotgun or an 06 in the gun rack at school. I’d show up at school with a canoe , dekes, guns and everything but the dog and they understood we only had a few hours of shooting light to work with after school!

 

[mtmuley]

Ok fair enough we have too much crap. The real question where can I get an Ackley Improve .50 BMG?

I know where. mtmuley

 

[geetar]

I know where. mtmuley

Scratch that I want a 500 RUM

 

[Wallydeuce]

I remember. High school...I filled tags for half a dozen old or disabled folks in the tiny town I lived in. My gear? Tennis shoes but not my good ones. A knife that had a screw off handle with "survival gear " in it and a sheath so cheap the knife blade cut the stitching off. A 300 Savage with a Weaver 2 1/2 scope and a pocket full of bullets. If I got thirsty, the Virgin river did the job. The important part of those hunts was to make damn sure the deer dropped before it could get into Zion National Park. The new locals will now call the cops if they hear a loud fart, much less a gunshot.

Overnight trips consisted of something out of "The Grapes of Wrath ". A sleeping bag wrapped in rope, some visqueen in case it rained and a package of hot dogs...without buns.

I must love archery elk hunting because I'm willing to live like a savage for weeks at a time. My idea of roughing it now is not having room service.

 

[hank4elk]

My 2 trucks(old used) are my 1st without gun racks. I still wear my work boots hunting which are now Lowas(again). I still have the folding ammo case on 1 side of my belt and my Uncle Henry knife on the other side. I wore my plaid wool coat over my skre suit last year. The 30-30 is still in 1 truck all the time. My newer 30-06 is 35+ yrs old. The scope is an upgrade. Rio dissolved the old canvas sleeping bag that was in my truck all the time(grandpa gave it to me). I still walk off without my canteen & or binos at times....

 

[geetar]

I remember. High school...I filled tags for half a dozen old or disabled folks in the tiny town I lived in. My gear? Tennis shoes but not my good ones. A knife that had a screw off handle with "survival gear " in it and a sheath so cheap the knife blade cut the stitching off. A 300 Savage with a Weaver 2 1/2 scope and a pocket full of bullets. If I got thirsty, the Virgin river did the job. The important part of those hunts was to make damn sure the deer dropped before it could get into Zion National Park. The new locals will now call the cops if they hear a loud fart, much less a gunshot.

Overnight trips consisted of something out of "The Grapes of Wrath ". A sleeping bag wrapped in rope, some visqueen in case it rained and a package of hot dogs...without buns.

I must love archery elk hunting because I'm willing to live like a savage for weeks at a time. My idea of roughing it now is not having room service.

- All right, what's your idea of heaven? - Room service.

Tombstone (1993) Drama clip with quote - All right, what's your idea of heaven? - Room service. Yarn is the best search for video clips by quote. Find the exact moment in a TV show, movie, or music video you want to share. Easily move forward or backward to get to the perfect clip.

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[noharleyyet]

I have a cell phone holder on my Can Am side by side ….a heater, a small library, insecticide assortment, and coat hooks in the tower blind, and a wllim13 spread sheet to keep the ammo per rifle collated.

Knives, binos, range finder (coz 130 yard views must be constantly monitored and verified),zip ties, ball point for license perfection, ear plugs, medicine kit, and disposable gloves are kitted in the whitetail/pig backpack.

…and an orange paracord bracelet.

 

[mtmuley]

Scratch that I want a 500 RUM

https://apsrifles.com/Allen_Magnum_Wildcats.html There you go geetar. The .510 Allen Magnum is what you need. I've shot the 7mm, .300, .338 and. 375. Bet the .510 will work on any North American game.

 

[Hammsolo]

I have a cell phone holder on my Can Am side by side ….a heater, a small library, insecticide assortment, and coat hooks in the tower blind, and a wllim13 spread sheet to keep the ammo per rifle collated.

Knives, binos, range finder (coz 130 yard views must be constantly monitored and verified),zip ties, ball point for license perfection, ear plugs, medicine kit, and disposable gloves are kitted in the whitetail/pig backpack.

…and an orange paracord bracelet.

Would you please make me a bracelet!? Style and life saving utility wrapped up in one.

 

[Hammsolo]

https://apsrifles.com/Allen_Magnum_Wildcats.html There you go geetar. The .510 Allen Magnum is what you need. I've shot the 7mm, .300, .338 and. 375. Bet the .510 will work on any North American game.

They’ll really “boose” your performance! My dream of a hydraulic actuating stock combined with a combo mega-suppressor-magnaport will also “boose” the performance by completely elymynatyng recoil and sound! I’m also considering blue tooth technology, combined with an on-board flask system.

 

[mtmuley]

They’ll really “boose” your performance! My dream of a hydraulic actuating stock combined with a combo mega-suppressor-magnaport will also “boose” the performance by completely elymynatyng recoil and sound! I’m also considering blue tooth technology, combined with an on-board flask system.

Those rifles are amazingly easy to shoot. As the chamberings get bigger, the rifles weight increases. Purpose built for sure, and an absolute blast to shoot. We took them out to 1400 yards. mtmuley

 

[Hammsolo]

I need to invent a sling to carry them… hmmm anti-gravity field? Just messin’

 

[geetar]

https://apsrifles.com/Allen_Magnum_Wildcats.html There you go geetar. The .510 Allen Magnum is what you need. I've shot the 7mm, .300, .338 and. 375. Bet the .510 will work on any North American game.

Holy Schmackerel! Thanks for sharing. That thing is a beast.