Mustangs Rule
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2021
- Messages
- 1,032
I will be close to 79 years old when this hunt happens and am the last one still hunting from my group of old hunting friends.
I did get Covid, had two meniscus knee surgeries, then one full knee replacement two years ago and a second one coming up next August. My life long hunting commitment to the steepest territory filled my tags and my spirit but wore out my knees.
And I have taken some falls, one real long rolling, tumbling one in November/23’, ending up bloodying my head. I had to walk out unaided.
On my second to last cow elk hunt I was alone and passed up on a legal yearling elk because recovery was not possible. Going down is the hard part with worn out knees.
Returning downhill with just my pack and rifle I had five almost comic flops as my knee gave out. I went directly to see the doctor when I got back to town.
No more hobbling around the mountains by myself he ordered. GRRR!!!
Last year I won a double cow elk hunt drawing; first the state, then private land.
Saw one herd in the hundreds, and another over 500 elk, just looked at them.
I almost did not put in apps for any big game hunts for next fall. At the last day I applied for an elk hunt and a classic mule deer rifle hunt, got neither, was relieved.
What I did draw as a second deer choice was a traditional muzzle-loader hunt for any whitetail for the first two weeks of December.
I really like my rifle, a 50 cal Thompson Center New Englander sidelock. Single trigger, big trigger guard for gloves and excellent vintage aperture sights. When I bought it new, it I sent it back to the factory to have the trigger tuned and those vintage sights installed. I have a harness grade leather Whelen sling on it, and I made triple shooting sticks that double as a walking stick when held together by huge rubber bands I cut out of a motorcycle tire tube.
It will shoot a minute of a tangerine at 125 yards and with its walnut stock it would be seen as a perfecting normal rifle by real mountain men at a Green River Wyoming Rendezvous in the mid 1800's. In years gone by I had property there,
Where I will be hunting has Mt Lions, wolves and Bears, I like that sense of wilderness richness, and do not want to take any backup handgun. Nor do I want to take a range finder, or GPS. I have a Green River knife with a sheath i made sewing the leather together with fine copper wire.
I will bring my Satellite Communication device and cell phone both for emergency use only.
I want a genuine simple solo traditional muzzleloader wilderness hunt. I will bring waterproof matches and two flashlights.
For outerwear, not because I want to be in a spaghetti western, but some real warm thick long green wool military ponchos are available online for $60 They have a double front hand warmer pocket and a hood.
I like being able while wearing one, to sit down on the back of it and bring the front over my knees and legs, looking like a boulder while having what amounts to my own little wool tent. Might just fall asleep dreaming about hunts gone by and many close friends that stopped hunting.
Would be nice to have some snow falling.
MR
`
I did get Covid, had two meniscus knee surgeries, then one full knee replacement two years ago and a second one coming up next August. My life long hunting commitment to the steepest territory filled my tags and my spirit but wore out my knees.
And I have taken some falls, one real long rolling, tumbling one in November/23’, ending up bloodying my head. I had to walk out unaided.
On my second to last cow elk hunt I was alone and passed up on a legal yearling elk because recovery was not possible. Going down is the hard part with worn out knees.
Returning downhill with just my pack and rifle I had five almost comic flops as my knee gave out. I went directly to see the doctor when I got back to town.
No more hobbling around the mountains by myself he ordered. GRRR!!!
Last year I won a double cow elk hunt drawing; first the state, then private land.
Saw one herd in the hundreds, and another over 500 elk, just looked at them.
I almost did not put in apps for any big game hunts for next fall. At the last day I applied for an elk hunt and a classic mule deer rifle hunt, got neither, was relieved.
What I did draw as a second deer choice was a traditional muzzle-loader hunt for any whitetail for the first two weeks of December.
I really like my rifle, a 50 cal Thompson Center New Englander sidelock. Single trigger, big trigger guard for gloves and excellent vintage aperture sights. When I bought it new, it I sent it back to the factory to have the trigger tuned and those vintage sights installed. I have a harness grade leather Whelen sling on it, and I made triple shooting sticks that double as a walking stick when held together by huge rubber bands I cut out of a motorcycle tire tube.
It will shoot a minute of a tangerine at 125 yards and with its walnut stock it would be seen as a perfecting normal rifle by real mountain men at a Green River Wyoming Rendezvous in the mid 1800's. In years gone by I had property there,
Where I will be hunting has Mt Lions, wolves and Bears, I like that sense of wilderness richness, and do not want to take any backup handgun. Nor do I want to take a range finder, or GPS. I have a Green River knife with a sheath i made sewing the leather together with fine copper wire.
I will bring my Satellite Communication device and cell phone both for emergency use only.
I want a genuine simple solo traditional muzzleloader wilderness hunt. I will bring waterproof matches and two flashlights.
For outerwear, not because I want to be in a spaghetti western, but some real warm thick long green wool military ponchos are available online for $60 They have a double front hand warmer pocket and a hood.
I like being able while wearing one, to sit down on the back of it and bring the front over my knees and legs, looking like a boulder while having what amounts to my own little wool tent. Might just fall asleep dreaming about hunts gone by and many close friends that stopped hunting.
Would be nice to have some snow falling.
MR
`
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