Was 2020 your best hunting year ever?

[sacountry]

Love this thread. I would say that hunting and fishing in 2020 went much better than the rest of the year seemed too. I’m grateful for the time spent outdoors this year. It definitely kept me sane.

Amen to that!

 

[Mnbogboy]

Maybe not the best, but darn good...


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Really love the assorted arsenal! Think im seeing a 73 & 95 winchester, an old converted mauser and a large frame Colt? What calibers?
Always a great year to hunt with those vintage "grocery getters". Thanks for sharing.

 

[shrapnel]

Really love the assorted arsenal! Think im seeing a 73 & 95 winchester, an old converted mauser and a large frame Colt? What calibers?
Always a great year to hunt with those vintage "grocery getters". Thanks for sharing.

They are from top to bottom;
300 Weatherby, which is also the same rifle i used to shoot the Moose, the moose picture is with a Winchester 1876 in 45-75
Henry Clarke double rifle in 7X57 flanged
Custom 270 with Mauser action w/color cased bolt shroud in 257 Roberts
Colt model 1878 SXS
300 Weatherby again
Colt large frame Lightning in 50 Express
Winchester 1895 in 38-72
Sako Deluxe in 22 PPC

 

[shannerdrake]

Best Western Year - shot biggest elk and mule deer in September.
Worst Midwest Year - didn’t see or hear a spring turkey and didn’t see a whitetail buck over 90in or have a doe in bow range despite 14 hunts.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Not a great year for my personal harvests, but I got to spend time in the field with all my favorite people, first hunt with my sister and the first hunt with my wife in a couple of years. Agree with @JLS doesn’t do much good to compare.

40 days in the field chasing big game is a good season in my book regardless of the outcome.

 

[Nick_CO]

Average year for me all said and done. Struck out on Spring Turkey, Deer tag got refunded due to Wildfires, but I bagged me an Elk and a Grouse.

 

[CPAjeff]

2020 was a wonderful hunting year for me. Sure, it was different with all the COVID stuff and I had to cancel two hunts (SD whitetail and WY antelope). On the flip side, I was able to hunt closer to home and spend more time hunting with family. This year was great for geese!















2021 is shaping up to be wonderful as well - Alaska Caribou, South Dakota Whitetail, Wyoming Antelope, Utah Antelope, and Colorado Mule Deer.

 

[belshawelk]

Yes by far. We got 4 elk, 3 turkey, bunch of quail all of my property this year.

2 of the elk we taken by two people who have never killed and elk before. That made it very special.

 

[golfer]

They are from top to bottom;
300 Weatherby, which is also the same rifle i used to shoot the Moose, the moose picture is with a Winchester 1876 in 45-75
Henry Clarke double rifle in 7X57 flanged
Custom 270 with Mauser action w/color cased bolt shroud in 257 Roberts
Colt model 1878 SXS
300 Weatherby again
Colt large frame Lightning in 50 Express
Winchester 1895 in 38-72
Sako Deluxe in 22 PPC

What was the intention of the moose pic with a lever gun if you shot it with a different rifle?

 

[shrapnel]

What was the intention of the moose pic with a lever gun if you shot it with a different rifle?

Compare 1999 to 2020...

 

[shrapnel]

Now what do I do???

 

[Two7D]

My oldest started hunting (10 yo). She got her first animal, a pronghorn. I've been dreaming of this since I started hunting with my dad, and it finally came. I've never been so excited and look forward to many more hunts with my kids...yeah so probably my best year hunting. Just need some ammunition now. lol

 

[NoBadP17]

For all of its negatives, 2020 was actually pretty good to me! New position at work, wife and I are expecting our first child after a series of bumps in the road and were able to navigate through COVID quarantines w/o any real hiccups.

I was able to spend a ton of time in the turkey woods seeing birds but never being able to take a shot.

This August I was able to take my first CA blacktail and helped a buddy get on one too!

September meant dove season and I was able to sneak out after work for a few hours on opening day.

Took a trip to Wyoming with some co workers in November where I was lucky enough to take my first mule deer and most everyone tagged out on WT does and bucks! Then took up sausage making after the trip and definitely got my money's worth out of my grinder and vac sealer!

And duck season is really starting to pick up with all the weather we're getting here.

For all of its ups and downs, this was hands down the most successful year I've had hunting and far and away the most time I've spent in the field. Glad I got it out of the way now, since the little guy is going to change that come April!

 

[Mnbogboy]

Compare 1999 to 2020...

Thanks for the run down on the rifles. It is pretty fantastic that you are able to get to use them in such a wide scope of our sport.
Also your last year's moose looks huge in comparison.
Just like myself, it doesnt look we are aging very fast in the last 20 or so years either!...
Also thanks to JT88 for starting this refreshing post.
Time to start thinking what 2021 will bring. Good luck on your draws & future hunts.

 

[shrapnel]

Thanks for the run down on the rifles. It is pretty fantastic that you are able to get to use them in such a wide scope of our sport.
Also your last year's moose looks huge in comparison.
Just like myself, it doesnt look we are aging very fast in the last 20 or so years either!...
Also thanks to JT88 for starting this refreshing post.
Time to start thinking what 2021 will bring. Good luck on your draws & future hunts.

Thanks, I love guns and have more than a few, but not a single 6.5 Creedmoor in the bunch...

 

[Mnbogboy]

Thanks, I love guns and have more than a few, but not a single 6.5 Creedmoor in the bunch...

Loving the old guns & their histories but never started collecting them. Wish that i did....got into "Savage-smithing" instead which turned into a mild addiction.
I bought a 6.5 Creedmoor savage 5r take off barrel a few years back and screwed it on one of my many 110s. Shot lights out right out of the box. Took it out hunting a few weeks later and shot a whitetail buck with it. Only time a hunted with one. Have had several as spares on various trips.
I usually hunt deer & antelope with my 6.5/257 Bob Ackley 40° or my 6.5-06. Did buy the Creedmoor reamer and actually converted a couple of 260s to the Creed. Have 5 of them in the stable now, they are all easy to tune & shoot.
Working on a wildcat based on the CM right now...but changing the name...(stigma of the "man bun") ...lol...a slightly longer version with a little more oomph.

Hopefully the New Year brings a treasure trove of stories like these for our reading delight from the upcoming seasons.

 

[Montana Man]

I had a pretty good season this year all things considering, but I always say next year will be my best season.

 

[westbranch]

I was fortunate to spend more days than ever in 2020 out hunting/fishing/hiking/backpacking. Spring turkeys, morels, summer fishing, elk, whitetails, mule deer, grouse and pheasant hunting. But I did not shoot a thing, so I definitely got frustrating at times towards the end of the season. But it looks like I should be able to spend a lot of days hunting again in 2021, so hopefully can improve that success rate a bit.

 

[Savagelh]

I had a great year, hunting wise and general life both were great. Got some much needed time off work, got to hang out with my 2 boys and completed some projects around the house. Shot my personal best archery mule deer, killed a spike bull moose and shot a below average whitetail but was still happy with it. We got hammered with a blizzard here right before rifle season so I wasn't overly selective. Also got out for birds a couple times and got into some grouse, ruffled, sharptail and spruce as well as a few mallards and canada geese. Also got to spend quite a bit of time with my dad in moose season so I guess it was one of my best seasons.

 

[dcreiss]

There is no doubt 2020 comes in as my best hunting year to date. Because of COVID, I had to quarantine 3 different times without coming down with the 'Rona and I took advantage of that time out of the office big time. We started the year by getting my daughter a gobbler in the black hills in April for her first ever tag. This fall I started by harvesting my best ever bull elk, followed up with harvesting a decent whitetail buck on my birthday during a snow storm with a bow.
November and December were a great end to the hunting season with my daughter harvesting her first buck and finished the year by taking a beautiful bull bison. All of this was intermixed with taking my rifle buck and numerous pheasants and ducks. While I recognize the severe impact COVID has made in our lives in 2020, I am grateful for the time I have been afforded to be closer to my family and cherish the memories we were able to make in the field close to home....Also grateful to the licensing systems in SD for plentiful opportunities to take game available within my home state.