Midterm report for 2021, pros/cons?

[hossblur]

Well.

Most of us not in AZ, are roughly at midterms for hunts.

So, time for midterm report card.

What new did you like/dislike?
What changes have you noticed?


Mine:

At 47, I'm noticing COLD. Never thought about cold, even worked in a freezer for a few years, but this year, cold is bugging me.

After 30+ years physical labor, pretty sure the right hip will need to be bionic down the road, feeling it on downhills and especially packing elk on the back.

Plumbing the Buddy Heater into the trailer propane lines was a major improvement.

Kings XKG gaiters were a major improvement over my Kenetreks(not sure who has calves big enough to wear Kenetreks and keep them up.

Seen more deer his year than the last few. Not more bucks, not more good bucks.

Seen fewer Moose.

I need to buy stock in Polaris.

My 10yr old lab is starting to show her age the morning after duck hunts. Might be puppy time sooner than I wanted?

Coors Pure is a real good "flatbrim hippy" beer

My house:

1 muzzy tag(son)-filled
1 dedicated tag-open
2 3season elk tags-open

 

[bonepicker]

Nice! Ok I’ll roll with this.

I’ve seen pockets of improvement in mule deer numbers in my state.

I’ve seen pockets of decline as well.

I like Chile de Agua chiles in almost everything, lemonade especially!

+1 on the cold aversion, never really bothered me before, now I notice it.

There are too many wild/feral horses.

I love hunting with my kids!

There is a drought.

OnX and Google Earth and the internet have changed hunting in many ways.

The geese are back.

Weird things are out of stock.

People are crabby.

I love hunting Mule deer but I have learned to like hunting Blacktail.

But the worst parts of hunting Blacktail are: hunting in the rain, the thick brush/thorny junk, the number of people.

I miss my pickup but don’t miss the gas mileage

It is hard to beat wool for cold weather hunting.

Pressure canning is the only way I will process deer from now on.

I’m ready to eat a spam sandwich with onions cut by a knife with traces of elk blood, next to a burning stump in the snow, talking about what we’re going to do for our afternoon elk hunt.

My house:
Daughter‘s deer tag is filled
3 elk tags (2 sons and me) hopefully filled in a few weeks!

 

[OutdoorWriter]

My report is pretty simple & basically the same as last year, except I'm even closer to becoming a vegetable. So I hunt vicariously thru all youze guys.

And now, my biggest exertion each day is hefting all the weight while peeing.

 

[twopointdn]

It has been a fun year.

Every year I get older and the mountains get steeper.

Every year I say that I’m going to tone it down a notch and I hit it harder and go deeper. I still have the what’s over the next mountain syndrome and do it while I can syndrome.

I still can’t get my pack any lighter.

We seen less bucks this year but still filled tags with good bucks.

Elk hunting is actually fun when you have a good tag.

Helping others fill tags is just as fun as filling my own as I get older.

Having young kids takes up a lot of time and hunting and my time became less and less.

I still love pulling the trigger.

Life is great.

Dad’s general archery tag filled
My LE archery elk tag filled
My general deer tag filled
My daughters general deer tag filled
My hunting buddies general deer tag filled
My Colorado deer tag to be determined, I’m going for a 4.0 GPA this year. ?

Have fun everyone one.

 

[Longun]

Still livin' the dream here in Wyoming....
3 out of 4 tags filled...next tag opens 15 Dec...

 

[Wapitiwilly]

One of my sons shot a great bull on the SW Desert early rifle (September)
Daughter in law RMB (November)
Another son has Dutton late (November)
I have Delores Triangle late rifle (November)
Colorado plains deer hunt (December)
Just getting started??

 

[tailchasers]

We successfully introduced our 2 daughter in laws to hunting this fall. Wooo whooo!! Both were successful! Wife learned some valuable gun safety lessons on here antelope hunt but then I learned something to about hunting with less experienced shooters. She took off on her own stalks leaving me behind. Great watching her step into this. Wife and I had a successful Wyoming experience yet again ending with a long soak in a hobo hotspring. Son and I each have a 3rd season deer tag opening this weekend with both of us having the entire season off. Then one of daughter-in-laws and I have a 4th season cow tag that is over Thanksgiving. We have a group of about 20 people from all over this great nation, some who have never met, all joining together for Thanksgiving on the mountain with turkey and all the fixings in our canvas tent. Lots of hunting this year so far with some highs and lows with more yet to come. Bucks are rutting and the mountains around here a green with new grass. The fall rains have been long over due.

 

[The_Coloradoboy]

Killed 14 bulls so far this year with clients. Archery/muzzy were pretty solid. 1st and 2nd rifle seaosn were hit and miss. Got some deer hunts this coming week and finally got a few tags of my own to play with this month.

3 year colts can make things interesting in the mountains

Swarovski NL pures are my life line now

Super impressed with the new Stone Glacier gear I’ve been running

Kenetreks are still garbage

Carrying a 95mm spotter is overrated. Going back to the 65mm for wilderness hunts

Copenhagen is getting damn expensive

Elk numbers are way down in the gunnison basin from what I can tell

Things are starting to hurt now at 29 years old

 

[Tikka]

"Kenetreks are still garbage"
Give Zamberlan a try, I've been really impressed...

 

[bonepicker]

Killed 14 bulls so far this year with clients. Archery/muzzy were pretty solid. 1st and 2nd rifle seaosn were hit and miss. Got some deer hunts this coming week and finally got a few tags of my own to play with this month.

3 year colts can make things interesting in the mountains

Swarovski NL pures are my life line now

Super impressed with the new Stone Glacier gear I’ve been running

Kenetreks are still garbage

Carrying a 95mm spotter is overrated. Going back to the 65mm for wilderness hunts

Copenhagen is getting damn expensive

Elk numbers are way down in the gunnison basin from what I can tell

Things are starting to hurt now at 29 years old

29? You’re gonna need to change your handle to The_Coloradoman pretty soon! You’re almost there! ?

 

[The_Coloradoboy]

"Kenetreks are still garbage"
Give Zamberlan a try, I've been really impressed...

I have two pairs of them

 

[elkchaserreturns]

My report is pretty simple & basically the same as last year, except I'm even closer to becoming a vegetable. So I hunt vicariously thru all youze guys.

And now, my biggest exertion each day is hefting all the weight while peeing.

You "hang" in there my friend! I very much appreciate your many, many contributions to this site. You definetely "raise the bar" and I am sure there are many on here that agree with me.

Elkchaser