My Top 3 Reasons I Look Forward To Hunting Season!

Many of you are like me as in that we are counting down the days (maybe even the hours/minutes) until hunting season begins.  Those who don't hunt they think we are just a bunch of crazy fools who have nothing better to do with our lives.  There are a lot of different reasons why we each enjoy hunting season so much and look forward to it every year just like a little kid looks forward to Christmas day.  While thinking about all of the different reasons why I look forward to hunting season I narrowed it down to my top three reasons and decided to share them with you.

The Adventure/Challenge - I love the outdoors and absolutely love the sense of adventure that comes with hunting season.  Even after hunting an area for 10 years straight I still experience different situations all season long.  Each season I have to remind myself that the animals I am hunting are always adapting so I in return need to adapt and advance my hunting strategies every year to keep ensure being successful.  This to me is a new adventure every time I hit my hunting area.  Using trail cameras and other scouting methods to keep up on the game is always an adventure to me.

I also enjoy the adventure of finding new places to hunt.  Whether it is because an old area isn't producing the animals you would like, or if it is because you just want to change things up, finding a new hunting area is always an adventure and challenge.  Going through the challenge of learning a new hunting area, where the animals travel, bed, feed, or flee to when they are spooked is one of my favorite yet frustrating parts of hunting to me at times. There are many times you put in a lot of work to find a new spot just to find out that the area is a dud.... but that one time you find an area that has exactly what you are looking for is worth all of those other failed scouting trips.

The Outdoors - This is similar to my point above but I think of it differently.  Words cannot describe how amazing it is to be sitting in a tree stand for hours until you watch a wild animal slowly make its way into the perfect spot allowing you to make the shot.  Even if you never see the "shooter" or the animal you are after, spending that time in the outdoors surrounded by nature is truly indescribable.  There are areas I have been that make you feel like you may be the first person to ever step foot in that area because of how majestic it is.  Times like that remind me that hunting is more than just filling a tag or bagging a trophy.  Simply enjoying the area you are blessed to be in is by far one of the greatest privilages we share as hunters! It doesn't matter where you hunt, every area has something unique to offer.  You may not have the Grand Teton's in view or maybe not some monumental landmark of some kind but as outdoors men and women you can find the beauty each area is hiding for those who seek for it.

The last reason I look forward to hunting season so much is because of who I spend it with! Family and Friends -  For me my hunting season is primarily with family but occasionally I get out with a friend or two and go on a hunt.  It doesn't matter if you have one hunting buddy or fifty, all of us who have someone to hunt with recognizes the joy that comes from sharing the hunting experience with someone else.  There have been times that I have gone hunting by myself and seen some pretty amazing animals and/or areas but trying to put those experiences into words so that someone else can understand what you've seen is extremely hard to do effectively.

Another plus that comes with hunting around friends and family is simply the joy of humor! Last year I briefly went out hunting with my brother and dad while we showed a friend how we hunted together as a family.  That friend filmed our hunt and put us on a video he called Elk Tour along with 3 other groups of hunters.  What I enjoyed the most about watching the video after it was finished was that no matter what group of hunters you were watching, you heard just as many laughs (if not more) than you heard elk bugling! Everyone's humor is not the same which important to remember while you're hunting and having a good time.  It is important that you not get caught up in trying to be someone you're not.  When you are being yourself and having a good time, naturally those around you will also enjoy the hunt.

 Here is the trailer for Elk Tour

As I mentioned earlier, there are times that I hunt alone and I enjoy those hunts as well.  There is nothing against hunting by yourself nor is it any less of an adventure/experience.  These are my three top reasons of why I look forward to hunting season so much.  If you have any other reasons please share them in a comment below!

Disclaimer:

As with all posts on Idaho Pursuit, the following  is my honest opinion.  I am simply writing to share my experiences and my posts are my own words and thoughts.  My posts are not meant to offend or insult any person of any nature nor are my posts designed to make any formal statement of any kind.  If there is anything on my blog you dislike or disagree with you are free to express your opinion by emailing me at kjones2626@gmail.com.  

Product Of My Environment

I have heard a lot of people say how much they dislike the town I live in.  Most of these people are ones who have briefly lived somewhere else and feel that the grass is a lot greener everywhere but here.  I hear people make comments putting down the "hicks", "red-necks", and "uneducated hillbillies".  I am quite protective of my small town and kindly listen to these people tell me about how they know sooooo much and how they are sooooo much better than everyone else in this small town and how they cannot wait to get out of here.  I try to fight back my emotions and talk to them about how they may be right and that they may like it a lot more if they lived somewhere else than here.  Then I make sure to tell them why I love it here and why I choose to live in such a great place.  The following is just one of the small reasons I choose to live where I live with my family.

When I was growing up, my family and I were active members in our church and quite social in our neighborhood.  There was a man who lived about 4 blocks away from my family who had quite a bit of free time which he filled up by fishing around in the near by lakes and reservoirs.  He knew my family quite well and knew that my dad took my brothers and I fishing as often as he could.  At this time I was around 13  or 14 and to young to get a job so he asked my mom and dad if I could be his fishing partner every Thursday during the summer while I was out of school.  When my dad asked me if I wanted to go fishing with Fred (our neighbor) every Thursday I was a bit confused about why this guy wanted to take some young kid fishing, but because I loved to fish I told him I would do it.

Over the course of that summer, I spent quite a bit of time with my friends playing around being a kid but what I remember most was that every Thursday, bright and early in the morning, Fred would be pulling up in front of my parents house with his boat expecting me to go fishing.  Fred took me from Henry's Lake to Ririe Reservoir and every where in-between, fishing for anything we could catch.  To be honest, I can't remember much about what we talked about or how great the fishing was but I can remember how important I felt every Thursday when Fred pulled up with his boat.

Fred was not taking me fishing because I didn't have a dad to get me outdoors.  Fred was taking me fishing because he wanted to, not to treat me as a project, not to get me away some bad influences, not to try and talk to me about planning my future, but he took me fishing just to have a friend to fish with.  To this day I still haven't thanked Fred for taking me fishing, and I doubt he even knows how much it meant to me to feel wanted/appreciated by some random guy down the street.

I'm not saying that if I hadn't had a good neighbor who took me fishing as a kid I may have turned out to be some thug criminal but I am saying that the influences I had as a young kid have impacted me and helped make me the guy I am today.  I hope that I can be some kid's "Fred" to help them feel important and wanted in a world which makes them feel insignificant and overlooked.  I hope that I can share the outdoors with a kid, who like me, has a great father but could benefit by a few fishing trips with their neighbor.  I think it is important to live in a community and neighborhood where you can trust your neighbors and to be involved in their lives for the good.  My town has some great people in it and no matter who has something negative to say about it I will be one of the first ones to stand up and let them know that they are welcome to put up a for sale sign and walk away.

I know my home town isn't the only place where good neighbors exist or where wonderful people live.  Share a brief comment about why you love your small town, or about your favorite fishing partner to express gratitude for how it has affected you.

That's a small buck... ya but it tastes great!!!

 Today was the end of rifle season for deer here in Idaho.  On my last post, I wrote about how my wife and I were able to share the experience of both of us filling our tags on the same day.  I love the memory and am glad that my wife and I could put some meat in the freezer. 

My wife and I with our small bucks

 After filling my buck tag with the small two point I shot, I was left to fill by doe tag.  As I mentioned today was the last day of rifle season and I hadn't even gone out once to look for deer.  I figured I would just go later in the season to look for a doe so that I could watch for any bucks during the rut during late archery season.  My dad called me yesterday and said that he wanted to go out on a drive to see if the recent snow storm had gotten the deer moving.  Of course with all my work piling up from my job and masters program, it was a no brainer... I had to go hunting!  So my dad picked me up in his truck and we took off toward the mountains.  We sought out with the thoughts that if we even got a pine grouse we would be happy and the trip would be worth it... Before we even hit the tree line we saw a grouse on the road so we pulled out the shot gun and provided ourselves with a snack.  We proceeded to drive around and hunt in a few areas, mostly glassing mountain sides and frequently used areas hoping to see some animals moving around in the bad weather.  With the snow and the temperature down to 30 degrees we couldn't help but talk about winter coming.  We talked about everything we had to do before the holidays and we also talked about how excited we were for ice fishing.  During this conversation, my dad said something along the lines of how he hates the dilemma of choosing between hunting and fishing late in the season because he enjoys them both quite a bit.  I made the joke and said that is why I shot the first buck I saw because I just wanted meat in the freezer and more time for ice fishing... Give it, I love to chase deer late in the season, and my statement wasn't 100% truthful, but at the same time it wasn't a false statement either.  My dad talked about how he had eaten tag soup the last few years because he was "holding out" for a bigger buck.  This is a man who has shot more big bucks than anyone I know... We talked about how with everything we had going on that he might shoot his white tail doe if he saw one, or maybe even a smaller buck if he got the opportunity. We decided at this point that we would drive out on a different road and try to get near some fields to see if we could catch some deer coming out right when the sun was going down.  We didn't even drive 100 feet before we saw a small two point cross the road in-front of us!  My dad and I both jumped out of the vehicle with our guns and looked around to see if there were any more deer in the area.  The only deer we saw was the two point who had gone about 40 yards and stopped broadside staring at us.  My dad looked at me and asked what I thought and I told him it was up to him.  Next thing I knew my dad had pulled the trigger and this buck was down. 

My dad and his deer after we got back to the truck

My dad was super excited that he shot a deer and that it was so close to the road.  We each grabbed a horn and drug it back to the truck.  After taking care of the deer my dad and I talked about how we had talked about filling out tag so that we could fill our freezers.  We talked about how long it had been since he and I had drove around as father and son and shared the experience of taking an animal together.  We talked about our families and our lives and how blessed we are to be doing what we are doing. 

I was taught that the reason we hunt is to help provide for our families.  We enjoy the sport and enjoy the comradery, and we don't feel guilty hunting or shooting any animal because we know it does not go to waste.  I often hear people express feelings about deer management and what a "shooter" buck is or is not... I share the story of my wife, my dad, and myself not to rub it in anyone's face that I disagree, but more as a conversation starter wondering what peoples thoughts are about these three experiences and our decision to take the deer we did.  I am not mad when people do not agree with me, but I am interested in their thoughts.  These deer have all been cut up and packaged personally by my family and we enjoy eating the venison as often as we can.

Great Idahoan Day!

What a day what a day!
My day started off by going to an amazing archery shoot put on by my local archery club Upper Snake River Bowmen. The shoot was a blast.  My brother Travis, my dad, and my friend Earl ended up going with me to the shoot.  The club recently got a few new targets which was nice to change things up.  I'll admit, even with a few new targets, I never expected to see this one!

That's right a Stegosaurus... Pretty fun for a change up!

My Dad shooting a monster buck!

After the shoot I met my older brother to take his son fishing.  We had a blast helping his son cast out his pole and watching him real in his bobber.  The pond we went to was recently stocked by the local fish and game department and was a great place to take my 2 1/2 year old nephew for a fun fishing trip.

After catching a few little hatchery fish I had the itch to take off to the mountains and catch something that I could bring home for dinner! I took off up to the mountains and found myself on a long dirt road winding through the trees.  I stopped and went on a short walk to stretch my lets and luckily found some brain mushrooms.  These mushrooms are similar to a morel mushroom.  I found enough to make a meal out of them so I was happy. 

I jumped back in my Jeep and headed to the lake.  When I got there I knew I only had a couple of hours before the sun went down, and I didn't know how long I wanted to be there without mosquito repellent.  I cast out my pole and sat back and enjoyed the beautiful Idaho scenery.

This is one of my favorite places in the world! I grew up camping in this exact camp site and have fished here ever since I could remember.  At this point I had already had such a great day, I was completely content just sitting up against my Jeep relaxing watching the sun go down.  After I had sat there for about 45 minutes I contemplated calling it a day, but it was then that I saw my line move.  Sure enough I was getting a bite and the next thing I knew I was fighting a 22 inch Rainbow trout which weighed 3.4 pounds.  It was a great fish at the perfect time to end my short fishing trip.

 I packed up and headed home so that I could clean up for the night and get some food in me before I went to sleep.  If you ask me, there is almost nothing better than a home cooked meal that you provided yourself! I had fresh trout and brain mushrooms as fresh as you could ask for!

 Before

After

All in all, It was a wonderful day to live in South Eastern Idaho! Between the family, the friends, the activities/hobbies, and the wonderful area I live in, I don't know how it could get any better...