The pot hunter

[GoodOlBoy]

I know I know I am asking for it. Pot hunter's have a bad rep amongst sport hunters, but in the end many of us fall closer to the former than the later. After all we kill cleanly (oops pardon my non PC we HARVEST cleanly) and eat what we take. But in the end how many of use really come home with the old mixed game bag that was once the trademark of a pot hunter? And how many of us use a caliber that would really be considered a pot hunter caliber?

Me I remember coming home from hunting with one great grandfather or another with a shoulder bag of squirrel, rabbit, quail, and other game. Heck if a possum wandered out while I was squirrel hunting it went in the bag as it was good for trade in the colored community nearby. Same thing with a coon. At that time in my life a box of 22 long rifles cost around .60 cents a box, and 20 gauge shotgun shells ran me $1.53 a box. Coon brought $1.25, and possum brought .75 cents (unless it was a particularly fat possum), and that's not counting fur if it was winter. So with a GOOD evening or afternoon hunt I could plug a couple of squirrels, rabbits, etc for home, get a coon or possum on the way back (usually in the trees behind grandpa's old chicken pen) and come home both with food, AND with the means of supplying myself with more ammunition the next time we went to town. We did coon hunt in those days, but I didn't enjoy it as much because no matter how many I took great grandpa kept all the profits from them.

Anyway I ran across a old prince albert tobacco can full of 22s today and just got a little nostalgic.

GoodOlBoy

[multibeard]

I thought that was what it was all about, going out and getting some thing for the pot.

Fact is we had some good old venison last night that I shot for the pot last fall. Did I have to have some fancy recipe to enjoy it. Nope just sprayed the pan with oil and cooked the back strap aunatural. That is the way I cook most of my wild game.

As far as deer hunitng goes most of the guys up here are after big horns and belittle any one that shoots an eater buck because they want it to grow big horns for them to shoot. Shot my share of older bucks and ground most of them into burger as they were to strong to really enjoy cooked the normal way.

[skeet]

I guess I was a pot hunter all those years ago. I would go out specifically for some type of game and usually got home with more than what i went after.. Except..when quail hunting I shot quail..no rabbits or skwerls or whatever..but that was because the bird dogs learned too many bad lessons if you shot a rabbit or whatever. Only other thing i shot when quail hunting was maybe a woodcock or snipe. I didn't shoot coons or possums to eat but did sell the hides. Gave the meat to one of my ol black teachers of the arcane hunting/fishing lessons. cept ever now and tthen I'd take something like that to work.. Them city fellers were usually a little put off by groundhog or possum. Didn't really care for coon anyway. But a nice young groundhog or possum?? Not bad. I remember one day..went duck huntiong down the stream..when I got home had ducks rabbits a woodcock a snipe couple of rail birds 3 doves and one goose that I banged flying into a cornfield I was walkin across...but that was a rare day. Skwerls were closed...and I always got checked by the game wardens. I got checked by the game warden every day during skwerl season..Limit was 6 and i usually had a limit fore I went to school. Warden just didn't know how I did it every day(a story for another day). Season only lasted from Oct 5th to the 31st...but some places were overrun with skwerls. Rabbits not so much cause every body hunted them

[Rapier]

I think it has a lot to do with how you were raised. I started early in life with my grandfather and was taught first thing, that you never shoot anything unless you are going to eat it. I taught mine the same thing. So from day one, we all were eaters and no one is a trophy hunter. I used a tobacco pouch with a draw string to feed my grandfather's 510 and later my 512. The old SS 12ga I just fed from my overall pockets, but it was used pretty much only for ducks and such. I shot just about everything with the 22 rifle, we never owned a center fire rifle. I could, if the needed, use the 22 to bird hunt with, as I could shoot birds on the wing with it. But that was several eye changes ago and with 50 year younger reflexes.;)
Ed

[powell&hyde]

My Pa and grandfather were the same way, never shoot any wild animal unless you intend to harvest and eat it and thats just the way I passed it on to my kids.

[Larryjk]

I grew up in a state where hen pheasants were forgbidden. However, once in awhile , one would get shot by honest mistake. Mom and Dad would have given us real hell if we had left it in the field. If it is dead, bring it home to eat; don't waste it. They were depression survivors.

[skeeter@ccia.com]

Yep, those were the good ole days. Bag full of what ever it was you went after. Don't shoot it if you don't intend to eat it was the big word from dad. Bunnies were everywhere back then too..many a day with the unks, dad, beagles but the unk had it made. He would come home, hang his catch on the pole and his wife would skin, cook and everything.. I just paid a visit to an elderly neighbor that grew up in these parts and got to see a 10pt his dad got back when if you seen a deer and got a picture of it, they would put on front page of paper headlines. I gave him some of my catch that I got from his farm as he said he loves it but too old to get out now. Memories, have many but don't forget to make more...for you...and those that follow.

[wrenchman]

I think there are more pot hunters then the other way around its not till i have my two sons hunting that i have becoume more selective.
With three hunters and me haven killed more then a few deer i will pass up deer to watch my kids kill them and we lover back straps with fresh garlic n butter.

[skeeter@ccia.com]

Wrenchman, seems like it becomes more fun taking someone else and watchin them get their critters. I see now why my dad loved it this way too. My daughters last deer with the xbow I got to sit right behind her and look over her shoulder while she shot. Same with her rifle deer this year. I don't even carry when I take them but get to live the hunt. Oh, and when they get one, they field dress and drag themselves too...I have photo of my 100 lb daughters face about 6" from the ground as she was dragging her deer this year...lol..and spring gobbler. Nothing like watching their shotgun shake so much as the big tom is gobblin his way in that I have had to tell them, if you don't quit shakin so much, you wont be able to hit anything...more fun than when I get my own. I counted 8 toms in their group and another group of over 80 hens that walk my yard 2x a day..and I have never hunted a one here...quit feeding too because the dog loves the turkey candy they leave behind.

[FromBearCreek]

I've never hunted pots. Are they good to eat? ;)

[muledeer]

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muledeer