I ain't no "Jeremiah Johnson".....

[Rembrandt]

Always enjoyed the movie "Jeremiah Johnson" and envisioned that I could handle the mountain man life just fine.....well this last hunt proved me wrong. As the crusty old trapper Bear Claw Chis Lapp called Johnson, I too would be a "Starvin Pilgrim" if I were a mountain man.

We've had 28" of snow this past month, so deep I purchased a pair of snowshoes just to keep from sinking to my waist. By far the hardest hunting I've done in 40+ years.

Half afraid to shoot something knowing that it had to be hauled nearly a mile through deep snow. Pictures may tell it better than I..........













With snow shoes I learned quickly to keep feet apart to prevent tripping over myself...


Snow shoes don't work too well in corn fields.....stalks trip you up.






Wasn't what I was after, but so exhausted it looked pretty good. Hunting is over this year for this Starvin Pilgrim.....and I'm glad.

Dropped him with the ol' Desert Eagle.

 

[Water-Man]

Good for you! I would be a Starvin Pilgrim now-a-days.

 

[Fremmer]

Well done. At least you can climb over those barbed fences....

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

I hear ya on the starvin thing - I don't think many of us are as tough as we think we are.

Have to ask though - why would you pass up a good meat doe, and why would you instead harvest a little buck like that 2.5 year old? As per usual, I am confused. You are aware that the fewer does there are, the easier it is to get the BIG bucks to possibly come out during the day during the rut (at least a better chance), don'tcha? Looks like the ratio there is probably terrible, and you just made it worse, not to mention took out a little one that looks like he had potential. Never understood why hunters would do that (like some of my friends), espec. since YOU lamented in another thread that you never got the REALLY big one, despite years of trying - I think I'm seeing why.

 

[wyohome]

You sure have short fences where you live.

 

[Rembrandt]

Have to ask though - why would you pass up a good meat doe, and why would you instead harvest a little buck like that 2.5 year old? As per usual, I am confused. You are aware that the fewer does there are, the easier it is to get the BIG bucks to possibly come out during the day during the rut (at least a better chance), don'tcha? Looks like the ratio there is probably terrible, and you just made it worse, not to mention took out a little one that looks like he had potential. Never understood why hunters would do that (like some of my friends), espec. since YOU lamented in another thread that you never got the REALLY big one, despite years of trying

You're right about letting him go another year or two. Compared to the doe's he was with, his body size was substantially larger than anything that had come within range which meant more meat. True, haven't gotten the Big One yet, but it's not because there's a shortage of them.

 

[308win]

When I read your post all I could think about was all of those "what goes in my BOB" and the people who think they are going to grab their BOB, vamoose to the hills, and live off the land.

Congrats on the deer.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

No matter how hungry you are...

DO NOT eat the "yellow snow".

Nice buck...

 

[hogshead]

The does aint got no handles to drag'em with. Figured a doc woulda known that.

 

[H&Hhunter]

What caliber is that Desert Eagle?

 

[Rembrandt]

...What caliber is that Desert Eagle?

.44 mag

 

[H&Hhunter]

Nice rig,

I've always though that one of those would make a neat little hunting gun.

 

[X-Rap]

You in Iowa?

 

[trickyasafox]

by me thats a good buck! Nice shooting

 

[caribou]

Is that Hatchet Jacks rifle?

He lived 3 years in a cave up the Musselshell with a She Panther.......She never got used of 'em.....

 

[Rembrandt]

You in Iowa?

Yep....tough hunting this year.

....Is that Hatchet Jacks rifle?

Nope, it's a genuine Knight MK85 50 cal, first year production....Hatchet Jack would have liked it. At least I didn't have to worry about Griz and a whole tribe of Crow Injuns after my scalp.

 

[Sav .250]

Kind of reminded me of my time spent in Maine. Snow shoes and all...........

Great pic`s......

 

[Rembrandt]

....DO NOT eat the "yellow snow".

I was trying to write my name......if you look at just right, you can almost make out an "R"

 

[X-Rap]

Man I miss the hunting in Iowa and yes even the winters. Its gotten so much better that it was in the 70's. Nice buck and its cool that you can hunt with handguns now.

 

[Tim the student]

Originally Posted by X-Rap
You in Iowa?

Yep....tough hunting this year.

Sure is. Not a lot of fun humping the hills with waist deep drifts.

Nice buck - good job.

 

[scmerrill71]

i think ive seen that movie 3 times in the last 2 weeks and im still a "starvin pilgrim", but my day will come , just like jeremiahs`s did. nice buck...

 

[deerhunter61]

Yep I know exactly what you mean Rembrandt. We got some snow here this past Tuesday and it was some real tough hunting...

Here is a photo...I have always wanted to hunt in snow and this is as good as it has ever been. I think I would like to try something like you have experienced here.

I can guarantee you I am not Jeremiah Johnson though.

Oh and I am in the Texas Hill Country.

 

[41 Mag]

Nice hunt and deer for the conditions.

Thing you got to remember is nowadays, most of us aren't used to dealing with conditions like that on a regular basis, so your right we're all a bunch of Pilgrims. In those days however, you either learned all of the little tricks growing up, very quickly there after, or simply became part of the wilderness on one form or another.

I have to say, that show is at the top of my list for all time favorites. We don't have any grizz's like ol Jack had to deal with around these parts, but we got some pretty danged big ol hogs, and we refer to them as "East Texas Grizzly's". On occasion they really live up to the nickname as well.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Marlin 45 carbine]

congrats on the buck. here in the WNC mountains (Blue Ridge/Smokies) where we see the occasional 0d F. temps and 18" maybe more of the white stuff (usually mixed with sleet) my lower back and knees ache like the dickens when that stuff is on the ground. no going out in stuff like that for me.

 

[d2wing]

Good job. I posted elsewhere about my problems with the cold and snow here in Minn. I'm glad you have big enough snowshoes. Mine are too small
for the amount of powder we have. I hear you about dragging it out. The deer here are pretty heavy.