Fall 2012 Hunting season in a nutshell..

Fall hunting season came and went so damned fast.. hard to believe it's over and has been for a few weeks now. Mind you, rabbit hunting is still open but I consider the season over after the last day of deer season. Traditionally, that last day of deer hunting would be our last trip to our camp in Kars but this year due to no snow we were able to extend our trips to the camp by a couple weeks. The road to the camp isn't plowed in the winter so once snow comes there's no way in. Here's a few pictures of our fall, we had a lot of good times in this short season and I certainly wish it wasn't over!

Here's one of my favorite pictures of a poster we found in a cabin at McKeel lake - that old abandoned shack has since been burned down by kids. This poster is now on the wall in our camp.

 

The cable ferry at Long Point in Kars:

 

Instagram Versions:

 

 

 

Since our focus at hunting camp is less about hunting and more about socializing and being with friends and family I would usually pack along my fly tying gear and once in a while i'd even manage to spin a few bugs up in between sips of rum. Good times :)

We were lucky to have some beautiful weather which suited our relaxing stays at the camp, days like this are few and far between and a person really needs to step back and realize what you have and take a moment to appreciate it.

Lunch in the yard on a beautiful fall day:

We were able to take some time for archery practice and even do a little rimfire target shooting. The neighbors know when the Gould clan is in the hood when gunfire begins ;-)

Ethan plinking away:

 

 

Archery (the ONLY way to deer hunt! hehe!):

Dad and Ethan at the campfire:

We even had some success this fall with the little bit of hunting we managed to fit in:

 

A few meals of wild game "cooking on a coleman" (borrowed from Greyghost)

 

 

 

 

Views from the camp:

 

 

 

It was a great fall season, but too short as always. My daughter and son will both be taking the hunter safety and firearms safety course this winter so I'm really looking forward to the 2013 hunting season. My brother in law, Bradley, is also going to take the course so we will have 3 new hunters in camp next fall. I'm extremely excited at the prospect of passing along our family traditions of hunting and I know this is exactly what's needed to help me strike a balance between salmon fishing and hunting. It's tough when you love doing each thing equally. I have quite a few friends that either salmon fish or hunt but don't do both. I know they're missing out on a wonderful activity and tradition by not hunting. It's not just about killing animals, there's much more to it than that. I hope folks get  get an idea of that from the pictures above.



Now let's tie some flies!!!