Hunting

Hunting

It started when my dad took me on a hunting trip with his buddies. I was about eight and had never shot a gun. It is one of my favorite memories. The smell of gun oil, burnt powder, wet boots are still in my olfactory file all these years later. The itch to hunt only increased with time.

I have hunted ducks, pheasants, grouse, white tail and mule deer, antelope, elk, bear and a stray moose. I love to hunt. As soon as the leaves start turning in fall, I begin to prepare for hunting season. Getting the tags, checking out the equipment in my backpack, weather proofing my boots and cleaning my rifle are all part of the ritual.

Many of my hunting memories are of the times I took my boys to the Missouri Breaks of north central Montana hunting deer and an occasional coyote. The ride across the prairie in the War Wagon and the long drive home in the dark with a truck bed full of horns and hoofs. Dirtied and smeared with game blood, we shared stories of the hunt.

Now it’s time to retire from big game hunting. I have struggled with this decision for several years. It’s not that I am too old or to physically weak. It’s not that I no longer enjoy the company of my friend as we wait for that elusive buck to appear.

I just time to quit. So, I am not going to buy a license this fall.

Life will go on with other experiences. I have lots and lots of memories of past hunts and trophies. I hope to be able to hand over my hunting gear and rifle to my grandkids if they express an interest. What a great opportunity I have had to experience what man has done down through the ages. Hunting game is one of the most enjoyable experiences of life.

I didn’t say I was giving up gopher hunting!

Hoppe's

Hoppe’s

Don’t recognize the name? Unless you are a hunter or a gun enthusiast, you don’t have reason to know. Hoppe’s is a liquid powder solvent that is used to clean guns and rifles. It has a distinct odor that permeates a room. It is the fragrance of choice for hunters and gun owners.

Why write a blog about Hoppe’s? Every time I open that bottle and get a whiff, the memory of my first hunting trip floods my mind. I was about eight years old when my dad took me bird hunting. All, I remember about that trip was the smell of Hoppe’s gun solvent and several dead pheasants. What I didn’t realize was that was the beginning of a life long love of hunting

As I age, I am amazed what triggers memories from the past. Remembering my first exposure to hunting comes in the form of an aroma of gun solvent. Over the years I have cleaned a lot of firearms and every time I open that bottle of solvent I see my dad standing in his hunting clothes with shotgun in hand. That was the only time I went hunting with him.

I love hunting. I am fortunate to live where hunting is a way of life. As soon as the aspen leaves start falling, it’s time to gather the gear, clean the rifles and plan the hunt. Over the years I have hunted deer, antelope, moose, bear, pheasants, Hungarian partridge and sage grouse. In the off-season gopher and prairie dog hunting keep my trigger finger happy.

Yes, I have passed the joy of hunting onto my three sons. We don’t hunt together often because of work and family obligations. Whenever they can break away, we head for the mountains, rifles in hand. I look forward to the opportunity to make hunting memories with my grandsons.

A big thanks to Hoppe’s for a sweet bouquet of memories!