A lot of things will go through your mind when you're packing out elk. Memories - good or bad - will flood the mind on the long hike off the... Read more... The post Packing Out Elk Conjures Up a Sad Ghost appeared first on Bowhunting.com. Continue reading...
Great read! I see ghosts every time I hunt. Memories and nostalgia are a major part of hunting for me. I have quite a bit of nostalgia in the state land where I hunt, which is part of the reason why I still hunt there. I'm 43 now but I started bow hunting there when I was 14, in 1990. I often pass by a spot, where when I was 14, an old-timer named Henry used to have his ground blind. He made the ground blind from fieldstones from a stonewall he was up against. My father and I refer to that spot to this day as King Henry's castle. Every time I walk by it, I always say under my breath, "Hi Henry, see anything?" There are still dilapidated pieces of wood in a tree where my dad shot his buck from in 1985. (See picture below) Another spot I frequent still has a few visible nails in 3 trees from an old wooden stand that was falling apart when I was 14. My dad always calls that section of the woods Cowlettes stand, due to the stand's owner's name. I say the same phrase under my breath when I walk by that one as well, "Hi Mr. Cowlette, see anything?" Back in the early 90's the state forest we hunted had about 10 hunters in the parking area. Most of whom were old-timers. Nowadays, It's just me and my dad if I can ever get him to come back out there. It's nice having the woods to myself but I do miss the old days, the faces and the camaraderie.
