Big game hunting

I hunted elephants for years till I was too old to carry the decoys.

Since you are a WWII vet and I'm a WWII buff. What ship and where did you serve? Originally Posted by JD Barleycorn

Now begins the interrogation...

A knife and maybe a spear. No pants. Only way to do it.

Barleycorn: I'm at the age now where Ive got that moving very, very slowly technique down pat. Maybe that could help me sneak up on them?

Big Tex: A nice moose hunt would be a GREAT retirement gift to yourself! A lot of guys have trouble getting away with trips like that because the wife tends to feel such a thing would take away from the shopping and home remodeling budgets. Much more important to replace all the carpeting and reupholster all the furniture, you know. And fill the closet with fashion shoes of every known color. But if its a retirement gift to yourself, she ought to agree that youve EARNED it!!

Where are you consideringg going? I only went on one moose hunt, to Alaska in 1963. Fantastic! Hard to get to in those days though. We took a DC7 to Seattle, but not nonstop. Then flew a couple of milk run no-name airlines that operated DC3's the rest of the way. Took forever to get there and it was expensive, but it was worth it. But had to buy my first wife a bunch of clothes to get her to agree to let me go. A LOT easier to get to Alaska now, I imagine. But also a lot of great places to go in Canada and in northern comtinental US.

Got a fairly nice moose and a caribou. Also Alaska is a fantastic trip even for people who dont hunt or fish. Lots of nice cruises and other vaction packages. Originally Posted by WWII NavyVet

I have an old college buddy of mine whose in laws own a great cabin on the Kenai, a few miles NE of Soldotna. I have seen a lot of moose between Soldotna and Whittier. I have been salmon fishing on the Kenai 3 times, including this past summer. In 1994, I caught a 61 lb King Salmon, less than 1/4 mile downstream from the cabin. It took an hour and 40 minutes to get that big sucker in the boat. For the first five minutes or so I thought I might have snagged a log until I saw the "log" jump out of the water. LOL

As for the moose hunt, my wife should not have much of a problem with it. She and my buddy's wife will find plenty to do in Anchorage. I am fairly well equipped for a moose hunt and already have the expensive stuff in my gun safe. I have a .300 Win Mag with a 4x12 Swarovski sitting on top of it. As for the vacations, I have been to Alaska 7 times, including one winter from hell while I was in the Army. We have cruised Alaska twice. As far as I am concerned, there is no place like it! Fortunately, the wife loves it too!

Interrogation??? Are you cruising again Whatzup? Being a sailor myself, I'm always looking to see if someone has walked the same decks that I did. Is that a problem with you?

Interrogation??? Are you cruising again Whatzup? Being a sailor myself, I'm always looking to see if someone has sucked the same dicks that I did. Is that a problem with you? Originally Posted by JD Barleycorn

fixed it for you

Since there were a couple of recent discussions of guns and calibers, I was wondering whether any of you fellas are into big game hunting. Great fun, and also a great way to get away for a few days of guilt free, wife free drinking, poker playing and joke tellig.

Back in the day, we used to go on elk huntng trips with a few of the firms associates and clints. Went to a plcae near Pagosa Springs Colo. a few times, greta country. We'd sometimes have as many as 20-25 guys in a camp, and good cooks. Many times we would be out on the trail before sunup and come in dog tired at the end of the day. The hunt was a thrill. Then we would drink whisky, play cards, and tell lies and shitty jokes in the evening, and it was great fun. Couple of the guys talkd about hiring a few call girls to come out into the country and visit us, but figured it would be too expensive. Sometimes made a detour to Denver on the last day for that kind of fun.

Most of us bagged a trophy elk. Great memories. Originally Posted by WWII NavyVet

I take it you are at least 86 years old, maybe 85 if you lied about your age to get in during WW-11.

Geez.........still hobbying? I'm 66, and I can only hope I last that long.

I have an old college buddy of mine whose in laws own a great cabin on the Kenai, a few miles NE of Soldotna. I have seen a lot of moose between Soldotna and Whittier. I have been salmon fishing on the Kenai 3 times, including this past summer. In 1994, I caught a 61 lb King Salmon, less than 1/4 mile downstream from the cabin. It took an hour and 40 minutes to get that big sucker in the boat. For the first five minutes or so I thought I might have snagged a log until I saw the "log" jump out of the water. LOL

As for the moose hunt, my wife should not have much of a problem with it. She and my buddy's wife will find plenty to do in Anchorage. I am fairly well equipped for a moose hunt and already have the expensive stuff in my gun safe. I have a .300 Win Mag with a 4x12 Swarovski sitting on top of it. As for the vacations, I have been to Alaska 7 times, including one winter from hell while I was in the Army. We have cruised Alaska twice. As far as I am concerned, there is no place like it! Fortunately, the wife loves it too! Originally Posted by bigtex

Sounds wonderful; hope you have a great time and that your wives enjoy the trip almost as much a you do. That's always a big plus and keeps the whole family happy! Ive only been to Alaska that one time; wish I'd gone more. Never fished there, but everyone I know who has really enjoyed themselves.

Also looks like you're fixed up well with the rifle choice. I used the 338 Win magnum to good effect, and it is (i believe) only a little bit more powerful. Here's hoping yo have a memory-filled trip!!

Since you are a WWII vet and I'm a WWII buff. What ship and where did you serve? Originally Posted by JD Barleycorn

Actually never served on a ship, which came as an eventual surprise to me. Entered a program called V5 (different from V12 which was another well known program.) V5 was a Naval aviation cadet program stating with college courses and later intensive flight training. I was chosen to become an instructor and soon was even teaching carrier landing techniques even though i had never even been on a carrier. Was at Dallas Naval Air Station for a while, and also Corpus Christi. We were trying to turn out huge numbers of new pilots ad apparently didnot have ebough instructors. I kept thinking I would soon be called upon to prove I could stick one on a carrier without fucking up, but before that happened our USAAF buddies dropped a couple of "big ones" on the two Japanes cities. Always wondered whether the boys in my classes stayed safe but had no way of knowing for sure in most cases.

I take it you are at least 86 years old, maybe 85 if you lied about your age to get in during WW-11.

Geez.........still hobbying? I'm 66, and I can only hope I last that long. Originally Posted by Jackie S

Recently turned 87. In very good health except for knee replacement last week of Feb, still on pain meds and a little groggy.

I hope theres an encouraging word here for you middle aged guys: If you take good care of yourself, you can enjoy life (even erections!) well into your older years. It's never too late to start; I didn't take up good habits until my 70th Bday. Smoked heavily until about 30 yrs ago, often more than 2 packs a day. Drank a lot of Scotch, ate a lot of Tex Mex, etc. Started going on long walks and hikes and working with weights and calisthenics at a local club and at the Y. Also cut out most sugars and bad fats. Other than the knee, actually feel better than I did in my 60's after cleaning up bad habits.

Not physically up for the wild sex you younger guys are into, but I'm hoping to get a massage with hand finish. Had that at a parlor a couple of times 10 years or so ago and it's a hell of a lot of fun. Think I can still get a good rise if massaged by a pretty girl.

Wife passed away last year and I"m now staying with relatives in Dallas while recovering from surgery. Started looking at show cases on this web site even before registering. Another thing is that I'm fantasizing about getting sucked. Gals back in the late 40's werent much into doing that. Want to take the ol' equipment out for another test drive before it's too late!

Also looks like you're fixed up well with the rifle choice. I used the 338 Win magnum to good effect, and it is (i believe) only a little bit more powerful. Here's hoping yo have a memory-filled trip!! Originally Posted by WWII NavyVet

I use a 180 grain bullet (MV is over 3100 foot per second) for elk. I see no reason to use anything different for moose.

It seems to pack quite a wallop!

I thought I was being critized for suggesting the .338 among other calibers. The store still has them on the shelf but I sold off my Weatherby years ago.

Nixon was in the navy and never served on a ship. He was basically a supply officer on an island in the South Pacific until his discharge. The oldest ship that I ever worked on (not served on) was the USS Sunbird. Keel was laid in 1945. Designed to rescue submarines. What a pain in the ass that was. Put a chainfall on a motor one time and the overhead beam was coming down to the motor instead of the motor going up.

JD, I didn't see where you were criticized for recommended the .338, or where you even mentioned it for that matter. 338 is a fine choice for elk or moose or the larger bears. A little heavy for most anything else, and a lot of recoil. Big Tex's choice of .300 win mag with 180gr bullet is good. With decent shot placement, Any good .30 cal is fine. Ive read that more elk and moose have been taken with the .308 and 30-06 than with any other cartridge. Probably because there are so many rifles in those calibers. The .30 caliber mags are even better since they give you a little more velocity and range. Longtime outdoor writer Jack O'Connor even recommended the .270 for all North American game. Seems to me the 270 may be a little light, but it's all about shot placement. A .270 in the hands of an expert rifleman is much better than a 375 H&H handled by some beginner who cant shoot. Another good thing about .270 is that you could always find ammo in any jerkwater town. Dont know if it's still as popular as it was back then.

Almost forgot to mention my worst (or most disappointing) hunting experience. in the early 70's, several of us from our large office went on a whittail hunting trip in south Texas, down around Cotulla. Big, well managed ranch with high fence and supplemental feeding. One guy shot a nice buck and went over to measure the antlers. He was on the hunt for a deeer with a better B&C score than the trophy head he had at home. Got out a tape and started measuring the horns. Fell a little short of his dreams, so he just left his remaining tag in the pickup and dragged the deer off into the brush. Im ashamed to say that none of the rest of us ever said anything, since the guy was one of the two most senior partners in the firm and our superior. Sorry bastard had recently given a speech to a large audience on ethics in the practice of law. What a hypocrite.

Laughed out loud.

fixed it for you Originally Posted by i'va biggen