Weird Hunting Traditions

[Elky Welky]

I have no doubt that many of you have strange hunting traditions, and as I was getting ready for the season yesterday I couldn't help but note a couple of mine:

Many of mine have something to do with music. A few years back my old man and I were packing a bull out, and I could tell he was starting to feel it. So to keep morale up and give us something to march to, I started singing the 5th Dimension's "Let the Sunshine In." That has now become our go-to elk hunting song. We also went on a moose hunt when I was in high school, and our hunting buddy with the tag only had a Beach Boys cassette tape in his truck. Since then, the Beach Boys have become part of the hunting soundtrack. Bob Seger's "Her Strut" is our turkey hunting song. And when I was 6 years old, my dad invented the "Elky Welky" song, which was more of a silly poem than a song.

The biggest one for me, though, is that after a successful hunt, I try to track down an ice cold Mountain Dew. I don't drink it any other time of year, and tend to think most pop is garbage. Of course, there's a long story that goes with why I always get a Mountain Dew after a successful hunt. https://publiclandlawreview.wordpress.com/2017/05/09/mountain-dew-by-jake-schwaller/

What are some of your weirdest traditions? What's something you love about hunting that really has nothing to do with hunting? Let's hear 'em!

 

[Dave N]

When my youngest daughter was going deer hunting with me we played Ted Nugent. "I just wanna go huntin' " was the song of choice. We always packed a giant sized bar of Hershey special dark to nibble on. And the big question was always "Did you catch a deer?"

 

[Deez Nutz]

I cant say I like it but the one song that always gets stuck in my head while entering the grueling portion of an overnight elk pack is Taylor Swift "are we out of the woods yet" lol I cant even remember the last time I actually heard that song, I'm sure my version is better than hers.

 

[Nick87]

We used to always put $10 into he pot each. $5 for the first deer and $5 for the biggest. That group has since dissolved over time so we don't do it anymore. I can't hardly remember a year where my step Dad and I didn't win one way or the other.

 

[Rie Bread]

Closing day family hunt. Every year we road hunt as a family on closing day. We hunted opening archery aswell but this year are unfortunately gonna break that one.

I play The Beach Boys when it’s a white out blizzard. And Hank Willam’s in the way home in said blizzard

Grandpa always put a nip of whiskey in the thermos of coffee.

 

[belshawelk]

No bourbon till critter down. After about two days someone better get something.

 

[MNElkNut]

I always try and sing Sweet Caroline to my kids as I drop them off to walk to their stands on opening morning. gets in their heads and drives them nuts. Unfortunately, it usually ends up in mine too.

 

[KipCarson]

I feel you on that Mt Dew thing, for me I would always get a Mountain Dew and a Butterfinger every time we’d come off the mountain and head into town. Then the clowns had to go and change the butterfinger recipe a few years back and they aren’t any good now. I’m still bitter about that…

I’m leaving in the morning for Colorado archery season, and as I was shopping for some camp food yesterday I called my dad to ask about an item on the list.
He asked, “did you get the can of corn?”
I told him I had a week of camp meals planned out and we didn’t need any corn, his response was “But what about the scrambled eggs?” That’s when I remembered that several decades ago on the same hunt he decided to cook breakfast one morning and added a can of sweet corn along with chopped up spam into a skillet of scrambled eggs. Every hunting trip since he has had to have corn and spam eggs or it’s just not right with him! Ironically he doesn’t do any cooking any other time of the year, but feels like it’s his duty to make corn scrambled eggs every hunting trip. It’s actually a good combo and if the corn egg tradition makes him happy, then bring on the corn!

 

[seeth07]

It wasn't until I got much older that I understood why but at deer camp, the only place a photo of a woman was allowed was in the outhouse. There were many naked ones pinned up there.

 

[mtmuley]

It wasn't until I got much older that I understood why but at deer camp, the only place a photo of a woman was allowed was in the outhouse. There were many naked ones pinned up there.

Turning Japanese in the outhouse. mtmuley

 

[seeth07]

Another one. Your first deer requires two very important rituals that you don't get a choice in skipping. First one is at the kill, you must remove the heart first and take a bite, swallow and then with it in your hand still smear some blood on your face. Second, is back at camp, you get to have your first beer. You are now a man.

 

[choc dogs]

The night before opening of
Duck Season

 

[WildWill]

How about crapping on a paper plate?

 

[JustinsDad]

How about crapping on a paper plate?

I used a rock for toilet paper once. Somehow I think we’re off track! My tradition is drinking one cold beer if me or my son make a significant kill. Has to be at least a deer, or special fish like the marlin I caught 2 weeks ago. I had one beer then. I stopped drinking beer 9 years ago so the few I get to drink each year are really special. And good.

 

[Nick87]

I used a rock for toilet paper once. Somehow I think we’re off track! My tradition is drinking one cold beer if me or my son make a significant kill. Has to be at least a deer, or special fish like the marlin I caught 2 weeks ago. I had one beer then. I stopped drinking beer 9 years ago so the few I get to drink each year are really special. And good.

Thought about going that route as well, but if I know me....

 

[WildWill]

I used a rock for toilet paper once. Somehow I think we’re off track!

They do things different in Canada but you're right a bit off point. More to the point I do my own version of the European tradition of "the last bite" (Placing some vegetation in the animals mouth before saying a small prayer of thanks). My dad picked it up during his 16 years in Germany and we always did it.

 

[TOGIE]

I eat McDonald’s after every successful hunt as soon as it’s possible.

Non negotiable. If you’re hunting with me and don’t like it GFY, I don’t care what you don’t like .


I don’t understand smearing blood on your face. Weird chit. I’m still surprised people actually do that.

 

[Rie Bread]

Oh I forgot a strange one. My grandpa made me eat the deer heart of my first buck as soon as we dropped the guts. Anyone else do that? I only did it once

 

[cgasner1]

Nelly furtatardo bird song on the radio is guaranteed a tag will get punched

 

[mtmuley]

Weird stuff here. mtmuley