Weird Hunting Traditions

Since I’ve been 16, whenever I walk up on an animal I’ve killed, I always take out some Copenhagen and sprinkle a dab on the animal before taking a pinch for myself.
 
Not so much my tradition, but we learned it from the guide who helped my 93 year old grandpa get his first elk.

Before calling for elk, he would crack open a (disgusting) caffeine free diet dr. pepper and "wet the whistle". Then he would play "sweet love making music" and amazingly it worked, the elk would come right on in.

When we hunt now, we may pack in a mini can and pour one out in memory of that great hunt.
 
Not so much my tradition, but we learned it from the guide who helped my 93 year old grandpa get his first elk.

Before calling for elk, he would crack open a (disgusting) caffeine free diet dr. pepper and "wet the whistle". Then he would play "sweet love making music" and amazingly it worked, the elk would come right on in.

When we hunt now, we may pack in a mini can and pour one out in memory of that great hunt.
I try to hit them more with that…. You up text? Everyone knows what that’s about
 
You have to pee at the 4-way. My first trip to the great North woods of Idaho was a solo expedition to meet up with family and friends at a deer camp I had never seen. Followed a crude map of FS roads to a point where I was at a 4-way junction with no FS road markers to speak of. While contemplating my next move, I peed right in the middle of the junction. Turned out to be a successful hunting trip. It is now required that you pee at the 4-way on the way in to camp. My wife got a pass last year being her first year in deer camp and all.
 
We hunters, and fishermen (how many flies/lures you got?), are a superstitious lot. When my kids were growing into antelope hunters, it became required that we played Bat Out of Hell on the CD player when we hit the 2-tracks out in pronghorn country. The evidence that it worked is strong.
 
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?"
I’ll second the Hershey - but it’s gotta be milk w/almonds. IMG_2575.jpeg
 
My dad and I’s tradition is a little more superstitious. A couple of years ago i found a still furry rabbits foot at the beginning of a hunt and ended up makin her all purdy, now its a requirement to rub your first and second bullet on it. It’s just crazy enough to work and has been bringing us insane luck out in the woods.
 
A traditional good ole nut fry the night before the opener. Over the years it has become harder to get fresh nuts, so one of our hunting buddies had a great idea of hitting up the vet whom did work for a buffalo ranch. He was all proud and we were stoked to try the buffalo nuts until we looked into the bag he brought and found about 10 nuts each the size of giant grapefruit. Needless to say these giant nuts were intimidating and tough as hell. The vet got his ass chewed, and told us next time to be more specific if we wanted calf nuts.
 
I think the closest thing to a tradition that I’ve developed is making my wife come out with me on one or two evening hunts in the early deer season. Not the best time to find blacktails, but it’s gotta warm, dry, and can’t be before noon, otherwise she won’t go.
 
We have traditions but I cant say they are weird. Mostly we feast and party on zero in day before the hunting week and on butchering day the Saturday after.
 

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