All the neighbors and local country boys that I have talked to seem to have had 98% success with a high ratio of bucks, about 65%. Some nice bucks shot but to the best of my knowledge the 1 or 2 monsters we see are still out there. The city guys are having the usual so-so sucess. The hunter numbers seem to be down around me also this year. Lots of the old guys have passed or are now too old to go out. The kids are not going out like we old guys did, plus its expensive if you have to pay someone to process it. That 97 had to have the hammer cocked when it got set on that guys toe, lucky no one was more seriously injured. About 40 plus years ago I went out on a rainy morning deer hunting. Before I left the house I gave the 97 a wipedown of RIG since I knew it was going to get soaked. I came up over a knoll and jumped a herd bedded down out of the rain. When they saw me they took off, deer were flying everywhere so instinctively I brought the shotgun up cocking it. When I saw the herd had no bucks I went to let the hammer down and my wet thumb on that slick wet greasy hammer slipped out from under my thumb. I launched one into the ground about 30 feet in front of me. Good lesson learned and I retired it about the following year.
