I Was Thinking

[Swampman]

I can actually remember when folks bought a box of cartridges and a rifle (without a scope) at the Western Auto and killed a deer every year for 20 years before they bought another box of cartridges.  The thing is see, is that they were hunters and not just shooters.  Of course the family station wagon was the only hunting vehicle they owned.  They didn't even have special hunting clothes.  How did they do it?

[Conan The Librarian]

Tighter budgets and a widespread appreciation for frugality. Previous generations would have considered even that lavish.

[powderman]

Our parents and grandparents were better shots, better hunters, because they HAD to be. POWDERMAN. 

[Old Syko]

Shoot, the local hardware store used to sell ammo by the round if you couldn't afford the whole box.

[GeneRector]

  Howdy! I remember the good ole days! I bought only a few cartridges at a time for a while at the local Western Auto Store. No special hunting clothes either! Deer were plentiful!  Always, Gene

[blind ear]

Shorter the shot, the smaller the group. Lets all use spears and see just how good we are. (Personally, I would starve to death, I ave already tried that.) ear

[BUGEYE]

I have been deer hunting 4 times and killed 4 deer. longest shot was 50yds.
I think the country folks probably had a better batting average than the city folks because they were out there every day.

[Shu]

Becuase people used to have patience and were not part of the instant gratification society.
I think hunters would wait for the right shot and take it. These days alot of so called hunters use the spray and pray method.
Could also be there were less people hunting so there wasn't any hunting presure on the game animal.

[SHOOTALL]

I can actually remember when folks bought a box of cartridges and a rifle (without a scope) at the Western Auto and killed a deer every year for 20 years before they bought another box of cartridges.  The thing is see, is that they were hunters and not just shooters.  Of course the family station wagon was the only hunting vehicle they owned.  They didn't even have special hunting clothes.  How did they do it?

Marketing ! On the same thought I know a guy who at one time would cut a small sapling for a stout fishing pole tie on some 20 lb braided fishing line and a home made lure. The lure was a piece of wood cut from a saw mill slab about 3 inches long one inch wide and thick. Had a treable hook screwed to one end and a eye screw to the other. He painted it black. He would wade or walk the bank dropping it in likely holes for bass. He would shake it some. He caught some impressive stringsof fish some in the lunker catagory.
Back to your thought , those men were hunters not sportsmen trying every ne toy. Killing was just part of the hunt . Killing at 400 yards wasn't as much of a hunt as closing into 50 yards .

[Swampman]

IMO folks overthink everything these days......It drives me crazy.  Just do it.......

[drdougrx]

Yeah....that's how I feel about camo....I think it's over rated in MOST cases....I have the same worn in stuff that I've worn out for years....some miss matched.  ...and what's wrong with blue jeans???

[SHOOTALL]

Yeah....that's how I feel about camo....I think it's over rated in MOST cases....I have the same worn in stuff that I've worn out for years....some miss matched.  ...and what's wrong with blue jeans???

I worked in carhartt bibs for years and hunt in same to this day. Wife got me some camo long johns , like I run around in the woods in my long johns .

[briarpatch]

A lot of the men you are refering to fired thousand of rounds at running and fixed targets. This target practice took place on small islands in the pacific and the forest of europe.
They became very proficient and knowledgeable about  their weapons and tactics needed to hunt.
This translated into successful game hunting and many times they used the same guns they practiced with.

[Cheesehead]

A lot of the men you are refering to fired thousand of rounds at running and fixed targets. This target practice took place on small islands in the pacific and the forest of europe.
They became very proficient and knowledgeable about  their weapons and tactics needed to hunt.
This translated into successful game hunting and many times they used the same guns they practiced with.

Very good point. I have know many men like this.

Cheese

[powderman]

A lot of the men you are refering to fired thousand of rounds at running and fixed targets. This target practice took place on small islands in the pacific and the forest of europe.
They became very proficient and knowledgeable about  their weapons and tactics needed to hunt.
This translated into successful game hunting and many times they used the same guns they practiced with.




True, but my Dad was well versed in survival and hunting before he entered the war. It probably saved his life many times over. POWDERMAN. 

[jwv]

People were not as modern then. The way they did things and their  out look was simple then. They didn't need to have all the stuff that people have now to go hunting.Just look at us now, our man caves are full of "stuff" that we just have to have or we think we do. My old dad never went in for any of the modern stuff, never reloaded, only kept a bottle of hopes for cleaning, When it was needed , otherwise you left it alone. No fancy scopes sit on his deer rifle, iron sights were good enough for him. Now days iron sights are just about a  thing of the past.I lost my Dad 4 years ago and still miss him, there is just something about  those depression day kids that made them different and how they could appreciate the simple things and stay that way.Yep a plain ole gun and a box of shells were all that was needed, it worked well for them.

[BUGEYE]

I have a way to bring deer to me.  I close my eyes and picture myself up to my elbows in blood, guts and gore. when it gets really gross, I open my eyes and there's a deer. yuck, I'd rather clean a rabbit or squirrel any day.

[BBF]

Folks in those days weren't worried about how many points, how much spread, would it make it into the "books" or not.
People hunted for food, not horns or antlers.

[streak]

When I was growing ,my daddy worked in khaki`s and hunted in khaki`s. Seldom ever wore a hat or cap. If he did not come out of the woods with his limit of squirrels he thought that it was a bad day if he only had 6 or 8 in the bag! He also hunted ducks in the same clothes and still got a limit most of the time.
I got into the camo trend for a few years, then dropped it and just hunt in earth toned clothes!
In my younger days I just hunted in a brown or green shirt and denim jeans or overalls. Killed all the game I needed!

[rockbilly]

Yep, there is a lot of difference in a meat hunter and a throphy hunter.  Growing up we didn't "waste" ammo shooting at non-game things.  Every shot was to put something on the table, and we did eat what we killed.

[Sourdough]

My folks were small during the depression, but lived on a farm so there was never a shortage of food.  Rabbits, squirrels, groundhogs, quail, partridge, and Pheasant were eaten to save the domestic stock for cash or trading.  Then along came WWII and shotgun shells were nonexistent.  .22RF was all that could be had, so all game was taken with .22s.  At that time there was no Deer in Tennessee, they had been hunted out. 

When I was about eight, the transplanted Deer herd was large enough for a limited hunting season.  Dad went to Western Auto and bought a British Enfield 303.  They would not sell him a partial box of shells so he just bought the gun.  Then he went to the Hardware Store in Gainsboro and bought four shells.  One to see where the gun shot, and the other three to hunt with.  All three of those shells took a deer each.   

[Land_Owner]

Simple economics.  Supply and demand.

We're a much more mobile, interconnected, educated, and affluent society since our Fathers fought in The Big One.

[Mohawk]

Also I think they mentally practiced their shooting skills. This is something I do regularly. No money to buy practice ammo? No problem. Visualize your self doing it and you keep yourself "trained". NBA players have done it for years and it works in many aspects of abilities. My Model 10 Smith has fired two rounds. 1 to see where the load was placing in 2009 and 1 more to kill a deer over a year later. I have a high respect for that generation as this is where I learned this from.

[Foggy]

People tend to listen to all the "pro" hunters and gun people you must have this or that wash clothsin this fact is most people can't stalk. don't know there equipment  never took the time to learn riflemanship. their answer to must things are a bigger scope  newest camo . they don't hunt to eat for meat they hunt for antlers   the gadget is the answer  the more gadget cost the better the hunter. it's not just the gun hunters  the Bow hunting divas are  a breed unto themself. 

[BBF]

I suppose the Deer were a lot dumber in those bygone days.

[Spirithawk]

I can actually remember when folks bought a box of cartridges and a rifle (without a scope) at the Western Auto and killed a deer every year for 20 years before they bought another box of cartridges.  The thing is see, is that they were hunters and not just shooters.  Of course the family station wagon was the only hunting vehicle they owned.  They didn't even have special hunting clothes.  How did they do it?

Quite well is how! Woodsmanship was measured in skill, not in how much gear you have, how much it cost, nor how state of the art it is.

[briarpatch]

There are hunters and there are sellers of hunting junk.
Most of the time the sellers do to good of a job.

[lakota]

Yeah....that's how I feel about camo....I think it's over rated in MOST cases....I have the same worn in stuff that I've worn out for years....some miss matched.  ...and what's wrong with blue jeans???

I found an old  VHS bowhunting tape with Chuck Adams. In the video he said camo is not needed all he wears is a flannel shirt and its enough to break his pattern. I guess that was before he got a clothing endorsement deal.

[Swampman]

I suppose the Deer were a lot dumber in those bygone days.

I can remember when there were so few deer that if you killed one, it would make the newspaper.

[mechanic]

My grandpa never owned but one gun, a sidehammer double 12 ga.  He never bought but one type of shell, #6 shot.  For "large" game he just cut the shell and had an instant "punkin ball" as he called it.  I've seen him anchor hogs quite well that way.

Ben