Tenth annual family antler party (pics added)

[Okanagan]

You may recall that the hunters in our family get together sometime in the winter after big game seasons and rehash the hunts from the recent hunting season.  Tonight is the time for this year's party.

We tend to cook a lot of wild game though sometimes we just order pizza.  Lots of good eats and good stories while looking over antlers, hides, skulls etc. in a cousin's garage.

Near as I can tell we had the first antler party ten years ago in 2015, and we all enjoyed it so much we have kept doing it.  My wife can't be left alone so if I go she will come with me, though we haven't had but one female in attendance as I recall.  If she comes with me we won't stay long.  I hope the wives of my grandsons come this year.  They are good hunters, good shots, and good looking!

If a friend or two of the family come we will have 12-15 people, likely more as the number of my great grandsons keeps increasing!  Confident, responsible, competent men who are good models for the younger set and are exceptionally good hunters. We've scored ten record book critters at antler parties over the past ten years: no guides, resident hunters in general seasons with over the counter tags.

I am incredibly blessed.  I have no idea why but am grateful for the grace, and hope to store memories up for the inevitable bad times. 

[FinsnFur]

Sounds like a dang good time. Enjoy them while you can Clyde. The pride is undoubtedly immense





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[bigben]

sounds like butcher season for me.  I help a group of guys butcher threw the winter months and the first one is typically low key but its a bunch of story's from the past year.

[Okanagan]

Great party, great stories.  I got razzed for killing the buck my grandson
was after.  Will start pics with some big antlers from years past taken when one of the cousins lived in Alaska.  These are on the wall of his garage, where we had this year's antler party.  (Not sure what I'm doing wrong but can only post one pic then start all over.) 

Below is a pic of a grandson's blacktail buck and black bear skull and claws.  He got the buck with his bow, and he made a necklace from the bear claws,




Below is a table with several horns and such from 2024, including antelope and a fox skull, and I think there was a bobcat hide on this table for awhile.  Mostly resident and no guides even when a few hunted another state. 



Rocky mountain bull below.



And some food.  Whole pork loin smoked, whole smoked brisket, along with elk sausage and pepperoni and a side of BBQ pork ribs, venison chili.

[Hawks Feather]

I was really enjoying the mounts and heads. Then I came to the pictures of the meat and forgot all about them and started drooling on the meat pictures. All look good, but as they say, you can't eat horns.    And people like me who make that comment have never brought anything down with anything close to those.

[KySongDog]

Nice pics! You have a special family, Clyde.

[FinsnFur]

Some nice trophys!!  

Ok...like Jerry said, back to those meat pics. That looks delicious.

[bigben]

sounds like a great time.  Looks like you have a family full of great hunters.

[Okanagan]

Nice pics! You have a special family, Clyde.

Thank you.  I don't get out with them much anymore and they have their own lives and families now.  I get mixed up sometimes but sure enjoy this time with my boys, their sons and their little boys with big eyes eating brisket and listening to their dad and uncles.  I've lived long enough to have three great grandsons there.

Not sure what the story is on these old shed antlers below.  Then a pic of some elk sausage and pepperoni.





  I've heard most of the stories but new stuff comes out with all of them there in the telling.  On September 1, the first day of bow season for deer, one of my grandsons drew on the buck I eventually killed on Oct. 31. At 12 yards the buck bolted as he drew the arrow so he did not shoot.  They have that on video from his tree stand. Awhile later a big spike came in and he decided that with a baby on the way soon and a busy life he should not take time to keep hunting a bigger buck so he shot it. 

His wife was too far along in her pregnanacy to shoot from a prone position, so when she saw a buck in an open field they rigged her a tripod.  She killed a dandy big blacktail fork horn with her own rifle at 160 yards.  Her little boys, my great grandsons, were proud to tell me how their mom got a deer.

[pitw]

As usual I am impressed with what your family does.  

[Okanagan]

As usual I am impressed with what your family does.  

You are blessed with a fine family yourself, and it has been fun to see your doings at times over the years,  hunting with your daughter and son, making sausage (if I remember right).  We are most fortunate men.

 

[Okanagan]

I just glanced over this thread and realize I did a poor job with photos and specific info.   It's too late for pics from the party, but our family tagged 14 big game animals this past Fall.

Three Rocky Mountain bull elk, all of them 6x6, two of those with bow. 

Two black bears, one with bow and one with shotgun.

Five blacktail buck deer, two of those with bow.

Two antelope.

Two mule deer bucks.

In addition, grandson Code passed a bunch of small to medium sized blacktail bucks, a couple of them pretty good sized, and our cousins passed a lot of bucks.   

[FinsnFur]

Yah you left every one of us hanging but no one wanted to say anything.

I am TOTALLY messing with you by the way