I ain't no "Jeremiah Johnson".....

[Rembrandt]

Always enjoyed the movie "Jeremiah Johnson" and envisioned that I could handle the mountain man life just fine.....well this last hunt proved me wrong. As the crusty old trapper Bear Claw Chis Lapp called Johnson, I too would be a "Starvin Pilgrim" if I were a mountain man.

We've had 28" of snow this past month, so deep I purchased a pair of snowshoes just to keep from sinking to my waist. By far the hardest hunting I've done in 40+ years.

Half afraid to shoot something knowing that it had to be hauled nearly a mile through deep snow. Pictures may tell it better than I..........

 

[Rembrandt]

With snow shoes I learned quickly to keep feet apart to prevent tripping over myself...

Snow shoes don't work too well in corn fields.....stalks trip you up.

Wasn't what I was after, but so exhausted it looked pretty good. Hunting is over this year for this Starvin Pilgrim.....and I'm glad.

Dropped him with the ol' Desert Eagle.

 

[Shane Tuttle]

Can't wait to get home tomorrow to see what I have in store in the snowthrowing department on the driveway.

 

[Sarge]

Good show Rembrandt and I thoroughly enjoyed the pics! We had an 18" snow here a couple of years ago and your 'rifle in the snow' pic reminded me of a similar natural gun stand I used for a 94 Winchester at the time.

 

[simonkenton]

"Can't cheat the Mountain, Pilgrim.
Mountain's got its own ways."

 

[ZeSpectre]

Always enjoyed the movie "Jeremiah Johnson" and envisioned that I could handle the mountain man life just fine.....well this last hunt proved me wrong.

Having done some extensive solo hiking/backpacking in all four seasons I often chuckle to myself when folks start in saying they'll just "bug out" to the woods and "live off the land" in the event of an emergency.

It's a TOUGH life, not just the physical aspects but the mental as well. Day one-through-three not usually so bad but then things get tough until you adjust (or don't).

I did the Jeremiah Johnson "bed of coals" thing one time just to see if it was really workable. It is, but it is an insane amount of work just to stay warm for an evening and if you aren't careful your butt "digs in" and you get scorched. Still if you have the time to prep it right I'll not only save your life, but actually keep you kinda comfortable.

One of the biggest risks out like that (other than heart attack) is dehydration!

 

[BIGR]

Great pictures and thats an ok buck too. I would pull the trigger on one like that. I left deer camp before it snowed 17 inches up there. I always wanted to hunt in the snow there, but I had to take care of the home front after loosing power at home.

 

[LateNightFlight]

Congrats and I particularly love the pics! Beautiful scenery.

 

[fast-eddie]

They just don't make mountain men like Otter Bob anymore.
I went snow shoeing for the first time last year and just about died (not literally). I was so out of shape it wasn't funny. Nice buck you got there though, was it a huge pain getting him home?

 

[youp]

Hey Pilgrim,

You have the shoes on the wrong feet. N.S. Buckles to the outside. Harder to trip that way. Do not walk like a duck. Pick up the trailing shoe and slide the inside of the shoe tight to your ankle and over the top of the planted one. You will be much more comfortable during and especially after the hike.

Oh yea, nice buck.

 

[simonkenton]

It looked to me like the left shoe was on the right foot.
I didn't say anything, I am from Georgia, I have never seen a pair of snowshoes before.

 

[jakec2789]

what would that brownish yellow spot be between your feet in the snow?

 

[rem870hunter]

nice pics, nice buck. we had 16"-20"+ fall here between late 12-18 and 12-20. i got out for a few hours the morning of the 22nd. worn snow shoes years ago once. i decided to take them out again. only way i'd make to my stand. i don't have shoes like those,but these worked fine .

 

[eddyb74]

I picked up a couple of pairs of MSR snowshoes a couple of years ago. The old man and myself went out in muzzleloader season to try them out. There wasn't alot of snow on the ground, but we felt they made us less tired due to the traction they provided. The one downfall we found was that every little branch that rubbed on them sounded, well like somebody rubbing a stick across a piece of plastic.

Nice buck by the way.

 

[Rembrandt]

...what would that brownish yellow spot be between your feet in the snow?

I was trying to write my name in the snow......if you look at it just right, you can kinda make out an "R".....

 

[James R. Burke]

Thanks for the pic's, nice buck congradulations!