Here is one of mind that I did not see from anyone else In the 1980 's and 90's I archery hunted the George Washington National Forest in W VA It was 50,000 acres of mixed forest It was not a place where you would encounter very many people There was a US Naval base in the area And is was not unusual to see or hear some jet fighters flying across h mountain tops and though the valleys So you would be in a tree stand half way up the side of a mountain No sign of any human activity to be seen or heard And than that quick here would be a jet fighter roaring down a long valley Depending on the elevation you could see the polit as he went by And the roar was so loud that you just out of reaction to it you would involuntarily grab hold of your tree stand to hold tight as it went by And if you where having a real good day sitting in the mountain you would be lucky enough to have one break the sound barrier Archery hunting and watching jets flyby do not seem to have much in common But in that place and at the time it was a powerful combination I had some of the best hunting days of my life hunting that area and a very real part of that was those jets Even in the dark of night you would wake up as you heard one approaching and than pass several valleys away It was an awesome experience!!!! Will try to add another one from my W VA hunting adventures You know the best thing is we do not need to choose which are our favorites because they all made some thing really enjoyable even better

A box full of puppies sleeping ,after a big meal.
Watching a box full of puppies play with a pheasant wing.
Admiring a bunch of shotshells I just loaded, ditto for a pile of bullets I just cast.
The flush of a pheasant , so close ,it showers me with snow, and the sun is to my back!
Taking a rest with my dogs, listening to the wind in the cattails.
Watching my wife scramble some eggs, and wiggling in all the right places.
Good snare cable.
A well made tool.
The sound a mig welder makes just as the metal pools.
A good heater in my truck.
Wool clothing, with real pockets.
A sharp knife.
Real “ All season “ tires.
A solid tree within reach of my winch cable.
The creaking sound, of a leather holster , when I lean my elbow on the butt of my pistol.
Pretty grain in a piece of Ash, Oak, or Walnut.
Warn winches.
Hershey’s real fudge ,with walnuts, frozen in my coat pocket.
Cold pork and beans or sardines and crackers, in my canoe, while under the watchful eye of a pair of swans.

I live less than 10 miles from the former Naval base.

the call of the whip-poor-will transports me back to my childhood...it's truly magical!

Going to Cider Bellies in Moultonboro...on the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee...and Smelling the

Fresh Hot ..Apple Cider Donuts..on a crisp fall afternoon

JWfromwv I started archery hunting there in 1987 until 1993 Went off and on from 94 thru 98 Than with a few changes with our equipment we went from 99t o 2005 back again in 2008 2012 and 2015 We did not kill a lot of deer but it was 4 hunters most of the time and we averaged1 pe year Not bad for tent camping and mostly bow kills I was lucky enough to make the trip to the Sugar Grove POST OFFICE a few times to check a deer in The drive out from Brandywine to Sugar Gove is like out a time capsule It appears like looked 80 to 1oo years ago And those jets where just awesome to see and hear

Glad you enjoyed the area. If you're ever back in the area let me know.

Because of the flood and how that impacted our access We hunted the w side rd 151 area the first year We hunted the sane area in 1986 and the same 2 guys that killed a buck the first year missed a combined total of 6 buck in 1986 1987 we only killed a doe I think there where 2 a buck &a doe killed by our camp in in 1988 In 1989 it was one And in 1990 I got my first Mountain Sate deer It was a very nice 8 pt with a 15 inch spread I took it into Harrisonburg to get it processed after checking it in at Henicles in Brandywine about noon and the temp was 85 degrees At dawn that morning i t was cold with a heavy frost I was planining on going home the Tues of the next week And had no way to keep a large deer It weight 132 at the butcher shop i was able to locate and convince to process it Other wise my hunt was over It was a 4 hour trip one way and was making that trip
only one way at that point In the end the butcher shop took care of the deer and I picked it up Sat and had a large cooler with ice and the cut and frozen meat packed n the cooler By than the temps where back to 20's and 40 so it as able to keep until we left Mon midday As I mentioned 1993 was a year of change as far as who went and how our set up was new and much more friendly and just plain down more fun to hunt But before that happen one of the original 2 hunters from the election day flog hunt killed two buck with a bow in the first4 days of a planned 3 week hunt for himself He arrived and did a quick set up and went out close to camp and bagged a nice 4 pt Tues morning only the third day of the hunt he killed a very nice 8 pt that he actually drug into camp from where it went down from a well placed 2219 arrow While scouting Sun he found lots of bear sign and he felt there was one living in the area we normally hunted So having killed two buck in 3 days he became a bear hunte r He purchased a tag and went bear hunting Yes I ENJOY THE AREA You had to make an effort to get a deer but when you achieved the goal of bagging one of those W VA buck you felt rather proud of your self I have health issues that make it hard to see a way to come back to visit But than again I did that in the fall of 2017 to visit And I was at the FTA trappers convention in Harrisonburg in was it 2018 or 2019 And I often thought of attending the the knife show there SO if I get back I will indeed look you In the mean time hold the fort or is it the navel grounds

A hot shower after a cold wet day on the line.

An OOS smiling at me. Moles probably frowning.

Seeing Red Fox bouncing around in one spot.

Empty racks before a venue ends.

Surprising some one you don't know with a present they will love.

Waking up every morning.