My year got off to a great start after a bad finish for 2014 with a Quail hunt in Georgia. Daisy (who will be 11 in March
) and I had many good winter Pheasant hunts at the Haymarsh. The usual shoots were made, the Southern where I adopted two very nice and rare M70's in 7MM a std rifle and a carbine, Hausmanns yielded an itch for a double rifle and a Stephan Grant back action hammer gun, The Great Northern in Wisconsin (a GREAT shoot by the way) resulted in a W.R. Pape 28ga hammer gun and the Duluth shoot rounded things out.
I have become enamored with Fox guns and had an upgrade 16ga XE restocked and bought two Sterlingworth's one of which has 32 inch tubes and will make a great clays gun.
September the freezer quit ( I probably didn't get the door shut tight just ask my wife) after raiding it for a trip to Wyoming to shoot Prairie Dogs. Most of the Quail from January along with 35lbs of burger, steaks, roasts and 12 Grouse and way to many Pheasants to count all went into four garbage bags
I spent most of October in the Upper Peninsula Grouse hunting and Daisy and I enjoyed ourselves and even managed a few birds.
November brings rifle deer season and though I spent 13 of the 15 day season in the deer blind I saw only one buck, a small 6pt and I let him walk at 40 yards. This is my second year hunting with a sweet little custom Ruger #1 and I have yet to shoot a deer with it. I did manage a feral cat however and that makes two in as many years. I got my first deer with the muzzle loader just the other day. A late doe season with the rifles opens Monday so the Ruger will get another chance and Daisy and I will be out again for some more of those winter pheasants.
All in all it's been a great year. Audrey and I and Daisy are all healthy we take no medication and have no real ailments. Although only four shotguns were purchased it was indeed "The Year of the Rifle" as my pre64 M70 collection really blossomed. So far my self imposed semi retirement is working out very well and I'm planning 2016 trips.