..no, this isn't a variation of 99 bottles of beer on the wall...or..., maybe it is..?

anyway, who enjoys the character of deer notches? who continues the tradition?

here's one, a 38-55 A, we'd all like to hear the stories, but all we get are the notches, (and eventually a replacement stock).


and here's my 284 C that I decided to carry on the notch tradition for my grandchildren,

Actually don't mind them as they are part of the "history" of the rifle, along with any other marks that may be on the rifle.
You just wish that they could talk.

I don't own one, so I don't know if I would keep adding to a rifle, but I doubt I could start the marks on an unmarked rifle, unless of course I could/would eventually replace the wood.

Jeff, you should keep a stock for display and one for hunting that you could notch......

My wifes 243 gets a notch everytime a deer goes down with it. I have a 99G in 30-30 that has five of them underneath the lever. Not done by me. I have zero issues with them being there. Actually, it kind of cool. A little communication from the past. I just like to think about what it was that got those notches.

I've thought about it but I'd need another buttstock for the 99F I bought from RAS...

One the subject of making notches and keeping count:

A young couple got married in 1963. On the day of their wedding, they agreed to carry on a family tradition by putting a bean in a jar for each time they strayed from their wedding vows and cheated on their spouse, and further agreed that they would compare bean jars on their 50th anniversary.

2013 came, and on their golden anniversary the couple, now in their mid 70s, brought their respective bean jars to the breakfast table. The husband reluctantly dumped his jar containing seven beans onto the table, saying "I'm sorry, but I did stray a bit in the 1970s when you were busy with our children."

The wife tearfully overturned her jar, which contained three beans and twelve dollars in crumpled one dollar bills. "Don't be upset, sweetie," her husband said, "Three affairs in 50 years is a pretty good record, much better than I can say for myself. But what is the twelve dollars for?"

"You don't understand," she said "Every time I got a bushel I sold them."

Rod

I couldn't notch any of my guns. Too nice for that. But I do notch my bed post each time I sleep with a new woman. So far, at age 51 it has 1 notch!

I'm not going to be notching any 99's. Yeah, replace the stock with a beater to hunt and notch that one, then put the good one back on at the end of season. That works. I wouldn't do it, but it's the best idea so far.

My cousin, hunting on family land, carves his name and date into the a tree near the kill after each deer.

I like the tree notching idea! Going to have to sharpen the jack knife. Now for stocks...not so keen on that, but bought couple 99s with notches and that's part of their history.

I did that one time, looked for it a few times and couldn't find the tree again. A stock would have to be pretty beat up before I'd start notching it.

I like the idea of stamping an impression into the wood rather than carving off a piece. That second picture looks like shades of a rotary counter.

I wouldn't deliberately notch a rifle. Any rifle, collectible or not.

Maybe I should notch that sage brush where I shot that elk this fall. Maybe that's not a good idea, Obama wouldn't allow the keystone pipeline because it would tear up sage brush. I'd probably get 20 years for notching sage brush.

Not enough room on a 99 for all my notches, pigs alone would cover a stock in one year

On my favorite 99, an EG rat, I put a small photo of my trophies with the date and location on it in the buttstock hole. Some are 30 years old and still in good shape. Someday I hope somebody will find them and wonder who owned the gun.

Mike

I hate notches.

We have a name for people that deliberately deface high quality firearms.

His name is...Bubba

Don't know who put them there, or what they mean, but at the top of the forearm on 1895 there is a row of about twenty little notches on one side, and a row of about twelve bigger notches on the other. The rifle came out of South Dakota.

As I was reading through this thread, this was what i was thinking... glad to see someone doing it already... the other idea would be to get a nice, high quality piece of lined card stock and just record date, species, etc. and keep it in the butt stock bolt hole. Over the years, I have found all sort of things in their... old hunting licenses, "survival kits," extra ammo, etc.

[quote=billy336]Not enough room on a 99 for all my notches, pigs alone would cover a stock in one year

Average 2 deer a year for the past 25 years and a couple pigs, the stock would look like someone tried to checker it with a chainsaw. If I ever come across an old gun from the days when deer were rare, with notches, I'd buy it in a heart beat, But, I wouldn't keep notching it. On the East Coast there are just too many deer to make notching mean anything special, Joe.

+1

There's an old tree up in the hollow above our camp (if it's still standing) that Dad used to hunt from. I believe that before he died he'd put 32 notches on that tree, and I had added 5 more. Dad's been gone 30 years now, and I haven't been up there since. It's hallowed ground to me and it's just too hard to go up there. Everybody on the mountain knew that was where Dad would be on the opener. The old hillbilly that keeps an eye on our camp has added several notches to the tree, as have others, from what he's said. I haven't been back on the hill in several years now, but hope to this fall, and I hope to hear shots coming from the area simply known as "Dad's tree."

That is so cool, like a little time capsule inside the rifle.

I personally wouldn't notch one but if ever I own one someone else did, I think I'd leave them there. I have my uncles Remington 510 .22 he got as a kid in the 30s or 40s, the finish is in rough shape now and there are a bunch of little notches in the forend I assume he cut there. No way will I refinish that stock.

I have owned guns with notches just not inflicted by me

I have a 1899 Savage mod B 30-30-in real nice shape that has a single notch above the comb

norm

Would never do it, but have a couple with them.

That's quite a few notches in the top gun there! I like a gun with hunting stories!

I think for me it's about being a woodworker..I can't look at a piece of wood without seeing how I could make it (more personal) "better". Of course I appreciate how subjective "better" is, and would never defile an historic collector piece.

Thanks for everyone's input!

Happy New Year

I like to drive an empty shell into a tree when I kill a deer.

Wouldn't notch a rifle, but have a couple with notches, adds to the history...

Notching was considered taboo and would swiftly bring the wrath of the elders when I was learning to hunt. So, no....