Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Thanksgiving memories

I grew up in northeast Ohio, and Thanksgiving Day was a huge small game hunting day. Dad was a hound man, and ran beagles. His dogs were top notch and an invite to hunt behind them was not to be taken lightly. We'd gather at our house at about 8:30 and head out on foot by 9 a.m. Dad's dogs were always on a trail it seemed like. We'd form a picket line and wait for the rabbits to come in front of the guns. We'd usually get 6 to 10 rabbits, and be back in the yard by about noon. My brother and I did all the cleaning of the rabbits while my dad and the uncles, and others gathered around a fire out back to have a snort. I really miss these special times. All those guys have been gone for decades now, but something still stirs in me when I think about the times we had. Great memories of a bygone era. What are your favorite Thanksgiving memories?

Dad and mom reading the instructions on the stuffing that read: Toss lightly into bird.

Mom was on one side of the kitchen holding the turkey cavity open and dad was on the opposite side trying to toss stuffing into the bird. Yes, they were half lit.

That’s s good one right there.

I grew up in a family of 10. My Mom would buy 2 turkeys each year to feed us all and still have enough leftovers for quite a few meals. Turkey burritos, turkey chow mein, turkey pot pie, turkey in spaghetti sauce, etc. By about day 4 of turkey, a revolt would kinda start against all the turkey leftovers used for dinner.

I remember playing football on Thanksgiving for hours in the yard with all my brothers and the neighborhood boys.

I remember a lot of love in the family growing up.

My parents have been gone for decades now.

My family still gets together every Thanksgiving. Not everyone is there today though - COVID. My daughter has it but she’s fine.

Lot of good Thanksgiving Day memories. Some of the best.

Rabbit hunting in North Kentucky (near the current Ark). Had some great T-Days. Even when I came home from West Point (as a cadet) on Wednesday night, I’d still hunt with my uncles until time to eat on TDay (had a lady friend - now my wife).

Anyway, I had an opportunity to deer hunt the same area last week. Man, the hollers and “junk piles”, and old ponds brought back memories. Don’t think my boys understood the “last time I was here was 30 years ago” comments

A few Jeff, I'm too lazy to type them out.

Turkey induced coma.

when my parents were alive, we'd spend tgiving with them at our camp. my tradition was to get up before daylight and go squirrel hunting until about noon. i would take one of my old guns, like my old stevens 20 sxs or my dads iver johnson 20 single shot that he got as a graduation present in 1936. i don't remember getting many squirrels because i couldn't hit a barn from the inside with either of those guns but it was a tradition. sadly, when my parents passed away in the late 90's that tradition went away too. i keep trying to talk my family into a camp thanksgiving but no luck so far.

Thanksgiving was a big holiday when I was a kid until I left for college.. We always hunted small game.. Rabbits, squirrel, grouse, and ringnecks.. In the early years turkey was still in also.. I hunted a lot with the neighbors on the next farm .. Big Sam was the father and head guy.. We mostly hunt rabbits with hounds.. But picking up the other game when it offered.. We had Thanksgiving dinner at noon at Sams.. But my grandmother had her dinner in the evening with her sister and her family.. My uncle and my would leave for the mountains on Sunday to hunt deer.. This was before I could hunt.. Deer season opened the Monday after Thanksgiving so it was an exciting time.. By college, the bunnies were gone, and we hunted a few grouse.. By then I had become a turkey and deer hunter.. The great times were gone..

No hunting stories as my wife and I are the only ones in the entire family that hunt. Growing up I remember only that Thanksgiving was a good time. Since then, the best Thanksgivings were 2003 and 2003. Have two sisters and was at the older sister's with my ex. Thanksgiving weekend turned into a big party. Especially Saturday night. We called my other sister, who lived in Topeka, and she was so jealous of the good time we were having she flew out the next year. By then I was separated from the ex and that Thanksgiving weekend was just as good.

My parents would put together a huge feast, friends and family would come by from lunch time to late that night. It turned into a party after about 7pm. My role changed over time from in the way and underfoot to actual help and later help and partaker in the partying.
Only a few fights and lots of laughs.
The hunting usually took place later, camping and hunting in NE NC.
Miss my folks, I had great parents. I should have took their advice more often.

Got really drunk and puked out the window of our Nova all the way home. Dad was pissed and wouldn't stop the car. Grandma was pissed as she headed for me as I chugged the BV. I was about 11.

Walk around with a turkey neck zipped up hangin out of my church pants

That's funny right there, don't care who you are

The smell of the foods cooking and parade on TV. We’d have dinner about 1:00. My grandparents would be over and usually my uncle. My mom and grandma making the meal and looking at newspaper ads for Black Friday deals while the men watched football or went out hunting after dinner. My miss my grandparents and uncle. Thanksgiving and though memories are always a special time to me.

uh-huh.

Sure.

US Army basic training, we could finally go somewhere on post. I was sick really sick, sleeping on my bunk.
They decided they needed extra KP's so I was the only one around.

Up all night till five. Some kind soul woke me up about 12"30, and i did get a bit to eat, then back to bed.

The memories of those who are no longer with us, Parents, Grandparents,

Each year there's fewer and fewer at the table,

Not even enough young one's nowadays that the folding table off to the side is required.

You knew you were an adult once you had a chair at the main table.

I'm sorry, not every family can be a bunch of stick in the ass northerners.