vermont mountain hunt, not the best

[rodarian]

My brother in law has a stepdad that owns 300+ acres in poultney, vt.. He says that there are roads back there from before the revolutionary war with foundations and cellars all along the road. Well, there were cellars and wells and foundations and a road that i started marching down, oh, and he also said that his records say that soldiers from the french-indian war marched these roads. Anyway, it was apparent to me that the people that lived back there were not the wealthiest people and worked very hard just to survive. You can imagine that i didnt get any where near hunting the whole 300 acres, i got to about three cellars and they are so overgrown with trees that it was taking forever to dig a hit but i am going back, theres gotta be something up there. His house was built in the 1770's and has been in his family the whole time. I believe he knows the land and his property pretty well, i just think this task is a little to big for my machine but i'm going to go as often as can before hunting season. Not allowed out there when hunting season starts. It was funny though, he wouldn't let me go up the mountain with out a gun and handed me a .357 magnum. By the way, i have never shot a gun before but there was a black bear spotted out there the day before i went and he wanted me to be safe...haha. Here's the pick of all that i found.

 

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[bootybandit]

Those are some nice relics. I would stick to it. Sounds like that place is loaded with goodies!

 

[qaela4]

Nice pile of saves.

 

[scaupus]

there's stuff out there alright.

 

[ecoast]

get back out before the snow flies!

 

[Greylock]

There's more so keep looking. ID be more worried about a person with a loaded firearm who doesn't have the knowledge than the bear.

 

[grasshopper]

Sounds like an awesome spot, hit it after it frosts, a lot of the vegetation will likely be gone...

 

[g-olden years]

Buckle, horseshoe, ornamental thingie at top of pic -- I think ya done good! An area of land as huge as you've been offered seems a dream come true.
You'll dig plenty of groovy artifacts back there, good surprises of all kinds, and maybe a few old coins even though the settlers weren't rich.

I'd say the main thing about Mr. Bear is be careful not to surprise him. He's probably already seen you anyhow. In younger days, I spent a lot of time hiking & camping in remote woodsy mountain areas, co-existed fine with bears & mountain lions though there's no way I'd ever carry a gun. If you're entering a brushy area, make noise like hand-claps or banging a couple rocks together well before approaching the brush. That alerts creatures to your presence and usually they will invisibly drift away. Though with our enormous 3-year drought here in California causing the lion's regular prey to thin out, we humans may look more tasty than before. If you carry a gun next time, learn how to use it first if you haven't already. Keep us posted on your next finds! Have Fun! Andi

 

[dirtlooter]

pretty good finds, nice pile of relics

 

[rodarian]

Thank you for the looks and words of encouragement. I do plan to get back out there on Columbus day if the weather holds out. As for the firearm, i have never shot a pistol but i do know how to fire one and the owner would not take no for an answer. I did try to decline the gun but he was having none of it. He had reasons beyond the wild life that exists out there and one of them was that if i got lost to fire into the sky so that he would know i needed help. This place is in a very remote location and there aren't any people within five miles of him and even if i did have to fire, it would have been stopped by a tree as it is a mountainous forest. In any event, i'm not allowed out there after oct. 24th or whenever bow season starts so that i don't spook the deer. He has many people that come and hunt his land. Thanks again for the looks.

 

[MuckyBottles]

Maybe you'll find something from Ethan Allen..

 

[rodarian]

You never know although the community speaks of Ebeneezer Allen more-so than Ethan, which i found odd being that Ethan is much more known.

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

You made some great finds in Vermont Rod!
These are my favs ... buckles, bits & ox shoes, three of my favourite finds buddy!

Congrats,
Dave

 

[Garrett424]

Maybe not the best but certainly not the worst either.

I like em'. Relics are cool and have many people and stories attached to them.
Congrats.

 

[rodarian]

I guess it's true, you learn something new everyday. I didn't know that those were ox shoes or that that was a bit. Was that for an ox or a horse i wonder. Thanks for that, Antiquarian. That buckle has quite a curve to it, i know you can't tell from the pic but it's very much curved. Any thoughts on what it may have been a buckle for? Top of a shoe or boot maybe?

 

[Garrett424]

I guess it's true, you learn something new everyday. I didn't know that those were ox shoes or that that was a bit. Was that for an ox or a horse i wonder. Thanks for that, Antiquarian. That buckle has quite a curve to it, i know you can't tell from the pic but it's very much curved. Any thoughts on what it may have been a buckle for? Top of a shoe or boot maybe?

You're right, you DO learn something every day; especially here on this site.

I dug up what I thought was my first old horseshoe last week but learned here it was actually a mule shoe. I could have had that thing for the next 20 years and never known if someone here hadn't pointed it out.