What was Your Coolest Hunting Experience.

[HEAVIER_THAN_STEEL]

Mine Was when I went hunting to film my cousin in mizzou and we had three Monster gobblers come out and we shot a bird with a 11 inch beared and 1 1/2 spurs and it wieghed 24 pounds.

[HarvDog]

Re: What was Your Coolest Hunting Experience.

Probably my first (and second) kill:

Opening day of muzzleloader (black powder) season - Saturday, November 1, 2003:

My alarm clock went off at 3:50am on Saturday morning. I hardly got any sleep anticipating opening day of muzzleloader season. All of my hunting gear was already packed and ready to go so I quickly showered and dressed (being particularly aware of scent control). I picked up my hunting buddy, Joel, and his gear at 4:30am then headed to our hunting site. When we arrived, we changed into our hunting (camo) gear and headed into the woods. It was still dark by the time we were both settled in our treestands about 80 yards apart. I was already scanning the woods when it started getting light around 6:00am.

Around 6:30am, I spotted two deer around Joel’s stand. After a brief scare from a fox, both deer came back together and began heading towards me on a small path. I grabbed my rifle and tried to calm myself down. At about 30 yards, they stopped at a small creek. Both deer appeared to be doe as they had no antlers, but I could see that the deer in the lead was slightly bigger so I focused on that one. They started moving from my left along the side of the creek towards my 8 o’clock. As they went behind some shrubs, I slowly got into position and cocked the sidelock of my .50 cal muzzleloader rifle. My heart was racing at a million miles an hour. I raised my rifle and began aiming in the clearing just ahead of where they were walking. The first deer came right into my sights and I began slowly squeezing the trigger. With a loud boom, a huge cloud of smoke came from the barrel along with my 295 grain hollow-point Powerbelt bullet. After the shot, I expected to hear both deer running away. To my surprise, I didn’t hear anything. As the smoke cleared, I saw the deer lying on the ground. Dropped it in its tracks! That was at 6:45am.

I was so excited that I didn’t even think about reloading. I then noticed that the second deer was still standing approximately 5 yards behind where I shot the first one. I started reloading as the second deer turned around and crossed the creek heading even closer to me. I froze as she finally stopped at about 15 yards to my left. Each time she looked down or around, I tried to finish reloading. She must have seen me moving at one point as she turned and ran back across the creek and deeper into the woods. Joel and I traded messages on our mobile phones and I learned that the deer I shot was a button buck. We hunted for a few more hours without seeing anything else before getting down to recover my deer. After a few pictures, Joel walked me through, step-by-step, field dressing (gutting) my deer. Not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

We headed back into the woods about 3:00pm after taking my deer to the game check station/processor and grabbing some breakfast. Around 3:30pm, I heard a lawn mower running off to my right a few hundred yards off. I turned completely to my right and watched that direction for some time hoping to see something moving around after being disturbed by the lawn mower. OK..I was completely distracted by the lawn mower man! I was annoyed that someone could be mowing their lawn and possibly disturbing our hunt. The nerve…

Anyway, after several minutes, I turned back around and looked up towards Joel’s stand. I could see him motioning for me to look down. He was trying to be discrete but it was obvious that something was on his mind. It looked like he had been trying to get my attention for some time. As my eyes fell towards the creek, I saw two doe standing at 30 yards right at the creek. My heart just about jumped out of my throat. I couldn’t believe it. While I was watching some guy mow his lawn, two deer came into shooting range without me even knowing. Joel and I got a big laugh about that afterwards.

Just as the previous two earlier that morning, these two started moving from my left along the side of the creek towards my 8 o’clock. One actually jumped down into the creek behind some shrubs so I didn’t have a shot on her. The other deer walked along the exact path as the button buck I shot earlier. She took a lot longer to come into the clearing but when she did…BOOM…dropped her in her tracks as well. The other doe didn’t even flinch. I couldn’t believe it. I reloaded and watched her move around between us quite a bit before she actually ran off. We hunted for another hour or so then collected our gear to recover my second deer. I couldn’t believe that I had shot my first two deer EVER on the same day! They definitely weren’t monster bucks but what an exciting day!

[PAhardwoods]

Re: What was Your Coolest Hunting Experience.

Mine was a bitter sweet moment and one i'll never forget....It was just a couple years ago i had been hunting since i was 12 and was 19 at the time and had never got a turkey i had missed a couple rolled two called in birds during the spring for friends but could never close the deal myself.....when i would come in from the woods i would stop by my great grams and talk with her....everytime she would ask where my turkey was i'd always say ohh i left it in the woods and she would laugh.....my gram passed away a during the fall turkey season she was 87 and a country lady if there ever was one...... the day after her funeral my gramps and i hit the woods to get away from everything....i ended up killin my first turkey that day after missing one and brakein up a huge flock.....when i got to my bird it was still floppin around so i went to put my heel on its neck and just lost it...i broke down in the middle of the woods crying like a baby because i knew i wasnt gonna be able to go back to the farm and show my gram. my gramps picked me up off the ground with a tears rollin down his face....he knew why i was crying and gave me a huge hug i knew gram was lookin down on us with a big smile on her face

Cody

[Texan_Til_I_Die]

Re: What was Your Coolest Hunting Experience.

1968 - I was 9 years old and killed my first deer sitting in my Dad's lap in a ground blind.

[buckbuster11]

Re: What was Your Coolest Hunting Experience.

Mine was 2 years ago in November during the archery season. I saw something like 13-14 bucks in one day and probably 25-30 deer in total. I watched 4 different bucks run does like a hound dog through the day. I had an 8 point bed down 50 yards from my stand and grunt like a pig for 30 minutes and I watched 2 button bucks fight at 15 yards, and I could go on. I didnt get one on that day, but I dont ever expect to have a day like that again.

[Rhino]

Re: What was Your Coolest Hunting Experience.

The coolest hunting experiences I’ve had were when multiple bucks were out there sparing or fighting. The most memorable one was 12 years ago while I was bowhunting out of a ground blind with my son. He was 5 years old at the time so he was there as a spectator. We had 9 bucks come in but none were shooters to me. Most were 2 year old bucks and a couple were 1 year old bucks. One buck in particular had a nasty attitude. He went from one buck to the next sparing with them. He put on a great show. This went on for about 45 minutes when a mature 8 point came in from our left to check out the action. Unfortunately, I missed him but it was a great hunt to share with my son.

[wtnhunt]

Re: What was Your Coolest Hunting Experience.

First time I had my oldest daughter out to hunt with me last year and we had deer all over the field and she was too excited to shoot the closest mature doe.

Next to that my first deer would have to rank up there.

[deershed]

Re: What was Your Coolest Hunting Experience.

I could go on all day with different days that would qualify as the coolest hunting experience.

Nov. 2nd of last year would have to be one that ranks up near the top.I shot my first archery buck for the books.

[Guest Squirrelbuster]

Re: What was Your Coolest Hunting Experience.

Mine would have to be my first squirrel. It was my first animal I ever shot at, and when I finally got the gun to stop shaking I closed my eyes right when I shot, and when I opened them, my squirrel was tumbling out of the tree.

[Guest MarylandQDMA]

Re: What was Your Coolest Hunting Experience.

it is a toss up,

hunting with my father and watching him shoot his first buck, and just seeing his expression on his face and shairing in his joy.

the other is hunting caribou, my first hunting trip away from home.

F

[AaronS]

Re: What was Your Coolest Hunting Experience.

Toss up for me too.

Calling in two bucks within 40 minutes of each other while bowhunting the last day before gun season started 3 years ago. First was a 2.5 yr old 10 pointer that came within 7 yards of my tree but never offered an ethical shot. Second was a 1.5 yr old 11 pointer that I called in from about 250 yards across a field. I'm still hoping to see him again.

Second was last year, the day after Thanksgiving. Through the course of the morning 5 different bucks followed the scent of a hot doe that had passed by before light across the food plot I was on. The best was a huge half-rack. If he would have still had his left side he would have been a heavy 8 pointer with a 20+ inch spread.

[MCH]

Re: What was Your Coolest Hunting Experience.

Last year, I arrowed a decent 8 pointer at 25 yards. I didn't follow my arrow and the buck jumped, ran 10 yards and stopped.

He looked back in my direction, blew, stomped his foot, and swished his tail. I just knew I had missed.

I started to nock another arrow, since he was only 35 yards out, but the he took a step and stumbled!

The buck didn't even know what had happend. Perfect shot. Deer expired 35 yards from my stand.

It was an awesome experience, going from the high of thinking I had harvested a deer, to believing I had missed, to actually seeing the deer fall....Priceless.

[texastrophies]

Re: What was Your Coolest Hunting Experience.

Without a doubt it was watching my son kill his first doe and then the next year watching him take his first buck. Nothing else even comes near it.

[Guest Xen]

Re: What was Your Coolest Hunting Experience.

made a 300+ yard shot on a deer across a canyon while it was running full out down hill, stayed on the gun and could watch the bullet hit through the scope (shooting a 7mm mag), it was awesome to see the force that it carried, it was like a shockwave going through the deer and pushing it to the ground

[horst]

Re: What was Your Coolest Hunting Experience.

[ QUOTE ]

Without a doubt it was watching my son kill his first doe and then the next year watching him take his first buck. Nothing else even comes near it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ill second that.It was the whole process involved though.My 9 yr old wanted to hunt deer and earned the privelege to do it last year.The deal was he had to keep his grades up and practice untill he was proficient with my muzzleloader.Not only did his grades stay good, they actually improved.And he started off shooting a gun he was actually kinda scared of and not being able to hit a target and shot that gun for months burning up almost a whole pound of powder and box after box of sabots untill he could hit where he was aiming.Watching his hard work all come together the second day of season was by far the coolest thing Ive ever seen, and we made a perfect stalk and he made a perfect shot on a button buck almost 90 yrds away.This year were gonna try for his first buck and I cant wait

[GWSmith]

Re: What was Your Coolest Hunting Experience.

My first one..

Being allowed to go with my Father Pheasant and Rabbit hunting and carrying a daisy BB-Gun(which i had to treat as a real shotgun or i didnt sit too well afterwards!!!). I didnt know it at the time but I was in training for the rest of my life!

...and my next hunt...

TO BE CONTINUED.......

[Smitteken]

Re: What was Your Coolest Hunting Experience.

MCH,

I had an identical experiance in my first ever bowkill. But the most memorable is definately being with my little brother when he killed his first deer.

Ever deer kill large or small is permanantly imbedded in my brain, and will be forever, they're all cool!

[billygoat]

Re: What was Your Coolest Hunting Experience.

Mine would have to be videoing my wife's first deer... there is nothing like watching a firstime hunter bag their first kill! What a rush... I still laugh everytime I watch it!

[preacherman]

Re: What was Your Coolest Hunting Experience.

Let's see..............that would be my first bow kill.......I had been in the stand for approx. 30 minutes and I looked up to my left and saw 2 does at about 100 yards........they had their eyes glued on something to my right.............I then looked up to see a 5 point coming my way, he had his eyes on them and didn't even know that I was there. I drew and he came in, I stopped him and shot him. He ran about 75 yards and laid down. It was pretty cool.

[Chrud]

Re: What was Your Coolest Hunting Experience.

My coolest deer hunting experience was probably my first bow kill in 2003.

[NY_Bowhunter14]

Re: What was Your Coolest Hunting Experience.

getting my first shot at a deer, i have been hunting 3 years and have had only 1 shot opportunity, unfortunatly I kinda missed...

[JimT]

Re: What was Your Coolest Hunting Experience.

I would have to say my close encounter with a nice eight pointer while bow hunting last fall. I was a total mess. Buck fever slapped me in the head so hard I could hardly pull my bow back. I never got a shot off on that deer because it never presented itself. I am not sure if I could have hit it anyways. I let a smaller buck walk by me in hopes of shooting the biggest of the three. Nothing beats the rush of having a big buck in bow range....

[Tominator]

Re: What was Your Coolest Hunting Experience.

Tough call. Deer hunting it would have to be either shooting my first deer, or recovering my biggest deer.

[MossySNPR]

Re: What was Your Coolest Hunting Experience.

I would definately have to say my second year ever on the deer hunt(rifle week). My dad had just set me up in a spot where I was overlooking a long, dried up ravine.

The deer used this dried up ravine as a run. We planned to run them every direction possible with our dogs and there was three places in which we would run them, one being the ravine.

As I heard my dads 4 wheeler slowly buzzing out of distance, I settled in at the top of the ravine, sitting cross-legged at the top, surrounded saplings. I turned my walkie-talkie off, put it in my front coat pocket, and loaded 6 bullets in my .44 lever action rifle. As everyone settled and with dogs still in the cab of my uncles truck waiting to be ran, I began to hear a steady "thump" of earth, comming down the ravine. Calmly, I raised the rifle directly in front of me, with the opening of the ravine being the far left of me. "This is my big chance", I thought. No more than 60 feet to my left, emerged a cow moose leading a one year calf (Incase nobody has experienced a one year old calf, its larger and just about ready to leave mothers side, nearly reaching mom's height). Instantly, my excitement turned to panick as they steadily trotted down the ravine, at a surprising speed.

Before I had time to fully react, the cow turned in direction and began to come straight up the hill, right at me! Sheer panick and confusion, the worst of combinations, shot through my veins. Being 15 yrs old, I had remembered a hunting group member say, "The dang moose came so close I thought I was going to have to get up and yell at the top of my lungs". Trembling as I sat on the ground, at 20 FEET WITH A CALF, I sat up and SCREAMED hey! The mammoth was baring down on me, I seriously thought I was a goner, as it stared for about 30 seconds. Our eyes met for that time, as the calf grazed in the back, the moose finally turned the direction to my right, travelling again down the ravine, and only then did I raise my rifle to it, finally remembering I even had one(LOL)!

Scared to death and a little shooken off, I eventually sat back down and took out my walkie- talkie, explaining with a shaky voice to the doggers what had just happened.

I actually thought that day was my last. For all who have been within 50-40-30-20 feet of a moose who actually notices you, you have atleast a small feeling of what I felt. Especially when it wasn't even moose season! LOL

[Guest TheNumber1Young1]

Re: What was Your Coolest Hunting Experience.

MINE would have to be my 1st and 2nd deer, both wallhangers. On October 23,2004 i killed my 1st deer a 6ptr with my bow.(i decided to mount it, because it was uniform,nice size,my first deer, and got it with a bow. Not even a month later, i get my 2nd deer, this time its a monster. On November 20,2004 i killed a 8ptr with a 24in. inside spread, and that is on my wall right now, both of these deer are great deer, I am entering my 8ptr with the 24in.inside spread into the VIRGINIA SPORTSMAN SHOW.