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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Cyclic-Rivers on December 26, 2010, 09:19:00 AM
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Ok here it is,
I was Muskie Fishing and at the time, the largest fish I had ever seen, just majestically appeared and slowly swam behind my lure and Nonchalantly grabbed it. I was in such awe and the beauty and power of this aqua hunter, I forgot to set the hook and hence lost the fish.
Even after we we parted ways I just stood there with a grin on my face thankful for the experience.
Now, I have passed many deer because I would rather watch them. My question is: how many people have just sat there with their mouths gaping wide open in amazement and beauty of a creature then by the time you even remotely thought about shooting, it was way too late?
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The first time I called in an elk, 2 cows came in so fast that I just stood there not knowing that I should be shooting. Couldn't believe that tooting on that call actually worked!
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One of the big does I have been persuing in my area came in last year and took over an hour to present a shot. She was so tense and smart that by the time she got to where I needed her to be to take a shot I had such a headache that I decided that I wouldn't/couldn't shoot. I was afraid of wounding her or educating her. She never busted me but she broke me, if you know what I mean. She's still around and has given me the slip again this year. I had a 15 yard shot at her on day one but the Fish and Game dept. didn't allow the taking of does the first two weeks of archery season due to low deer densiity numbers in other parts of the state. The game is still on and the since she threw down the gaunlet I truly wonder if I got her and a good buck in a shooting situations I probably would opt to drop the string on her. It's become a personal thing.
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The largest buck I ever shot with my bow had me awestruck from the time I saw him on a distant point to the time he emerged from behind a white oak tree at 5 yards in front of my ground blind.
I couldn't believe what had transpired, never seen a buck like that so close. He was walking at a quick pace. With a split second to go before he was behind some brush with no shot opportunity, a voice in my head boomed" shoot now or it will be too late". My auto pilot kicked in and I got the shot off.
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I was on a hunt during the rut . Lots of snow the creeks were raging and the deer weren't crossing them. I was still hunting near a thicket and a large die was being chased by a mature buck. I dropped to one knee I was wearing predator fall gray camo and was in the open near a creek edge. The doe ran straight towards me but stopped at the creek with the very large 8 point in tow. The distance from the too deer to me was no more than 10 yards ok maybe twelve. Bow up and ready for a shot when the doe turned and presented herself to the buck. I witnessed the breeding of the two wild creatures in they're natural state. They never knew I was there. I was so amazed at what I just witnessed that I never moved until the two trotted off back into the thicket. I reflection I could have taken a shot several times during this 20 minuet ritual. Even though I never took a shot this is one of the most cherished hunting memories I have. Regret for not taking a shot? No way I witnessed something that most will only see on tv if at all. Sorry for the long reply just wanted to share.
Keeping the Faith!
Magnus
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My very first archery elk hunt I had a Bull welllll into the 300's come in with nine cows. I was mesmerized...I would like to say I passed the shot but that's not what I did...I was so much in awe I almost forgot to shoot and even when I did shoot it was a clean miss over the top so I guess I was "awed out of" a hit :)
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This was about 20 years ago when I was single. I went hunting on Christmas mornig. I was supposed to be at my parents house for the family thing around 10, but thought I could get in a quick hunt. It was one of those mornings that the frost is so big and thick that it looks like snow on everything. When the sun came up there was not a cloud in the sky and the sun shining off all the frost was beautiful. After a while I can hear some deer coming. A herd of does come in and are all around my tree stand, but no buck. I drew on the biggest doe at 12 yards, but it was so quiet and beautiful of a morning, that I did not want to spoil it. Now if it had been a big buck things would have been different!
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This year. A buck that has been outsmarting me for the second year. The Friday before gun law I was out behind the house in one of my favorite stands and there he was. I watched him come up out of the hollow and through the multiflora rose. After 10 minutes or so he was 12 steps(I paced it off after he left) away from me about as broadside as a deer can get. I had the bow in hand but never put an arrow on the string, I just watched him, he owned the woods and for that moment in time he owned me. I can't say how many points or how big the rack was just that it was big. I got home that night and told my wife I had just seen the most magnificient buck I had ever seen.
Thursday night of deer gun season at 7:30 pm(well past legal shooting time), my neighbor on the next farm down us heard 3 shots behind his barn. He ran out and found three guys kneeling besides a buck, "The" buck. My neighbor dosen't hunt deer but feeds them all year long and has many pictures of the buck all through the summer and early fall. Apparently his neighbor took advantage of my neighbors good heart.
I always have a saddness when I take a deer. In this case I'm happy that my last memory of this buck was while he was still King of my woods.
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Yes I had a three legged Coyote come in to bow range did not take the shot, felt sorry for him.
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Many,many times!No regrets.
Leland
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Nope.
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Sorry guys. I keep thinking of girl I once saw...
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Not that I remember, but a couple times, once on an elk and a nice whitetail I was in shock and awe that I never really focused on a spot and missed really bad on them.
Earl
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Originally posted by onewhohasfun:
Nope.
Me neither.
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similar to the OP , i was out pissin around with my flyrod , in a creek that i thought only had chubs and carp. saw a 10" stocked rainbow slam my dry and come at least a foot outta the water.
by the time i was done hootin and hollerin , i was reeling in a wet fly with no fish.
hasnt happened since.
=hov
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I had a picture of a deer rubbing a willow tree in my office which I would look at and dream of having that seen play our in front of me. Well that fall while setting a ground blind the seen played out just as I imaged and I just sat there looking at a nice 10 point in total amazement. I will remember that for the rest of my life. No shots, just a big grin on my face.
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Only when they were out of range. Otherwise I'm looking to kill them. I did sit with my mouth open at the biggest Buck I've ever seen but I was sitting in my truck heading out after an eve hunt in Minnesota. He was with two does in a cut corn field with snow on the ground. He dwarfed the does body size. His rack was unbelievable. A huge Non Typical. Unreal mass! To this day the biggest Buck I've ever seen.
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I was pig hunting in Georgia and had a huge boar (I guessed at least 225 ) and to me that is huge, feed out of a thicket....what got me was his teeth,they seemed very large for even him....as he fed with a couple other pigs towards me they turned and literally passed by at less than 15 yards...I was watching him and as they fed away, I finally realized that I did not shoot....felt kind of foolish.....
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Someone told me once that "I do not want to kill the deer but wish I were one". Might be right... Kinda... Have (them) so close sometimes and never get a shot off. Makes me wonder..... :dunno: Then again, encounters like that make me smile.
... mike ...
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Don't know about "awe" but a few years ago a hunting parner, still hunting in the thick mess of a south Texas ranch, heard the sound of pigs. He snuck in down wind and got shooting close to a very large, black colored, momma pig and her little hoard. The little ones were fighting and squeeling and she was laying in the shade.
He ended up backing out and leaving them alone.
When asked about it he said. . " well, I thought about shooting, then she got up and looked my way. . Chuck, she was as big as the front of your F-150. I looked around and saw absolutely no trees big enough to climb and asked myself. . do I really want to pi$$ her off ? "
I guess maybe that is a wow / awe, for another kinda reason.
ChuckC
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I save all of my awing for after the shot.you cant forget why your there.Its all apart of the mental aspect of our game,too much hard work an planing goes into the hunt.Iwont forget to shoot
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Not so much deer, but coyotes in close always leave me in awe. I've been within 20 feet of one while in a ground blind. Being a dog owner I love to observe the coyotes up close. I have no interest in shooting one.
Jack
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Originally posted by AMB:
Originally posted by onewhohasfun:
Nope.
Me neither. [/b]
I'm sorry you have not experienced it. It is for these types of moments I head to the woods. If I went solely for finding meat, I would quickly get bored of close encounters and probably hunting altogether.
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i was bowhunting in NY about 5 years ago. i had passed a few does. i turned my head to the left and 30yds away on the edge of the creek was a MONSTER buck looking right at me! i figured a 150+ class deer and well over 200lbs dressed..
i was on the ground. i was so in shock, that im pretty sure i froze... i laugh about it now, but at the time i was very upset with myself...
he stared at me for about 30 secs, and just walked away. i was so shook up that as he walked away i started blowing my grunt call as loud as a duck call!! i was a mess!!
gaff
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First truly Big Elk that I called in. In fact the biggest Elk I have ever had in shooting Range.
He responded to my bugle from about 15 yards in heavy timber directly behind me.
I was Shocked and Awed.
D
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I didn't shoot one once because he was too big to kill with a muzzle-loading rifle. I wanted him with a bow...it never happened.
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Got to admit the first time I saw a Cougar on the ground less the 20 yards away that didn't know I was there. Other times it was either a brief glimpse jumping across the road or from long distance across a ridge.
It would have been an easy shot, but instead I stood bow in hand and just watched - in awe I suppose.
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One quick glance at the antlers and then pick a small spot on the deer and go into auto pilot for the shot. At that time it could be a buck or doe as far as my visual senses go, I'm looking at hair.
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Was set up up near a roost site one afternoon. Worked a gob across the field from ~150 yards for 45". He gobbled all the way. He was working his way along the side of the field directly to my set-up. When he got w/i 50 yards he decided to just cut into the woods beside me and head toward the roost.
Glad he did. Still after taking many birds I was shaking so badly that I knew I couldn't have pulled off a chip shot. While the experience was most fulfilling I was relieved this particular time when he decided to step into the woods and out of my life.
Love them birds.
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Yes sir, I remember it well. What an animal.
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Only when I don't need the meat, then I'm focused on putting an arrow in one.
There have been times that I got to see something real cool while I had a bow in my hand, mainly because I didn't have a shot cause it was too far. Had I been hunting with a gun instead of a bow, it would have been a done deal before I got to witness an animal doing something really interesting. At those moments I'm glad I had a bow in hand and not a gun because it forced me to just be patient and watch. You get to see a lot more nature doing what it does with bow in hand. I believe that I'm a better, more experienced hunter because of that.
That's why I love to bowhunt so much and it keeps me going back again and again.
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More often than not! Then I think man, that was a chip shot, should have taken it! HA! Maybe next time! Jason
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Wyoming Antelope...watched this beautiful buck water with 5 does at 15 yds. I took a few pics and just admired how pretty these creatures really are.
I watched every movement, studied the horns and then watched him walk off with the ladies...after he presented me a great shot which I never took. Went out the following day and shot him....enough of the admiring....
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Never awed, but aaaaaaaaad once. Last year I had a nice bull moose coming right to my call and what i thought was another one coming in from behind me. consentrating on the first one coming down the road and trying to ignore the second behind me, I waited with extreme excitment. He stopped at 15ft and I needed him to take two more steps to be open. The one behind me was to close for comfort so i finally had to move and look..........it was a ~500lb blk bear coming to the moose call. The archery gods were loving me then everything went right sideways quick!!
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Wow TDHunter.......that would have gave me a heart attack and then the Archery Gods would have been carting me away! :scared:
The moose part sounded really cool, right up to the point that a bear got involved.
Have ya ever seen a big fat redneck curl up in the fetal position screaming like a 6yr. old girl?
That would have been me! :goldtooth: :laughing:
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Yup. First time I called in some turkeys. I had 2 nice toms paying attention to a hen decoy. I was ten yards away, had just started archery hunting, and was so awed that I could be that close to an animal....that I forgot to shoot! By the time I was gathering my senses, they had decided that this girl wasn't cooperative enough, and had moved out past my comfort zone.
I will never forget it though, and I picked up a feather as a memento.
RonP
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I can think of twice. The first back in the 90's when I had a huge IA nontypical just suddenly appear in the middle of an all-dayer about 35-40 yards away. I wasn't going to shoot that far anyway, but I was so awed I forgot all about my camera hanging on the peg. This buck had it all, wide, massive, stickers all over, and I got the impression it had a double row of tines. When it walked away, I suddenly remembered my camera but it was too late. I can't even draw the antlers (and I usually can); honestly, I'd bet money it was over 200 inches
The second time was when I was in a pit blind disguised as a termite mound and a huge eland bull stood just 10-15 yards away, quartering slightly at me. Honestly, with a kill zone that big and at that range it should've been a give me. But I was psyched out by that animal's musculature and didn't take the shot, waiting on a broadside or quartering away angle which I did not get.
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Originally posted by Longbowz:
Got to admit the first time I saw a Cougar on the ground less the 20 yards away that didn't know I was there. Other times it was either a brief glimpse jumping across the road or from long distance across a ridge.
It would have been an easy shot, but instead I stood bow in hand and just watched - in awe I suppose.
I would have soiled myself if I saw a cougar that close to me. Heck, I've got barn cats I'm afraid off. LOL
Jack
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Originally posted by Kevin Dill:
Sorry guys. I keep thinking of girl I once saw...
Now that's funny!
:biglaugh:
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I had a doe like Bill describes. She ended more hunts than I can count while I was hunting with my longbow. When she finally slipped up I took her with a muzzle loader. Never hesitated and was more excited than ANY deer I have ever shot. I still wish it had been with my bow....
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One year hunting in January had a red fox come towards me. It was one of those perfectly clear cold days, slight wind and he just kept coming.Saw the breath from his nostrils and at 10 yeards he looked at me. I didn't even raise the bow as figured I had already killed several previously and he was just like me-out looking for a meal. But seeing him in the snow and so close was a memory for sure.
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Hey Charlie, I have Experienced Quite a lot during my 38 yrs of bowhunting. Probably had several hundred deer within range while my bow sat on a hook. But when a deer I want to kill is in range you can bet I have never been caught drooling with my "fly catcher" open, and you can bet I never will. LMAO
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I was hunting a remote section of public land, as the day was winding down I had a group of does heading in my direction, clueless of my position, I started to dial in on one of the does, when all of a sudden, a loud grunt and a buck crashed through the woods chasing the does. He was a thick beamed 8 pointer, He was the dominant buck in town and he was looking for a date. All I could do is just sit and watch and laugh, watching the gorgeous deer chase all of the does around.
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Originally posted by TDHunter:
Never awed, but aaaaaaaaad once.
Or with a fawn: "Awwwwwww, so cute. You may pass."
Awed out of a shot, eh?
We used to call that "buck fever" in politically less correct times.
I put an arrow about three feet over the back of the nicest buck I've ever had in bow range. THAT was buck fever
Been more that one dandy buck that snuck up on me and I was afraid to move for spooking them and never did get a shot. On such occasions generally I seem to remember my legs turning to jelly about the time they departed. I know guys who have "Pick a Spot" stenciled on their limb face above the riser. I decided "Just Take the Shot" would be a good one as well.
:biglaugh: :biglaugh: :biglaugh:
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Bryce...I know what you mean about Eland. There are few animals that have inspired as much awe in me as eland. I was hunting in Namibia on my second trip to Africa, when the first mature eland bull I had ever seen came in to water. I was in such awe, that I doubt I would have taken the shot if the tracker in the blind did not wake me up. Luckily, I put a perfect shot on him and watched him go down in sight. I think the other thing that awed me was that I shot him with a 55lb. recurve, and he went down so quickly. The bull was huge! I remember him breathing his last breath and I put my hand on his side without even bending over!
Eland are still one of my favorite animals. Before I went to Africa, I had absolutely no interest in them. I figured them to be like cattle. Nothing could have been further from the truth. It still amazes me the way an animal so big can just melt into the African Veldt the way they do.
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The first time I went bowhunting in Alaska was for Sitka Blacktails on Admiralty Island. I was up above the treeline and was sporadically blowing a deer whistle. I had a couple of bucks come in to the call, but they never offered me a shot.
My last calling sequence ended with a very large brown bear sneaking through the alders below me at 25-30 yards. Fortunately his attention was on something on the other side of the draw and not on me. I had a brown bear tag, but I was so amazed at how huge he was and how silently he was moving that I didn't even think to draw my bow.
When he move out of sight I started shaking like you wouldn't believe. After I composed myself I made a hasty trip down the mountain. When I got back to the boat I realized I had inadvertently left a really nice set of binoculars up there on the rock I was sitting behind. There was no way I was going back up there in the dark with that big sucker prowling around. The binos are probably still there.