I was hog hunting yesterday; passed on some wet sows with little 'sausages' hanging about. Soon I spied a boar at 30 yards through my bjnos, he was sleeping in a tangle of logs looking just like another fallen trunk. I stalked in and got to about 12 yds, he was snoring away and a log was protecting his vitals. I went in closer and at "really close" he stood up-I have seen a lot of big hogs; but never seen a hog quite this large so close-and he had no idea what was going on. He presented me with a perfect side on shot opportunity. My bow was up and I was almost at full draw, suddenly I put the bow down, he hung out for a moment and then ambled away. He really never realized what I was, the hogs in this area see very few hunters. And if I was a coyote or something he could have cared less.
What about you have you done the same-just passed on a gimme' shot?
these are some of the great things about hunting.Its not always about killing.what a rush being that close to something that could have put you on your butt in two seconds. hunts like these rank right up there with your trophy kills.every hunt has its own rewards.nice job
Awsome Tale My friend!! :thumbsup: Thats what this is ALL About!! Good on You!! :archer:
I think I have enjoyed hunting since I started passing on deer that in the past I would have shot in a NY minute. I almost always carry a camera these days and try to get a few pics of the ones I let walk. I love to send those to my buddies and show them what came by. I really love to hear then same "you let that one walk". Now as for a hog I'm not sure I'm there yet. I like my pork.
I have on trips, where I see a lot more game than I do in my home area. Around here I have let animals walk, but only because I could not get a good shot, or blew it. Maybe someday I will mature more than I have.
Counting Coup!
Sure. Several times. Its not about the killing. Good on you. But I would have taken a pic:)
guess my wife is right I can be immature! I would have sent one for sure, unlees of course I had one in the freezer, then I would have taken a pic.
I've passed on shots due to all the reasons you should pass (shooting light, body position, animal alertness, animal age, etc). I have never passed just for the sake of passing.
No, I'm not a blood lusting killer that must end a life to feel successfull. I've been hunting over 40 years and always head outdoors to not only enjoy God's creation, but also go with the intention of reaping the bounty.
If you are close enough to hear him snore......as far as I'm concerned ....you got him!! :notworthy:
Sounds like you just didn't want to pack him out of there. That has happened to me a few times with deer since I have aged a little.LCH
Around here we don't pass hogs they are very destructive to farm crops different strokes I guess depending on where you are in the states that being said sounds like you made a great stalk on a wild animal kudos to you I pass on young whitetail bucks all the time waiting on something mature shoot a few does for freezer all we need
You made a good stalk on a mature quality animal, that you were hunting, then didn't take the shot? Your call.
I pass on a dozen deer a year now. Too small, let em grow up, mamma with twins, the twins, small bucks, large buck within eye range but not bow range so don't mess up and shoot the doe, etc. Lots of reasons but 47 bowhunting seasons under my belt is one of them.
I don't much believe in the stories " I could have killed him if I wanted" because even at only feet away anything is possible to mess up that slam dunk. He ain't dead until he's dead period.Kudos for letting them walk , I don't let much walk by me even after 30 years of bowhunting and 24 with trad, and I realize some are very particular about the shot and my hats off to them and there own convictions.
Some days I don't feel like killing anything, I quite often regret that later in the season.
Nice when that happens. I remember one hunt years ago, sitting on the side of a creek bed on the ground. A nice 8 pointer came through the creek and stopped broadside inside of 15 yards. It was a cool morning and the way the sun was coming through the trees, I could see the steam coming out of his nose, and moisture on his tines lit up like tinsel on a Christmas tree. Drawing the bow never crossed my mind.
You had already accomplished the feat of, identifying the game and making the stalk in close. You elected to "Count Coup" instead of burying the shaft. Nothing wrong with that.
Okay now tell the truth, Adam is away at college and you couldn't bare the thought of working up and packing out all that sausage by yourself, right?????
There's no feeling on earth quite like having legal game inside that magic circle and knowing you have an extremely good chance at taking that animal at any given time. The choice you make is a personal thing between you and your quarry and many factors weigh in on the outcome.
Cool story my friend, DD
Not enough opportunities for me out here to pass on an ethical shot.
QuoteOriginally posted by Bear Heart:
Not enough opportunities for me out here to pass on an ethical shot.
I can understand that thinking.....I'm in the same boat. But I can see both sides.......
Cool story....
My question to you is....why? Why did you do that?
Were you out to just kill a meat hog? Did you not want to pack the big boy out?
I'm sure you have your reasons bud, we all do a such times...
But if I'm out hunting hogs, and a big trophy boar stands up in front of me, that means I've done everything right up to that point.....but..... if you don't take the shot, and make a good one...then it's not really "owned".
I gotta agree with Longrifle....too much can go wrong in a situation like that....
Congrats on your hunt bud :thumbsup:
QuoteOriginally posted by Guru:
Cool story....
My question to you is....why? Why did you do that?
Were you out to just kill a meat hog? Did you not want to pack the big boy out?
I'm sure you have your reasons bud, we all do a such times...
But if I'm out hunting hogs, and a big trophy boar stands up in front of me, that means I've
done everything right up to that
point.....but..... if you don't take the shot,
and make a good one...then it's not really
"owned".
I gotta agree with Longrifle....too much can go wrong in a situation like that....
Congrats on your hunt bud :thumbsup:
x2 Well said Guru, I also agree with Longrifle and Guru.........WHY? Sounded like a perfect hunt. You were set for what a hunter strives for....I don't understand why you passed on the shot. :confused:
Two years ago I had a beautiful 8 point buck at 12 or so yards on the ground. He had no idea I was there and could have let the arrow go at any second but for some reason didn't. He would have been my biggest and first from the ground but I just watched him do his thing and walked away. I will never know why.
Why did he do that???? Maybe because he could!! We all have to make our own choices.
Kill All Pigs, before they take over the planet. :thumbsup:
Sometimes it's just not convenient to be in posession of a dead big rank boar hog. Due to their destructiveness, it's hard to give them a free pass however. Bottom line...it's your call.
I've hunted hogs there near Los Gatos years ago when my buddy there had permission on a spot and if it was way down in some of those nasty canyons I can almost understand passing that shot- almost- grin.
Heck, My one LG buddy asked if I wanted to join him on his ranch down a couple hours south- I need to follow up.....
:confused: :dunno: :confused:
im thinking the walk out was a big part of the choice, I usualy think about that with the first load.
I don't even take gimmie putts on the golf course. If the ball isn't in the hole, you're not done. I feel the same way about shooting for a kill.
QuoteOriginally posted by ron w:
Why did he do that???? Maybe because he could!! We all have to make our own choices.
With all due respect bud, this wasn't your question to answer. Just a simple question for Bjorn to help me understand why he did what he did.....
Tristan, I don't understand that one either bud.....why?
Don't get me wrong....I pass up several small bucks every year...and I've also passed up a lot of hogs that I deemed "too small".
But to have a truly big hog or buck at close range and all I have left to do is make the shot to be rewarded for all the hard work and dedication I've put in to get to that very moment....I'm
gonna do all I can to get it done!
I mean after all we're hunters, are we not?
Just my opinion fellas....please don't take it personal....it's just something I'll never understand....
But I'd still like to know "why"?
QuoteOriginally posted by 14mpg:
I don't even take gimmie putts on the golf course. If the ball isn't in the hole, you're not done. I feel the same way about shooting for a kill.
TRUE
I'm still of a "hunting = groceries" mentality. I would have shot him.
At the same time, I understand why you did not. Great job on the stalk!
Done it before, just depends on my mood at the time. Normally don't do it for Hogs, but it was your choice, Good on ya! Sounds like it was a thrill!
As far as Hogs go, What wudstix said! In Texas we just can't afford to let hogs walk, especially big boars! If nothing else, coyotes gotta eat too!
LD
I think counting coupe now and then is good sport. I've had it come on totally unexpected at times.
My most memorable was a huge Bull elk materializing out the the pink fog at sun rise right in front of me.... I never even drew my bow on that one. i was so amazed at the beauty of the moment, the thought of shooting that creature never even entered my mind at the time.... Of course my hunting buddies were saying "What? Are you nuts? You had a royal bull at 15 yards and you didn't even draw your bow?"
I still get razzed about that.... but you had to be there to appreciate the moment. It was a gift from God to me sitting on that mountain top.... I have no regrets passing that shot opportunity up.
I let a few coyotes go that I thought was too small or too pretty to shoot. Or just dang too cute.
Bjorn,
IMHO, no matter what anyone's opinion is, you needn't justify your decision to pass on a shot to anyone.
Busted or should I say I got busted by about 7, 40-50lb. Meat pigs on a trail. The stare down was about 3 minutes (seemed like 15 lol) before I got an opportunity to draw. The lead sow had this dry skin condition around her eyes and it reminded me of my black German Shepherd's psoriasis look. I let them pass. Took a lot of ribbing for that one boy. Should have kept it to myself lol.
QuoteOriginally posted by longbow fanatic 1:
Bjorn,
IMHO, no matter what anyone's opinion is, you needn't justify your decision to pass on a shot to anyone.
I agree.......
Not passing any kind of judgement, the judgement was his to make. In light of the fact that the event was posted here on TG, is it not relevant to inquire about his mind set at the time. There is always a reason we do something or don't do something. Just curious about the mind set at the time....... it's interestingly different from mine!
Good on ya. Thanks for sharing. Nevermind the naysayers.
That's cool. I have done that. Not on a pig but on a whitetail. It is a moment that often makes me wonder why I passed. I believe some things are meant to be some aren't. Thanks for sharing.
QuoteOriginally posted by ron w:
QuoteOriginally posted by longbow fanatic 1:
Bjorn,
IMHO, no matter what anyone's opinion is, you needn't justify your decision to pass on a shot to anyone.
I agree....... [/b]
+2
+3 Thanks for the story too.
Your choice to make at each opportunity. Me, I'ld have tried to kill him, but I haven't shot many hogs and really enjoy hunting them.
QuoteOriginally posted by LCH:
Sounds like you just didn't want to pack him out of there. That has happened to me a few times with deer since I have aged a little.LCH
Now that reminds me of me! ;)
Not sure I've ever owned my prey. Not sure how that works. ... The concept doesn't seem to be for me... Sorry.
I think it was just a figure of speech Bobaru. I hope no one thinks asking" WHY" makes one judgmental or a naysayer!! It doesn't!! Expressing an opinion does not make one a naysayer either. Relax guys, there just opinions. Not everyone thinks that just because someone posts a hunting event, that it's automatically noteworthy or deserving of praise.Not saying that that is the case here, but then again, maybe it is. Therefore is it not prudent and logical to ask why? I think it is! JMO
Soon I spied a boar at 30 yards through my binos, he was sleeping in a tangle of logs looking just like another fallen trunk. I stalked in and got to about 12 yds, he was snoring away and a log was protecting his vitals.
I always thought if you snooze, you lose. :)
Your stalk; your call.
Toward the end of my compound days, I climbed into a stand I always saved for the rut. This stand required an ENE wind, which is extremely rare here. I had no sooner hung my highly engineered machine up, when what would have been my best buck stepped out at "gimme" range and stayed there for a long time. With several hours left until sunset, I was never tempted to pick up my "bow". Turned out he was the best deer I saw during that sit. My Dad, and several close friends that saw the pics I snapped of him, thought I was crazy. The fact was, I had already sought more out of my hunts. It was that hunt, along with numerous others that season, that made me realize I needed to change the way I hunted.
I will never judge anyone's choices on a fair chase hunt. To each his own, as long as its done on a level playing field.
You don't own anything until it is in the truck! Party on Garth!
Very cool story, nice to know there are true sportsman out there. What I love about hunting and always will is getting close and seeing animals in their worlds.
Bjorn, Surely you know that there would be very diverse opinions on this. They went from understanding and full agreement to why?? to disagreement , clear to condemnation and almost accusation.
I agree with what you did and fully understand. Been there and done that quite a few times. We are all individuals with different experiences. different backgrounds, different perspectives on life. One may be in complete disagreement now and life experience change that to complete agreement later in life . Or Nottttttttttttttt. I am one that changed from a stone cold killer to one that does not especially like killing but knows that you must kill to eat the meat. No way am I going vegan. LOL Or quitting hunting , butttttttttt its nice to maintain autonomy of choice.
God bless you all, Steve
Hope y'all enjoyed this thread as much as I did. Great responses form some serious woodsmen and hunters. Thanks :thumbsup:
Glad to see you weigh back in. I've never passed on a hog,but I did pass on a bobcat that was seven yards away. I just enjoyed watching it way too much.
I respect and give kudos to the guy or gal who has a certain standard or goal in mind when they set out on a hunt, the 6 point they don't shoot today, they may shoot the small 4 point tomorrow. We have all passed up shoots at different times me included. My feeling is the same as Lefty, you don't " own him" until he's in the truck, period. And probably most of my problem comes from hearing guys mostly long range wheelie bow guys state" Yeh well I had a buck in at 30 yards but, he wasent a shooter buck so I let him pass, coulda shot him easy". No , he ain't dead to he's dead.