Tell me what the highlight of your season was, not necessarily of a kill,but something other than that. People,places,scenery,wildlife,
etc.
The kill is always appreciated but there is a lot more to the hunt than that. Tell me about it.......
Good Hunting,
Craig
Spent all weekend last weekend hunting with my long time hunting bud! Its been too long and we both really enjoyed it.
Spent a whole week bowhunting with Dad, Brothers and friend this year. Some deer fell, some BIG rut crazed bucks were REALLY close and some beers were drank.
I would say it was a great season in a weeks time.
Got to hunt in two new states i have never hunted in, Ark and MO. Did not get a deer in either place, but saw some beautiful country.
I got another chance in ARK, so hopefully I can use at least one of the 6 deer tags in my pocket!
Bisch
I have had more deer in bow range this year than any other. None have come home with me yet but I still have plenty of season.
Had two Bobcats behind me. One very close,12 yards at one point,and the other further down the ravine. Got to watch the closer one try to catch a Chipmunk then walk out a 40' dead Hemlock, stretch and look down the ravine. It made my season.
Good Hunting,
Craig
First year with a recurve had a great encounter with a small buck however my college buddy coming to visit for a duck hunt was great. Good times with great company doing anything in the outdoors is always great!
Got my first trad whitetail a couple weeks back. What made it exceptionally special for me was I did it with gear that I made. Bow and arrows both! I finished the arrows 2 days before I went hunting with them.
Up here in the Pacific NW, it is the scenery for me. Late season starts up on the 22nd and I'm getting pumped! Love being in the woods. :thumbsup:
Other than filling a tag this year, Have to be spending time in the blind with my wife holding a camera instead of a bow. Watching her get up everyday and getting after it. Trying to kill her first deer with an arrow. The last week has been some of the greatest moments spent with her since we married. Watching the sunrise and sunsets while bucks an does prowl just out of her range.
The weekend that my soulbrother Hubert came to visit me! We see eachother only once or twice a year. We went to a 3D shoot and had a blast! Afterwards we had a nice dinner and since the weather was so great, we stayed in the garden afterward, sipping some wines away and talking about archery.... At a certain moment we realized it was 04.30 and time for bed! That was a great day!
Earlier this season I was sitting on stand right at daylight. I had a gigantic barred owl land on a limb not 3 feet away and just hang out with me for a minute. I very gently clicked on my gopro and got footage of the whole thing. He finally looked at me, and gave a series of long, haunting hoots, as if to say "good luck, from one hunter to another." He flew off and I scored my first traditional harvest a few hours later.
I will never forget the experience.
Cool thread, Craig.
Jake
Great post Craig,
My buddy Mark got lured into helping me drag a Kansas doe a good 1/2 mile through one of the nastiest storms I've yet experienced. Mark calls it "mean rain"! Lightning, thunder and raining sideways. 200 yards this way, through the stream, up the sand based hill from hell, over the fence, across the field, over another fence......almost there buddy.....
He could have waited in the truck but opted to help me get her out.... :clapper: Thanks Mark
.
Baiting in this guy on my own property. Didn't get him but have plans already in place for next year. After baiting ended there was still a week of bear hunting available. Hunting from one of my deer stands he walked out about 6 yards from me in an area where I had no shooting lanes so I just watched him eat acorns for 45 minutes about 60 yards away. That day just made my resolution to get him next year a goal i am already working on.
(http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a322/Arrowworks/Bear11hellipomg_zpsfa511592.jpg) (http://s14.photobucket.com/user/Arrowworks/media/Bear11hellipomg_zpsfa511592.jpg.html)
Getting the phone call from my wife as I was pulling up to work yesterday that the "big buck" finally showed himself. Hadn't seen much this whole year on my property outside of lots of does, fawn, couple of spikes and a little 6 point. She saw him from the kitchen window walking around the pool and heading to one of my treestands.
I asked her how big and she said "At least 4 points on each side." We always get a big breeder buck each year however I rarely get shots at them.
Season isn't done yet, I guess the best part was having a button buck work his way to 6-8 yards while I sat with my longbow in my Ghillie coat. He fed there for what seemed like an hour but was only a few minutes. Upon leaving he offered a shot, I took it and missed at 15-17 yards. Even missing , it was neat. :goldtooth:
Highlight of my season was sitting in a 2 man buddy stand with my 8 year old son.....just me and him hangin out chit chatting....enjoying what we both love to do the most. Also getting to watch him harvest his biggest buck yet was a blast...he gets so excited....the shaking...talking 90 miles an hour...." I got him dad, I got em " Lol....I love every minute of it!!
Had the best elk season in years. No elk meat in the freezer, but lots of close encounters, including a feeding cow at 5 yards, and a cow being chased by a bull that came very close. The weather was typical September in the mountains, the elk were abundant, and the other hunters were few and far between. All the elk I encountered were in heavy timber, which made for good times. Lots of "just 2 more steps" situations, and one killed lodgepole pine that stepped in front of my one and only shot. Did kill a grouse, which was a bonus and something I hadn't done in a few years.
Two fall turkeys and a doe since then, so I would say that this season is a real success.
Played cat and mouse with a 4pt.Didn,t get to draw on him but learned some more this season hunting on the ground.Didn,t see a lot of deer this fall but the encounters I had will be remembered forever. Maybe next season I can make it happen on the ground.
So far I grunted in a good 9 pt buck (that I missed) and had him inside of 40 yards for 25+ minutes before he offered me a shot. I had a great time watching him.
I have two... First is having a small doe almost walk into me while I was wearing my ghillie suit. She spooked and then stood 8 yards away broadside, looking away. I drew and just laughed. She finally walked away.
Second was having my son, home from college, help me drag a 200lb 6pointer out of the woods. Priceless memories for both of us. The deer died in a creek at the bottom of a steep ravine! We were toasted after we got it out and field dressed! :thumbsup:
I'm still hunting so.... anything could happen at any time yet. There has been so much all ready. Time in the woods with my buddy, saw a huge bobcat cross a ridge in front of me, a buck on the ground, lots of rut activity...... more to come I'm sure.
Had a great year and so much to be thankful for. My youngest informed me I will be a grandpa in the very near future. Had the pleasure to go to West Texas for the first time and hunt with the Wensel bros. Shot my first javelina and wild hog. This fall had the pleasure of shooting and hunting with my brother in the Yooper where a nice 8pt fell to my longbow.
This will go down as the season I swallowed my flashlight and spent a morning in the ER.
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=140877;p=1#000000
Shot a buck, went to get a blind friend who I promised I would get him to the polls to vote with me (Nov. 4th). We voted then he asked to go with me to see if we could find the deer. We did he helped me drag the deer, lift into truck and went with me to butcher. He is 75 yrs old, blind but always positive. Made my special day more special and shared a great memory with me. I will not forget that day.
Monkeyball great idea for a thread...
Several wildlife sightings have been nice, but overall, one of my favorite happenings each year is that smell of the woods in the fall.
We added another Archer to our family in Oct, grandbaby #3
River Elizabeth Skinner, 9lbs 8oz 21 inches. She is a P&Y in my book, I think she will be able to handle one of my bows soon :)
(http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n274/JackSkinner/IMG_0471.jpg) (http://s114.photobucket.com/user/JackSkinner/media/IMG_0471.jpg.html)
That is awesome Jack,congratulations!
Good Hunting,
Craig
The high light of my season (reason than my first trad deer) was hunting the entire season thus far with only my trad bow. I told myself this was the year to do it and I've stuck to it. From here on out it won't be so hard.
Unfortunately the latest weather swing has put a huge damper in my plans so I need to come up with a Plan B to hopefully fill my buck tag