QuoteOriginally posted by mangonboat:
Bob, sorry that you were sick through the season..there was some nasty stuff going around last fall. But your post reminded me that maybe the best answer is that the grandest animal I saw last season is the one whose body feeds my family this winter, and you certainly got that one.

Thanks mangnonboat, and you do make a very good point.    


Bob

This lasts year I saw more bucks with good racks than in all the prior 20 years.  Yet, everyone had a reason that I could not shoot him.  I did take 2 smaller ones so there is meat in the freezer.
I did get to stare at a TEN point buck for at least a 1/2 hr as he fed near my stand entirely undisturbed by me: I had just shot my buck (small) for the season that morning.  Dang. Never saw one before on the hoof and didn't even know that they were in the vicinity.

Best buck I saw all season, too bad it was on my way home instead of from my stand!!

Tree killer, that's truly magnificent!

While mule deer hunting in Wyoming got close to a 6x6 elk....never been that close to one before. What majestic creatures!

Tree Killer, that is a real old warrior. Great picture.

the 6x6 elk that i shot in Montana - beautiful 330 class elk.  First one for me and absolutely majestic!!!!

not the massive animals you guys saw but just as impressive to me. so, the grandest animals I laid eyes on last year....

1st. a BIG bobcat chasing a fox squirrel. amazing to watch and very entertaining until the squirrel went up a tree and the cat lunged for him hitting a barbed wire strand full speed. sorta shook him for a bit. never saw him again.

2nd. 2 coyotes paired up on a hunting mission on my farm. one black and the other brintle colored. even though I trap, call and shoot every one I can they are an awesome animal. they normally only make one mistake in their life and it's usually the one that kills them.

Ron, that ram is amazing! I can only dream about sending a shaft through one.

My buddy and I have been after this dude for three years now. We each have had some encounters with him on a few occasions. I am happy to say my buddy killed him this past November finally.

My "grandest animal" for last year is easy. It was the black bear that came and sat down less than 10 feet away from me, on my right side while I was ground hunting bears. He sat directly downwind of me, and decided not to give me a chance to slip an arrow between his ribs. Nevertheless, as soon as he was out of sight, I had to sit down again because the adrenaline rush that he gave me had replaced my legs with jello. I don't know how much he weighed, but I know that his head was the same height as mine while I was sitting on my Walmart stool.

He's gonna be the tippy-top of my list for quite a while!

John and I were in Alaska back in September and watched a 70+ bull out about 6 miles away.  He was around the area for 3 days and every time you saw him it was a real WOW moment.

Too far to go after but great to see.

Mike

not last year but this was pretty cool

I had a 150" class 10 point pass me out of range in early October. At fifty yards, the mass of his beams were the most noticeable feature of his rack. Great mass.
I saw him a second time in early November as he followed a doe about seventy-five yards away from me. With nothing to lose, I tried to "wheeze" him away from her. He stared in my direction, but the doe didn't care for it and trotted back the way they came from, taking him with her. Never saw him again, but he was a great buck for our heavily-hunted public ground.

This was the largest buck I laid eyes on last year and my 14 year old son was the one lucky enough to get the 20 yard shot with his new compound.  It was his second buck he ever took in as many years bowhunting; to say he was estatic was an understatement.  It was around 2" larger than any buck I have taken, so he now has official bragging rights around the house!       I was able to hear the shot (I was down the hill from him 40 yds)and see this big beast fleeing the scene.  When I walked up to my son he was shaking tremendously and almost in tears with excitement....what an incredible morning he and I will never forget.  AWESOME!!!

quote:

---

Originally posted by Longbow917:
 
This was the largest buck I laid eyes on last year and my 14 year old son was the one lucky enough to get the 20 yard shot with his new compound.  It was his second buck he ever took in as many years bowhunting; to say he was estatic was an understatement.  It was around 2" larger than any buck I have taken, so he now has official bragging rights around the house!    

Bob