2005 - The year that was WOULDA SHOULDA COULDA...

[Roy]

LAST EDITED ON Dec-28-05 AT 11:49AM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Dec-28-05 AT 11:47?AM (MST)

Everybody posts their sucess stories in the other forums so I thought the campfire would be the perfect place to start a thread about the one that got away. So go ahead, pull up a chair and tell us your "UN"success stories for 2005. I'll start...

Well first off, I live a long way from home (Utah) in Texas where there is plenty of good hunting but most of it is a long way away and there are virtually no public spaces that are good for hunting so you must lease land and it doesn't come cheap. Well, I am a Ph.D. student at UT Austin (HOOK 'EM HORNS!) and expenses are tight so there is no way that I can afford to have a hunting lease so to hunt deer, I do have a friend who is on a lease and every once in a while he invites me to go out there. Well this year, the only time I could get away was last week. Being that I am a student and I live in an apartment and I don't have a gun safe, I don't have any of my guns here. I should have brought them when I first moved here, but for some reason I didn't and my 30.06 and shotgun are at my dad's house in his safe. So I had to borrow a gun from my buddy. We went out the night before and saw plenty of deer (whitetail of course - Central, TX) but it was dark and we didn't get a chance to shoot the guns at all to see if they were sighted in, however he informed me that his was a few months ago. Well I was uncomfortable with that fact but I had to trust him so we put out some corn and checked out the stands and headed home to return in the morning. It was clear as a bell when we left and you could see the whole milky way. The next morning we got a little later start than we wanted but that was OK - a thick fog had set in and we couldn't see further than 30 - 40 yards. I got set up in the stand just before it was light enough to shoot and waited. After about 20 minutes, a doe and two fawns, one a little buck with about 1 inch nubs appeared right out of the fog and came up and began feeding right beneath the stand about 20 yards away. I didn't have a doe tag so I let them meander and hoped a buck would joing them. Then, the fog began to lift a little and I could see about 75 yards away, and sure enough another bunch of does and fawns were feeding just south of me, but no bucks there either. After about 2 hours I decided that I needed to take advantage of the fog and see if I could sneak down to another stand where we had seen a nice buck the night before. It was about 9AM so I climbed out of the stand and made my way around the edge of the field to the other stand and sure enough, there were some does feeding near the edge of the trees. The fog was really lifting now and I could see about 400 yards away with the naked eye. However, it was still hanging in the heavy grass near the edge of the trees and about 550 yards I could barely make out one deer hanging back in the trees through my binoculars but couldn't yet pick it up through the 3-7X scope on my buddy's gun. Soon I could see he was a pretty nice buck - probably 110" so I decided I should make an effort for him. The only problem was I was in the middle of a field with almost no cover and had about 300 yards to cover to get a decent shot. The doe in the open hadn't seen me yet but I knew she was the one I had to worry about. The wind was in my face so I had a chance. I started my stalk and tried to get into a position behind a big oak tree where I didn't have to belly crawl all the way and still be out of sight of the doe. I figured I could cover the ground faster that way so I started out slowly. I made it to the tree without an alarm and I could now see the buck through the scope but I didn't have a clear shot so I needed to get in closer. He was about 350 yards away and they hadn't seen me. I started out on my knees but I didn't get another 10 yards and the doe saw me, I froze and got ready for a shot, I knew she was about to bolt and about two seconds later she put it into high gear and bounded off. The buck came out of the trees and stopped for about half a second. It was my only chance for a shot so I took it but it was hurried and I was moving quite a bit and I missed clean. I took another shot as he was running that was worse than the first and then they were in the trees and gone. I went in vain to check for blood but I knew I hadn't even touched him so I looked around for a few minutes and determined the deer had left the property where we were hunting so I had to give it up for the day. Later, we shot the gun and it was shooting about 5 inches high and about 1 inch to the right at about 100 yards, so it was no wonder I missed. Well, I was mad - but not because I missed but because I knew that if I had my own gun, I never would have missed. So I will never hunt with a borrowed rifle again, the first opportunity I have to get a small safe I will and I will get my guns here and next year, I won't be on the WOULDA SHOULDA COULDA post! Story of my life!

OK - Your turn - let's hear it!
ROY

 

[Chef]

Great post!

I've got a good one from this past season too.

This was my second elk hunt in Colorado. I had passed on a small bull and several cows and this was my final day to hunt. Being from AZ, the change in elevation really had taken its toll on my lungs and muscles. I was beat and tired when I arose early in the morning and trekked on foot, about two miles from camp. After several hours, I was at a snails pace, following an overgrown fire access road along a steep mountainside.

Now let us backtrack two days prior. I was in the same vicinity when walked under a tree to hear an angry squirrel barking away at me. I found it funny that he was so hysterical about the whole situation. I also made note that he stopped barking just as soon as I was out of his immediate area. I kept hunting and ran into a nice muley buck later in the day? with no deer tag.

Fast forward to me walking along that overgrown dirt road. I was tired and now, thirsty. I found a log along the trail that made a perfect resting place. It offered a nice view of the scenic surroundings, so I walked towards it and sat down. I took a drink and took a deep breath, only to be interrupted by another angry squirrel. This time however, it was in a tree about fifteen yards in front of me, I found that odd. I tried to make out the squirrel and finally found it atop it's home of a burnt treetop. He kept barking away at the BASE of the tree, again, I found that odd. I lifted my binoculars and got a crystal clear picture of the little guy against the awesome backdrop of the blue sky. He just kept barking away.

By now I was feeling rested and quite annoyed. I reached in my pocket and pulled out my camera. I zoomed in as far as I could and as I viewed the image on the digital camera, I decided the pic wouldn't come out good. So I put it away. I raised my scoped rifle and viewed the squirrel (still barking) setting the reticle on him. I contemplated shooting him. I decided against it and now contemplated shooting the tree to scare the heck out of him. Again, I decided against it.

Feeling rested and ready to keep hunting I stood up and took a deep breath. The squirrel kept chirping away. As I took a few steps along my merry way, my blood pressure dropped at what I heard next.

The sound of trampling hoofs against soft soil running away and downhill from me. I immediately knew what it was. Either a large mule deer or an elk. It could be nothing else. I quickly bugled through my tube and ran downhill to see if I could, by some chance, cut it off. ?Nothing.

So now I stand there, breathless, kicking myself. All along, that little squirrel was barking, not at me?but at what was at the base of his tree. A lesson I had learnt only two days prior. I was too tired and flustered to go back to see what I could find at the base of that tree. I had run quite a distance, downhill, and at this elevation I was no fan of climbing back up just for that.

If only I had glassed the base of that tree better. What if I had shot at the squirrel or the tree? Was there a bull there all along looking at me, standing his ground? I ask myself these questions to this day.

That's hunting.



Chef
"I Love Animals...They're Delicious!"

 

[MichaelJ]

WoW, talk about bringing back a memory I wanted to forget! lol Here goes...

Here in Wenatchee WA we had a 13 day season. Where as the rest of the state had only a 8 day season. I attend the community college and get out of class at 2 (usually). So during this last week of hunting, I kept all my gear in my truck and skipped my last class a few times to go out hunting. I was gonna get my buck!

Well, it was thursday. The day before the season ended, and my last chance. We were leaving in the morning for our elk hunt down near Walla Walla and it was now or never. I'd been studying maps of the entiat for a couple of days trying to find an area that was atleast 2 miles from anyroad. I figured with the pressure, they would move into some remote areas away from all the road hunters. So I found a likely area, got out of class and headed out.

As I stepped out of the truck at the end of the road, I was eagerly studying the terrain. Hmmmm... "Nice and steep access, but looks like some finger ravines leading down to a creek. This could be good." I hiked up the hill and saw a doe at the top "Hey atleast there are some deer in here." I thought to myself. After gaining the top I picked a side of the ridge I was on, and started down slowly. Soon I busted out a spike and two does from my right. I parallelled them down the ridge, and then they decided to leave. I sat down a little ways off the skyline to wait out the evening. Catching glimpses of the spike and does every now and then.

Glassing the ridge in front of me (about 200 yards away,) I notice a burnt stump that sure looked wierd. right as the sun dipped behind the mountains I hear a faint "crunch, crunch, crunch". Something's moving either down below me working it's way up, or something is coming directly at me from over the far ridge. I kept hearing it intermittenly for about 30 minutes, then nothing. After not hearing anything for 45 minutes and with only 1/2 hour of shooting light left I decide to get up and get a different view trying to see the culprit of the noise.

I get up, shoulder my pack, sling my rifle. Take one last look...and "man, that burnt stump looks really wierd. Why?" I look through my binos and "holy chit!" there's a buck standing there looking right at me! He's about 20" wide, maybe 17" tall, and I don't know if he's legal or not. He's already got me pegged, so I nonchalantly laydown and shoulder my rifle. Great, now he's in the trees, I got a crappy rest, and he's still looking at me not giving me a look at his headgear. Then, he takes two steps and is gone. I wait for him to come out the other side, no deal. I make a quick stalk over there, only to find he traveled down and out of the valley.

If I would've stayed there at the tree for 10 more seconds, I would've seen him and he would've never of known I was there! Man, I was so close!!!! I hunted 9 days out of the 13 day season, 7 of them were solo and I had a blast. Sorry for the longwinded post.

Michael

Michael~All Gods creatures welcome... right next to the mashed potatoes and gravy.

 

[HunterHarry]

I haven't healed up enough to relive the pain.
Long story short?
The two most incredible bucks I have seen in my life(I mean true freaking monsters!)trotting through the timber.
A clean miss at about 100 yards.
I gotta go throw up now....
HH

 

[Dmanmastertracker]

Three seasons ago I was at my usual haunt near Republic and we made our September trip over scouting a month earlier when I found a really large, fresh rub on top of an obscure hill that was hard to get to. I went back opening morning and started hiking uphill from the rub at first light. I went about 400 yards and finall topped out, looking accross a small ravine when I heard a snort back in the trees accross the ravine. I saw deer start to rise off the ground, but they were too far to tell what was up top. I skirted along the ridge and slowly came over it about where I had seen them and I was right in the middle of them, a two point and some does scampered over this rocky spike and I instantly saw a huge deer break off from them and start running through the trees left to right. I got on a rock to get a better shot and knew that the buck (that was at least 6" out past both ears and 5X5) would have to cross a little gap in the trees, but he stopped right before the gap behind a little tree. I then thought he had gone down behind the tree, but after over a minute I saw him turn his head behind the tree and he darted through the opening as I snapped off a clean miss. Two days later I missed another 5X5 about 24" and went home early too pissed to hunt anymore.

 

[150fighter]

Well I guess I'll add my story from this year.

My dad and I were going to go hunting elk right after school ended, so the night before we loaded up all of our stuff, including our camo clothes.

So my dad picks me up from school, I was just in gym so I was still wearing my gym clothes, a t-shirt and bright red shorts. So we go to our elk spot and get changed. One problem, I forgot my camo pants at home! So here I am wearing a camo shirt with bright red shots. Of course we were like "oh crap, now what?" Since I didn't have pants we decided just to drive around and see if we could find an elk on the road.

But as soon as we decided that, we heard an elk bugle, not 200 yards away. Of course I wanted an elk, so my dad and I chased after the elk. Where we were, the willows had lost all their leaves and every stick jabbed into your skin. So after about 100 yards my whole legs were now red, instead of just my shorts.

My dad then started calling the elk with the hoochie mama call and we got a response, the bull was close now! So my dad stayed behind while I went up to a decent spot to see if I could spot the elk. But of course I'm still a newbie at hunting, so I'm just thrashing around the bush trying to find a good spot and the bull knows where I was.

I finally find a good spot to sit down and immediately I see him. So I line up on him with my rifle and count his points to see if he was a 6 point (in this region the bull needs to have at least 6 points on one side). But since he's looking right at me and my red legs, I can't tell if he has 5 or 6 points!

After about 5 minutes of me trying to figure out how many points this guy had and the elk trying to figure out what the heck I was, he had enough and ran away. As soon as he whirled his head to take off, I counted 6 points, but by then it was too late. I guessing this elk would have scored 300", dang nice for my first elk.

Oh well, next year he'll be even bigger!!!