Let's hear from some real hunters

[Tristate]

Hope you guys had a great weekend. I was away working on a habitat project. Of course I had a little time to think while I was walking around spraying and I thought this would be a great subject this week.

I know we all like to imagine ourselves as perfect killers with unquestionable ethics as we look down our noses at the trials and failures of our fellow hunter. So I thought this could be a great thread to show our human sides and share our experiences so we could all get a few lessons and laughs from each other's failures and ethical shortcomings.

I'll start.

Two years ago in Zimbabwe hunting cape buffalo I shot a buffalo bull with a .405 winchester shooting 400 grain solids. The first shot hit him high in the shoulder. He ran angling towards us and to the right. As he ran past us I shot him two more times. As the dust settled we stood quietly listening. We heard a moan come from the direction he ran. We walked over and there was a dead cow. Where the bull was standing at the first shot she was behind him and no one out of 4 people there could see her. The high shoulder shot passed through him and tumbled after exiting. The bullet actually struck her flat sideways as it tumbled and penetrated no more than maybe four inches. But in that four inches was a major artery that bled her dry in under 50 meters.

We recovered her and returned to follow up on the bull. We tracked him until dark and left him until the next morning. He died in his bed that night from his wounds and we recovered him the next day.
Fire away but I encourage you to share when similar things have happened to you.

 

[tx_packmule]

Honest mistake if her head didn't explode.

 

[Deerlove]

I remember when I was like 8 my hunters ed teacher taught me a few things, one Always treat a gun as if it's loaded, and two Know your target and whats BEHIND it.

 

[Tristate]

Cool post Deerlove. If that was the case Teddy Roosevelt would have never killed a buffalo on track in Africa. To be %100 sure of what's behind your target on a buff you have to walk over there behind him and look. But your safety guy did a great job putting that in your head.

So go ahead and share a shooting blunder with us. If you have a lot of hunting experience you must know some story you can share with us.

 

[junior]

I think the worst mistake I ever made, was when I was 16 years old. I come back from deer hunting and had walked back to the truck. Dad and I were parked side by side on an old woods road. I open the door of my truck and laid the old hawkens muzzle loader on the seat. Pulled back the hammer to remove the cap! I'm sure you can guess the rest!
Yea, right thru my passenger door, and thru both of dads! Thank god no one else was near!

 

[Tristate]

That's a tough one Junior. I have had a couple of AD's over the years. Neither of mine cost as much as yours but when it happens it sure puts a knot in my stomach. Hope the Hawken get's blooded this next fall. Thanks for sharing.

 

[elkassassin]

OK Tri!

Mine is a True/No BS Story!

Many Years ago!

And 30 Minutes of Light Left!

I've throwed My Pack Down For a Rest & Laying Prone!

The Rocky Hill I'm Laying On has a Slight Curvature to it!

I Can See the Bucks Body with it's Head Down Feeding & He Just don't wanna Raise His Head!

The Body is Good Sized & I Told Myself Several Times I Probably Should Just Shoot & Count Points later!

But That's Not How We Do it in TARDville!

Coulda Killed this Buck a 100 Times!

But I didn't want a Big Bodied PISSCUTTER!

I Kept Looking Through My Scope & Over My Scope!

I Looked over the Top of My Scope & That Bucked Jumped & Run Like a SOB in to a Pine Thicket!

I Got back on Him just as He got in to the Thicket,NICE Buck!

But I Was Ready if He Exited the Thicket!

The Second I Seen Horn & Gray coming out the other Side of the Pine Thicket I Squoze the Trigger!

Then The Buck that Run in to the Thicket came out Behind/after I Shot the Buck I Shot!

The Buck I Shot I Consider a PISSCUTTER,Not a Bad Buck,but not like the 30"ER that came out of the Thicket behind the Buck I Shot!

I'm Layin There Thinkin...............SOB!

Then the Big Buck Circles Back & Tries to get My Buck back up on His Feet!

Lots of Thoughts went through My Brain in Short Order!

Lots of Things I Coulda done Tri!

Wanna Guess what I Done Tri?

What Would You have done Tri?

(((Remember,30"ERS don't come around very often where I Hunt!)))








Back Me Off to 1,700 Yards,650 is a Little Close & I'm Not Comfortable with it!

A GUT SHOT at 1,700 Yards will Still Make Some Good BRAGGIN Rights so I Can Say I At Least Hit Him!

 

[projp]

Years ago my buddy learned that the path of the projectile is about 1.5"s lower than the line of sight when shooting across the hood of a truck.

 

[jm77]

Back in the day, I was hunting horned internets in the Absorakas of northwest Wyoming. It was a tough hunt, dealing with grizzlies everyday. On day seven, just before dark, I found a trophy horned internet in a bachelor group feeding in a glade. I laid down and took careful aim down the steep hill where the trophy internet fed.

At the shot, the big internet ran off into some trees and I heard a crash. When I went to investigate, I found a little bitty horned internet, dead by head shot. Mind you, this was a once in a lifetime Trophy Horned Internet tag. This would be the only horned internet I would ever get.

I filled my license out.

 

[Joe2Kool]

The first antelope hunt I took was guided. We were new to it and didn't really know much about it. The 4 of us killed 4 nice, 15" ish goats the first day. The outfitter mentioned a rancher wanted some does gone, and OTC doe tags were $50. Three of us bought one.

The next morning, he took us to the ranch. The first to shoot missed according to the outfitter. Goats scattered, so we went farther. To make a long story short, we killed 3 does. On the way out, someone spotted a lone doe bedded. We got within 50 yards of her and she didn't get up. She still had her head up. Although not far from death, there was nothing we could legally do at that time.

We drove the hour back to town, bought another doe tag and went back. She was dead when we got back, so we legally tagged her.

 

[hossblur]

I remember it vividly. I had just heard of a true trophy class animal, on the outskirts of town. He was well known around, yet still alive. I had attended the $fw show that year and met a truly wonderful guide, who had the ability to kill rams, regardless of location, and increase his prestige. I worshipped this guide, and found all who did not to be knuckleheads. He inspired me to show my true hunting skills, so like my hero, I too decided to build my prestige. I shot that buck, not noticing the doe behind it, its head exploding. Thinking on the fly I jumped in the john Deere, and fixed that situation. Now, I needed only mount that beautiful buck, and show it off at the annual $fw welfare dinner, and instantly, I too could be famous. But, I forgot to call the night janitor at the Price dwr office to clarify the regs, imagine my utter embarrassment! Well, now I've shared my embarrassment, I'm sure we have all been there.


"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun"

 

[theox]

Oh man where to start. Luckily I never have made a mistake in killing something I didn't have a tag for such as a doe or whatever but I made some pretty incredible misses in my days. I'm pretty susceptible to Buck fever. Most frustrated miss tho was a LE arxhery elk hunt in Utah. Second to last night of the hunt I caught up to a huge herd. In that herd was a giant bull and light was fading fast and knew I had to act. The problem was that herd stood between me and that bull including several smaller Bulls. I did the unthinkable I said F it. I basically ran through spit 250 yards of lava rock flows that stood in between us. Trying to stay low and out of sight was nearly impossible and I figured I had to take this Hail Mary as this may be my last chance and everything was going amazing I weaved my way through several small groups of elk just walking straight passed them like a ghost. I felt invisible. I couldn't believe it I was walking 20 yards from cow elk and they just stared in just as much disbelief as I was. The time I'm just think I am such a moron but with no time left I kept pushing forward til I got to about 30 yards of the big boy and I could get a clear shot. As I came up to him 4 cows stood in a clump with him I drew back as light was fading and I was reaching the fringe of legal shooting light. The cluster of elk was hard to decipher which body belonged to him I leveled my pin on what I thought was him and just couldn't quite get what I felt was 100% clean shot. I let ddown my draw and the group still hadn't known I was there as I let down the bull looked at me turned and started walking away I drew back and settled my pin on him and let it fly as I watched that arrow sail through the air and into a a small dead stump of a tree standing right in front of his vitals. My arrow smacked that stump and all hell broke loose. Elk running every which way and I sat down in awe of what just happened. I just missed a legitimate 370+ bull. I just walked past 50+ head of small satellite bulls and cows in plain sight right up to giant bull and I missed! I sometimes regret not letting that arrow fly the first time I drew back but ethically it was the right call not to shoot but selfishly I'd have likely killed that bull and may have ended up whacking a cow instead. I sat in the dark exhausted and frustrated. Now that it was dark and I was several
Miles in from my truck it was one hell of a long hike out!

 

[Tristate]

elkassassin,

That's a bummer about your deer. Count your blessings though. You got a buck and a lesson, both for you and us today. Nothing you can do in those situations but punch the tag, start skinning, and be thankful.

Theox,

Better luck next time. I've shot a few tree limbs over the years.

 

[elkassassin]

Damn Tri!

I Was Hoping Somebody would Tell Me I Shoulda Shot Both of them!









Back Me Off to 1,700 Yards,650 is a Little Close & I'm Not Comfortable with it!

A GUT SHOT at 1,700 Yards will Still Make Some Good BRAGGIN Rights so I Can Say I At Least Hit Him!

 

[Tristate]

Like I said before, I sure wish I had your optics.

 

[elkassassin]

Don't Knock My Bushnells!






Back Me Off to 1,700 Yards,650 is a Little Close & I'm Not Comfortable with it!

A GUT SHOT at 1,700 Yards will Still Make Some Good BRAGGIN Rights so I Can Say I At Least Hit Him!

 

[eelgrass]

Opening day at first light I was sitting on a rocky out crop knowing there would be hunters below pushing deer up the mountain (an old Indian trick )

Sure enough some does and a buck come running by below me headed for a brushy ravine off to my left. It was a running shot but I took it. They all disappeared into the ravine. The buck appeared up the other side of the ravine and stopped, looking and listening for the hunters below. I shot and he fell dead on the spot.

After a few minutes I headed over there and when I got into the ravine I found a dead buck laying in the creek. OOPS! Luckily I had two buck tags. My lucky day.

 

[elkassassin]

Damn it Eel!

If I Had Only Known!

I'd Of Borrowed one of your Tags & That 30"ER that I Let Go wouldn't be Haunting me today!









Back Me Off to 1,700 Yards,650 is a Little Close & I'm Not Comfortable with it!

A GUT SHOT at 1,700 Yards will Still Make Some Good BRAGGIN Rights so I Can Say I At Least Hit Him!

 

[projp]

Elk,
You are from the Basin are you not?

When I lived there we were taught two phrases.

"I was never CONVICTED of that!
and
"On or NEAR the opening"

 

[elkassassin]

Well projp!

Then You Know!

30"ERS in the Basin on a General PISSCUTTER Tag Don't Come Often!

Hate To Turn Em Loose when it Finally Does Happen!


>Elk,
>You are from the Basin are
>you not?
>
>When I lived there we were
>taught two phrases.
>
>"I was never CONVICTED of that!
>
>and
>"On or NEAR the opening"










Back Me Off to 1,700 Yards,650 is a Little Close & I'm Not Comfortable with it!

A GUT SHOT at 1,700 Yards will Still Make Some Good BRAGGIN Rights so I Can Say I At Least Hit Him!

 

[pufftuffly]

>That's a tough one Junior.
>I have had a couple
>of AD's over the years.
> Neither of mine cost
>as much as yours but
>when it happens it sure
>puts a knot in my
>stomach. Hope the Hawken
>get's blooded this next fall.
> Thanks for sharing.

Pudge, I've probably been hunting longer than you and I defiantly hunt more than you and have had ZERO accidental discharges, You're an moron who shouldn't be allowed to handle a firearm.

 

[pufftuffly]

projp, Did you do any down range spotting for any longrange shooters during your time in the Basin? Apparently it's quit popular in the Basin.

 

[eelgrass]

elkassassin, move to Kali and you can get 2 pisscutter buck tags every year too.

 

[NVBighorn]

The fact that Tri thinks you must have some missed or accidental kill horror stories to be a "real hunter" is laughable. If you hunt long enough you will have a horror story or two. They are best shared around a campfire and not on the internet. Some anti hunting internet troll who likes to stir sh!t to make others feel inferior will undoubtedly find something in those stories that suits their needs.

 

[oneshot1]

Daym...
Flock shooting,( increasing the % for FAILURE, instead of setting yourself up for success) and a history of NEGLIGENT DISCHARGE, (there are no "accident's" when handling a firearm)...

Is TriState for real??? or is he troll for the anti's???

 

[shotgunjim]

Hey Tridouche, shooting a Cape buffalo on a high fenced ranch in Texas doesn't count as going to Zimbabwe. Just sayin.

2 ADs? Turn in your guns before you kill someone. Retard.

 

[Tristate]

LAST EDITED ON Jul-27-17 AT 06:27AM (MST)[p]

Interesting to see who has a lot of real hunting experience and who is just an internet hunter.

 

[projp]

projp, Did you do any down range spotting for any longrange shooters during your time in the Basin? Apparently it's quit popular in the Basin.

Let me splain it to you.

In the the basin it was every man for his self. None of this team stuff. While road hunting if you couldn't get off two shots before your feet hit the ground (after jumping from the bed of the truck), the kids went hungry!

 

[Hunter1]

Once while waterfowling I accidentally killed an extra hen Wood Duck when she flew behind the Drake I also killed. I promptly waded in to the Cattails and used my boot to push her in to the muck.

It might sound honorable to say you didn't want to waste the meat and take it home but leaving it in the field is actually the correct answer. A Turtle, Fox, etc. may find it and not have to consume something else. If not it's fertilizer. At least, thats what a Law Enforcement Officer had told me previously.

Real enough?

 

[hossblur]

>Daym...
> Flock shooting,( increasing the %
>for FAILURE, instead of setting
>yourself up for success) and
>a history of NEGLIGENT DISCHARGE,
>(there are no "accident's" when
>handling a firearm)...
>
>Is TriState for real??? or is
>he troll for the anti's???
>


Tri is that dude that we have all been around from time to time. He knows more about everything than anyone. He's done more than anyone. He's been everywhere you have. He's seen everything. He "one ups" anything imaginable.

His stomping ground is high fenced, corn feeders, country club hunting, yet he fancies himself as Davy Crockett.

He has never met a poacher he didn't support. In fact if that poacher is "famous", the degree of hero worship crosses to groupie status. He single handedly drove last years Utah gov tag sheep debacle, by posting what was the only pic. Only he did it as praise.

You will swear u won't get sucked in, but that rock in your shoe eventually wins out.

Lastly. From what I've seen, he's an immensely talented taxidermist. Every once in a blue moon when he's not being "tri", he posts pics of his work, and it is high quality.




"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun"

 

[Tristate]

I've been needing a publicist. You're hired!

 

[pufftuffly]

>LAST EDITED ON Jul-27-17
>AT 06:27?AM (MST)
>
>
>
>Interesting to see who has a
>lot of real hunting experience
>and who is just an
>internet hunter.


Says the city boy from Houston. LMAO!!!!

 

[1911]

I wager there are far more skeletons in closets than there are people willing to talk about them.

 

[eelgrass]

>I wager there are far more
>skeletons in closets than there
>are people willing to talk
>about them.
>

Wanna talk about it 1911?

 

[Wapitiwilly]

Tri,
Hate to disappoint you but I believe "the real hunters" are sitting on the sidelines on this one.
Just sayin...?

 

[Tristate]

LAST EDITED ON Jul-29-17 AT 11:14AM (MST)[p]So you are "just sayin" you don't think elkassassin, hossblur, pufftuffly, nvbighorn, etc etc.... are real hunters????? Daaaaaaaang.

 

[Wapitiwilly]

Tri,
Those guys are "real" hunters. But their also jerking your #####!

 

[hossblur]

>LAST EDITED ON Jul-29-17
>AT 11:14?AM (MST)
>
>So you are "just sayin" you
>don't think elkassassin, hossblur, pufftuffly,
>nvbighorn, etc etc....
>are real hunters?????
> Daaaaaaaang.

Tri plays a fun game, except he forgets we know his profession. We also know he's damb good at it. Which makes his game more assinine. I guarantee he has never screwed up a mount, blamed someone else, then told the customer he's a knucklehead. I know he's never messed up a mount so bad he's dug a hole and buried it, then passed off another mount as the original. See, what tri always forgets is PROFESSIONALISM. He tries to connect WLH with some 12yr old kid in one of his fairytales. As if an amateur and a PROFESSIONAL are the same. He wants everyone to believe, a PROFESSIONAL, sponsored tv hunter, and some newby should be seen the same. The problem is, Tri is a PROFESSIONAL, and a business owner. As such, he knows good and well there is a world of difference between PROFESSIONAL and amateur, and the rules and expectations are different.

Ya TRI, if hunting high fence, in a heated blind, over a corn feeder is REAL hunting I'm good not being "real".


"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun"

 

[Tristate]

Huh?