Biggest Hunting Accomplishment? So far? Future?

[tomcat]

I have been fortunate to hunt a lot in my lifetime, mostly alone. Finding anyone who wants to hunt like I do has been difficult. The few guys I know that hunt the West won't consider going unguided, and I can't afford to go any other way. In 2013 I drew a good Elk tag in Wyoming and assumed I would be hunting alone. But, I asked my wife (a non-hunter) if she would like to go along. Surprisingly she said yes. Best trip I ever had.
I really didn't expect her to last very long, and thought I would be buying her a plane ticket after a couple of days. She surprised me by making every step I made. Ultimately, her encouragement helped me to be successful on a great 7x7. I can honestly say that she was more excited than I was.
I know that a lot of you guys enjoy time away from home life when you are hunting and I do too. I still got that and more. I got a hunting partner that wants to do it like I do and I didn't have to feel guilty about leaving her at home.
Her friends don't know what to think about it and neither do mine, but while they shake their heads, we are planning our next trip. So I guess my greatest accomplishment as a hunter has been to introduce my wife of 35 years to what we all love and enjoy seeing her love it too.
One more thing. How many guys can say that at 56 their wife can help them pack out an elk and look good doing it. I can.

 

[Retterath]

=BucksnBulls, I live in mobridge

 

[tdcour]

My most memorable moment so far was in 2010 when I killed my first deer with my bow. He was no monster, but I couldn't have been happier for my first bow kill. My dad and I had been hunting hard for about a week and had downed some decent rifle bucks. We had a day and a half to hunt with my bow to see if I could get my first deer. We had to start heading home about noon on the last day and before we left, we decided to check one more spot before we got on the road. We spotted a deer and the stalk was on. I snuck into 35 yards from the deer and waited for him to stand up from the ditch he was laying in so I could get a shot. My dad hung back at around 150 yards. The deer finally stood up and looked the opposite way from where I was crouched. I had no cover, so its a good thing he looked the right direction! A double-lung shot later and the deer had tipped over within sight. As soon as the deer hit the dirt I heard my dad hollering and by the time I had turned around he was on his feet jumping up in the air pumping his fist. I was excited about my deer, but I can honestly say that dad seemed a lot more excited than I was! He has always encouraged us and taught us about hunting and ethics, and I can't wait until I have the chance to be that excited for my child.

 

[Retterath]

tdcour nice job and great to hear you and your dad share some awesome time in the field together. With out dads like that who knows what we would be doing.

 

[packmule]

My biggest hunting accomplishment is more of a management achievement goal than me actually pulling the trigger on something. We acquired a place that had been leased to the state for public hunting and after running surveys on it decided that it had been shot out pretty good. Since most of our friends are off on trips all hunting season chasing animals in other states, we thought it would be good to turn the place into something where their kids would be able to hunt since they couldn't be gone from school for weeks at a time. Since 2005, I've turned that place from a property that you'd be lucky to see a handful of deer over the course of a 3 month season to a place where the kids are pretty much guaranteed to see several bucks in the 5-8yo range that score very well for the area. One of the kids is 13 and has 2 P&Y bucks, 2 shot with a rifle over 150 and 3 in the 140s. Waiting for my kiddo to hit hunting age so he can help run up the taxidermy bill!

 

[istahill]

For me hands down had to be my 2011 bull elk. First elk I'd ever put down. Late season hunt in Colorado outside of Gunnison with my Dad, temps well below 0 at night and barely above double digits in the day. Worked my butt off fighting the snow and was rewarded when this beautiful 6X6 bull walks out infront of me in a park and stops broadside at 300 yards. I was so excited I didn't even try to move in closer, I dropped down to prone ranged him to make sure I had the distance right and sent my round down range. Now I've got a beautiful european mount hanging over my mantle (much to the wife's displeasure). As for the future I've got 3 hunts this year that I'm hoping to be successful on. First spring turkey, first antelope, and bull elk with a bow!

 

[Timberstalker]

My hunt has to be my 2011 Oregon Rocky Bighorn hunt, solo. It was in Hells canyon country in the NE part of the state where the top elevation is around 5200' and the hunting is down hill from there, clear down to the river at 1200'. The weather was HOT, water and sheep were scarce. I endoured dehydration and a wildfire while I was there, tough conditons. I finnaly got it done on the 17th day, I spotted him at over a mile away and ended up stalking in on him and shooting him at 18 yards. I will never forget that hunt and the sence of accompishment. I was fortunate enough to have the hunt story publish in EHJ 132, the 25th anniversary DIY issue, something I am extremely proud of. The story in the magazine was very short compared to the actuall hunt, as I'm sure most are.

 

[6mm Remington]

I've managed to kill a few decent animals in my short adult life, but nothing has been more gratifying then having my 3 year old daughter begging me to take her hunting last fall. It was cold and raining, she was wearing tennis shoes and sweat pants but we managed to hike a good half mile from a road and sit down and glass a little. The highlight was when she finally picked out a deer that had been staring at us. "Dad there is a deer, shoot it I'm hungry!" I couldn't have been happier.

That's awesome!! Neat picture. When my son was little say around the age of 5 I had a pair of Burris binoculars that he used and he called them EYE BUBBLES. Pretty cute. Lots of great memories like that one. Love to see the kids out!!

 

[6mm Remington]

Great stories 6MM!!!!!

Thanks to you, Bucksnbulls, and kesand72.

David

 

[bigmoose]

My biggest accomplishment would have to be getting my Godson, Mike on a big B&C muley. We have hunted together for many years and I have mentored him on becoming a big buck hunter. He has tried to raise his game every year, holding out for something bigger. He has been a quick study, especially after pulling the trigger on a lesser buck once.

We were hunting Colorado in 2004 and he had passed up several bucks during the hunt. A couple were 26-28 " and still he held off the trigger. It got down to the last day. Everyone had punched their tags and it was just him left. I told him I'd go with him in the morning. We went back to one of my "spots". It was clear and cold and nothing was moving. We slipped over the mountain into a small basin that I'd passed up a big buck in earlier. We no sooner got there when I spotted a big buck bedded below us about 250 yards away. He was facing us and Mike had no shot. So we got the sticks out and waited the buck out. The longer we looked at him the more points we found. Mike stayed on the buck the whole time, probably 30 minutes or so. Finally I saw another smaller 4 point buck walking into the top of the basin. This new buck started raking his antlers on some brush. I told Mike to get ready as his buck would hear the noise and maybe stand up. I no sooner said that when the big buck stood up and turned broadside. Mike shot once and down went the buck. What a buck he turned out to be! We had no idea he was this big! He was a 6X6, 30 1/2 inches wide, grossing 232 B&C.

Mike is very private about his buck and but I don't think he'll mind me posting this photo.

 

[velvetfvr]

My biggest accomplishment would have to be getting my Godson, Mike on a big B&C muley. We have hunted together for many years and I have mentored him on becoming a big buck hunter. He has tried to raise his game every year, holding out for something bigger. He has been a quick study, especially after pulling the trigger on a lesser buck once.

We were hunting Colorado in 2004 and he had passed up several bucks during the hunt. A couple were 26-28 " and still he held off the trigger. It got down to the last day. Everyone had punched their tags and it was just him left. I told him I'd go with him in the morning. We went back to one of my "spots". It was clear and cold and nothing was moving. We slipped over the mountain into a small basin that I'd passed up a big buck in earlier. We no sooner got there when I spotted a big buck bedded below us about 250 yards away. He was facing us and Mike had no shot. So we got the sticks out and waited the buck out. The longer we looked at him the more points we found. Mike stayed on the buck the whole time, probably 30 minutes or so. Finally I saw another smaller 4 point buck walking into the top of the basin. This new buck started raking his antlers on some brush. I told Mike to get ready as his buck would hear the noise and maybe stand up. I no sooner said that when the big buck stood up and turned broadside. Mike shot once and down went the buck. What a buck he turned out to be! We had no idea he was this big! He was a 6X6, 30 1/2 inches wide, grossing 232 B&C.

Mike is very private about his buck and but I don't think he'll mind me posting this photo.

Now that is a monster!!!!

 

[Retterath]

Bigmoose, nice job on helping out your grandson that is a great accomplishment. Wow that deer is huge!!!

 

[dihardhunter]

4 for 4 on archery bull elk by myself and 3 buddies in 2012 - OTC unit, DIY in SW Colorado 2012. Heading back this year for an encore!

 

[Fish]

Shooting a real decent buffalo on my hunt in Zambia

 

[rcfireninja]

My biggest accomplishment so far was a 149 2/8 whitetail I took with my bow in 2012. Having one of my sons track it down was a great thrill watching him get closer and yell when he found it. In the future I hope to take a bull elk with a bow and help my kids all take their first big game animals.

 

[BKC]

View attachment 9015

My biggest accomplishment so far was a 149 2/8 whitetail I took with my bow in 2012. Having one of my sons track it down was a great thrill watching him get closer and yell when he found it. In the future I hope to take a bull elk with a bow and help my kids all take their first big game animals.

ninja, good buck, Nice long tines on that whitetail.

 

[j.krop]

wow, great question! Pushing myself to achieve personal goals is awsome. my greatest accomplishments in hunting though, guiding my wife and sons when they harvasted there first big game animals. Hands down the best for me!

 

[rcfireninja]

Thanks BKC!

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk

 

[2rocky]

I'm hoping the best is yet to come!

But so far, killing a P&Y Tule elk on a DIY hunt is probably my biggest "animal killed" accomplishment.

But really being able to hunt deer and elk with my father and uncle out of state every year since 2005 is pretty cool.
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Helping my daughter kill her first deer on the Family Ranch (First deer killed on the ranch in 5 generations) speaks well to the habitat work we have done.

But having my little daughter want to shoot 3d with me after work has got to be the most special feeling of my life.