The dumb/stupid things we do chasing game...

[257Roberts]

Back in the mid 80's I was trapping some. On this particular day we were expecting a load of cattle in so I was checking traps extra early. My wife, 8 months pregnant at the time, wanted to ride along. Checking Coyote traps in ranch country is mostly riding in a PU.
Pulled up on a Coyote I got out with my trusty 22 and shot not once but 3 times!! Let me say I've dispatched many Coyote with that little rifle but I had no idea what was happening.... I had one more round in the ash tray so I put it in and BAM! Coyote went down. Finally I thought. I bent over to take the coyotes paw out of the trap, my wife had got out of the PU by this time. Its still early morning dark... I reached down a grabbed both the coyotes hind legs and hefted him up in the headlights...he was a big coyote...my wife said so... But when I looked down I noticed his head was turned and looking up at me!!! Of course I let him go! And he took off. We had cattle coming so we went back and unloaded cattle. About noon I went back to that same location to see if I could pick up a blood trail. No luck. I'm not sure I can really explain what happened that morning. I have trapped and shot many Coyote since with the same 22??? I'm also not sure who was more bewildered me or the coyote !

 

[CrimsonArrow]

Well, this fall I had a bear tag, and was lucky enough to put an arrow through a good size bear. After examining the arrow, I realized I had shot him in the liver. Waited about an hour, then started tracking. I wasn't real familiar with the property, and after a hundred yards, found myself eye to eye with the wounded bear in some tag alders. Luckily he went away from me, and I followed him, hoping for a follow up shot. At one point, I was literally neck deep in a boggy creek with the bear struggling just 15 yards in front of me. Finally, I see the bear pull himself out of the water and onto dry land and its getting dark. That's when common sense got the best of me, and I decided to come back the next morning. Spent several days looking for blood or bear with my dog, never found a thing. Such a bummer because I knew it was a fatal hit.

 

[Daubs]

Pulling this to the top...

 

[go_deep]

Just last Friday while I was in Wisconsin bear hunting we went in to help a lady who shot her first bear. After a short track job we found it, still alive. With the swamp grass, and brush we were at about 6' from it. The second shot hit it's mark, but the bear charged us still. My brother and the shooter ended up rolling hard left, the shooters husband dove hard right, and I ended up getting blown over backwards. I envision the bear looking like a bowling ball, and us the pins. In the end the bear ended up died about 20' away from the finishing shot, a few scratches, bruises, and one heck of a good story, memories for life.

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Archery Deer hunting in Az.high country.We always carry a bear tag.Back then $5.partner came back to camp white as a ghost.He said,Big Bear down there...Face to Face with a huge black Bear.He told God he would never hunt again!After 2 beers and a couple shots of Jack he proclaimed...I meant I would never hunt again "Today".