brushbuster07

Post your best hunting picture...doesn't matter what you were hunting. Give a lil story with it if there is one...Can be a funny picture, first animal, or biggest...whatever, just post away...

Washington Hunter

How about I include several pictures, and a story included in a small article I wrote?

Success


The rain that had been pouring for the last several hours had finally quit and as I shifted my weight from one knee to the other, the puddle that had formed in my lap splashed down onto my worn leather boots. I had just turned to my good friend and hunting partner and whispered that we should be seeing action any time when, as if on cue, a tom turkey let out a gobble somewhere on the hillside in front of us. I quietly chuckled to myself as I shifted the call in my mouth to a more comfortable position. At the next sound off from the tom, I let out a few soft clucks with my diaphragm call. The automatic response of our new found suitor told me that he would be in our laps shortly. Lifting my shotgun from the rain soaked pine needles beside me I rested it on my knees and whispered to my friend to ready himself. As water dripped from the beaks of my decoys, the tom showed himself some thirty yards away. Just as his head cleared the last of the brush, the 12 gauge roared, sealing the bird’s fate on the second day of the season.

This hunt was a success for many reasons, the least of which being the fact that an animal was taken. Memories were made on this trip, memories that I’ll look back on years from now and smile, remembering all the good we took away with us. The trip had started out two nights before when a sudden downpour began while we were in the process of setting up our tent forced us to seek refuge in the landowner’s barn. A quick cell phone call home could have gotten us a ride and another night in our warm beds, but we made the most of the situation and camped out on the bales of hay stacked in the barn.

Though the rain continued to pour for the next two days, we persisted and were rewarded with a fine Jake turkey on the second day of the season. His beard measured slightly less than five inches, and while this wouldn’t be considered a trophy by many of todays hunters’ standards, I was still immensely proud to have taken this animal. Not only had we outlasted the storm, but I had included my good friend on his first ever Merriam turkey hunt. Though he hadn’t been the one to actually kill an animal, my friend considered this hunt a success because he had been included in one of my outdoor adventures.

Perhaps we’re of a different breed, but we believe that the success of a hunt shouldn’t be measured in inches of beard or the number of points the antlers have, but rather in what memories and lessons you’re able to take with you at the end of every hunt. If you’re able to come home at the end of a long day in the woods knowing that you’ve learned something about the animals you pursue or were able to make memories that will last a lifetime then you’ve had a most successful hunt.

Just remember this when you head into the woods this year; even though TV personalities like Waddell and Drury may take large animals on a regular basis, this isn’t what the true essence of hunting is about. Take your friends and family hunting, include them in your outdoor adventures, make as many memories as possible, and you’ll find that you’ll never pull into your driveway empty handed again.

Windwalker7

I've had many good hunts but the best would have to be my daughters first and second deer.


Her mother and I are divorced. It was a bitter divorce which found me in a court battle just to get visitation. My daughter had been through alot but weathered the storm.

I picked her up for my scheduled visitation. Luckily we had a few hours to get out for PA's youth antlerless season.


For her first deer, we waited at the edge of a field.I packed in a fold up camping table and a back pack full of sand bags. We waited in a ground blind built by the property owner. It was nothing more than piled up limbs and branches. I set up the table and bagswhile she situated her .243.

We talked quietly and waited. We watched a flock of turkeys cross the field. I was sitting on the ground while she sat on a milk crate. Suddenly, shwe whispered, "There's some deer".

I looked up but only saw one. I watched through binoculars and instructed her on what to do.

The deer was broadside and feeding. I whispered,"That's a good shot, Tara. Go ahead and shoot."

" No, I have to wait", she said.

" That's a good shot, go ahead", I repeated.

" No, I have to wait", she said again.

I watched and waited. Finally she shot.

At the shot, the doe ran along the edge of the field and then went in the woods. I was dissapointed.

I told her, " I think you missed it, Honey."

" No, I got it"

" I think you missed"

" No, I got it"

" How do you know?", I ask.

" Because it is laying in the field kicking"

I pulled down the binoculars and looked where she was looking. Sureenough, there was a deer in the field kicking its back legs.

I was watching the wrong deer and missed getting to see her get it.

It was a button buckand I was proud of her.

My baby was a deer hunter.

brushbuster07

That's an awesome story...very well written might I add...

Windwalker7

Her second deer was two days later. It was Saturday and I had visitation the whole weekend.

We got up early and made the hour and a half drive to our hunting area. We hunted all morning and only saw a few deer but they saw us first.

We hunted hard and walked alot. We climbed some pretty steep hills too. She was all into it. I really didn't expect her to hunt this hard but she seemed to want a deer as bad as I wanted her to get one.

We drove to a couple different areas but we weren't seeing much. Once we were talking to an archery hunter for a while. When the guy left, she commented," Come on, we're burning daylight". I had to laugh.

" OK, OK", I said.

I told her I really didn't know where we should go. There weren't any good fields to watch, where I knew deer would come out early enough.

It was getting late. I ask what she thought. She wanted to slowly walk this one hiking trail we were near. I agreed. That sounded like a plan.

We were slowly walking and stopping on the trail when I spotted a small doe. As if on command, she instantly sat down and had her elbows on her knees and started aiming.

I whispered to shoot, and she did.

The deer took off. I watched it run for a ways. It lookedunhurt.

I looked at her and said" I don't know , Honey" it looked like you missed.

She gave me that look and said, " I didn't miss".

I questioned her on her sight picture and all And she insisted she made a good shot.

We went to look for blood. As we were searching I heard her say, "This is blood, isn't it?" I looked up and she was holding a leaf with several drops of blood on it.

"Yeah, that's blood, where did you find it?"

"Over here, there's lots of it."

We followed it for about 80 yards and DOWN a steep hill. We found it in small gully.

Luckily the deer was small. It took us a while to get it up that hill but I enjoyed the whole time. We stopped and talked several times. We laughed and joked and relived the last few days. I waited for these days for many years.

As we talked, I realized how special she was. I didn't get to see her as much as I wanted to. And I couldn't help to wonder how it made her feel, dealing with all the court battles and stuff. She had been through alot.

I wanted this moment to last but it was getting dark and it was time to go.

Anyway, that was several years ago and here is the picture.