Share Your Best Hunt

[K22]

I had many of great hunts over my lifetime, taking the two bucks of a lifetime, the mega ground hog hunts with a rifle, the wily coyote that I took before he took the farmer's cat, the bear I tracked for several miles but never got. But if I had to select one it would the ground hog hunt in August of 1979.

I hunted two farms in Greene County PA owned by my dad's friend. I had exclusive hunting privileges. In those days my passion was hunting with a revolver. I was a follower of handgun hunting legends Jeff Copper, Bob Milek and Elmer Keith.

The farmer had cut the hay about a week before. My wife was visiting her mom in Philadelphia. With the weather perfect, I headed to the farms with my Model 27, S&W 357 Magnum, 6" barrel in a Safariland Holster. I was shooting a 140 Speer Jacket Hollow point with a heavy charge of 2400.

My technique was to scout the fields looking for active holes then cycle through the fields checking the holes several times. The terrain was such that a lot of shot opportunities existed ranging from about 15 to 50 yards if you approached in a direction concealing your approach.

That afternoon I took 8 hogs, no misses: my best single day pistol hog hunt ever. Shots ranged from about 20 yards to one spectacular shot at about 50 yards or so on a standing hog. The 50 yarder was memorable. As I hike over a ridge to a known active hole in early evening, I saw large hog standing on its hole. I had the pistol out of the holster before I came over the ridge. We I saw it, I froze, so did the hog. I slowly raise the pistol, cocked the hammer and placed the front sight center mass. I squeezed and the hog disappeared. I rush up to the hole and their it was laying at the entrance to the hole, a monster male, perfect shot in the sternum. The 140 was a real hammer on hogs.

That evening I enjoyed a few cold Iron City beers (for serious beer drinkers only) recalling that day's adventure.

 

[CJ6]

Mine was a squirrel/rabbit hunt. I was 7 at the time. The first and only time I was able to hunt with all the men on my dad's side (grandpa, dad, uncle, my brother and I. I carried dad's old Stevens single shot 22, everyone else was carrying shotguns. It was a great time.

 

[ebb]

1989 drove from Loxahatchee Florida to Buffalo WY. Meet a really nice rancher and he guided me and a friend for 3 days hunting antelopes. Stopped in Douglas WY to have meat processed, stayed a few days in Denver CO with a friend we both went to high school with, then drove to Gunnison CO and hunted elk for 5 days. Harvested 2 lopes, 1 4x4 bull elk, 1 4x4 mule deer and a huge coyote. Saw more game than I could ever have imagined wild sheep up in the rocks, herds of antelopes, mulies and white tails, hundreds of wild turkeys. Eat a big steak at the Big Texan, not the 42 oz, real good catfish at Jerry's in Mississippi.

 

[WyleWD]

These 2 are a tie for first place for me:

June 2008, a friend of mine who I've known since 1962, and I went 'chuck hunting in his area. We shot 37 groundhogs in adjacent fields in just over an hour. At one point there were 13 chucks standing or feeding in the field I was shooting. Still glad I had 2 rifles with me that day.

September 2001, two friends and I went to northern Quebec on a Caribou hunt. All three of us tagged out with some very nice bulls. When the next group of hunters float planed in they told us about the happenings on 9/11. We had no idea that it had happened and were unconvinced of it being true until we got back to Shefferville(sp?) and saw it on a TV a few hours later. That was quite an experience. WD

 

[CharlieNC]

I'm 75, looking back my best was squirrel hunting with Dad. I grew up in NE NC which is more water than land, and he would skull (one handed paddle) a boat quietly with me in the bow through narrow, winding creeks. Squirrels feeding in cypress and gum trees did not expect danger from the water. Jump ducks, occasionally get a deer which were surprisingly scarce then. Many years later we took my 10yr old son who had difficulty hitting one from the unstable boat, I can still see Dad laughing! I've had many great bird and big game hunts with friends, but nothing compares to those old times. I tear up thinking about it!

 

[marchx]

Elk hunt 5 years ago. I had mehr Glück als Verstand. I was hunting with Vortex Golden Eagle (which is odd thing to do). The elk showed up on a narrow path between trees about 170m away. for about 15 seconds I could not find it in my field of view (apparently too much power). My buddy was like "what are you waiting for, it's now or never". I finally found that elk in my scope and took the shot. Until today I cannot understand why the elk was standing still for like 15 seconds without any obvious reason.

 

[Doug Casner]

Ive had so many. Couldnt narrow it down to one. Doves, quail,waterfowl, deer, elk ,turkey ,coyotes, antelope. Not bragging just lucky. Doug

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

I'm hoping my last hunt will be the best one. That kicked in at 60.

 

[alf]

I've had too many best hunts to narrow it down to only one.

They all hold a special meaning in one form or another.

 

[K22]

Ive had so many. Couldnt narrow it down to one. Doves, quail,waterfowl, deer, elk ,turkey ,coyotes, antelope. Not bragging just lucky. Doug

It ain't bragging if you did it!

 

[madmixerman]

My best hunt was back in 2002 when my son, 14 at the time shot a nice wide racked 11 point whitetail.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

Quail hunting with my Uncle when I was high school age. Lots of birds back then and he was a true Sportsman.

 

[60723]

Turkey opening day in Kentucky. My son(a seasoned turkey hunter) our “guide” and myself. Took a while but I called in 3 gobblers. My son said kill one and he would get his! I killed and after 3 shots he finally weighted one down. Went scouting and found a big flock. Next morning we set up the decoys in the dark and sat down in some cedars. Can’t see at all behind us but can see 600 yards in front. I skylined 2 turkey flying towards us. They landed in our decoys. Too dark for me to see beards at 15 yards. My son told me they were both big gobblers(using binos). He told me to kill one and he would get his. I shot and killed. He shot 3 times and no dead turkey. My son gave the guide, who films all hunts, his shotgun and I give mine to my son. 30 minutes later I raised 2 gobblers directly behind us. I called them through the cedars to the decoys. 1 gobbler broke the strutting Jake decoy at 10 yards. They started shooting and zero turkeys died. My son told me to give him some shells. I was out and he was out. Guide found 1 dove load in his pack. Kept hearing a gobbler way off but started cutting at him. He gobbled a lot but took forever to come in. He was limping badly and strutting after each step. My son shot him at 15 yards. Biggest turkey he had ever killed.

 

[Doug Casner]

I guess if I picked one, my son and me were turkey hunting in the spring. Two gobblers were tearing it up about 50 yds. from us. Got light one turkey flew down my son shot him. He was lying there flopping another gobbler didnt like that he flew out and jumped on the one flopping around. I shot him. That turkey didnt pay any attention to the shot on the first one. Sometimes you think their so smart, then they do something like that. Doug

 

[WV Hitman]

Africa a few years ago. Saw this guy at 50 yards. He apparently didn't like me. Full blown charge,.416 Taylor Encore handgun, dropped him at 12 YARDS!!!

 

[dryhumor]

One, many years ago. We used to hunt Lake Murray in SC. Long before it got crowded. There are several islands in the middle we’d hunt depending on wind and weather. One day we had basically called it, and we were moving to pack the boat and head in.
We had listened to geese about a mile west of us most of the day. The sunset was in full swing, scattered clouds and colors that only god could paint. Welp, a flight of geese lifted off moving out across the lake to roost. The lake was low from winter drawdown, my friend and I quickly found a trough between the water and the tree line. They kept coming. They got about 300 yards out on their way by, and I hit the call. Two or three answered back. I picked one voice and started the conversation. I could see their heads starting to swivel. They were wanting to come. Kept talking it up, then, as one, the whole flight turned north heading right over us. The moment was one that didn’t need to be broken. We laid in those gully’s and watched the geese and sunset all at the same time, wings whistling as they passed directly overhead. Neither one us even raised a shotgun.

Another was a hunt in SE Nebraska. Season opened on Saturday, looked at quite few deer, including one with a body twice as big as the six or seven does I could make out. Literally twice as big…
Monday afternoon found me next to a drainage in the middle of several corn fields. Knowing it was getting close to showtime, I laid the rifle down to get in a better position. Welp, that was I’ll timed. He came from the right through a string of cedars from the bottom. I was slowly reaching for the rifle when he cleared that last cedar. He looked to his right, he looked straight ahead, and of course he looked to his left and saw me. He turned and loped off to his right across one of the fields. Not fast, not slow, but in that manner of there was somewhere else he needed to be.
Wednesday came… I had pictured that buck off and on since Monday. I figured to get a better position entirely. I got situated in a cross fence near a blow down, so I could see more of the bottom and trail he had previously used.
It was about showtime again, and I got ready. A few minutes later I saw a deer moving from right to left in the bottom. When he made his turn uphill, I already had the rifle up.
I don’t think I’ve seen a look of surprise quite like the one I saw that day on that buck’s face. As he saw me he locked down hard, when he did that, 162 grain Amax from my 280 put him down. As the noise from the shot faded, so did his last long grunt.