2025 Successful hunt reports! post your hunts here!

Got this little 8 pointer on day 1 of the rifle hunt out here (Nov 3rd). Was waiting in my spot between two swamps, dogger was way west of me and the dogs hadn't started anything yet. I'm ####ing around, checking telegram, checking the weather, texting the wife because it's one of the few spots I get signal up there, then I look up and here's a deer browsing along coming my way. ####!, time to put the phone away I guess lol. He was under some pines in the shade and I coudln't tell what it was.

Not really big bodied so I thought it might be a doe, the shade was making it hard to tell between ears and tiny antlers. Waited to see if a fawn would come along. Nothing. Then maybe 5 minutes later he came towards me a bit and I saw a smidge of antlers ... hmm, so it's not a doe, looks like a little spike maybe.

Wait another 5 minutes and he comes out of the shade, turns broadside and lifts his head up. Well, "he ain't big, but he ain't no spike either" I thought. No sooner did that thought end, the old .30-30 barked and it was game over for him. He ran 40 yards or so and piled up. Popped both lungs, heart and liver untouched. Was about 55 yards away maybe when I shot.

Didn't see ####all the rest of the week so it's a good thing I didn't pass him up.

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I have been buying this tag every year for as long as I can remember. This is the first time its worked out.
Caught this guy in the late afternoon sun looking over one of my favourite spots.
Gave him a doe distress call and he came for me like I was made of ham.
Stopped at 94 yards and took the 243 Barnes TSX through the brisket.
The bullet hung in the hide after punching through two feet of cat and his spine to boot. A rare Barnes recovery.
 

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Hunted more this year than I ever have before (55 days in the field) and I was lucky enough to harvest my first elk and my biggest mulie buck to date. Real wide dark chocolate antlers.
 
ya this season is by far the most days i have spent in the field. I'm also mentoring 2 new hunters seperately so it has really added up to a whole lot of hunting. I've been talking about crossbow hunting for years and this is the season i decided to make it finally happen. I have till the 10th for white tail or mulie so the clock is ticking. Yesterday I went in to another area where i found major fresh rut sign and scrapes. I cruised the inner edge of the treeline wearing full snow camo. Spotted some does about 150 yards and crept closer. At 120 yards on my range finder I spotted him laying down.... a fuggen monster of a mulie buck. I am limitting myself to 30 yard shots and only managed to get to 84 yards before he stood up and walked into the timber, angling away from me. He didn't run , he just got up and walked so I don't think I was busted as the wind was in my favor an the 6inches of fresh snow made walking really quiet. Gonna try and make a play on him tomorrow.....
 
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Well, I am going hungry this year. I started this thread in the hopes of being able to post a couple of successful hunts, but no dice.

Saw LOTS of deer, but sadly, they either got ahead of me and over the border, were on land I didn't have permission on, cattle in the same quarter, or were a few times I wasn't comfortable with the shot.

One time I got behind a few mulie does, stalked them awhile, and got into a spot I could take a shot, but it would have been a shot at about 150 yards, with the does facing almost perfectly away from me. I tried to duck down and move further to the right in an attempt to at least get a quartering away shot, but they took off. My hunting partner said he would have taken the initial shot, but I wasn't comfortable with it. I didn't want to risk a gutshot, and I wasn't in a very comfortable spot to take a shot from. Kinda kicking myself on that one. I could have made the shot, but it would have been messy.

Another opportunity came when I decided to do a sit and wait at the top of a valley. I was waiting for deer to come across the field and come to the draw with the plan of shooting before they got into the draw, because there were cattle in that quarter. The deer didn't come across the field as they had in previous days, but came up the draw instead. Pissed me off because I knew there were cattle in that quarter but I couldn't see any at all. But the land owner rules that no shooting in fields with cattle present. So I had to sit and watch 8 nice mule does, and 3 bucks walk by in the bottom of the valley 100 yards away.

Sigh. 3 harvest reports filed on RELM, zero kills. 3 tags unfilled.
 
Declared Bishop said:
I started this thread in the hopes of being able to post a couple of successful hunts, but no dice.
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been a good thread man.
From the looks of this season a great many CGN'ers had success in the field and posted some awesome photos.
I didn't fill my moose tag nor my last deer tag but I spent a good 75% of the allowable season days , out in the field. Mentored 2 new hunters and both managed to harvest decent bucks which was a real highlight to my season. Ended things off with one of my best friends as we took advantage of the late , 10 day bow season. First time hunting with crossbows for us and we had an absolute blast. My scouting really paid off this year and put us into a small area with loads of mulies running around for the rut. Came so close 3 times with the crossbow but not close enough hehe. Learned a lot though and will be better prepared next year.
 
Neo said:
It's been a fun season so far and it's not over yet! Had a great time with 3 dear friends on an antelope hunt that saw all of us tag out, then got to watch my 10 year old shoot his first whitetail and quite a few grouse. Spent a few days chasing bull elk and cow moose -- didn't score, but saw everything I couldn't shoot (bull moose and cow elk - LOL!), and a ridiculous number of grizzlies. View attachment 1033881View attachment 1033882View attachment 1033883View attachment 1033884View attachment 1048851
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Congrats to you guys! What I love to see.
 
Beeron said:
I have been buying this tag every year for as long as I can remember. This is the first time its worked out.
Caught this guy in the late afternoon sun looking over one of my favourite spots.
Gave him a doe distress call and he came for me like I was made of ham.
Stopped at 94 yards and took the 243 Barnes TSX through the brisket.
The bullet hung in the hide after punching through two feet of cat and his spine to boot. A rare Barnes recovery.
Click to expand...
Nice we don’t hear often about cat hunts!
Do you eat the meat? I’m asking cause up here lots of the trappers eat lynx, I had it a few times and it is delicious so I was wondering if it is the same with lions?
 
DGY said:
Nice we don’t hear often about cat hunts!
Do you eat the meat? I’m asking cause up here lots of the trappers eat lynx, I had it a few times and it is delicious so I was wondering if it is the same with lions?
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100%
Its excellent meat!
This is my first cat i have ever “hunted” but i know a guy that processes cats for a guide outfitter and he often gets the meat.

Its excellent! Like lean pork.
I will be making a double batch of salami with part of it.

Their fat is also good for rendering. Not as good as bear but still darn good.
 
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Beeron said:
100%
Its excellent meat!
This is my first cat i have ever “hunted” but i know a guy that processes cats for a guide outfitter and he often gets the meat.

Its excellent! Like lean pork.
I will be making a double batch of salami with part of it.

Their fat is also good for rendering. Not as good as bear but still darn good.
Click to expand...
So just like lynx then!!
Awesome!
 
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