A Hard Lesson Learned.....

I have a different outlook on hunting. It's a game I play with the animals, my "need to get one," my prestige, my ego, my enjoyment of the hunt, all betted against their life.
When an animal outwits me and beats me at my game, or I blow it and the animal wins, I look on it as one way of ending the game, with me losing. I greatly admire an animal that outwits me and clearly beats me at my own game. Example.
Just at daybreak in late October I sat on a hillside, overlooking fairly open bush, with what little breeze there was coming up the slope toward me. A day before examination had proven the bit of fresh snow was laced with whitetail tracks on the sloping hillside.
I sat on a log, not moving. Thought I heard a slight noise. Nothing more. After half an hour and the prime morning time for them slipping away, I was suddenly jolted, by the loudest snort of a buck, from behind me, I think I have ever heard! I swung around in time to see a huge white flag quickly disappear behind a windfall. My next reaction was I laughed right out loud!
I went the no more than forty yards to where he had snorted at me, then followed his tracks to see how he had arrived at that spot. He had silently walked for thirty yards, into the breeze and directly toward me, to get to a big windfall from where he had snorted.
Prior to that, he had came from the edge of the bush below me, where I was watching. He must have spotted me, or became suspicious, then sneaked in a large circle to get behind me, with the wind in his favour. I greatly admired that buck. But here is what got me the most. When he got behind me, getting the wind to positively identify me, he could have just sneaked away. Instead, He came up behind the windfall, knowing he was safe there, then let out this ungoddly loud snort, to tell me he had won, while at the same time making the very few bounds to perfect safety!
 
H4831 said:
I have a different outlook on hunting. It's a game I play with the animals, my "need to get one," my prestige, my ego, my enjoyment of the hunt, all betted against their life.
When an animal outwits me and beats me at my game, or I blow it and the animal wins, I look on............ But here is what got me the most. When he got behind me, getting the wind to positively identify me, he could have just sneaked away. Instead, He came up behind the windfall, knowing he was safe there, then let out this ungoddly loud snort, to tell me he had won, while at the same time making the very few bounds to perfect safety!
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Great hunting story. I guess that's why smart bucks get to be big old smart bucks.

I've spent many evenings in hunt camps over the past 50 years listening to stories and telling a few. Mostly the ones we hear and tell are of the successful kills and it's even possible a small bit of embellishment occurs - unintentionally of course. And the misses are always accompanied by the excuses - gun jammed, sights were off, a miss fire, something spooked him, couldn't get a clear shot, and so on. I can't recall hearing another hunting story like yours - I mean that was just about the deer and not the hunter. A pleasure reading.

Don't go getting a big head about it now...:rolleyes:

Ron
 
Thanks for your comments, Ron. I will try and keep my hat size the same!
I have had other instances of the same idea, and they have always been highlights of my hunts.
I also admire you guys that have a regular deer camp to go to. I have heard so many reports of the good times had at the deer camps. In the west we seldom have anything like that.
 
Since we're on the muffed up chances thread I was just reminded of a story I'll have to re-tell my father when we go mule packin next weekend. When I was a fairly young lad, my pa had arranged a pretty easy sure thing whitetail hunt on a good friend farmers alfa alfa patch. There was a tree stand with a swiveling rest, comfortable padded seat, 200 yd max shooting distance. Man I was set up good. So after I climbed up and hoisted everything into place and assured dear old dad I only had one round and the safety on. He said "I'll just go back up to the barnyard and watch in case you need some help". Well as soon as I couldn't hear his foot falls fading away I took out my real prized possesion of the day, a brand new can of Copenhagen! So with gingerly fingers I stuffed my lip full and settled down for some real buck sniping. One half hour later the does started passing into the field from the bush and I was watching them intently when I finally saw somthing with antlers. This set my heart a racing and I forgot about my chew as the intended victim of our great planning was in sight. Well with all my amatuer chewing tobbaco follies yet to come and feeling like only hunting was important, I let a big fresh chaw of juice get in behind my tounge and down the hatch, oops! The ensuing coughing, hacking, wheezing and barfing cleared the nice little field competely. The only thing I saw when I could see again was a guy who was wondering what the hell was going on, "you dont have a flu do you?". It will be much less dangerous to explain now as I can out run the size 12's.
 
H4831 said:
Thanks for your comments, Ron. I will try and keep my hat size the same!
I have had other instances of the same idea, and they have always been highlights of my hunts.
I also admire you guys that have a regular deer camp to go to. I have heard so many reports of the good times had at the deer camps. In the west we seldom have anything like that.
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Come on H4831, we know you have some more stories under your hat!
 
Have to agree with others,semi-auto guns need to be pulled back fully and released to let the action work on its own. I've heard the same story time and time again all with the same circumstances, trying to load first shot to gentle.
 
Finger Toes said:
Come on H4831, we know you have some more stories under your hat!
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OK, one more deer story. They had made a logging skid road, but hadn't used it and it grew lush grass in late September. A cleared landing on the end and as I sneaked down the trail, there were three deer in the clearing. A doe with two spring fawns. I watched for about twenty minutes, no buck, so thought I would see how close I could get.
As the heads went down to eat, I would sneak ahead a bit, using the bull-dozed logs on the edge for cover. Got about 60 yards from them, when one little guy got suspicious. Next time the heads were all down I looked under my log to see if it was clear, and there was the little guy staring right at me. He had maneuvered to get a log to be behind, but was staring at me, looking under it. The little guy let a snort out of him, but the doe just looked a bit and went on eating. The little guy was really concerned, he tried to run to the bush, looking at his mom to follow, but she paid no attention.
I felt the little guy should be rewarded for his sharpness, so after a bit I stood right up in plain view.
They all snorted and took off, with the sharp little guy in the lead. Then, guess what? From about fifty yards in the bush came another, deeper snort. I guess a buck was waiting to make sure all was clear before he came in the clearing.
I felt good abut letting the little guy prove he was right. Not much doubt that he was a buck.
 
Gatehouse said:
What lesson did you learn? Use a bolt action?:p
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Or any action other than semi. They just dont like gentleness with that first round. Ya the one your trying to be quiet with. Get a bolt,lever,etc. At one time everything in the safe here was semi. Now I'm proud to say absolutely nuttin is:rockOn:
 
I've got two, both from the same trip...lol
First one, after a morning of sitting and waiting for deer on a cut block (where 150 yard shots would be possible) our group decided to try and push some thick Texada Island bush. So off I trot through the heaviest bush man has ever seen, and behold just in front of me I here the tell tale hop hop of a little black tail trying to stay a step ahead of me. As with most deer on the island their fear of humans is neglible so he take his two jumps stops and turns and looks at me. I can make out enough of him to tell that he is decent T.I. buck. So in one cat like motion I pull up on him and loudly pull the hammer back on my BLR. To my dismay all I can see is a scope full of bush, I never cranked the power back down from previous hunting locale to this new one. Now I run see thru scope mounts for just emergencies, but in the heat of the moment I erronously lower the rifle crank the scope all the way down to 1.5 and try in vain to find the buck again.
Second Boner, only one short day later, my hunting buddy and I are walking down the road to shingle point last day of the hunt and skunked to this point on TEXADA ISLAND. We walk about 600-1000 meters apart and he is ahead of me when I hear the tell tale rapport of his rifle. With adreniline coursing through my veins I run walk jog (puke) run the distance seperating us. As I approach him I unload my rifle and remove the mag, he has already done the same. So we walk up to the dearly departed fawn and outta nowhere Mom jumps up and bolts directly in front of us. We both fail to load our mags (from our pockets) and chamber a round in time and MOM escapes unscaithed. Well sort of we shots 2 mins later roughly from the direction the doe ran off in. Next time I will empty the chamber but my mag aint goin anywhere.
 
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