Not All Hunts End With A Kill

the spank

the spank

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Was out this afternoon for coyotes. Saw one but just couldn't get the shot, he came in on the back end of an oil lease in a grain field. There was another lease about 400 yards behind and 50 yards to the left of my line of sight beyond the coyote with a pumper there doing his maintenance/readings. I had a good wide open broadside for at least 10 minutes while ole Wile E tried to figure out which way he should be going. He could hear the pumper working working to his right and the pressure truck operator working on the lease a few hundred yards behind me to my right. I was not comfy at all with the line of sight/situation so Mr.Wile.E.Coyote got the free pass today. I did however get some pics of three whitetail does trying their best to hide out of view while tucked into a hillside to escape the winds. This was on full 18X zoom on my cheapie digital camera. I figured the does were 300-350 yards away? I tried to range them but with todays hazy conditions my range finder was reflecting off the glow of the snow or haze in the air? My readings were a bit short at 7 yards, Laugh2.

It was still a successful day in my books.

Here are the girls bedded down.....



 
Great shots...I just spent 5 days hunting for three giant whities that live in my area...then decided on a doe after passing up a ton of does...ended up with tag soup....lol....still loved every minute
 
Yukidaruma said:
You know what they say " The worst day hunting is still better then the best day at work! "
Click to expand...

It just wasn't meant to be today. The area is pretty isolated, a long ways from any dwellings but it is loaded with oil leases and today was busy day around there. In the past half dozen outings I have seen one oil hauler go by. Today however must have been a scheduled maintenance day for both Husky and CNRL as it seemed there was someone working at every lease location within a mile so I moved onto other areas and thats when I saw the deer. Would have liked to get closer for pics but I would have been busted by the wind coming over the back of the hill from behind them and of course out front where I did get the pics from was no chance at all for a sneak.
 
The vast majority of my hunting ends pretty peacefully :) It is my first year out and I have no experience so the learning curve is steep. Managed to get a few grouse, tried to get a deer, but failed miserably at that. I want to focus on bird hunting next year, especially grouse are a riot to go hunt, tons of walking, but that just keeps me in shape.
 
"Not All Hunts End With A Kill"

Most of my hunts end without a kill and it bothers me none at all.

If we were out there specifically to kill it wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable.

Plenty of time spent hanging out with the young fellows in camp, getting firewood, stocking up the tent with wood for the night etc.

I hunted this year with no one else but my oldest son, one of his cousins and two of his friends on various trips.

A couple of them were new to the experience and it's a lot fun to take them out.

I killed nothing but a couple grouse but I had a very good season.
 
A successful hunt by my definition is when you get back to the truck and you have a smile on your face. Maybe you jumped a doe and saw her take off, last year I watched a rabbit and a grouse walk up to each other and get literally nose to nose, or simply listening to the geese head out to feed. Whatever it may be it is about your attitude and why you are out there that makes the difference. One thing is for sure is the majority of my trips end up with a cold barrel.

The last few years I have only gone out for evening hunts and that just makes it even better. A good nights sleep makes it all that more relaxing. Just get out there and sooner or later you"ll fill your tag. The old saying is when the buck drops the fun stops.

This year I had more fun scouting than I did hunting. My actual season lasted about three hours and I am a little disappointed it ended so soon.
 
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By no means do I measure success by the kill. Just getting out there is a success to me. Got up early this morning and set out for a little back roads exploring. Ended up watching a pack of three yotes hanging out in a field with a bunch of cows feeding on rows of spread bales. They were right in with the cows mousing and just chilling. Was fun to watch. Would I have liked to get a shot? Absolutely but wouldn't even consider it with them mixed in with the livestock.I thought maybe I could outsmart them and set up on the back side of a hill on the other side of the pasture and call one or more over but no, they weren't going to be fooled today, lol.
 
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