Your Best Hunting Memory

[rocksteady]

So we were all discussing what makes a trophy hunt, so lets hear some examples of what makes them special...Okay, I will go first......

I had grown up in my early teen years following my Dad and older brother around deer hunting, but I always packed the .22 or .410 for grouse. I got a lot more shots than they did....Anyways, when I hit the ripe old age of 15, my brother went off to college (Yes!!!) and I got to move up the ranks to assistant deer hunter (no longer squeezed in the middle of the truck)..We were at my Grandmothers house and we were talking about me deer hunting and she said If I wanted I could have my deceased Grandfathers 30-30, if I wanted it....My Dad used a .303 and my brother would not lety me use his...So I said sure...

Marlin 30-30 Lever action 4X scope mounted on it...I was good to go...Bunch of shooting at the range with those old yelow tipped round nosed 170 grain CIL's and I was set.....


So me and the old man hunted every weekend, but just could not connect (too far/winded/etc, etc)....So this one morning I get him up early, we drive out to our favorite area and there is a hunters camp (5 or 6 trucks) set up so we decide to go to this other area....We are driving up the logging road, the old Ford is putting out some serious BTU's which in turn gives me a nasty case of the head bobs.....

In between one of these bobs I see a mule deer peeking his head around the corner of the road where it goes into a creek draw. I yell at the old man and bail out of the truck....Stick a shell in the pipe and just as I am raising the rifle he turns and wheels back into the draw.... So I run as fast as I could down the road, in about 2 inches of mud...When I get to the corner I see the buck running straight up a real steep hill coming out of the creek draw about 100 yards away from me, I threw the x-hairs on middle of his back and touched the trigger....He stumbled a bit and then went over the hill......

SO eventually Dad drives the truck down to where I am and says "I think you hit em" then proceeds to have to spend 5 minutes lacing up his boots (this was just about driving me nuts cause I was pumped)....Eventually we hike up the hil and find the buck bedded at the top of the hill, I finished him off and then we got to work...Gutted him and had to drag him a whole 10 yards to the top of the embankment, which was 100 yards high and steep, so no need to drag him down there....He went by himself....We got him loaded in the truck and were driving home, I am absolutely stoked...My first deer and its a 4 X 4 mulie to boot......

I keep looking in the back of the truck to make sure he is still there....

HERES THE KICKER::::

About 15 minutes later the old man stops the truck and asks me if I know what day it was, I said Sunday, he said WHAT DATE...So I got our my tag and said it was November 16th (or whatever the date was) and it turns out that THE DAY I GOT MY FIRST DEER WAS THE 7th ANNIVERSARY OF MY GRANDFATHER PASSING AWAY AND I USED HIS GUN TO GET MY FIRST DEER.......

My Dad then said to me "That was a hell of a shot but I think you can't take all of the credit..I think Granddad helped you out a bit"....

When I got home called my grandmother, she was understandibly down because of what day it was, however when I told her what had happened, she was laughing and crying (joy, not saddness) and she also ended up with half of that buck in her freezer......



Sorry, it is so long but its 100% true and to me its a "TROPHY"

[Dragginbait]

GOOD memories

[cowboy-up69]

Awesome Story!! Brings a smile to my face hearing stuff like that!!

[J_T]

Cowboy, to heck with the hunting story, your avatar brought a smile to my face.

JT

[BlacktailStalker]

Good memory Rocksteady. I wish I had family to learn the outdoors with, nobody I knew hunted. I developed an interest which is now a passion on my own and taught myself everything I now know. That in itself is a reward too I guess.
My first deer came too easy, driving to a place I had seen lots of sign. I saw him bedded under a small cedar tree looking back at me. I drove 40 yards past him, left the truck running to cover any noise I made and snuck back up the road. Made a shot that counted and that was that. It was weird, atlhough being happy I had finally taken my first deer, there was no satisfaction from the minimal effort required, which is why I won't road hunt today. Not to take anything away from those who get venture far from the truck or just dont like to, but since then I have always gone to the extreme to fill my tags because it makes me happiest feeling I deserved the end result.

[NEEHAMA]

mine was the first time i went on my own (no adults) deer hunting. i was 16. i shot a deer and was so proud and happy, i was a man now! but i only seen one gutted a few years back, i never did one myself. i had really only been on two hunts prior. i ran back to the truck to grab the C.O.R.E. book. my partner with me at the time was on his first trip out ever. he stood there holding the core book open for me while i tried to follow the feild dressing diagrams. i had the hide all nicely skinned back all around the belly. i mean skinned back! the whole bottom of the deer was skinned right up past the sides even...lol . (picture just skinning a deer but not opening it up). ??? i started to pull at the belly of the deer.?? nothing would happen it just sort of slid toward me. i thought if it wasn't coming i just had to keep skinning it up higher. ( i haven't cut into the animal at this point). i was pulling at the belly but it just wouldn't come. i tried pulling at different angles to see if something would come loose. nothing!.. i kept looking up at my newbie partner for ideas. he just stood there looking at me with the most afraid expression. he wasn't excited about the gutting part let alone the bizzare things i was doing to this poor deer by this time. finally i figured it out and cut it open and then pulled the guts out. we got it done. ass backwards but we got it done. (then i became a man).

[CanAm500]

Really good stories guys!!!

My best hunting memory was my first grouse (this year!!), I know its not a big animal...but its still a memory. I couldnt get it moutned, but it sure tasted good

[Islandeer]

Thanks for sharing this with us,wonderful story.

[Offroad]

These stories are what hunting is all about. The real trophy is the one you carry with you in your memory.

[Steeleco]

My best todate, is taking my first Blacktail behind Mission, my then 8 year old son was with me, he spotted it, pointed it out and let me do all the work, great kid EH!!! His first big game animal. He's 10 on the 21st of this month, and keen to do some shooting, I'm sure the memory bank will need some more room!!!