Well that didn’t go how I planned it!

[Tidus56]

I had been watching a really big 7x7 bull for two years when one afternoon I caught him in the open heading down a trail that I knew where he would come out. I scooted down the hill but a cow saw me before I got where I wanted to be. She didn't booger but knew something wasn't right so I knelt down right there and here comes mr. Big! I practiced with my bow almost daily out to 50 yards and ranged him at 42 as he put his head down to graze, broadside. I was shaking uncontrollably and had to let down. Took a few deep breath's and drew again. After bouncing the pin all over for a moment I let down again. A few more breaths and drew a third time. I was so wound I let down a third time with the realization I couldn't settle down enough to make a good shot. I sat and watched him walk away… which brings me to the following year. I'm a mile further into the woods overlooking a small bowl in the quakes. After a while here comes the same bull walking straight at me just under 300 yards out. I'm shooting a .300 WSM and he's well within range given I'm resting over a log. He's still coming right at me so let him come. Finally around 200 yards out the safety is off and I begin my trigger squeeze when BLAM! he staggers to the ground as I'm looking through the scope what the heck? I walk down the hill a few yards and off across a little draw there's a young man jumping up and down with his dad. Unbelievable. I just turned and went home.

That's great for the young man but huge bummer for you. Glad I am not the only idiot shaking so bad he can't shoot his bow smh lol.

 

[just_jon]

I bought my first springer spaniel in 1977 knowing absolutely nothing about dog training. It showed on our first hunt when I dropped a duck onto a weed bed on the far bank of the creek. Pluto didn't see the bird go down so I picked up a stick and threw it to within a few feet of the duck. He dove into the creek and I was so proud until he picked up the stick and brought it back to me. I had not planned on takin a swim swim that day.

 

[Wolf01]

I was thinking about all the success we see on here and how little people mention their mistakes. So I wanted to add this thread for some stories about how stuff doesn't always go just right.

My first time archery hunting I was driving down the road to an area we like to glass. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a buck and decided to hop out go see what I could do. My buddy who is an amazing hunter jumped out to tag along. We went through the trees where the buck had gone and popped out of some oak brush to see a TOAD of a buck. I had seen this buck scouting, but hadn't found him since the hunt began. Big ole 4x5 we figures scored 185, that's huge to me. So I try to notch my arrow, but I am shaking so bad I can't hardly get the arrow out of the quiver. When I finally get it nocked I hear my buddy gently laughing, the deer had gone but in his place a decent 3x3 had replaced him. I try to pull back but I hadn't set my release so it wouldn't grab the D loop. I continue to fumble and drop the arrow on the ground and make all kinds of racket. I finally get pulled back and miss by a mile…I mean it wasn't close. I was pretty embarrassed but my buddy just told me to laugh it off and not take it all so seriously. I ended up getting a little buck later with a 70 yard shot. So I was pleased with my shooting, but hate that I missed the opportunity.

Even worse was my sable, kind of embarrassed just to tell this one. I didn't bring my gun to SA as I really didn't want to deal with it. However once there I realized that was a big mistake as their guns left a lot to be desired.
While out hunting we saw a bunch of Sables a ways off. So we snuck in and made a great stalk. Once there, they were all laying down and I was setup and waiting for the one I wanted to stand up. I looked down at my hand and I was shaking, I mean really shaking. That hadn't happened since my first archery hunt (see above). I took a few breaths and tried to relax but it just got worse. Then the sable stood up, I put the cross hairs on the animal and shot and hit him high, shot again hit him almost in the same spot. He took off and I figured I was SOL. We moved just a bit and he had moved a bit but was still there and he was hurt but not horrible. He acted like he was in shock more than anything. So I shot again, this time all I had was butt with some side and figured I might get a shot into his vitals if I angled it just right. Well fortunately this shot made it into the vitals but really still wasn't great. He went laid down in some trees and we moved closer. With one bullet left I shot again…..I freaking missed him at 80 yards off sticks!! That was the last bullet I had, so the guide took off into the trees back to the truck in the mean time this sable keeps trying to stand up. SMH! Man what a mess, he got back and I put a final shot in him. I was so embarrassed I almost didn't take pictures. Some times stuff just doesn't work out!

Anyone else have a fun story, don't add to this thread to make fun of ppl or act like a jerk. Just honest ppl telling their stories of mistakes or funny experiences hunting.
I also once got to the top of the mtn without my tag, that was a bummer!

3 years in a row, I now hunted a batchelor herd of bulls in the same canyon. 3 years in a row I walked out shaking like I'd been beaten half to death. 3 years in a row, I stalked right in to the middle of that herd, while they lay napping, until I made a noise. They all stood instantly. Scared me with numbers and size so bad I could only stare in owe.

 

[Wolf01]

It's far easier to post our few, occassional triumphs than to word process the volumes of myriad, dismal failures we've all experienced that got us to this lofty point of self proclaimed grace. Please allow me a modicum of dignity here. Just remembering those "lesser achievements" has me in a cold sweat even now.

Hahahaha

 

[Wolf01]

Not quite 30 years ago my uncle had a lease down by Uvalde, Tx. Over the Christmas break I would get go back with my cousin and we'd all three spend the second week of the break hunting. We were both 13 or 14 at the time.

One morning, a very nice strait 8 he'd been watching shows up for us. After the appropriate amount of begging on my part, he agrees to let me shoot him.

Even to this day I don't know if that buck was even in the scope I was shaking so hard! My cousin seemed to think I had the bounced the barrel off of every window edge at least once while I was "settling in" to take the shot. All we saw was the white flag waving good by after I pulled (or yanked the fire out of) the trigger.

I also think there a few of the promises I made that I still need to complete.

Lived in Uvalde a couple years myself. Lot of dear and plains game there.Friend of mines father was King ranch manager, bring me venison, couldn't buy a hunt on that ranch for my life.

 

[Rick79]

Lived in Uvalde a couple years myself. Lot of dear and plains game there.Friend of mines father was King ranch manager, bring me venison, couldn't buy a hunt on that ranch for my life.

We never saw any of the exotics down there then, this was the early 90's. None of us would have complained about it at all if we had though!

When I was still a sales rep, I used to see herds of Axis on my way to San Angelo. Between it being a 6+ hour drive and the going rates, I never looked into a lease down there.

I have a part time gig at a high fence ranch now, so there is a nice axis in my future! I've seen a few that I would happily take, but I was either with a hunter or a hunter in the group had taken one that was way smaller. Not good business for a guide to show up someone who's paying cash for one…..

 

[ATH]

When I was a kid I had a great dog, he was a collie/husky mix. Pretty strong on herding and killing instincts, not really a general hunting dog. My buddy and I took him out to hunt pheasants on the home 40 largely corn. We got to a spot and he ambled into the corn and flushed a rooster, and we praised him greatly. You could see the gears turn in his head. "Oh THOSE. That's what you want?? I can find lots of THOSE!!" He was gone in a flash, and as we walked the ditch perimeter of the 40 over the next half hour we watched him flush more than two dozen pheasants out of the core of the corn field. He finally caught up to us, exhausted, but what do you do? Praise the dog for flushing birds.

Over time we got him to more or less understand staying within range.

Not long after that great dog passed I had a young springer spaniel. Great instinct, limited training. Took him into 15 acres of corn. Praised him on the first rooster he flushed. Same reaction, he proceeded to flush no less than 100 pheasants out of that field with little regard to where I was at. Painfully I didn't end up getting a single one of them. But I enjoyed watching the pup in his element. In later years, better trained, we had some good days in the field together. I've got a pic of his retirement hunt at age 10 where he flushed 4 roosters out of a ditch and I dropped all of them for him.

 

[WYO300RUM]

3 years in a row, I now hunted a batchelor herd of bulls in the same canyon. 3 years in a row I walked out shaking like I'd been beaten half to death. 3 years in a row, I stalked right in to the middle of that herd, while they lay napping, until I made a noise. They all stood instantly. Scared me with numbers and size so bad I could only stare in owe.

That awesome. I was bow hunting on Catalina Island. One really foggy early morning I got dropped off. I figured I'd walk off the road a little bit. I could barely see 5 yards. I stopped to wait to let fog burn off some so I could get my bearings. I kept hearing this sound like bullfrogs. I was thinking what heck ? Then I see this massive image in the fog walking towards me. WTH??? It was a buffalo. I didn't move and don't think I could of...It was getting lighter out and I could see a little further and I start seeing buffalo through the fog all around me. Some with calves. Some were starting to stand up and I thought man, I have to get out of here ! I took a camera out of my pocket , the throw away kind. I snapped a few pics as I was trying to sneak out. It was still foggy thank God and no wind. Don't think they could smell me but they knew something wasn't right with a two legged buffalo walking by. More started standing up. I walked by some less than ten yards. Maybe even 5 yds. I got to the road and had to check my chonies.
The pictures of the buffalo "shadows" in the fog we're great. Some were so close only the head was in the picture. The next morning it was clear out. I saw that herd at about 250 yds.. When they saw me they all took off running . That told me they didn't know what I was the morning before. On one of these threads I posted a story about a kit fox digging in my backpack while I was sneaking up on a big lone bull buffalo to take pics. I think it was on the thread "What kind of Poop is this" or like that. It was also on Catalina Island. Sorry for another long post !

 

[257WTBY]

This was more than a few years ago. My buddy Joe (not his real name) was pretty new to whitetail hunting and hunting in general. We are still really good friends. 1st year I take him out deer hunting with me we are hunting this big bowl and I tell him if we dont shoot anything by noon we will go someplace different for the evening to meet back at the truck at noon. Now in my defense I didnt know how much a rookie hunter he was anyway. Im back to the truck about 11:45 so I get my lunch to eat and wait. Well 1pm comes and I get out and shoot my rifle thinking if hes lost he will shoot back or at least have a direction to go to the truck (btw we are hunting private land and no one else is supposed to hunt here). 2:00 pm comes and I figured I better try to find him so I leave a note on a tree where I was parked and go driving around. We were 11 miles up this dirt road where the truck was parked. I run into another vehicle down on the state road and ask them if they've see this guy dressed like what he was wearing and surprisingly to me they say yes hes walking down on the paved road. So I take off and head that direction. 13.6 miles if you went in a straight line i found him gun slung over his back and looking like he couldnt walk any further. He said he got turned around in the dark and couldnt find his way back. I turned the truck around and he asked where I was going so I said we got two hours till dark Im going to where I was planning. We get there he says hes done he will just wait at the truck. I walked about 200 yards and ended up shooting a nice 5X5 buck a dark.

Fast forward to next season. Joe has his shiny new GPS and got drawn for a doe tag so hes excited. We go up in the same general area at day light I shoot a nice buck. Joe missed 3 does. I only have one buck tag so I am done for season. Joe hunts a lot and I talked to him several times and he has seen lots of does shot lots of times and yet to hit one. The evening before the last day i called he is frustrated thinks there is something wrong with his gun or scope and is going to eat his tag. I said well I will take my youngest who can shoot a doe as well and we will come take you tomorrow and you can use my rifle. Early next morning its kind of foggy cant see very far +/- 50 yards. We get set up on the edge of a 40 acre alfalfa field at the corner. Its getting day light I see a doe literally 30-40 yards away Joe is resting on top of a fence post BOOM deer bolts into the fog and gone with no reaction. Now my buddy is heart broken he is beside himself and it didnt help my youngest is like how did you miss that give me???. I tell Joe relax there will be more deer this field is covered usually so about 5 min later another doe and I mean almost in the exact same spot. Joe is on top the fence post again BOOM deer bolts the same direction as the first without any reaction at all. WTH Joe whispers I had it right on her. About the time as he is talking it sounds like something thudded on the ground. I say we gotta go see. We walk out where the doe's were standing and I mean not 10 ft apart there is blood and hair so he didnt miss. I show him what we are tracking and about 25 yards later there lays his doe and another one not 25 ft from it. My youngest still gives him a hard time about using her doe tag on his doe. BTW he still loses money to her every year when we go sight in rifles haha...

 

[Tidus56]

This was more than a few years ago. My buddy Joe (not his real name) was pretty new to whitetail hunting and hunting in general. We are still really good friends. 1st year I take him out deer hunting with me we are hunting this big bowl and I tell him if we dont shoot anything by noon we will go someplace different for the evening to meet back at the truck at noon. Now in my defense I didnt know how much a rookie hunter he was anyway. Im back to the truck about 11:45 so I get my lunch to eat and wait. Well 1pm comes and I get out and shoot my rifle thinking if hes lost he will shoot back or at least have a direction to go to the truck (btw we are hunting private land and no one else is supposed to hunt here). 2:00 pm comes and I figured I better try to find him so I leave a note on a tree where I was parked and go driving around. We were 11 miles up this dirt road where the truck was parked. I run into another vehicle down on the state road and ask them if they've see this guy dressed like what he was wearing and surprisingly to me they say yes hes walking down on the paved road. So I take off and head that direction. 13.6 miles if you went in a straight line i found him gun slung over his back and looking like he couldnt walk any further. He said he got turned around in the dark and couldnt find his way back. I turned the truck around and he asked where I was going so I said we got two hours till dark Im going to where I was planning. We get there he says hes done he will just wait at the truck. I walked about 200 yards and ended up shooting a nice 5X5 buck a dark.

Fast forward to next season. Joe has his shiny new GPS and got drawn for a doe tag so hes excited. We go up in the same general area at day light I shoot a nice buck. Joe missed 3 does. I only have one buck tag so I am done for season. Joe hunts a lot and I talked to him several times and he has seen lots of does shot lots of times and yet to hit one. The evening before the last day i called he is frustrated thinks there is something wrong with his gun or scope and is going to eat his tag. I said well I will take my youngest who can shoot a doe as well and we will come take you tomorrow and you can use my rifle. Early next morning its kind of foggy cant see very far +/- 50 yards. We get set up on the edge of a 40 acre alfalfa field at the corner. Its getting day light I see a doe literally 30-40 yards away Joe is resting on top of a fence post BOOM deer bolts into the fog and gone with no reaction. Now my buddy is heart broken he is beside himself and it didnt help my youngest is like how did you miss that give me???. I tell Joe relax there will be more deer this field is covered usually so about 5 min later another doe and I mean almost in the exact same spot. Joe is on top the fence post again BOOM deer bolts the same direction as the first without any reaction at all. WTH Joe whispers I had it right on her. About the time as he is talking it sounds like something thudded on the ground. I say we gotta go see. We walk out where the doe's were standing and I mean not 10 ft apart there is blood and hair so he didnt miss. I show him what we are tracking and about 25 yards later there lays his doe and another one not 25 ft from it. My youngest still gives him a hard time about using her doe tag on his doe. BTW he still loses money to her every year when we go sight in rifles haha...

He still hunts then? A lot of people would just give up and say to heck with it. Props to him for gutting it out.

 

[257WTBY]

The last one was about a buddy well I own this one. I love coyote hunting I work a shift where I get off at 2:30 pm so I usually get a stand or two in every night on the way home from work once the snows on good. Ive been hunting where I live and surrounding areas for about 25 years so I know all the ranchers and have several places to hunt. One day I get a call and the rancher says he has coyotes coming in after his barn cats and wanted to know if I could come knock some down. I told him Id be there the next afternoon. Ive hunted his ranch a lot I know where the coyotes travel and have a place in mind to go do a set. Im walking in and I see three coyotes out in this field thru the fence row. I immediately drop down out of sight. Im thinking in my head if I can crawl up to the fence row itll be a pot shot. So I crawl about twenty yards and the coyotes are still in the cut wheat field they are mousing. I put my bipod down and kind of ease it thru the brush I get in the scope and I cant quite see the third coyote so as I am pushing my gun forward WHAM BAM WTH sweet baby Jesus WTH happened???? I kind of get my sense back a little bit and have to check I didnt **** my pants I feel like Ive seen the whitest light ever. Well when you lay the barrel of your AR15 against a hot electric fence wire it does bad things to whomever is holding the rifle when they are nice and grounded proned out in the snow....

I ALWAYS look for electric fence wires now...

 

[257WTBY]

He still hunts then? A lot of people would just give up and say to heck with it. Props to him for gutting it out.

HE does and he has got quite a bit better over the years...

 

[WYO300RUM]

The last one was about a buddy well I own this one. I love coyote hunting I work a shift where I get off at 2:30 pm so I usually get a stand or two in every night on the way home from work once the snows on good. Ive been hunting where I live and surrounding areas for about 25 years so I know all the ranchers and have several places to hunt. One day I get a call and the rancher says he has coyotes coming in after his barn cats and wanted to know if I could come knock some down. I told him Id be there the next afternoon. Ive hunted his ranch a lot I know where the coyotes travel and have a place in mind to go do a set. Im walking in and I see three coyotes out in this field thru the fence row. I immediately drop down out of sight. Im thinking in my head if I can crawl up to the fence row itll be a pot shot. So I crawl about twenty yards and the coyotes are still in the cut wheat field they are mousing. I put my bipod down and kind of ease it thru the brush I get in the scope and I cant quite see the third coyote so as I am pushing my gun forward WHAM BAM WTH sweet baby Jesus WTH happened???? I kind of get my sense back a little bit and have to check I didnt **** my pants I feel like Ive seen the whitest light ever. Well when you lay the barrel of your AR15 against a hot electric fence wire it does bad things to whomever is holding the rifle when they are nice and grounded proned out in the snow....

I ALWAYS look for electric fence wires now...

Now that's SCARY !!!

 

[lobo56]

Lived in Uvalde a couple years myself. Lot of dear and plains game there.Friend of mines father was King ranch manager, bring me venison, couldn't buy a hunt on that ranch for my life.

That's my old stomping ground! From there, matter of fact! When were you there?