The one that got away

[gbk]

There was a thread short whole ago about the most unusual way of getting a deer.
Lets do one for "any"big game...........the one which was a "GIMME"- yet got away.

Here is one of mine stories(yeah,have them more then care to count).

Moose hunt,up above Thunder Bay!
First time at the area,first time at the spot. Rather newbies in moose hunting business too.Clear cut valley with a ridge overlooking it,valley in bowl shape.Across the valley remnants of the old growth girting a nice wide river. Access to the valley from the other side is walking up from a river across a small ridge,with some 5-7 feet tall evergreens,then descending down to the valley.

My buddy and I picked spots and sat the first ever afternoon there.
He is to my right,closer to the logging road and to the river.I am more "away"from the river.
I am hauling my 30-06 rifle ,no scope(for a while i was under belief i do not need one ).

Between us is about 180 y.We are both looking down on to the clear cut.
I may called,may not-unsure and does not matter.I think i did though........

Halfway in the sit a great wide and beautifully dark brown set of antlers walk up from the river,sitting on a head of a great moose.......me noticing them while the bull was walking down from the ridge-towards the middle of the valley.Great(not a monster-but a very significant set of antlers).
The bull was coming down 45 degree to my left,its body somewhat visible among the new growth.
But the antlers were...ohhh!

After waking up from my amazement and disbelief,i called faintly,and started to smash a tree stump pretending i am a pissed off bull.
The bull turned FULL broadside,stood there like a monument,head turned towards me ,ears splayed,and probably was thinking-what the heck is going on ,up on the ridge?

Now-my buddy saw NOTHING!
He had no clue what is going on,was just staring at me from the distance- what the heck am i doing?

Now comes the lesson for life: Judging from his position at his stand ,and my position where i was to the bull ,i figured he is halfway to the animal,lot closer then i am.
He had scope too!!!!

So, i waved him down and pointed to the bull.

The rest is history-i am pounding the stump,the bull is staring at me...and my buddy is raising his rifle ,aiming,then lowering it -then raising it -aiming -then lowering it.Now i am away a bit,so can not talk ,can not see clearly what he sees...........and he keeps raising the gun,then aiming,then, lowering it.
For 3 minutes- or 5 ? Who knows!Who cares.........
Then the bull gets bored,may figured out something is not quite right....turned 45 degree to his left,and walked back thru the ridge - and out from my life(and my buddies too).

So-my buddy said,he was so excited ,could not pull the trigger..............I could if i wanted too-but did not wanted( the bull is way further for me,no scope- why taking chances....my buddy will take it easy-peasy,after all it was a"gimme" shot.)
He did not take it

But he gulped down a huge amount of Scotch that night

I was so "empty"could say and think nothing.

Went home empty handed too!


Next year i installed a scope,bought a rangefinder,and the first thing was ,when we went back for that years hunt-measure the distance from me to the bull vs distance from my buddy to the bull.
He was exactly 30 yards closer to the moose then I was.

I was like 200 yards from the bull,and was capable to take shots that far with open sights.

We(me-the bull-my buddy) were in a triangle,with almost equal sides.

No regrets-but I am still crying inside when thinking about it

[alfoldivandor]

Nice story... don't regret ... the lost chance ...
You can make ... up this year...
It will be better story than last ... year...

[SongDog]

About 12 years ago I was late season bow hunting behind my dad's farm as there was a few deer hanging around the standing corn. I'd have 1.5hours to hunt every night after work so if get home, grab my crossbow and seat and make the 30 min walk threw deep snow to the back tree line by the edge of the corn. I passed on about 4 small bucks threw October, Didnt see a Buck all of November or December since the snow came. I was about to give up, Although seeing fresh deer tracks everyday made me keep hunting as I knew it was a matter of time.

Well one night I'm sitting on my seat the base of the tree right before dark. Cold dull day and very light winds and the snow made walking silent so I wouldn't hear anything if it approached. I remember kinda day dreaming and waiting for dark when I caught movement to my right......

I slowly turn my head to the right and there's a giant buck standing at the edge of the corn looking at me. I'm talking massive buck about 150" 10 point about 40 yards away trying to figure me out. I didnt move a muscle for at least 5 minutes and he must have settled down as he started to look around then slowly walked out to the edge of the corn. Now hes 25 yards and crossbow is still on my lap. Hes going to walk right in front of me down the trail. Now hes 15 yards and he must have got a whiff of me as hes on full alert with one leg in the air and nose up.

I cant move so I'm wondering if I should just try to raise the bow quick and shoot before or wait til he walks past then try to raise the bow and stop him for a shot. Well no time to decide as hes now on a quick trot at 7 yards right in front of me. I make a little "baaa" sound as I'm shouldering the bow to get him to stop. Soon as I make a sound he jumps right up in the air and jumps into the corn. Turns around and goes back the way he came. I got to watch that huge basket rack bounce all the way for about 50 yards back into the hardwoods. I was pretty bummed as I should have just raised the bow and shot when he was 7 yards away. He was too close for me to make a sound to stop him, It just spooked him. He likely would have stopped and looked if I just tried to shoot.

Will never forget that night or that buck, I didnt get a deer that year. I could have shot a smaller 4 point the next night in same spot. He walked same spot and I practised and got the bow up about 3 times to shoot but i was still thinking about the big one and let him walk. O well

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[canthitathing]

While hunting solo, I began still-hunting up my favoured peninsula towards the ridge at the top just after first light. I heard a snort from higher up then a deer crashing it's way towards me. It stopped a couple of times to snort again before crashing down further. One more advancement and I figured it would show itself. It's possible morning thermals did me in, but the deer thought the better of it and turned and climbed back up the slope, sight unseen but sure riled up. If I had of had a grunt call or snort/wheeze call, it might have made the difference in luring him closer. I have those calls now, lol.

On another occasion one year, my brother and I decided to canoe up to the far end of the lake before dawn, to hunt deer the farthest away from any access points. All went well until we were half way up and passed through a narrows only to see the big open bay ahead of us locked in with heavy fog. Undaunted, we continued with him providing the forward motion while looking out for rocks while I manned the helm with the compass, map & flashlight on the floor of the canoe in front of me. Reaching the far shore, we approached our spot to disembark and had to sit there in the darkness while a buck we could only hear, not see, walked by and paused to rub his antlers on a tree before continuing on up the hill.

[Articcat]

My first year moose hunting in Thunder Bay district our group of 6 had 2 bull tags and 1 cow tag.
We scouted the first day after setting up the bush camp and I found really good sign that evening in spotting a big bull.
the next morning we were set up before dawn and i started making my calls at daybreak and shortly after could hear the bull grunts.
It took about an hour for the bull to show up and give us a good shot and one of the guys was able to drop the bull.
The next day after sitting all morning in a different spot with no sightings we had lunch and 2 of us went scouting again.
As we drove around a bend in the logging road my buddy said stop the truck I think I see a moose on top of the hill in the birches.
We stop the truck get our bino's out and start glassing the hill top and I said to my buddy all I see is birch stumps he swears up and down that those are moose legs.
This goes on for about 10 minutes when all of a sudden the birch stumps start moving and we now see a cow and 2 calfs walking away over the hill top never to be seen again.
At that time neither one of us had taken a moose and we said if it ever happens again which it never did one gets the binos and gets the gun just in case.

[gbk]

Nice story... don't regret ... the lost chance ...
You can make ... up this year...
It will be better story than last ... year...

Thanx Alfoldivandor,last year was another story for itself....hope for better year this year.

[gbk]

Thanx guys ,nice stories!Hunting is just like these stories: challenging,educational,and sometimes successful.
Lot of fun though...........

[GW11]

Around 10 years ago I was set up in a built platform stand in a narrow funnel of bush between two fields and two larger plots of bush on either end. It was a great evening spot. I had just recently bought my Excalibur Exocet and still had the factory open sights on it, no scope.

About half an hour before dusk I could hear deer approaching from behind me. Two does came around from behind left of me and made their way out into the corner of the field about 40 yards to my right front. I only had a buck tag so couldn't shoot the does. A minute later I heard another one coming, then a grunt. I barely had time to look over my shoulder and then he was standing at the base of the tree I was sitting in, but behind it where I couldn't get a shot. Looking down at him, he had a big heavy rack that almost touched together at the front. I could see his head swaying trying to get a look at the does in the field. He was close enough that I could hear him breathing and he even took a pee at the base of the tree.

Finally he started moving towards the does but then he was on my bad side (right). When I slid a bit to get in position for a shot he must have heard or sensed my movement and took a few big leaps out to the field.

He then just stood there in the field with the does, broadside, at about 40 yards in the dying light looking back my way. There were too many twigs and branches between he and I to attempt a shot. A scope would have helped but after his reaction to my movement I'm not sure that I would have tried a shot that far until his attention returned to the does.

At that point I pulled out my grunt tube and let a few go to see if he might come back to challenge the intruder. Wouldn't you know it, but in from the bush comes a little 6 point buck charging to the calls and he put on the brakes when he saw the big fella out in the field. I was in a serious pickle. I had a slam dunk 6 pointer at 20 yards to my left and the buck of a lifetime on my right just out of range for a good shot. I stood there hoping that the big guy would come back in to drive the little guy away. The standoff went on until about the end of legal light and ended with the big guy heading off across the field with the does and the little guy going back into the bush.

I went home empty handed but it was an experience I would never forget.

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[Larson]

First day hunting of the season. 6:30 am, just legal light. Getting my stuff out of the trunk of my car. Unloaded gun leaning against the bumper. Big buck steps out onto the road 30 yards ahead of my car. Stands broadside in middle of the road. Crosses and disappears in the bush. I tried to head him off, but no luck.

[alfoldivandor]

I am still waiting for a story about Fushimi road trip ...? As it happend...!
And this year will be better on Moose hunt ...
Going to be Interior hunting camp... and hunting from spike camp .... for some ...

Thanx Alfoldivandor,last year was another story for itself....hope for better year this year.