Every hunter has a good hunting story and I'd like to hear yours. As some of you know, Kelly and I host a podcast called The Rookie Hunter and we'd like to include some of your best stories on the show. Much like this forum, the podcast is meant to be an educational resource, and hunting stories often have "lessons learned" element to them that others can gain from.

I'm sure there are tons of great stories that have already been shared in this form, so post a link to any that are already up. If you have a good one, leave it here for others to check out. You can hear a listener submitted story from a rookie bow hunter's first deer at the end of Episode 15. Looking forward to seeing some posts in here. Good luck out there!!

How about a repost from about 5 years ago!!


Hey folks how about an elk hunting story. I've not been able to draw a tag the last 6 years so this is as close as I'm getting to a real hunt out west this fall.It was late September 1986 near Lake City, Colorado. My hunting buddy and I had hunted unit 66 the year before so we had a plan about how we wanted to hunt opening morning of muzzleloader season. We hunted hard opening day and probably hiked and climbed over ten miles without seeing a shooter bull. Two groups of cows with young bulls was not enough to keep us in the area for day two.

We had spoken to a game warden by phone months before we arrived and he had mentioned a burn out area that was farther to the west than we were hunting. With a new plan we spent day two moving camp to a drainage that would make it a little easier to climb to a spot we found on our maps were we could glass the burn out area. We decided we would leave camp at 3 AM on day three and be glassing by daylight. Climbing and walking in the dark to a place about 4 miles away is a challange to say the least but we made it about 30 min before daylight. What was only minutes seemed like hours but we could finally make out shapes and some of them were moving. Looking back to the west it was easy to make out a large herd of elk feeding back to the east across the burned out north facing slope of this major creek drainage.
Eighty to a hundred cows and bulls were moving towards us but were on the other side of the drainage. Roger and I decided he would move to a better obsevation spot at the head of the drainage in case they moved that way and I would bail off the ridge we were on and see if I could get across the creek in time to set up an ambush.

The line I chose to get me across the bottom would leave me covered but the bottom of the drainage was a washboard of small humps and draws. I was hearing bulls bugling and cows mewing that seemed much closer than where I thought the heard was so I looked to Roger for some eye in the sky help. Roger was waving at me to keep moving forward but I swear those elk sounded like they were right on top of me. I took about two steps then caught movement to my right. I dropped to a knee and out steps a cow with a calf follow by a small 4x4. I was lucky to be in a good spot with a small spruce tree giving me cover. The next couple of minutes are burned into my brain.

I could hear a bull screaming and my heart was about to jump out of my chest. The elk were moving from my right to my left and were passing by me single file about 45 yards in front of me with a slight breeze in my face. It was like a dream come true cows and small bulls walking by me and none were aware I was even there. A very nice 5x5 walked thru the opening and I nearly shot him but I kept hearing the bull that was pushing the group. I looked up at Roger and he was going nuts trying to get me to move up and cross the creek. After about two minutes the bull I was hearing steped into the opening and stopped to check a cow.

He was a 6x6 with short thirds but good mass. Hammer Time, I shot and the creek bottom exploded. He ran about 20 yards then went nose first into a juniper bush. I looked up at Roger a he was giving me the what in the world are you shooting at look of disgust. When I looked back down as the remainder of the herd ran past me and Lord have mercy a huge bull was bringing up the rear. He was a huge 6x6, the bull I killed scored 306" and he was nowhere near the size of this big boy. Had I just waited he would have been mine.

The bull I killed was my first 6x6 and I am still proud of him but...... if I would only have waited.
I would find out later that Roger could not see any of the elk that were passing right in front of me and he was trying to get me to move up to intecept the group on the other side of the creek. It was a brutal pack out that I could never do these days. Roger would kill a nice 5x5 several days later. It was a hell of a hunt.

Thanks for letting me share a great hunting memory. Later Baker

I'll see if I can find the time to share the story about a coon hunt that I had many years ago when I surprised a group of under-age teenagers having a late night beer party.

I wasn't sure if it was the rifle over my shoulder, the dog on a leash, or the red light on my head. Whatever it was, they didn't hang around long enough to say hello or goodbye.

I live in Corpus Christi and when I can't get away for an extended period of time I have hunted on the tidal flats of the Laguna Madre on which it is legal to hunt if you stay below the mean high tide level. There is a lot of open country south.

Over the years it is usually a meat hunt for I generally see does and fawns. On one of these meat hunts I happened upon a nice buck about 300 yds away feeding on a mud flat near the water. It was completely open and I could see now way I could reduce the distance. Frustrated with the circumstances I kept glassing him for about 30 minutes. Although I had never had any success with them I remembered I had a grunt call in my fanny pack. I thought what do I have to loose. I called several times and to my utter dismay the buck stopped feeding and was looking in my direction. A few more calls and he appeared to be walking in my general direction.I minimized the calling to only when he was not walking toward me. It probably took about 30 minutes but he eventually reduced the distance to less than 100 yds. He gave me a broad shot at about 80 yds. I have called turkeys but this was the most exciting calling I have ever accomplished. Especially watching him reduce the distance call by call. He turned out to be the largest deer I had shot to that date

This was my best hunt ever. Sorry about the pics they are no longer in PB.
http://texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3941674/1
Here are a few pics of the buck.

Ranchman, was that the hunt with your Dad? If so, I remember the story. So sorry for your loss.

Animals or wanted men?

Well, my story is one quite opposite of STX (which is a great story and read that thread again with awe and happiness); my story is one of a first deer and a personal best...

Opening day gun season two years ago, my son and daughter in the blind with me. Daughter looking for her first deer and my son is looking for a 9 pt buck he has his eye on from TC pics which would be his personal best buck to date. I told my son it was his sisters chance first, and he was ok with that...until...
Sunlight starts glowing in the sky and first light shows movement in the brush. We see a young buck making his way to our food plot and I can tell its a spike. I tell my daughter to get her gun at the ready and wait. Her excitement is palpable. My son is excited as well for her to shoot a deer, until he sees his 9 pt walking the same path and making his way into the food plot. I think between the two of them, and myself, the blind might have been shaking just a bit. At this point a "small" discussion breaks out in the blind which went from a dad telling his son 'you cant shoot your deer because its your sisters shot first' and turned into all out pleas from both siblings about why I should let them shoot first and the other can wait...It was eventually decided my daughter would shoot first, since this would be her first deer and that was what we were all in agreement about initially, and my son would take any good shot opportunity and make the best of it. All eyes fell back to the food plot.
As nature would have it, the young spike was a little hesitant to be near the 9 pt at first, so the 9 pt was first into the food plot and was eating presenting a great shot opportunity for my son. Patience was learned that day. The spike did eventually make his way into the plot and was standing head on toward the blind. I told my daughter to wait for the shot to present. I also told my son to wait for his shot once his sister took hers. After an hour long couple of minutes, the spike did turn broadside, around 75 yards, and I heard my daughter say she was shooting. Boom. Flop. Down deer. Look up and see the 9 pt running off through the food plot. So I just yell. He slows, still trotting. I yell again. He slows to a walk. Third yell, he stops. Bang, wasn't expecting it that fast, but my son was on him like stink on poo and shot on a good quartering away presentation, about 125-135 yards.
The spike dropped right in his tracks, the 9 pt ran off about 50-60 yards but was easily found at the edge of some brush. Perfect double lung by my daughter, and my son made a heart shot.
Best thing about it, they shot out of the same blind window within seconds of each other, and were able to both get the deer they wanted on the same morning. I don't know that I will ever top that as a hunter or a dad.

Had a friend come out to bowhunt a doe. 30 min later the wind starts changing. I didn't want to ruin the stand so I had him get down. i just didn't have a good stand for does with a west wind so I told him to come to the house and shoot one in my yard. He just wanted a doe for meat. He had not hunted all season due to family and work. On my 20 acers wehave way to many deer so he comes over. I throw a pile of corn just passed my driveway and we go inside a while. 20 min later two big does are feeding out there. He steps into my garage and arrows one but hit it a little back. For fear we might chase it off my land I told him lets give her some time. His wife was blowing up his phone cause his newborn was sick so he had to go.
I had dinner with my family and once everyone was ready for bed I stepped outside with a good light and my bow to finish the job. I walked to the driveway to take up the blood trail and almost tripped the dead doe lying there. So the deer was gut/liver shot and ran off and then came back to eat more corn and then fell over dead..just amazing. I've never seen anything like that. I skinned and quartered her for him. I think that was the only hunt he got that season

Since I don't have my own story I'll tell one about my buddy's Dad. Dave's Dad grew up and hunted in Maine. The story, his Dad was sitting up against a tree right near where three deer trails comes together. He had been sitting there long enough that he dozed off. He woke up an unknown amount of time later hearing noises behind him. With his gun between his legs (and I'm sure his lower half was numb) he slowly turned to see a 4 point walking toward him. Getting his gun into position would have spooked the deer that close, so with no other option and the deer right next to him, he quietly drew his knife out of the sheath and when the deer got right next to him he reached up and slit the bucks throat. He proceeded to call for his buddy who was not to far away to help him drag the deer back to the truck. His Buddy called BS because he hadn't heard the shot. Dave's Dad calmly said that was correct because he knifed the buck and here it was lying in a pool of blood still steaming.

I was told this story by a friend of my uncle's. They were both 16 year old's at the time this took place. The date was in the late 1930's, just before WWII along the Idaho/Montana border.
The two of them were invited by the 'older' boys to go on an elk hunt. My Uncle Russell was told to cut across a creek drainage and set up and the end of a point while the others still-hunted down to him. Russell had an old SMLE that had one of the first scopes they'd ever seen. Russell had complained that he couldn't see through it but that was written off as just not knowing how to use a scope.
The drive took place and the other hunters heard 3 shots. When they got to Russell they asked him where his elk was. He told them he had three down. The first one he tried to shoot by using the scope but couldn't see through it so he looked down the side of the barrel and shot a cow as it ran past him about 50 yards away. The second one stopped and he proceeded to nail that one using the same aiming method. The third one ran out and according to Russell, nearly ran him over. As the elk went by, he said he just stuck the barrel against the elk and pulled the trigger.
The others called BS on him until he showed them the three downed elk. One with a massive burn where the muzzle flash burned off the hair.
I asked Uncle Russell about that hunt and he said yeah, that's about what happened. The scope had lost it's seal and would fog up every time he took it outside. After that hunt he pulled the scope and went back to iron sights. I don't think he ever used a scope on a rifle after that time.
His son has that rifle to this day.

Three years ago I shot a decent wide 10 point we now refer to as 3 toes. He should have been shot the year before but he was very leery. He had not been seen on camera at all that year. I shot him on the last morning of the season. I went to a blind we hadn't hunted since early in the season. Very close to the house. I decided to walk. I usually carry a light but go without most of the time. I caught wind of a skunk and had to wait him out as he was near a gate I had to go through.

Already running late I was able to see fairly well by now. Hurrying to get to my blind still about a 1/4 mile away. I rounded a brushy tank dam. As I started into the open on the eastern horizon under a large lone oak I could make out his silhouette. I knew his rack even though he had diminished considerably since the last photo we caught. His body looked very aged and rundown however.

I was already fairly close by the time I noticed him. I nocked an arrow and snuck back to the edge of the brush while he munched acorns. I prayed he would not catch me, something was up. With the proximity in the open field and without a favorable wind, I was in the right place at the right time by the grace of God. I waited for the sun to rise. He started to trail slowly to the south towards some woods noticeably limping. I let the arrow fly.

The shot was clean and he expired shortly thereafter. I believe he desperately needed the eternal rest. His front left hoof was missing. The bone was completely severed and rubbed over from walking on it. The skin had healed to the leg some time ago. He had obviously dealt with the injury for some time. He had managed to get through the rut and just about killed himself breeding. Otherwise I would never have been able to harvest this buck he was just completely worn out. Another weary traveler come and gone.

Thanks for sharing MoBetta. Good story sir