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First Day Antics #6168188 02/03/16 09:20 PM
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Kingsview Safaris Offline OP
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For a lot of us hunters and fisherman, the first day of either the season or the trip is often one of planning, prepping and learning.

I would like to hear if anyone has just had "One of those days..." On the first day. Whether it was shot your quota/package limit, or got that monster Buck that kept you up all those nights, a shocker of a first day that had you dreading the rest of the trip or a complete dream day!


Jono and Justine McHugh
Eastern Cape, South Africa
www.kingsviewsafaris.co.za
Listen to our Podcast: Round The Fire With Kingsview Safaris
Re: First Day Antics [Re: Kingsview Safaris] #6169303 02/04/16 03:25 PM
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ttechcolleyville Offline
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I had one, though probably not in line with what you were thinking. But it certainly qualifies as one of those days that had me dreading the rest of the trip.

It was 3 years ago, I was bow hunting in New Mexico on my first elk hunt ever. Had some stomach discomfort that I hoped was temporary but I feared was something more. Several mad dashes to the outhouse that night and I was dreading that first morning hunt. It was raining and took everything I had to walk the 6 miles we hunted that morning.

It continued to rain throughout the day and night and that night, after the 4th or 5th outhouse dash, I quit even bothering to put rain gear on and just made the 100 yard trek in the pouring rain. Next morning's hunt nearly killed me. The afternoon in a tree stand wasn't so bad other than the paranoia that any second, I was going to have to leap from my stand.

Gave up on the 3rd day of actual hunting - it was getting worse, not better. On my drive back to Texas, I probably had 30-35 emergency stops including a couple of towns where I actually had to stop twice.

Now that all said, had I been able to keep off all the weight I lost, I still would have considered it a successful hunt. Turns out I had a rare parasite that is immune to all but one antibiotic variation and by the time it was diagnosed a week after returning home, I had lost almost 40 pounds.

Re: First Day Antics [Re: Kingsview Safaris] #6169402 02/04/16 04:29 PM
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Elkhunter49 Offline
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Many years ago I was Elk/Mule deer hunting in central Colorado. About mid day on the first day of the season I was stepping over a deadfall and lost my balance. I twisted my right knee during the crash. I made it back to camp right before dark. I was only a 1/2 hour or so from camp when I fell. I spent the remaining 4 days of the season limping as far as I could from camp each day to find a game trail to sit over. No deer or elk were harmed by me during that trip but I did spend about 50bucks on Extra Strength Tylenol. My knee was black and blue and swollen up for several weeks but hey I was hunting. Baker


A true friend reaches for your hand but touches your heart.
Re: First Day Antics [Re: Kingsview Safaris] #6169577 02/04/16 07:04 PM
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First day out on the water in a canoe in Alaska and we had to get out and drag it around one of many beaver dams. I was pulling the canoe along and not paying attention to my footing when I stepped right next to a spike left over from a beaver eating a small tree. That spike went into my hip waders right near my ankle creating a large hole. Duct tape was all I had, and it helped, but not enough to have a dry foot for the rest of the hunt!! Worse part besides the diarrhea drinking that nasty water full of beaver crap, was never seeing a moose worth shooting. Just lots of cows and little bulls. moose

Re: First Day Antics [Re: Kingsview Safaris] #6169739 02/04/16 09:22 PM
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Kingsview Safaris Offline OP
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Oh my word those are some stories!! I guess it's mostly pain or sensitive bowl movements on the first day instead of ultimate success and glory. I had a good laugh at the dash for the outhouse but must admit, that is a discomfort no one should experience.


Jono and Justine McHugh
Eastern Cape, South Africa
www.kingsviewsafaris.co.za
Listen to our Podcast: Round The Fire With Kingsview Safaris
Re: First Day Antics [Re: Kingsview Safaris] #6169788 02/04/16 10:03 PM
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Bow season had just started and we were checking fence lines. I was riding in the back of a truck when we came to a halt. there was a big mud hole the driver didn't want to drive through it. I stood up to jump out and the driver changed his mind and gassed it. Yep, off the back of the truck and onto the ground I went. I kept my head from hitting the ground by putting my arm out and using my shoulder to break the the fall. Yep, broke the shoulder instead. Had to have a plate put in to put my shoulder back together. Bow season was not going to happen for me.


Sometimes it's hard being me! But somebody has to do it.
Re: First Day Antics [Re: Kingsview Safaris] #6169793 02/04/16 10:08 PM
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PMK Offline
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a few opening morning antics ...

been several times to Colorado hunting, Mule Deer and Elk.

One year, I took a nice 5x5 MD at sunrise close to timberline .... I was done hunting, so I became the brush buster and spotter for the other 5 guys in the group.

another year, I took a nice 5x5 bull about 8:30 opening morning of the combination season ... I was done hunting again and busted brush and did a bunch of sightseeing around Durango, Silverton, etc.

my college room mate and I got our first lease together shortly after graduating (circa 1980) in northern Williamson county. 140 acres with only about 30 acres of trees in one corner (was great dove hunting over the 2 ponds out in the middle of an old terraced field. Opening morning I started hearing something behind me out in the 100+ acre old field, I turned around to see the biggest 8 point I had ever seen running the snot out of a doe. I quickly got spun around and found a clean shot, down he went. After back at our camp, my roommate was pretty disheartened as he hadn't seen anything. I look down across the creek about 400 yards way and see a doe walk out right at the west fence line. I jokingly said there's you a doe to shoot. He looked over his shoulder, grabbed his gun and took off running. I was like WTHeck, it's just a doe??? Then I see this brute 8 point of a deer step out from the tree behind her, and she takes off across an opening into the brush that my friend had run to the edge of on the other side of the creek, the buck was right on her tail. I motion to my friend that I will circle around the back side to see if I can push them too him. about the time I get to the creek, I look up to see this deer about 50 yards in front of me standing straight on looking at me. BOOM, my friend shot from my right. The deer goes down but then pops up running on his back legs, straight towards me before going down again. my friend comes running thru the brush from my left and the deer pops up and takes off on his hind legs again. I realized he has shot both front legs off the deer right below the brisket, just dangling by a little bit of skin. I holler at my friend to shoot it again in the neck. He hollered back no way, buck fever's got me bad, you put it down. So I did. Come to find out my friend laid down on his belly to see under the brush and could only see the front legs, so he shot there. Anyway, I had to gut it for him too as he would have slit his wrists he was shaking so much, found out that was his first buck and only about 4th deer total in his life. Bottom line, my buck field dressed 128 lbs with a 19 3/4 inside spread heavy mass and long tines ... his field dressed 137 1/2 lbs with a 21 1/2 inside spread with even more mass and longer tines than mine. When we stopped by the other hunters camp that was on the remaining 800 acre portion of the ranch, they came to look at our deer and about fainted, one guy had been there for over 30 years and had never seen anything close to either of our bucks in all his years there. By noon on the opening day, we were done hunting bucks. To add a funny twist to the story, my dad was still hunting in Llano county and killed an 8 point that same morning. We showed up at my parents house to process our deer and dad had his trophy hanging in the backyard. We hung our two up off the same limb and he said "d@m boys, you just made my trophy Llano county 8 point look like a young jack rabbit"...


"everyone that lives dies but not everyone who dies lived..."

~PMK~
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