Most memorable hunt?

Blkram · Monday at 9:19 AM

We have talked about a lot of topics of late, and there have been great conversations!
Many of have talked about recent hunts and upcoming hunts, and there has been a lot of great stories shared!

So now, which hunt would you say has been your most memorable hunt?
Or were there more than one, and of different types that made them so memorable? (E.g., hunts w/ friends and family, first guided hunt, or a hunt that you guided someone else on, or where you charged by an animal, etc.)

My most memorable hunt? Hard to pick, as I have been so fortunate to have so many!
I would have to say my trip in 2006, where I went guiding with my Dad for 2 weeks in the Prophet/Muskwa area of northeastern BC, qualifies as my most memorable.
It was a 2 week trip where I was an assistant guide to my Dad, where he was guiding for the Prophet/Muskwa Outfitters. This was a horseback hunt, where we too clients out of the main camp on the Prophet River, and also from the spike camp cabin over towards the Muskwa River, where we had to go over the pass where the drainage that the Chadwick Ram was taken, is located.
It was my first opportunity to go guiding with my Dad, and unfortunately due to his age and condition now, was to be my only chance. Am very glad to have taken the opportunity when it was presented!
Between him, his Dad and Grandfather, they have over 130 years of guiding hunters in the mountains of BC and Alberta. My grandfather even guided Jack O'Connor on one of this sheep hunts in the mountains near Jasper once.
It was a great trip, as we guided Spanish hunters to moose and elk, and American hunters to elk and moose, including a moose that scored 225 B&C points (largest moose taken by any hunter in Outfitters hunting territories in either BC or the Yukon that year), and we saw another that may have been bigger!
We also had many sightings of grizzlies during the hunts, including where I came face to face with a large black boar at about 15 yards while riding on the trail one day, going after elk. Luckily he immediately turned and ran the other way! We went back to assist Dad and the other hunter with the large moose.
We also got to see a few mountain caribou and a few sheep on that hunt.
The horses were great, the hunting good, and the scenery breathtaking! And to be able to share it with my Dad = priceless!

Other very memorable hunts for me include:

My daughter's first hunts for:
- Her first hunt for grouse
- Her first big game hunt - for a mule deer
- Her first stones sheep, moose and caribou over two days
- Her first archery hunt for her 6x6 elk w/ Fred Eichler in Colorado
My first big game hunt - whitetail doe with my grandfather and his Marlin 30-30
My first bison hunt
My first elk
My first mountain goat
My grizzly
My first (and only!) bear charge (black bear shot and turned at less than 5 yards)
My first successful archery hunts (bow and crossbow)
My hunting trips w/ DrMike and his first:
- whitetail
- elk
- grizzly
My first hunt in New Zealand (which also included red stag and fallow buck for me, and my wife's first successful hunt for big game - Arapawa Ram)
My first hunt in Africa (which included bucket list animals for me and my wife - kudu, nyala, bushbuck for me, and sable for Susan)

KinleyWater · Monday at 4:02 PM

First time hunting rabbit as a teen with a 22 pistol. Didn't kill anything, but I still remember the time.

filmjunkie4ever · Monday at 5:38 PM

I honestly don’t think I can choose a single hunt as most memorable. I’ve had some great ones over the years!

Blkram · Monday at 5:49 PM

KinleyWater said:
First time hunting rabbit as a teen with a 22 pistol. Didn't kill anything, but I still remember the time.

I know what you mean.
I might not remember my first snowshoe hare hunt, but I do remember when my uncle taught me how to snare hares on the family farm the first time, and my first snowshoe hare hunt with my uncle on an old abandoned property near the farm, with 22 LR rifles, where we both came home with a number of hares that winter day. (Up to then, I had been hunting with the .410)

IdahoCTD · Monday at 9:04 PM

My most memorable hunts recently were my boys first elk. My youngest was just this past season, a 4x4, and my oldest sons first was 3 years ago, a 5x6. My first elk was one I wont forget, a little spike bull, and my biggest buck, 33" wide, was pretty memorable. Having 3 generations shooting iguanas in Puerto Rico a couple months ago was as well since it might be the last trip my dad gets to go on, at least that is what he is saying.

FNWhelen · Monday at 10:27 PM

This is easy for me. Hunting Kodiak for Blacktail out of a skiff with my dad. Cruising along the beach and saw a deer and after coming to a halt told dad to shoot it. Dad took a shot and smooth missed. I sat there stunned for a moment as I had never seen him miss an animal. I stood up and said my turn. The deer had hauled butt up the mountain side but I found a clearing it would pass through and held on it. When the deer emerged I fired and it rolled all the way back down to the beach. After the deer hit the beach I turned to dad and said "I have been waiting 40 years for today" Best day ever!

NYDAN · 2025-04-22T03:41:42-0700

It would be difficult for me to pick a favorite hunt. I like them all from hunting rabbits as a teenager with my Dad, to my first deer with my Uncle, to my first large buck, to my first elk, to my first bull elk. All are equally memorable and significant to me. I keep a log of all of the deer and elk I have shot. I review it about once a year and still can remember every one of them.

But now, at this stage of my life, I would have to say that I get most enjoyment or satisfaction from helping other younger hunters get their first tom turkey, first deer, first elk, etc. I would rather see a younger hunter tag an animal than tag one myself. Examples include helping my younger neighbors get their first bucks, first large bucks, first tom turkey, first elk.

diverdown · 2025-04-22T06:44:48-0700

I've hunted Deer in Maine for Many years and with good company all hunts are memorable. I do have to say when I started Elk hunting in 1994 it was certainly different at 9200 feet in Colorado than Maine at swamp level in many areas. My hunting buddy of 50 years and I covered many miles of Excellent Elk Territory and got our fair share of careless Elk. Along the way we became very good friends with a Fellow from Nebraska and his brother in law from Missouri. Met them on the start of our Elk hunting adventures. At the age of 80 those memories are treasured and I still keep in touch with my hunting partners. Sitting on the back porch with a good bourbon thinking of the many adventures brings a very pleasant smile to my face.

Blkram · 2025-04-22T18:27:49-0700

Careless elk, like the rest of the "stupid" (as in less wise) critters, are tasty too!
I'm not picky when it comes to putting tasty critters on the table...
But you sure do notice it when you run into that crafty, wise old bull or buck that really tests your mettle in order to bring him home for dinner!

I look forward to those lazy days, or evenings, in front of the fire, or campfire, reminiscing on old hunting and fishing stories with friends and family, or looking at the old photos, or the skins, racks, and/or trophies around the house, or out on the shed, that brings back those memories, while honouring those animals.
Glad you are enjoying it now!

stew · 2025-04-22T19:48:21-0700

Blkram said:
We have talked about a lot of topics of late, and there have been great conversations!
Many of have talked about recent hunts and upcoming hunts, and there has been a lot of great stories shared!

So now, which hunt would you say has been your most memorable hunt?
Or were there more than one, and of different types that made them so memorable? (E.g., hunts w/ friends and family, first guided hunt, or a hunt that you guided someone else on, or where you charged by an animal, etc.)

My most memorable hunt? Hard to pick, as I have been so fortunate to have so many!
I would have to say my trip in 2006, where I went guiding with my Dad for 2 weeks in the Prophet/Muskwa area of northeastern BC, qualifies as my most memorable.
It was a 2 week trip where I was an assistant guide to my Dad, where he was guiding for the Prophet/Muskwa Outfitters. This was a horseback hunt, where we too clients out of the main camp on the Prophet River, and also from the spike camp cabin over towards the Muskwa River, where we had to go over the pass where the drainage that the Chadwick Ram was taken, is located.
It was my first opportunity to go guiding with my Dad, and unfortunately due to his age and condition now, was to be my only chance. Am very glad to have taken the opportunity when it was presented!
Between him, his Dad and Grandfather, they have over 130 years of guiding hunters in the mountains of BC and Alberta. My grandfather even guided Jack O'Connor on one of this sheep hunts in the mountains near Jasper once.
It was a great trip, as we guided Spanish hunters to moose and elk, and American hunters to elk and moose, including a moose that scored 225 B&C points (largest moose taken by any hunter in Outfitters hunting territories in either BC or the Yukon that year), and we saw another that may have been bigger!
We also had many sightings of grizzlies during the hunts, including where I came face to face with a large black boar at about 15 yards while riding on the trail one day, going after elk. Luckily he immediately turned and ran the other way! We went back to assist Dad and the other hunter with the large moose.
We also got to see a few mountain caribou and a few sheep on that hunt.
The horses were great, the hunting good, and the scenery breathtaking! And to be able to share it with my Dad = priceless!

Other very memorable hunts for me include:

My daughter's first hunts for:

Her first hunt for grouse

Her first big game hunt - for a mule deer

Her first stones sheep, moose and caribou over two days

Her first archery hunt for her 6x6 elk w/ Fred Eichler in Colorado

My first big game hunt - whitetail doe with my grandfather and his Marlin 30-30

My first bison hunt

My first elk

My first mountain goat

My grizzly

My first (and only!) bear charge (black bear shot and turned at less than 5 yards)

My first successful archery hunts (bow and crossbow)

My hunting trips w/ DrMike and his first:

whitetail

elk

grizzly

My first hunt in New Zealand (which also included red stag and fallow buck for me, and my wife's first successful hunt for big game - Arapawa Ram)

My first hunt in Africa (which included bucket list animals for me and my wife - kudu, nyala, bushbuck for me, and sable for Susan)

Interesting I worked for Muskwa outfitters in 81 or 82 we had a camp on the prophet and up the hunted up the Muskwa as well I think the 2 areas are
now combined or owned by 1 guy now. Beautiful country saw lots of great animals, always wanted to go back on my own but never did.