Rookie mistakes after 44 years of hunting.

[sask boy]

Well here is the story. This past Friday we went out to attempt to fill the last 2 mule deer doe tags in order get our buck tags.
After having to argue with the DNR in order to give in our doe heads for testing and then being advised that we would have to drive just over 2 hours to purchase our buck tags things were not going that well.
We arranged to be off last Friday and headed to Swift Current Sask. to get our tags, got out in the afternoon but did not get the second doe until after the office closed back in Swift Current so only 3 of the 4 us could hunt Saturday for Muley bucks. We were using black powder muzzle loaders and I have to admit we were having fun. Rut has not yet started so bucks were still together. Did not see any trophies 200 or better but lots of young bucks around 4pm we started to drive and shortly after we saw 4 bucks standing in a pasture about 80 yards off the road so we stopped to look at them and we were talking and laughing still in a truck when suddenly about 20 yards behind these bucks their grandpa stood up and calmly bounced over the hill. In 44 years of hunting I would place this buck in the top 5 that I have ever seen and when he went over the hill there were a few red faced so call hunters jumping out of the truck and trying at the same time to put primers in their rifles. Needless to say he is not back here with us.
Oh well we had a great time and my youngest son was with me for the first time in a number years so it was a great hunt we just were a little short.
We are leaving again this coming Monday for 3 days of rifle hunting for Muley bucks we are sure hoping for one more crack at that big guys.
This area we are hunting is very well known for big bucks so here is hoping

Blessings,

 

[DrMike]

Dan,

It happens more often than we imagine. I've watched on multiple occasions some fine heads of game trot away while I fumbled trying to uncase my rifle or retrieve it from where it was stored.

 

[JD338]

Can we assume that you will be loaded and primed the next time you step out of the truck to look at some deer? :mrgreen:
Good luck next week, maybe the big boy will still be there.

JD338

 

[6mm Remington]

sask boy,
Had some like that with me. For another time I will save an elk goof that is hard to even talk about to this day! Make that two, I just thought of another one. Since I'm having a hard time telling on myself, I'll just tell a story about one of my best friends by the name of Don. His last name shall not be told to protect the guilty. :lol:

We are spring bear hunting and are just easing up this old logging road very slowly when I look to our left about 75 yards at this very large black thing sitting on it's butt like a dog. I calmly told Don (who was driving), there's a bear and pointed to him. He stopped his pickup and tried to get his rifle out of a soft guncase in which it was sitting in the back seat of his pickup. I had already shot one bear, and I wanted him to get one so I just sat and watched this all unfold. I had plenty of time to get out and get over off the trail and harvest this bear all the while Don is fumbling about with his guncase trying to get it opened up. :lol: The zipper had gone out on it the last fall so he took it to a Cleaners that also does repairs on clothing, dresses, anything you ask. He asked them to put in a heavy zipper, which they did and which they did a fine job on. Only problem was instead of the zipper being closed when it was at the butt end of the rifle, that was now closed position. To unzip and get his rifle out, he had to start pulling the zipper (in the case closed position) from the barrel end. By the time he remembered all this and finally got his rifle out and ready to go, the bear had enough of watching this circus and he calmly walked off and not to be seen again! Now that's funny! I probably am not the best judge of size and I don't think we get some of the Really big bears here in Montana, but I would estimate that he was about 275-300 pounds and was coal black! Beautiful. I'm not putting this in here just for NODAK 7MM's benefit, but I hope he does read this. Before this hunt ever started, I began calling his rifle case the NORTH DAKOTA GUN CASE.! :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[6mm Remington]

Quick mistake I made. The case was open when the zipper pull was to the butt of the case. If anyone catches that. You had to UNZIP it from the barrel end BACK to the rear of the case to open it.

 

[sask boy]

Hey Guys, thanks for the replies. Just so you know we are getting a snow storm here today. I do not think it will stick around for any length of time. But I think it will put the big guys into rut

Blessings,
Dan

 

[nodak7mm]

Dan,

We all been there, some will admit, some wont. My daughter did similar last yr. The thing that counts is you were with friends & family having a great time. For yrs, you guys will be going "Remember that big buck we saw in 2010"...... Its about memories!! And you got a great one..

6mmRemmy.. Hah!! I have alot of relaticks in MT as you know and I just know there is some common thread with MT folks and their zippers..... But thats a whole nuther story... :lol: :mrgreen: :lol: Has something to do with no TP and socks too...... :shock: :shock:

Rod

 

[Guy Miner]

Week before last, hunting with a friend, we were glassing a clear cut 250 - 300 yards away looking for mule deer. We'd been down on the ground, quiet for some time, and separated by 20 yards or so, to see into slightly different areas of the clear cut.

Got bored seeing nothing. We each stood up and walked to the center of our little area, leaving our packs and rifles behind. We were quietly jaw-jacking about the lack of mule deer when he noticed a good 4x4 and something larger (likely another 4x4, but considerably bigger) only about 50 yards away from us! They'd walked up alongside and behind us while we were glassing. And there we stood, unarmed...

I said something intelligent like "get your gun." In the ensuing scramble for rifles and shooting positions I actually fell down a dirt bank twice, trying to run as fast as a mule deer uphill. Doggone things out-ran me. Who would have guessed? Those two were shooter bucks, one was a serious wall-hanger. We never got a shot off at them.

Gentlemen, when you're hunting, keep your rifle with you. Rookie mistake of the season for me. That is all. :mrgreen:

 

[SJB358]

Man, that is a tough one! Hopefully you get another crack at them Guy! Big Muleys are hard to come by. He sounds like he was a great one! Scotty

 

[Guy Miner]

Yeah, laughing about it now. If I get another try at him, it will be next year. Our mule deer season is over, except for those lucky dogs who drew special permits to hunt the November rut.

 

[6mm Remington]

Guy,
That's a good one. I think we all have been caught with our guard down like that before. Isn't it amazing how they will just show-up at the most convenient time :?: :shock: