Best Memory Of The Season, Without Killing A Deer

[kpkot]

My daughters first hunt.  Didnt see anything but squirrels but it was awesome

[growalot]

Lots of them ...but now that season is over I can say this...bitter sweet and a game changer for next year...A double drop tine crazy wide, high tined 14 pt buck 70 yards away.  Came to my fence hunkered down to jump and couldn't then walked away towards the road and to the pines across the street... To tell you he's the biggest buck in the wild I have ever seen is and understatement...that rack was at least 25" 's wide or more...his head tipped back and forth as he walked, like a metronome. It made his head and body look proportionately smaller...and it was well before dark...I never saw him again and I have been checking around to see if anyone else may have gotten him...So far only one big buck has surfaced but not this guy...here's to hoping. Had I not lost the cell I would have tried for a pic...he gave me enough time to get a very good look at him the drops were at least 6 "s and he was very symmetrical...

Edited December 21, 2016 by growalot

[turkeyfeathers]

Crap, "without killing a deer" I just saw. Oopsy.  Ok so it was having my daughter out there toting her own gun ......and then I killed a deer

[Moho81]

My best memory is the time I took my 6 year old daughter bow hunting. We where hunting with a friend who through text messages let us know a buck was working his way towards us. Her excitement over the chance at seeing a deer was enough to make it a successful hunt for me. Unfortunately the buck must have turned away from us as we never saw it. She is now 0-4 on seeing deer with me but she isn't discouraged from hunting yet. 

[mlammerhirt]

First memory from the season was gaining nice trail cam intelligence on a couple of trophy bucks that Cruze the property and then watching them throughout the season. One as far as I know made it....The other fell victim to a well deserving neighbor.
Second was when my wife brought my 2.5 year old son to the property after I shot my Archery Buck this year. He was so pumped to be there with his boots on and to be helping Dad and Jagi(grandpa in polish) drag and load the deer to take home.
The kid is now hooked and always ask to go with us....And always says Dad shoot a big buck for me!

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

[NYBowhunter]

Hunting with one of my boys in the early bow season, hes telling me 2 deer were coming. I turn to him so he can point them out  and i notice both his legs were shaking uncontrollable,  mind you it was like 55 degrees out so it wasnt cold. He got buck fever real bad, that was priceless.

[dbHunterNY]

Probably one of three things....

Probably trumped by the last two but had big buck encounter in dark. Opening morning before daylight I was crossing hay field with a low powered head lamp on my head. Had eyes of deer faint in distance. One set came closer and closer to check me out. As the deer cautiously stepped into the dim light working straight toward me it turned out to be a hit list buck. Kept coming and at less than 10 yards I thought I might get charged antlers down. It took one hop out of light, eyes stopped in darkness, and i continued walking while it stayed there.

gun opener dad was out. Has not seriously hunted in while. Petty trigger happiness and "screw everyone else. I got my buck" mentality made him lose interest in years past. We could actually watch deer now without fields getting cleared by gunfire at first legal thing that steps out.

Finally I took my 2.5 yr old out "hunting". Lots of deer sightings and snacking happened on that trip.

[Merlot]

Florida...

[Steuben Jerry]

Best memory has deer killed in it - sorry!

Hunting with my 9 year old grandson tagging along for the first time. He's watching a buck in this pic. The buck was about 350 yds away. Wasn't on my hit list, so we passed. 30 minutes later my wife shot it.

He and I took a doe the previous afternoon.

Edited December 21, 2016 by Steuben Jerry

[Two Track]

The strongest in my mind is a repeat of the same thing that happen in my early days of deer hunting.

For the first time in several years, I pulled out my old heavy steel ladder stand and used it on the last Saturday of gun season.  I didn't get to my planned spot, as someone was already there, so I was in a new spot I hadn't been at before on public land.  I carried in my stand, set out a couple scent-wicking dispensers and set up the stand just off a trail and it looked over a bottom area with another trail in it.  Climbed up and realized my safety line was back at the car - oh well.

This where the repeat event happens,  sat for a couple hours and heard something moving behind me.  Had a nice doe come in on another trail I didn't spot behind me. Had no way to take a shot to right and behind me (I am a righty). All I could do was watch her.   I had that happen once before in the late 80's on private family property.

This day I had borrowed my son's slug gun figuring that I would have to a take long range shot, or see one from a ways out. If I had taken my gun afield(I had it in the car) I could have gotten her when she moved to a point that could shoot to the right, but i couldn't get her in the scope - too close.

I swapped back to my gun and got the safety line when I grabbed lunch from the car.  She never came back by. but I had a hawk hanging out nearby and that was pretty cool.  It was nice having a better view from the ladder stand again. I will give it a fresh paint job in the spring or summer to use it again next year. I had the best opportunity in the ladder stand than I have had on the ground over the past few seasons.

[moog5050]

Oh I forgot, watching one of my friends nearly get run over by a nice buck we were tracking was pretty funny.  He did a great job of stepping aside and getting a second arrow in it (good shot too at point blank range), but it was a dead deer running already.  I was about 80yds away watching it all unfold.  I saw the deer running to him way before he did and tried to yell to him but doubt he heard me.  It was a scene I won't forget.

Edited December 21, 2016 by moog5050

[LET EM GROW]

Taking my wife out and trying to film her get her second deer with a bow all opening weekend, I didn't have it in me this year, like years passed, from not having my dad to hunt with anymore. But i was pumped to try and get my wife another archery harvest. She had her opportunity opening weekend and missed. But the look on her face when she turned to me fast after the shot and asked if she hit her, (she must not have seen the green nocturnal go over her back) i sadly told her no with a little laugh, you just cut some hair. She was bummed but you could still hear the excitement in her words as we walked back to the truck. But to be in a double set stand site and watching anyone especially her trying to harvest a deer is nothing less than awesome.   

Edited December 21, 2016 by LET EM GROW

[magnumhunt]

Heres my story. Sat in my tree stand on Sunday, day after opener. (southern) I Usually try to sit from 6-9:30-10. But we were slammed with snow and was windy. I was pretty warm the whole time untill last half hour. At 9:28 I pull the rope up to tie my rifle to bring it down.  As the Rifle is hanging 3/4 down. I look to my left and what do I see? A BUCK. I started cursing to myself and I am sure many of you would too! I pull the gun up quick and put him  on the scope. It was a 4 point. I was 95% sure and let him go. I kept my eye on him for 10 more seconds to make sure he was a 4 point. I am located close to Roscoe.  Bucks have to be 3pt on 1 side. This was the first time i ever laid eyes on  a buck! What a tease!

[tommyc50]

wow great thread i seen a one antlered unicorn buck the doe the last day of bow season i spooked and seen a load of turkeys rabbits a pheasant and a wood cock i went for a knee replacement on 11/30 so my season was cut short but was happy to see wildlife i had a good season

[DIYhunter]

Best memories were all those afternoons spent in the stand with nothing but peace and quiet. Just good to get away from it all for a bit. Oh, and that one hunter that walked directly under my stand without noticing me up in the tree even though I had my blaze orange vest on!

[JRod 8G8H]

It was peak rut bow and I had the dominant buck from our block a couple hundred yards away chasing all the other bucks around a small pond. I crawled about 200 yds with wind in face grunting through tall grass with bow in hand.  Well I got less than 10 yds with the buck snort wheezing at me when I realized it was probably a bad idea. He was pretty upset. I drew back but he jumped away a few yds. He had a doe bedded between he and I so I didn't shoot. Anyway, my friend got him a couple weeks later, and I'm getting a crossbow

[Uncle Nicky]

I know this may sound negative, but years ago, if I hunted a few times and didn't see or kill a deer, I would get pretty salty. I was processing deer at the time, and would have customers bring in 5 or 6 deer (legally) a year, and kept wondering, "How is it that they are killing 5 or 6 and I'm lucky to just get 1?". Eventually, the light bulbs went on in my head and I tagged along a few times, and I realized they were hunting quality private land, not just taking their chance at the nearest state park, as well as hunting smart AND hard every season. So, eating tag soup became the motivation I needed to become a "killer" like them. Eventually that all evened out, I still mostly hunt high-density private land  and hunt as smart as possible, it's a rare year that I don't kill 2 or 3 deer now (all I want or need). But I'm a lot less aggressive than I was 15 or 20 years ago.

Edited January 6, 2017 by Uncle Nicky

[Uncle Nicky]

My best memory of deer hunting without firing a shot in 2016 was hunting at the club I joined this year in Virginia. I was able to break loose for a few days after Christmas, they use dogs to drive the deer, beagles, foxhounds, and mixes. Anyone who thinks this is lazy, unethical or cheating should give this a try some time. 15 guys hunted 2 full days I was there, 5 deer were killed (1 nice buck). It's really not all that different than driving deer with humans, and the dog owners/handlers break their tails not only controlling the dogs, but rounding them up after each drive, and feeding and cleaning their pens for the 10 months in the year when they don't hunt.

[Will_C]

My best memory was on the first day of Pa season. I hunt on my cousin's farm-he died of a heart attack last April @69. When I got to the milking parlor that morning at 5:30am I noticed that his 11 year grandson had Bob's orange vest on. Before I could say anything his 9 year old grandsoncame up and said "Look Will, I got Pop Pop's knife." I have to say, I walked to my treestand with a couple of tears on my cheeks.

Will

[NFA-ADK]

I saw 6 bucks at about 50 yards that came into a rattling sequence from another hunter.  Oldest was a  2.5 year old, a cool sight watching that many bucks and I though a squirrel was making all the noise!  They where walking single file with a spike in the lead position and the 2.5 in the back. 

The big highlight was seeing a mature buck stop at about 65 yards directly in the morning sunlight starring directly in my direction as he was following a doe.  The image of him with the sun in the background is etched in my mind.  Amazing sight, awesome day!

[Grizz1219]

Taking this 13 year old out and him getting his first deer, with a bow to boot...