Hunting Shenanigans

[toddster]

well, last month had three other people out on Hel-Gar bowfishing.  Two of them using my extra tackle and bows.  Well everyone having fun shooting throughout night, looked over to my right as my buddy shot at a longnose gar.  AS I turned to see him my other pal pulled up with one of my recurves to shoot a buffalo.  Giving my gar missing pal some encouragement, wink.  I heard a CRACK.  I looked back to my left and there was my other new buddy holding the recurve with the upper limb set back about a foot further (delaminated), His eyes was huge as saucers, and I said, well looks like your done for the night.  Everyone else started laughing, was funny.

[PaddyMac]

I was hunting in the 80s with a hot shot bowhunting guide in northwest Oregon. I was a young outdoor writer. He didn't have a lot of respect for outdoor writers and wasn't shy about saying so. I decided to play a trick on him.

I put a small sandwhich bag of prunes in my pocket and we were moving through a wallow when I spotted a pile of elk scat. I squatted down and said, "Looks fresh." He rolls his eyes. I bend over and sniff it. "Smells fresh." He looks sick. "I palm a prune and hold it up for him to see, then bite into it. "Tastes fresh." I thought he was going to die.

We've been good friends ever since.

[wihill]

Don't know if it's a shenanigan or not, but for a bit last year my good friend Nick I hunt with on the farm decided to move all my trail cams on me - I know the area pretty well (he knows it REALLY well as he grew up there), so I usually walk to my stand in the dark without a flashlight and avoid my trail cams if possible.

The only thing is, he knew what trails I was taking around all the cams, so he went and re-mounted them all right at face height.  I kid you not, I think I set off every one of the dang things in a row - pitch black, eyes looking for stray branches and BAM!  Blind..  stumbling for a bit, get my eyes back and BAM!  Blind AGAIN!  Twice in a row?  NOPE!  Third one was on the tree I was set to go up!  BAM!

I felt like a drunk bull in a china shop.  The pictures were even funnier (well after the fact, though.  I didn't think it was especially funny at the time...)  I have no idea where they all ran off to - I think they're on one of the memory cards in the tote bin somewhere.

[Bakes168]

I was enjoying a nice fall afternoon sit in the tree stand, just taking in the beauty around me. I went to adjust my leg and accidentally knocked one of my arrows out of the quiver. When it clattered to the ground I heard leaves shuffle to my left and turned to find four fat does looking in my direction about 35 yards away. Their original path would have taken them past me at 10 yards and in a shooting lane. They didn't like the noise the arrow made however and stayed out of range. Live and learn I guess...

Peachey, I know exactly how that goes... I've had some pretty frustrating days afield and unfortunately I sometimes let it get the best of me.

[BrianP]

After all the #2 stories, I have to share one of my own.  I left at midnight on a 4 hour drive to make it to my hunting area...got off work a little late.  I was coffeed-up pretty good and the numerous logging roads pushed things south on me...about 15 minutes from my spot, I just couldn't hold it any longer.  I stopped the truck, turned off the lights, jumped-out into pitch black darkness with no flashlight and sub-zero weather....the "pressure" was getting to me so I dropped the tailgate on my truck and hiked one cheek up on the diamond plate...truck's kinda high so my my one foot was tippy toeing it to keep balance.  When I was done, the relief was overwhelming until I went to stand-up and realized something had froze to my aluminum diamond plated tailgate....and no, it wasn't my tongue!

The happy ending to all this was two hours later, I arrowed a nice 3 x 2 mulie.  Didn't even set-up camp, dressed it out, loaded it up, and was back home 12:00 noon nursing my wounds.  

Good night. Brian

[GRINCH]

My first deer hunt I was 14,the director of our local indoor range took me,now I had been hunting with a shotgun for a long time and felt comfortable in the woods but I had never had to walk in before in the dark.I follwed his directions to my stand and walk into one of those massive spider webs we've all have seen,I freaked and promptly started beating myself about the head and shoulders trying to get it off,needless to say I was shaken for the rest of the hunt,didn't see any deer but played cat and mouse with a squirel that just wouldn't go away.

[Don Stokes]

PaddyMac, it works for whitetails, too, if you use chocolate-covered raisins.