Miscellaneous Season Highlights (Share them!)

[Trumpkin the Dwarf]

I've yet to arrow any critters this fall, and I haven't had any honest to goodness full length story worthy days, but that doesn't mean I haven't had highlights!

I missed a squirrel by an inch on the opener, and buried a snuffer in a log.

I missed another squirrel the next week, this time I'd swear he dodged it.

I saw armadillos, something new to me!

And just this morning I got into a standoff with a momma hog and her piglets. I was on the ground, and she heard me, so she started looking for me! I hit full draw as she rounded the last tree between us, and thought I'd have to play skewer the pig in self defense. Thankfully cooler heads prevailed, and she ran when she saw me. The last two steps didn't happen, but I'm pleased as punch with how my season is going.

SO what about everyone else? What random snippets, snapshots, and little things have become highlights of your hunts this fall? We get so caught up in telling about successful hunts, but the ones with no dead animals are just as memorable!

[Trenton G.]

I went out yesterday morning and the cattle were all laying up by the house. They only do that when a bear is around back by the woods. Walking in in the dark I could smell him pretty strongly. Made the walk a bit more exciting, and I could smell him off and on all morning.

[Bud B.]

I heard a bird chirping loudly and excitingly while in I sat in a treestand. Suddenly a bird flew near me and landed. It was very close. I froze. Then another of the same species landed very close. Within about 6 feet. They jumped from limb to limb all around me. Then the chirping one flew over. It was apparently the young fledgling of the pair.  It went to each parent as if it wanted fed. They looked like they were trying to get it to head off on its own. This went on for ten minutes or more. I had to pull an image of the bird from the internet, but learned they were Northern Flickers.

 

[wood carver 2]

Last week; my buddy and I decided to walk an overgrown logging road instead of sitting in our trees stands. 5 minutes past the spot where we had  the stands, we pushed through a bunch of tag alders and came to a small pond. My buddy walked to the edge looking for tracks, when I whispered " there's a bull. Ron, there's a bull right in front!"
He thought I was pulling his leg, until he looked up and saw the 40 inch moose standing across the pond.
The bull was looking right at us, but we had the wind and he just stood there as we backed into some cover. I gave a soft cow call. the moose grunted once, turned and gave us a broadside that looked like a boxcar door. He was about 65 yards away. Then he started walking around the pond and headed directly towards us. He stopped at about 30 yards facing us head on. Both of us had arrows ready and we were waiting for him to take a few more steps to where we would have a clear shot.
That was when the wind whipped around and did a 360 in the clearing. I could see it on the water and that beautiful bull turned and trotted off.
The next evening, the newbie in our group, who had never hunted anything in his life, had two young bulls walk into his shooting lane and killed one.
Fun week! We saw 5 bulls, 2 cows with calves,a bear and I had a 5 minute meeting with a lynx.
Dave.

[Trenton G.]

I had a chickadee land on my bowstring and start pulling out fibers from my string silencers. It was amusing for a while, but then I figured I'd better stop him before he got the whole thing.

[Fattony77]

Great thread!

Just last week I got my first (and second) shot on a public land Oklahoma bear. I've been hunting them for around 6 or 7 yrs. now, and just now managed my first real opportunity. I missed, cleanly on both shots...

I had a little guy come into my shooting lane, giving me a perfect broadside shot at around 7 yards. When I took the shot, I immediately knew that I'd missed because as he ran all over the place, my string from the string tracker stayed still. After running several different directions at full speed, he ended up back in my shooting lane at around 10 yds. away. I took my 2nd arrow & let fly. He jumped like he'd been hit, and ran straight away from me & down the hill. I managed to stay in my seat for a full 20 min. while I got my hands to stop shaking, but could wait no more. I followed the string to the 1st arrow and then looked around for the 2nd, which I found about 10 feet away & slightly closer to my chair. My heart sank as I looked over the arrow & found it to be completely free of blood or even fur. Don't get me wrong, I'm extremely grateful that I didn't wound him, but I thought that I had made a better shot the 2nd time. The only thing that I can think of is that I just didn't pick a spot and shot at the whole bear.

Needless to say, I was very dejected at first, and began to question myself and whether or not I should even be in the woods. But I'm refusing to let negativity rule my life & decision making. So, focusing on the positive, I saw more bears this trip than ever before, and even managed to be in the right place, at the right time, for a shot opportunity. It was definitely a good trip, just not quite the ending that I was hoping for. So, I will practice some more, and be back out for deer for the rest of our season (and if the opportunity presents itself, I may be able to try for bear a couple more times before the end of the year).

I also got to see bears on 2 more occasions, a Silver Fox, 2 Roadrunners, 2 deer, 3 raccoons and approximately 50 Million "Walking Stick" bugs (apparently I arrived during the peak of the "Walking Stick" rut and they were out in DROVES! They actually got very annoying. Lol.)