What has been your favorite hunt of all

[FREAK]

My most memorable/rewarding hunts were the ones that took the most commitment. Usually a good dose of feeling like I’m doing something wrong or wasting time only for it to finally come together at the end. I’ve had a lot of fun on special tags and out of state hunts but these come to mind as the most memorable.

2012, went home for Christmas break. Practiced with my dad’s bow then sat stands literally the entire break. Almost took the night off as it was rain/snowing all day. Decided to go sit the stand and it paid off. Great memories talking through the hunts with my dad, deciding what stand to sit, processing the deer, grinding out hours in the stand.



The bull I got last year was another one I’ll never forget. Been dreaming about a nice 6 point bull since I moved to Montana. I decided it was the year to hold out or eat the tag. Took a lot of trial and error and some grueling hunts. Hunted hard from bow season through the end of rifle. Felt really good when it all came together.

 

[TheGrayRider]

I have been extremely blessed, lucky, and grateful over the past few years in my travels. A special thanks to all involved, directly or indirectly in these hunts, especially my wife, the wonderful guides and PHs, and the unnamed support staffs.


Bongo - Equatorial African jungle, southeastern Cameroon, May 2024.


Desert Bighorn Sheep - Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, Unit 45C, Arizona, December 2022.


Leopard with hounds - Kalahari Desert, Botswana, Africa, Unit S02, September 2023.

God bless America! See you on the mountain and also at the upcoming conventions. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2025 to all, TheGrayRider a/k/a Tom.

 

[hank4elk]

I'd have to say last weeks cow hunt with my friend here at the ranch.
For 2 old hunters it does not get much better. Talking for days about past hunts and life, then filling a tag last day.
Shared meat & stories with Dotti.
Cool.

 

[psinclair]

It wasn't an animal I killed myself, but one I guided for. Unlimited ram from Montana's Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness, 2006.

 

[cgasner1]

Killed that bull on day 21 most of it solo. Im not sure how many days I actually hunted that year for that elk 21 was just how many I had been down at the time I took a week during archery and every weekend. Even today I smile when I walk past him

 

[BirdManMike]

The stoop of a tiercel Peregrine on Huns on a clear, chilly, still, winter day, especially those flights where I am able to get eyes on the falcon before, or shortly after, the start of the stoop, watching - and hearing - the descent from clear, blue heavens thru to contact. Its difficult to always get eyes on the falcon when its at 1000, or more, feet over head, but there are a number of flights that will be burned into my brains for all eternity. And I hope there will be many more for years to come.

 

[6mm Remington]

It would have to be my 2019 grizzly bear hunt above the Arctic Circle in Alaska. Got a gorgeous 14 year old bear. I had a wonderful guide Mike Lettis from Alaska. We really bonded and had a great time. The outfitter and his wife were wonderful people and the crew they had in camp was amazing. The two days I got to spend in base camp were filled with the best caribou and moose meat for meals than you could imagine. The cook was the best. I have to say though that having grizzly bear backstrap steaks rolled in flour and friend in butter at spike camp was pretty tough to beat.

 

[SaskHunter]

This past season has been my best to date. My best trip, DIY Yukon caribou, quickly got surpassed by Wyoming pronghorn and elk with my 10yo.

A season of dinks, mostly!

I haven’t done a season recap in quite some time and quite frankly wasn’t going to until I recently reflected on how this past season has been my hardest, best and most rewarding to date. From Saskatchewan to Wyoming with a stint in the Yukon, this season has been my busiest, most demanding at...

www.hunttalk.com

 

[Bambistew]

I have been extremely blessed, lucky, and grateful over the past few years in my travels. A special thanks to all involved, directly or indirectly in these hunts, especially my wife, the wonderful guides and PHs, and the unnamed support staffs.

View attachment 354073
Bongo - Equatorial African jungle, southeastern Cameroon, May 2024.

View attachment 354074
Desert Bighorn Sheep - Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, Unit 45C, Arizona, December 2022.

View attachment 354075
Leopard with hounds - Kalahari Desert, Botswana, Africa, Unit S02, September 2023.

God bless America! See you on the mountain and also at the upcoming conventions. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2025 to all, TheGrayRider a/k/a Tom.

Jealous. Some amazing hunts there

 

[Wild Bill]

Doubled on jakes this year with my 3-1/2 year old with me.
That was awesome.

 

[DFS]

Thinking back I’ve had many great hunts. An archery elk the day after I killed a breaks ram comes to mind as my favorite although it’s hard to pick just one.
Coyote hunts with my buddies are hard to top as well.

 

[Wolfshead]

Please take this with its intentions.
At 64 I haven’t had my favorite hunt yet. Truth is I may never.
I’m a late onset hunter as I started at 53.
As I look through these posts, and see what some others have listed as their favorites, I see dreams.
My dream hunt would be an Elk or Moose hunt where we had to pack in a days distance, tent camp, and hunt from there for a week or so.
That would be my favorite.
I’ve had good times hunting Whitetail here in the northeast and a couple times in NC.
Age and finances are what they are, and increasingly limit what I’m able to do.
To those that do what they do on a regular basis, God bless you!

 

[Hereinaz]

I love my all my adventures, but the most exciting was running in to arrow my first archery bull while it was fighting another bull, on the last day no less of a hard hunt.

 

[Hereinaz]

Please take this with its intentions.
At 64 I haven’t had my favorite hunt yet. Truth is I may never.
I’m a late onset hunter as I started at 53.
As I look through these posts, and see what some others have listed as their favorites, I see dreams.
My dream hunt would be an Elk or Moose hunt where we had to pack in a days distance, tent camp, and hunt from there for a week or so.
That would be my favorite.
I’ve had good times hunting Whitetail here in the northeast and a couple times in NC.
Age and finances are what they are, and increasingly limit what I’m able to do.
To those that do what they do on a regular basis, God bless you!
View attachment 354180

I got a decade head start over you, and I got a late start too. I am 53 next year and making memories the best I can.

It’s amazing to see and live vicariously through some of these guys for hunts I will never get to experience. I am grateful they share them, and try to remind the younger guys to enjoy the extra years they have to hunt.

 

[Birdbander]

I'm mostly a bird hunter. Moments of hunts throughout the years stand out as special more so than a particular hunt. A dog's perfect point/retrieve. A cover so loaded with a flight of woodcock that the dogs were nearly drunk with scent. Stumbling upon a honey hole of ruffed grouse.

There are three hunts that do stand above all of my others in their entirety.

First would be the only KS turkey hunt I've been on. Went with my lifelong friend and his Dad for the opener. Opening morning we called in 3 birds together. Didn't know they were jakes until they were close & we were pinned. I wasn't sure we had agreed to shoot jakes but when the two in front stuck there necks out & gobbled in unison, my decision was instantaneous. Both birds dropped at the shot and my friend dropped the other freaked out jake.

Second would be my only (so far) antelope hunt with same friend to WY. Everything about the hunt was incredible.

Third would be my first (heading back this September) blue grouse hunt that @Bullshot gave me info about. Beautiful country, excellent hunting and fulfilled a wish I had for my senior dog who passed away a few months after.

 

[reallyoldman]

I was 14 but about fully grown. My brother-in-law and I went on my first elk hunt. Poor as church mice we had very little of what we needed. About froze our butts off. We had a crude map drawn on a piece of card board and really had no idea where we were as we had driven in on an old muddy two track in the dark in an old army jeep Got up at day light hiked over a ridge and down a meadow and killed my first elk about a mile from camp. Packed it out on our backs in three pieces-both hinds, fronts and then the neck. It was a spike and my family treated me like a hero as that was what we ate for the next little while. I have since hunted all over the world and killed 33 elk. But that is my best memory. Mostly because It was so HARD. I had to give up hunting a few years ago and each fall I am kind of down...I am 81.

 

[Hereinaz]

I was 14 but about fully grown. My brother-in-law and I went on my first elk hunt. Poor as church mice we had very little of what we needed. About froze our butts off. We had a crude map drawn on a piece of card board and really had no idea where we were as we had driven in on an old muddy two track in the dark in an old army jeep Got up at day light hiked over a ridge and down a meadow and killed my first elk about a mile from camp. Packed it out on our backs in three pieces-both hinds, fronts and then the neck. It was a spike and my family treated me like a hero as that was what we ate for the next little while. I have since hunted all over the world and killed 33 elk. But that is my best memory. Mostly because It was so HARD. I had to give up hunting a few years ago and each fall I am kind of down...I am 81.

That is an amazing story! Best one here. What a blessed life.

 

[huntin24/7]

I’ve killed my biggest antelope, muley, and whitetail the last 3 years, and while they were all fun hunts I enjoyed and appreciated, they really didn’t hold a lot of meaning. Being able to be with our two oldest kids for their first bucks 4 years ago and this fall have been my 2 favorite hunts to date. Both were good fun stalks where they each made a great shot and seeing the excitement and pride in their eyes easily topped any of my own hunting experiences which I’ve been fortunate to have many of.

 

[reallyoldman]

That is an amazing story! Best one here. What a blessed life.

I "stand all amazed" at the blessings that have been mine in this life. It has been hard at times but I always acknowledge the hand of our savior in my little journey here. The time has flown by.

 

[Steiny77]

Far as just good old fashioned fun goes, it's hard to beat a mule deer / antelope combo hunt with a good group of friends, where a lot of game gets taken.
Did lots of these hunts in the 80's & 90's and have many great memories, stories and pictures.