Hunting Stories Thread

[JJohnson2023]

I used to call coyotes every time I had the chance and one evening I was out with my 54 cal. Hawken style rifle and called one up. Because of the wind direction and topography the only location was facing into a setting sun. He came in and stood facing me. When I shot I saw dust kick up behind him with the sun shining through the dust and after a bit of a time delay he fell over side ways. Only one with a muzzle loader.

My wife and I were muzzle loader deer hunting when we found a young buck lying in a ravine. We waited awhile for him to get up. After awhile I told my wife that I'd whistle and when he gets up for her to shoot. Well after several whistles he still layed there. So I got out my predator call and blue some calls not too loud but loud enough. He still layed there. We looked at each other with that now what look. So I started trying to play a song with the call which made us both laugh. Well that finally got him to stand. My wife shot and missed, then I shot and didn't. That was 30 years ago and we still chuckle.

Two great stories, that first one must've been the coolest thing to see

 

[oldwood]

In 1975 , I built myself a .50 cal. 44in. , Getz barreled longrifle for hunting and competition. The Pa. late season flintlock m/l season was in , and I wanted to try the new rifle. My hunting buddy had to work , so I went by myself. I went back into the mountain about a mile , where there was a low mtn. laurel woods of mixed oak and maple timber. Sat down on a snow covered log to rest , and heard a noise I had not heard before. Sort of a stomping noise. Refreshed , w/ new rifle in hand , I crept toward the source of the stomping. On a bench below me , was a big doe digging for acorns in the snow. She was the first deer I killed , with the new .50 long rifle. I fired the shot , saw the doe jump and fall , oddly , I looked at the rifle , and said to it , " Did you do that? It was like the rifle had taken on a life of it's own. The first deer the rifle was to take , was on the ground , a surreal experience to be sure. It was like Boone , Crocket , and a host of other frontier hunters , where there witnessing , what just occoured. So many stories , so little time.

 

[JJohnson2023]

In 1975 , I built myself a .50 cal. 44in. , Getz barreled longrifle for hunting and competition. The Pa. late season flintlock m/l season was in , and I wanted to try the new rifle. My hunting buddy had to work , so I went by myself. I went back into the mountain about a mile , where there was a low mtn. laurel woods of mixed oak and maple timber. Sat down on a snow covered log to rest , and heard a noise I had not heard before. Sort of a stomping noise. Refreshed , w/ new rifle in hand , I crept toward the source of the stomping. On a bench below me , was a big doe digging for acorns in the snow. She was the first deer I killed , with the new .50 long rifle. I fired the shot , saw the doe jump and fall , oddly , I looked at the rifle , and said to it , " Did you do that? It was like the rifle had taken on a life of it's own. The first deer the rifle was to take , was on the ground , a surreal experience to be sure. It was like Boone , Crocket , and a host of other frontier hunters , where there witnessing , what just occoured. So many stories , so little time.

One of the great things about hunting, especially with a traditional muzzleloader is that feeling you're describing there. It's like experiencing the past first hand.

 

[oldwood]

JJohnson......You are gold bond correct. I have felt this feeling many times when making a kill w/ a m/l rifle. Most of my flintlock hunting experience , has been in the Pa. deep woods. When I could still walk back in a mile or so , to time proven honey hole , late flint season , deer sanctuaries , the chance of making a kill was highest. To go one on one with deer , is the ultimate way to kill deer , just my opinion. When your by yourself , strange things can happen out there. I have a very personal story , that I just can't share here. My hunting buddy of 50+ yrs. has had a couple adventures with the mysterious in the big woods. One He related to me , involved the moments after he just shot a big drop tine nine point buck. We had gone our separate ways , and He was sitting on a bench top looking down into a hollow. He saw the buck off in the distance , before it disappeared into some brush below him. The buck got close enough and my friend killed it. With out warning , a consuming warmth came over my friend , and the whole seenario of the episode was replayed over in his brain . Once the shot was made in his head , , again , the replay ended. Once he recovered from the strange occurrence , he processed the buck for the drag to the truck. I heard him shoot , so headed off another hill to meet him and help him drag the buck to the truck. We met , and He right away told me of the occourance , and togather we said that either his dead brother , Johnny musta pushed the buck to him. That's enough .

 

[JJohnson2023]

JJohnson......You are gold bond correct. I have felt this feeling many times when making a kill w/ a m/l rifle. Most of my flintlock hunting experience , has been in the Pa. deep woods. When I could still walk back in a mile or so , to time proven honey hole , late flint season , deer sanctuaries , the chance of making a kill was highest. To go one on one with deer , is the ultimate way to kill deer , just my opinion. When your by yourself , strange things can happen out there. I have a very personal story , that I just can't share here. My hunting buddy of 50+ yrs. has had a couple adventures with the mysterious in the big woods. One He related to me , involved the moments after he just shot a big drop tine nine point buck. We had gone our separate ways , and He was sitting on a bench top looking down into a hollow. He saw the buck off in the distance , before it disappeared into some brush below him. The buck got close enough and my friend killed it. With out warning , a consuming warmth came over my friend , and the whole seenario of the episode was replayed over in his brain . Once the shot was made in his head , , again , the replay ended. Once he recovered from the strange occurrence , he processed the buck for the drag to the truck. I heard him shoot , so headed off another hill to meet him and help him drag the buck to the truck. We met , and He right away told me of the occourance , and togather we said that either his dead brother , Johnny musta pushed the buck to him. That's enough .

I love a story like that. Thank you for sharing it. I was hunting turkey one may, and this was the first time I had one responding to my calls. I had a hunting buddy pass the week prior. The turkey shut up and it was nearing noon, so I decided to walk closer to see if I could get a call back. Something told me to put my call in my pocket and get my gun ready while I was walking. When I rounded a rock wall the turkey was right there and I got him, my biggest tom to date. It's my sentiment that my buddy is the one that told me to get ready.

 

[azmntman]

Got several but will start with this one, told here before. Had turkey tags and got up at the needed 3AM, grabbed the dl barrel and the components all ready in a nice Walmart bag. Get to the woods, get a gobble, grab the and gun start to load and the components are falling through the barrel? SHOOT I grabbed the 12GA db l and the 20 GA bag, Told the boy I was guiding only and he laughed at my irresponsible odd old annoying hobby. Anyway we start towards the gobble Get another MUCH closer. get set up with the about 20 yds in front of the boy him off to my right and I start calling (and I'm pretty good too if I do say so myself). Coming coming coming. Nothing. No gobbles. No nothing. Son starts with making weird faces at me. Blinking moving lips sideways etc. Prett weird but he knew better, you dont even blink when the bird is committed and the bird appeared committed, but I couldn't see as I was back to a huge ponderosa facing the wrong way. So I get up and ask WTH happened? Didn't the bird come in close enough? "ya dad THEY did". I had called two jakes to the very back of the tree I was leaning on, so lets say 5 feet. Im glad he didn't shoot!. He was pretty good about it and did comment on my calling ability. We ended up both getting birds another day. Another story.

 

[Antelope Pete]

One of the great things about hunting, especially with a traditional muzzleloader is that feeling you're describing there. It's like experiencing the past first hand.

Exactly. I think it's the ultimate living history activity because it's for real. The goal is the same and when you look down the period style sights at a turkey, deer whatever and try to make the shot it's what they felt and saw.

 

[JJohnson2023]

Got several but will start with this one, told here before. Had turkey tags and got up at the needed 3AM, grabbed the dl barrel and the components all ready in a nice Walmart bag. Get to the woods, get a gobble, grab the and gun start to load and the components are falling through the barrel? SHOOT I grabbed the 12GA db l and the 20 GA bag, Told the boy I was guiding only and he laughed at my irresponsible odd old annoying hobby. Anyway we start towards the gobble Get another MUCH closer. get set up with the about 20 yds in front of the boy him off to my right and I start calling (and I'm pretty good too if I do say so myself). Coming coming coming. Nothing. No gobbles. No nothing. Son starts with making weird faces at me. Blinking moving lips sideways etc. Prett weird but he knew better, you dont even blink when the bird is committed and the bird appeared committed, but I couldn't see as I was back to a huge ponderosa facing the wrong way. So I get up and ask WTH happened? Didn't the bird come in close enough? "ya dad THEY did". I had called two jakes to the very back of the tree I was leaning on, so lets say 5 feet. Im glad he didn't shoot!. He was pretty good about it and did comment on my calling ability. We ended up both getting birds another day. Another story.

Cool hunt!

 

[oldwood]

Turkey.........I'm not a turkey hunter. Usta like to hunt them w/ my .40 in the fall , but the Pa. Blame Comm. said NOOOO , someone might get shot. YEA , Like mebby TOM the turkey??? I go do it anyway........Ok , the inadvertant turkey hunt. We were hunting grouse , next to the old Mud Turnpike , Fayette Co. Pa. , just north of the Mason Dixon Line boundary , between Pa. , and W. Va.. I was told to meet my Dad , and his friend on top of a hill where an old log skid road started. I was tired , and sat down on the down hill side of a huge oak tree. It was windy but I hoped a squirrel would sacrifice it's life while I waited. At age 12 , , my Dad gave me my very own old used turkey box call signed by some famous turkey hunter I never heard of. Being bored as well , I started to call yalk , yalk , Yalk , etc.. This went on for a couple mins. , and no answer , but I figured the wind was so strong , no bird would hear me anyway. So , I got on my knees to get on my feet , and nearly crapped when I saw the biggest gobbler , not 10 ft. from me on the other side of the huge oak tree where I sat calling. He was just as suprised as me , and flopped around until he got his bearings to take off. Never got a shot at him , and the experience disallusioned me as I thought....."There ain't nothin' to this turkey calling." Yea , right , Dunce Boy..........oldwood

 

[JJohnson2023]

Turkey.........I'm not a turkey hunter. Usta like to hunt them w/ my .40 in the fall , but the Pa. Blame Comm. said NOOOO , someone might get shot. YEA , Like mebby TOM the turkey??? I go do it anyway........Ok , the inadvertant turkey hunt. We were hunting grouse , next to the old Mud Turnpike , Fayette Co. Pa. , just north of the Mason Dixon Line boundary , between Pa. , and W. Va.. I was told to meet my Dad , and his friend on top of a hill where an old log skid road started. I was tired , and sat down on the down hill side of a huge oak tree. It was windy but I hoped a squirrel would sacrifice it's life while I waited. At age 12 , , my Dad gave me my very own old used turkey box call signed by some famous turkey hunter I never heard of. Being bored as well , I started to call yalk , yalk , Yalk , etc.. This went on for a couple mins. , and no answer , but I figured the wind was so strong , no bird would hear me anyway. So , I got on my knees to get on my feet , and nearly crapped when I saw the biggest gobbler , not 10 ft. from me on the other side of the huge oak tree where I sat calling. He was just as suprised as me , and flopped around until he got his bearings to take off. Never got a shot at him , and the experience disallusioned me as I thought....."There ain't nothin' to this turkey calling." Yea , right , Dunce Boy..........oldwood

I'll tell you hearing a gobble in the turkey woods is for me one of the top outdoor experiences

 

[ETipp]

Out of many, this one perhaps sticks in mind most.

It was back in the early to mid 80'd when I was living in TN. Muzzleloader season opened so I headed out with my .50 Renegade. Decided to go to a location I had permission to hunt and to an exact spot I wanted to hunt. This was in heavy hardwoods and on a fairly narrow, descending ridge with one side of it being steeper than a mules face.

Easing my way in there, I payed particular attention to the wind. There was no mistaken the direction of the wind, at least in that exact spot. With no treestand, I decided to sit with the wind at my back and up against a big old oak to where I could see downhill well. I knew deer liked to travel in there.

After I had sat there for about 10 minutes I kept hearing movement in the leaves off to my left, but I couldn't see anything. I knew it was fairly close so I got ready and waited. Out of nowhere, I coyote jumped up from a smaller rock ledge that was only about 20 yards away. He stood there for a couple of minutes looking around, then laid down, curled up like a cat would do when sleeping, and went to sleep. I said to my self "ain't this the drizzling do-do's". His hind end was facing me and being curled up, his head was also facing me.

I wanted that yote bad like but I didn't want to ruin my hunting if I did so. I sat there for another 5 minutes or so when their was a squirrel jumping around in the leaves looking for nuts. He got within about 15 yards of the yote. The yote heard the squirrel, looked up, but didn't try to chase it. He laid his head back down and went back to sleep.

After about another 5 minutes, I couldn't stand any more of this. So I pulled the hammer back and tried to aim to where the round would hit him from the butt area and out through the front. I shot, the yote moved a little and that was it. This was one of the first times I had used a Maxi Ball and let me tell ya, it about tore his head completely off. It was just hanging by a few pieces of neck fur.

I thought, "cool" now what? I still wanted to deer hunt so I eased over, picked up the yote and placed it in a hole like in the rocks and leaves, then covered it up with leaves. Reloaded and went back to my tree. After being so quiet and all of the shot and burring that thing in that hole, my confidence was lowered.

I hadn't sat there too long with the wind at my back when I heard something coming up from behind me, which was uphill. I slowly turned my head for look see when the woods erupted with deer jumping everywhere like grasshoppers in a field. All but one headed out. That one that had a dumb attack and just stood there directly facing me, looking at my while I twisted my way around (the wrong direction that needed to be for a right hand shooter), aimed for between the front legs as to drive the Maxi Ball from front to back. I remember saying to myself "oh I got you now", then pulled the trigger. The deer hit the ground like a sack of rocks, laid there but despite trying, it couldn't get up. I watched if flopping around for a minute or so and decided I needed to fix this problem right now. So, I got up and walked over to the the deer but as soon as I got to within a few feet, it started flopping up and down, which started it going down the steep hillside. I couldn't understand this. How could this be?

After a minute or so I realized that with the deer flopping down that steep hillside in the wrong direction, and getting further down that hill all the time, I needed to do something quick. Reached into my pocket for another Maxi Ball and only had one left, and it didn't have the first bit of lube on it. I had no idea if it would work or not like that but I loaded it in my Renegade anyway, put another cap on and aimed. The deer was lying still now with its legs facing downhill and its back directly towards me. I said to myself "don't ruin the back straps" so I aimed lower to where the round would, or should, go through the front part of the back just behind the front legs. Fired and that terminated the deer.

After walking down there and looking at the deer it became apparent as to why things worked out like they did. The first shot hit way high and went in the upper part of the neck. It only went in maybe two inches long but only about 1/2 to 3/4 inch deep then came back out. That explained why it put the deer down but it couldn't get up.

Examining the next hole was not pretty. Being such an expert shot, I had missed where I was aiming and hit the backbone dead nuts. I didn't know the extent of the damage until I gutted it out. My God! That's when I realized what a big old .50 caliber chunk of lead will do when it strikes bone. It literally blew a hole through the backbone the size of a softball. I will never forget that. There's no wonder so many soldiers during the civil war lost arms and legs.

So, this was proof positive that a Maxi Ball does not do all that much damage when hitting softer tissue but it destroys any hard bone it hits with devastating results. I've never had any critter go more than a few steps after being hit with with a Maxi Ball. This one was barely hit in the neck and it still couldn't get up and run.

Also, those deer came in downwind.

 

[JJohnson2023]

Great story!! A coyote and a deer. I appreciate all the details, may have to pick up some of them maxi balls

 

[Trigger]

I have well one old man hunting left.

Was always just deer but I got him out for birds.

Last year was his first year turkey and it went.

He took the slug gun smooth bore cyl.. with scope..
I was like.. didn't know what to say yet but he had some birds loads. So I was like OK.

He didn't take the other gun because he never used it before.. full choke single shot you know 3" rated like he had a turkey gun at home huh

The bird I called in you know was 25 yards to far gone lol I had fun anyway..

I got him to the range cause of it with the full... he kinda timid gun club thing. But I raised my voice that were going when no ones there is OK to bring guest you know... lol anyway

He won't go hunt without me and he won't sit alone. Turkey hunting is fun to team...

That's what I'm working on this spring.. getting an old man a first bird.

At the range he started with low brass.. I was like no but he had to try I was like OK but after high brass 5 please. 2.75" full. It is good now.

 

[Trigger]

I got the Orange down to a hat walking in and out...

It was hard too. He fought

 

[Stykbow]

Probably 30 years back, I was walking out one evening earlier than usual since I’d left my flashlight at home. I look over in this field and there’s a small buck staring at me. When I stopped he took off. In my excitement I just took off chasing him. Not like I was going to catch him, but you’ll do some stupid stuff when you’re 17. So I top out on this hill the field straddles and I’ll be damned if that buck isn’t standing there at less than twenty yards looking at me. I raised my rifle, thought about all the glory of finally killing a deer with a muzzleloader, took aim, squeezed the trigger, and got nothing except a popped cap! Stinking deer didn’t even have the decency to act scared and run. Little sucker just calmly turned and walked away. I’m pretty sure he flipped me the bird right before he hit the woods.

 

[ETipp]

Probably 30 years back, I was walking out one evening earlier than usual since I’d left my flashlight at home. I look over in this field and there’s a small buck staring at me. When I stopped he took off. In my excitement I just took off chasing him. Not like I was going to catch him, but you’ll do some stupid stuff when you’re 17. So I top out on this hill the field straddles and I’ll be damned if that buck isn’t standing there at less than twenty yards looking at me. I raised my rifle, thought about all the glory of finally killing a deer with a muzzleloader, took aim, squeezed the trigger, and got nothing except a popped cap! Stinking deer didn’t even have the decency to act scared and run. Little sucker just calmly turned and walked away. I’m pretty sure he flipped me the bird right before he hit the woods.

 

[Sparks of Dutch Glory]

Back in the 80's a buddy of mine built his version of a trade gun I wanted to trade him for it so I could have a keepsake
After months of horse trading I ended up with it in time for hunting season
First day out I had good time

Kept the old smoothie all these years
Picture from that day

 

[JJohnson2023]

Back in the 80's a buddy of mine built his version of a trade gun I wanted to trade him for it so I could have a keepsake
After months of horse trading I ended up with it in time for hunting season
First day out I had good timeView attachment 312177
Kept the old smoothie all these years
Picture from that day

Beautiful piece. What's your typical small game load in there?

 

[Sparks of Dutch Glory]

Beautiful piece. What's your typical small game load in there?

Mind ya now, this was back almost 40 year ago
Learned a lot since then
On this particular day I would have used 90 grains of 2F and the equivalent of shot
My shot was mixed 4&6 cause that's what I had then
Punched wads out of Celotex Sheets and soaked them in beeswax over shot card was whatever cardboard I could find
Primitive and uneducated but by gum I reccollect that as one of my best days afield I ever had
And red fox was fetching around $35 then so I made powder money on top of having a blast

 

[Trigger]

Got one kinda..

The old timers wanted to go to this fancy Italian restaurant in NC..

They dressed for it.

My buddy old man said wear my hunting gear.. if anyone asks your the hunting guide were the group from the city and we all make friends.

I was like? Yea OK

I was the only one looking like that... one of the local right away who are you deal?... I was like im the hunting guide lol. No joke everyone there was my buddy and from there they were nice to my group from the city.

To be honest if I was from the city to.... we would have been alone... not everyone all around the table.