Very neat thread! My stuff isn't worthy compared to most of you, but I think it was my best hunting year so far. I try to keep a blog on most of my hunts and some other stuff, so I'll post a link to the story from my blog if you are interested in reading all the details. I'm typically very wordy so there are usually lots of details in the posts.
My biggest pig so far. Shot him the end of February, 2010. Was nice that it was a spot and stalk instead of the standard shoot them when they come into the feeder.
http://padens.blogspot.com/2010/02/2nd-pig-of-2010-big-one.html
Okay, I'm just going through my photo gallery and this technically wasn't shot in 2010, but I got the mount back in 2010 so maybe that counts? Here's the bobcat that I trapped over Christmas holiday in 2009.
http://padens.blogspot.com/2009/12/trapped-my-first-bobcat.html
Finally was able to get my friend from Wyoming on a pig on my place here in Texas. It sure is fun to watch someone else get their first animal of any species. Several pictures in the blog post including one with the pig on a scale. I posted that on several forums and confirmed that most folks guess way high on the weight.
http://padens.blogspot.com/2010/05/hog-hunting.html
First big game hunt of 2010 was a New Mexico antelope hunt. The previous years have had 95%+ success rates, but I struck out. Saw this buck the day before the opener, but he didn't cooperate once the season opened.
http://padens.blogspot.com/2010/09/strike-one.html
Next up was Wyoming elk. We decided that any legal bull was fair game on this hunt and I was tagged out first thing opening morning. Not a monster, but he tastes really good!
http://padens.blogspot.com/2010/09/wyoming-elk-hunt-part-1.html
I hunt with a friend up there so I stuck around to help him work on his tag. This is another case where helping someone else get their animal is as rewarding as shooting your own. He's shot plenty of elk but I really felt like I was an integral part of him being able to get this one.
http://padens.blogspot.com/2010/09/wyoming-elk-hunt-part-2.html
This is one of my favorite pictures of the year. Both of our elk back at camp with my son.
My New Mexico elk. Scored right at 310" and netted over 300". I could have probably held out for a bigger bull, but was very happy with the end result. This was really my first elk that was truly an OYOA where I scouted an area that I had never hunted before and was able to close the deal on a nice animal. Of course it was a super great area with a very high success rate so that for sure helped!
http://padens.blogspot.com/2010/11/successful-new-mexico-elk-hunt-novel.html
Last big game hunt for 2010 for me was my New Mexico mule deer hunt. I shot a 180"er there last year and wasn't expecting a repeat but didn't really know what I wanted, or expected to shoot. I passed on a few bucks and then saw this old guy with a younger buck. The younger buck would have scored better, but this guy was the one I wanted.
http://padens.blogspot.com/2010/11/2010-new-mexico-mule-deer.html
It seems crazy that with all the work I do on my own property here in Texas that the other thing I was unsuccessful at was my whitetail tag. I did pass on this buck several times and based on several years of trail camera pictures I think he is at least a 6 1/2 year old buck so that should make him a trophy in anyone's book, but I was holding out for "the big one" and never did punch my whitetail tag.
Here's "the big one" that I never did see and haven't gotten any more pictures of in a long time.
It seems crazy that when it was all said and done I was successful on what most would consider to be the more difficult hunts and I was unsuccessful on the hunts that many consider to be a slam dunk and some don't even consider hunting at all. I'm learning more and more not to be judgemental over how others may choose to hunt and am hoping more and more hunters will do the same.
Oh well, that's my year in review.
Nathan
