Strange things happen if you hunt long enough. Two of my best came hunting with my wife. Story 1 was hunting mule deer with my wife in tall sage brush. We spotted 4 bucks walking along a ridge that angled toward us. We set up so we could get her an easy shot as they passed below us. After sitting wondering what had happened to them, I told her to peak up over the brush and try and figure out were they went. When she leaned up and peaked a mule deer buck looked over the other side. Their noses had to be only inches from each other. She let out a shriek that would have matched any horror movie. That buck turned and ran as hard as any buck in the history of terrified critters in history. Amazingly one of the other 3 bucks was standing within range and she put him on the ground.
The second story was when I took her on her first elk hunt. I had scouted an area and found a trail that had a great trail back in the timber. I had a tree stump she could sit on about 30 yards off the trail with a clear opening for a shot. After making sure she was comfortable and sure she could make a clean shot, I got up and made a move to see if I could move some elk down the trail. After moving about 300 yards to her left, I hear a shot. I hustled back to her spot and she looks at me like what, me heck I did not fire a round. So I take off and maybe make it 75 yards and I hear another blast and I know it was her. I get to her and her eyes are the size of dinner plates and the tears are rolling down her cheeks. She is standing one step back from the stump she was sitting on, and pointing at the ground. She can not speak and just points and I see elk tracks going over the stump she was sitting on. After holding her and letting her know it will be OK she finally is able to tell me that she heard something and got off the stump and here came a cow and calf elk and the both went right over the sump. She tried to get it in her scope but could only she hair. She never wanted to be left like that again. She kept saying they are big really big again and again.
The second story was when I took her on her first elk hunt. I had scouted an area and found a trail that had a great trail back in the timber. I had a tree stump she could sit on about 30 yards off the trail with a clear opening for a shot. After making sure she was comfortable and sure she could make a clean shot, I got up and made a move to see if I could move some elk down the trail. After moving about 300 yards to her left, I hear a shot. I hustled back to her spot and she looks at me like what, me heck I did not fire a round. So I take off and maybe make it 75 yards and I hear another blast and I know it was her. I get to her and her eyes are the size of dinner plates and the tears are rolling down her cheeks. She is standing one step back from the stump she was sitting on, and pointing at the ground. She can not speak and just points and I see elk tracks going over the stump she was sitting on. After holding her and letting her know it will be OK she finally is able to tell me that she heard something and got off the stump and here came a cow and calf elk and the both went right over the sump. She tried to get it in her scope but could only she hair. She never wanted to be left like that again. She kept saying they are big really big again and again.