Your best

[cgasner1]

The two deer threads that are rolling right now have been amazing. So how about some pics and quick stories of your best animal. Keep it short to a single post Any critter just short to the point and let’s keep this going season is almost here.

 

[cgasner1]

My best bull I hunted 21 days straight burning the Montana rifle season. The morning I killed him I passed on a busted 6 that would have been bigger than anything I had killed at the time maybe 315” if he wasn’t busted up. At the time I hadn’t seen an elk in 6 days and he was 200 yards away feeding. As soon as I walked away I spotted a different group of bulls. They were on private at the time. I hauled ass over there and lucky for me that land owner had placed/ painted rocks orange down the ridge marking his property. I left the bull feed across the line about 100 yards then folded him up with the first shot and the second made sure he never moved again. You can see the tree paint orange in on picture I hunted 3-4 days a week thru all of archery and averaged around 10 miles a day he was 2.5 miles in and I earned every inch of that bull. I still smile as I cruise by him hanging over my stairs every day

 

[rtraverdavis]

I grew up tagging along on hunts with my dad, but I only started hunting in earnest in 2015. In 2018 my good buddy and I drew elk tags in a cool part of Oregon. This was my first time with a bull tag. Did a lot of research and spent time scouting. Took my two year old daughter scouting with me, and had a blast.



Found a lone bull way down a canyon opening morning and killed it. Getting it out took my hunting partner and I two days. We had to climb a few thousand feet of elevation.





Two days later and we were back into elk. The day after that, my buddy killed one. We walked almost 20 miles that day.





Neither of us killed big bulls by any means, but it was a perfect trip. Both of us worked hard and killed our first bulls—it was a feeling of satisfaction that I’ve rarely experienced. I hope to kill bigger bulls in the future, hopefully this October even, but this hunt will always be special in my mind.

 

[Sask hunter]

Probably this bear from this past spring. Hunted him in 2023 and 2024. Sat quite a few times in 2023 and probably 20 times in 2024. He always knew when I was on stand. Tried moving stands sitting back anything I could do as a solo Hunter. Finally this spring got a skiff of snow and could see he was coming in behind all my stand setups. I setup 100 yards back not even able to see the bait and he came out. Slightly off shot made for a restless night and a tracking job but thankfully found him the next morning

 

[Bambistew]

That’s a really tough one… best is subjective and I’ve been fortunate to go on many unforgettable hunts for all sorts of animals and have taken many amazing animals along the way. It’s a tie for me, sorry I can’t pick one. Our honeymoon sheep hunt is tops and the solo Chugach sheep hunt probably for the “biggest” NA animal. I shot a couple spiral horns in Africa that were pretty big, I believe the bushbuck is top 100 RW. Or was at the time. I however seem to dream about sheep hunt and relive the hunts most often. Both of these hunts involved a tremendous amount of effort and had many challenges along the way. Stories are here: Doubles and Chugach

 

[Mallardsx2]

One of my college buddies and I got dropped off at a remote lake to hunt moose with our bows, CHEAP DIY.

I shot this one on the second morning.

Honestly, I would have shot a spike or any bull. Instead, this guy came right to the call. He swam 100 yards across a lake to get to me and I shot him at 3 yards when he came up out of the water onto the bank and then I almost got bulldozed.

2 hours after this picture was taken a hurricane blew in off the coast and it rained the rest of the trip. According to the pot we had on the dock (that was ~6" deep), I dumped it 3 times over the next 5 days....(that part really sucked)



I thought the hunting would be great so we kept re-booking.

We hunted there for several more years and it took 54 more days of boots on the ground hunting to SEE another moose. lol

Overall, we went 3 moose for 6 years with our bows.

These are the other 2.





I would 100% give up ALL my preference points for ALL species in ALL states if I could get that trip for that price/duration every single year until I'm in the dirt. Sadly, that ship has forever sailed.

I loved hunting moose during the rut with my bow. It was my jam.

 

[cgasner1]

One of my college buddies and I got dropped off at a remote lake to hunt moose with our bows, CHEAP DIY.

I shot this one on the second morning.

Honestly, I would have shot a spike or any bull. Instead, this guy came right to the call. He swam 100 yards across a lake to get to me and I shot him at 3 yards when he came up out of the water onto the bank and then I almost got bulldozed.

2 hours after this picture was taken a hurricane blew in off the coast and it rained the rest of the trip. According to the pot we had on the dock (that was ~6" deep), I dumped it 3 times over the next 5 days....(that part really sucked)

View attachment 382414

I thought the hunting would be great so we kept re-booking.

We hunted there for several more years and it took 54 more days of boots on the ground hunting to SEE another moose. lol

Overall, we went 3 moose for 6 years with our bows.

These are the other 2.

View attachment 382415

View attachment 382416

I would 100% give up ALL my preference points for ALL species in ALL states if I could get that trip for that price/duration every single year until I'm in the dirt. Sadly, that ship has forever sailed.

I loved hunting moose during the rut with my bow. It was my jam.

Hopefully I’ll be uploading a story like this within the next 40 days

 

[Nick87]

Definitely my favorite and also my most fulfilling hunt so far.

 

[WyoCoalMiner]

Using size of critter as the metric for best, this is an easy one for me. Mountain Caribou in NWT. Could not have hoped for a bull like this. Still remember Stan saying multiple times "We are not delaying a sheep hunt to chase a Caribou". Then after he got a look at the bull in the spotter, "You're killing that F'ing bull!" We were able to save the velvet. Not the prettiest cape for a Mnt Caribou but the antlers kind of draw your attention.

 

[Nick87]

Using size of critter as the metric for best, this is an easy one for me. Mountain Caribou in NWT. Could not have hoped for a bull like this. Still remember Stan saying multiple times "We are not delaying a sheep hunt to chase a Caribou". Then after he got a look at the bull in the spotter, "You're killing that F'ing bull!" We were able to save the velvet. Not the prettiest cape for a Mnt Caribou but the antlers kind of draw your attention.

View attachment 382420

Amazing animal.

 

[rjthehunter]

Using size of critter as the metric for best, this is an easy one for me. Mountain Caribou in NWT. Could not have hoped for a bull like this. Still remember Stan saying multiple times "We are not delaying a sheep hunt to chase a Caribou". Then after he got a look at the bull in the spotter, "You're killing that F'ing bull!" We were able to save the velvet. Not the prettiest cape for a Mnt Caribou but the antlers kind of draw your attention.

View attachment 382420

That's worth delaying a sheep hunt for. That's a beautiful bull!

 

[Valley1320]

Gonna be my bull I killed last year. Pissed off bugling in my face. Shot him at under 20 yards complete pass thru. I can hear that arrow zipping thru him yet to this day. And to top it off got to watch his whole death run across the meadow and pile up. Wish I'd had someone videoing that morning.

 

[Valley1320]

View attachment 382418

Did you ever score him? Beautiful bull

 

[OreIdaElk]

Crowded over the counter Oregon unit 2020. Rough gross 349”

Trail camera photo with previous arrow scar.

 

[Mallardsx2]

Crowded over the counter Oregon unit 2020. Rough gross 349”
View attachment 382436View attachment 382436View attachment 382438
Trail camera photo with previous arrow scar.

I bet that was one sick bowhunter.

 

[elkhuntinfool78]

Some darn nice animals thus far!

Mine would have to be my moose hunt in Alaska 2023. Had a heck of a time finding a air transporter that would take me in solo. Then 6 weeks before I was supposed to leave I reinjured a herniated disc in my back plus added another one.

I was scared if I canceled the trip I'd never get another chance. So I went into orthopedic specialist and told her what I was wanting to do. She was like yeah we can get you through it so off I went.

Ended up having the trip of a lifetime and took the bull of a lifetime. A trip I'd been dreaming of since I was a little kid.

Since I have been back AK is constantly on my mind. Hoping to be able to make another trip up there for one more moose hunt someday but it's getting crazy expensive for air charter so not sure if it will be in the cards or not.

 

[cgasner1]

So the year I drew my Montana rifle tag was a party application. I hunted all archery and didn’t have a bull I wanted to hunt pinned down. The day before rifle opener found my buddy and I sitting in a plane buzzing around checking things out. We spotted what had looked like a pretty decent bull. We spent the next few days trying to catch up to the herd. On like the 4th day of season he finally did. The bull was screaming pushing around 20 cows up a drainage when he shot him. I was in the next drainage over and was able to get over to help take pictures and help with the pack. I think this is the best field photo I’ve ever taken he was just in awe of the animal

 

[El Jason]

 

[Hammsolo]

One of my college buddies and I got dropped off at a remote lake to hunt moose with our bows, CHEAP DIY.

I shot this one on the second morning.

Honestly, I would have shot a spike or any bull. Instead, this guy came right to the call. He swam 100 yards across a lake to get to me and I shot him at 3 yards when he came up out of the water onto the bank and then I almost got bulldozed.

2 hours after this picture was taken a hurricane blew in off the coast and it rained the rest of the trip. According to the pot we had on the dock (that was ~6" deep), I dumped it 3 times over the next 5 days....(that part really sucked)

View attachment 382414

I thought the hunting would be great so we kept re-booking.

We hunted there for several more years and it took 54 more days of boots on the ground hunting to SEE another moose. lol

Overall, we went 3 moose for 6 years with our bows.

These are the other 2.

View attachment 382415

View attachment 382416

I would 100% give up ALL my preference points for ALL species in ALL states if I could get that trip for that price/duration every single year until I'm in the dirt. Sadly, that ship has forever sailed.

I loved hunting moose during the rut with my bow. It was my jam.

We need more picks of that bull. He looks MASSive.

 

[El Jason]

Not biggest, but best.