Your best

[PoleX]

I've been blessed with a hell of a hunting partner...He took me under his wing in college and showed me the ropes. Looking back, he was pretty green but had a lot more experience than me so I was happy to have someone invite me along.

Selfless as they come, never concerned with being the one to pull the trigger. He's able to tough out about anything, even if most of his gear was hand me down Walmart stuff from the discount rack (at least back when we were poor college kids).

When I think about what was my "best" hunt, it has to be the day he shot his biggest bull. I was tagged out, we were deer/elk hunting together when I stumbled into a really nice bull. We split up for the morning to cover more ground. About 30 minutes after we separated I caught some movement out ahead. I pull up the binos and my first thought was "this thing is going to walk out of my life and there is nothing I can do about it." To my surprise he ends up bedding down within a minute of me watching him. If he took another step I wouldn't of seen him bed. I pulled my spotter out and got a good look at him. I started shaking a bit after he turned his head and I got my first really good look at his rack. He's a great bull..

I marked the spot, leave my spotter on the bull and sprint towards where I thought my buddy was headed. Its no joke of an effort to find him in a timely manner and get back on the bull. I eventually catch up with him and we make a mad dash back to where I had left the spotter.


He's still bedded and his vitals are covered. It's no layup. 420 yards, uphill and we'll have to wait for him to stand. My buddy gets setup on the bull and we decide I should gain some elevation on a nearby ridge to see if there is a better vantage to get a cross canyon shot from. As it often goes in the mountains, things looked a lot different as I gained elevation and I was having a difficult time re-locating the bull. As I make my way up to find him a better spot to shoot from, I somehow end up behind the bull which causes him to get up from his bed. I hit the deck cause I start hearing bullets whiz by me. After a couple rounds the shooting stops and I hear my buddy yelling to inform me he got him.


A lot of close seconds together:

 

[Dsnow9]

Antelope is probably my favorite hunt. Spotted this guy on my way in for a 10 mile deep cow elk hunt in Wyoming and couldn’t sleep all night thinking about him. Ended up hiking the 5 miles back to find him the next day (opening day) and abandoning the elk hunt all together. Ended up bumping him out of his bed in the middle of a field in the afternoon. It was quite the chase till I caught up with him. He is within a 1/2 inch of b/c but don’t usually care about numbers so can’t remember what he is or what b/c is but remember he was within half an inch.

 

[Hem]

Tough one.
This antelope was measured by Fred King, missed all time by 1/8" .
17"/17 1/8". Whatever. I found him the year before on a BMA, the last few hours. Trying to put a stalk on him some yahoo in a beat up pickup drove out and spooked the buck . Next year I found him again. Sat for 5 hrs waiting for the herd to move in to a location for a stalk. Killed him at 450 yds with 25.06....way beyond my comfort range.
But my ram hunt edges for best. Not the largest of rams but on my terms, 9 miles back in wilderness. It was a magical Fall in the Hilgards, bonus the Grizzlies left me alone.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

I'm reserving my post here for the sheep I kill this year. Hope I didn't just jinx myself, ha!

 

[antlerradar]

Tough one.
This antelope was measured by Fred King, missed all time by 1/8" .
View attachment 382609View attachment 382613

Re check the math on that one. Pronghorn never score an odd eighth.

 

[Frequently Banned Troll]

There is no way I could pick what’s the best hunt I’ve had in my life. I guess for that I’m thankful. So many great days, most years, regardless of what gets killed or not.

 

[ashersdad]

Best animal would have to be my Unimak Island bear from this year.


Best/funnest hunt would have to be Greenland with my brother. Also this year.

 

[Hammsolo]

View attachment 382471View attachment 382472View attachment 382473View attachment 382474View attachment 382475

Thank you and congratulations. Such a unique bull.

 

[noharleyyet]

Best animal would have to be my Unimak Island bear from this year.
View attachment 382653

Best/funnest hunt would have to be Greenland with my brother. Also this year.
View attachment 382654

..awesome!

 

[Gerald Martin]

There is no way I could pick what’s the best hunt I’ve had in my life. I guess for that I’m thankful. So many great days, most years, regardless of what gets killed or not.

This. I have been trying to figure out my “best” and realize there is no singular hunt or harvest that eclipses the rest. I have so many great experiences in the field and almost all of them are made better by who I was with and the unique experience of that day.

 

[Brittany Chukarman]

Alaska 1992

 

[Hem]

Re check the math on that one. Pronghorn never score an odd eighth.

I'll see if I can dig up score sheet.
It's quite possible my memory fails me.

 

[Mallardsx2]

Best animal would have to be my Unimak Island bear from this year.
View attachment 382653

Best/funnest hunt would have to be Greenland with my brother. Also this year.
View attachment 382654

Not a chance you guys are brothers… Lol

 

[NR_Hunter]

This pic doesn’t do the deer justice, but I was in no mood for a sexy grip n grin when I found the deer.

Punched him right in the liver woth an arrow, didn’t get a pass thru. Crazy blood trail that totally disappeared in 100 yards. Called a dog tracker and everything but didn’t have any luck. Found him two days later when the crows showed me the way. Felt like shit. I was gonna leave the rack in the woods but I took it out and punched my buck tag. So here is my best buck with a giant asterisk.

 

[jrabq]

"Best", as others have said can have different meanings. My biggest elk and mule deer were not even close to being shot on my best, or most memorable hunts. Here's one that is probably my "Best Effort". In 2004 I did not draw a single tag, so I decided I would make a serious effort to take up bow hunting and kill an elk. So Colorado OTC it was, in fact you could get an either sex tag, and a 2nd cow tag, which I did. On the 18th day I shot this cow, and it was in a tough spot. Fortunately I was just getting into the gutless method. After breaking down the animal I made a forced march back to the truck carrying the back straps on top of my fanny pack, about 2 miles with a 1500 ft climb. Then I drove around and got below the kill site, waded across a stream, and climbed up to the elk. It wasn't that far or high, maybe 1 mile and 800 ft, but it had some nasty sections including a rock pile. This was before gps so it was navigating by topo map and compass. I had scouted the area a little bit earlier in the season, but probably only halfway. Made 2 heavy trips with a pack frame. Woke up that night with leg cramps, screaming in agony (this has happened a few times since then, I have not figured out a cure). After recuperating I ended up hunting 6 more days (24 total) but did not fill the either sex tag, came close. I lost 20 pounds during that hunt, my clothes were falling off of me when it was over. Unfortunately it all came back, and more!

 

[jrabq]

Best smile and memory, my grand daughters elk hunt. She had never shot anything before this day. The excitement was contagious. Whenever I need smile I think of this day.

 

[jrabq]

Best adventure, first trip to Alaska, shot ram on 3rd day.

 

[jrabq]

Best hunt with my dog, a magical morning with 5 mallard drakes and a mal x pintail hybrid, 8 shells.

 

[jrabq]

Probably my best overall hunt combining fun, effort, and reward/trophy was my Colorado moose hunt. Hunted 6 days and saw at least one bull every day. Had several exciting moments chasing a really good bull, unsuccessfully, before getting this one on evening of day 6.

 

[6mm Remington]

My once in a lifetime grizzly bear hunt on the north side of the Brooks Range with Ovis Outfitters. They are great folks that really take care of their hunters and my guide was first class. He is a native Alaskan who has guided grizzly bear hunters now for about 32 years. Mike Lettis is his name and he is just a quality person. We had an awesome hunt together and enjoyed each other's company a lot. I also was lucky enough to take a really large Arctic Grizzly Bear that was 7 1/2' and missed the B&C awards period record book by 1/2".



This is a 16" antelope that I took on my grandfathers homesteaded ranch north of Roy Montana several years after he passed away. LeRoy Umstead was my grandfather and he was a really fantastic person. I was hunting with my father Dean Walrod which made this buck even more special to be out together on my grandfathers ranch. A good friend of my fathers and a local rancher who also grew up there purchased my grandfathers place so it went into good hands. Bob Fink bought the ranch.