As much fun as it is to give congrats on a successful hunt, I'd wager to bet that a much more common predicament is to get skunked in the trying. And, potentially by the same animal. I'd love to hear some stories... I'd wager that these hold as much (or more) value for new hunters than success threads will.
So here's a starter.
Act I. I was out at high buck several years ago and spotted a bear on an opposite ridge. Decided to turn it into a bear hunt, though it took me ~4 hours to get up there (mostly due to terrain). Had no idea if it was still around, so started a distressed fawn sequence. Sure enough, he comes out and is looking directly at me (maybe 250 yards total, 100 yards elev below). Took me a second to get set up at that angle, but never was fully comfortable, and then he took off to viewer's right. Which I was sure would lead to another open meadow, but instead he took this ravine up the hill and didn't spot him again until he was heading into some trees.
Act II. The next year I was glassing a steep blueberry slope and saw a bear coming down into a valley. I got set up but didn't see anything so started calling. My bear (not sure it was *my* bear but let's say it was) came in but at a very different angle than I was thinking. I *censored* my pants (okay not really), it turned 180 and bailed, the end.
Act III. This year (Like 3 days ago), I basically had the same thing going on. Bear feeding (despite many blueberries left), came down, I raced to beat it to the bottom, and it appeared for a second, looking right at me - almost disdainfully - before retreating into the trees.
I must kill this bear!! Okay I'm not sure it is the same bear. But he's making it a real challenge at this point. Anyone got any good stories of bears or any other game animal that is 'in progress' ??
