Any hunting n fishing n trapping stories ?

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Aklogcabin

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Just curious, I don't read a lot of those. Probably noticed it more because I'm not out hunting moose n catching salmon. And I miss being out myself. Anyhows if you all have some stories about getting out into the bush a bit . What ya got ? And if you'd like I could share a bit about 40 years in AK
 
A couple funny stories -

Back in '99 I hunted opening day of pheasant season with a big group of 9 or 10 hunters and a good dog. We saw a bazillion birds, the shooting was fast and furious. One of the guys had his young son along, too young to shoot but he had a game vest on and liked to carry the birds his dad shot. The kid was stoked to be out in the field with the men. When the dad nailed a tough crossing shot, the boy was all smiles and exclaimed how great his dad was. The dad grinned and said, "He's my biggest fan!" A few minutes later, the dad missed an easy straightaway. The boy's face fell and he blurted out, "My dad sucks!" We were all on the ground laughing. Poor dad just rubbed his head and said, I guess he's a tough critic...

Once some of my friends were trapping a creek. It was butt cold so they drove the truck out to the creek bank. A skunk was caught by the leg in one of the traps. My buddy was confident he could approach that damn skunk and not get sprayed, by keeping the skunk's head toward him and never letting the skunk get it's business end pointed at him. He got within a few feet and was going to throw a blanket over it when that skunk did a perfect handstand on it's front feet and curled its hind end over its head, and let my friend have it. While he stumbled around cussing we all ran for the truck and jumped in. When he came back to the truck all he heard was "click"! We locked him out and made him ride in the back...
 
A couple funny stories -

Back in '99 I hunted opening day of pheasant season with a big group of 9 or 10 hunters and a good dog. We saw a bazillion birds, the shooting was fast and furious. One of the guys had his young son along, too young to shoot but he had a game vest on and liked to carry the birds his dad shot. The kid was stoked to be out in the field with the men. When the dad nailed a tough crossing shot, the boy was all smiles and exclaimed how great his dad was. The dad grinned and said, "He's my biggest fan!" A few minutes later, the dad missed an easy straightaway. The boy's face fell and he blurted out, "My dad sucks!" We were all on the ground laughing. Poor dad just rubbed his head and said, I guess he's a tough critic...

Once some of my friends were trapping a creek. It was butt cold so they drove the truck out to the creek bank. A skunk was caught by the leg in one of the traps. My buddy was confident he could approach that damn skunk and not get sprayed, by keeping the skunk's head toward him and never letting the skunk get it's business end pointed at him. He got within a few feet and was going to throw a blanket over it when that skunk did a perfect handstand on it's front feet and curled its hind end over its head, and let my friend have it. While he stumbled around cussing we all ran for the truck and jumped in. When he came back to the truck all he heard was "click"! We locked him out and made him ride in the back...
I actually like the smell of skunk provided it is not so intense it burns my eyes.

When i was a foolish 12 year old I was walking on the beach with my family. In the distance I spotted a swollen puffer fish that had washed up on the sand. Being equipped with all of the science cartoons offer I ran ahead...

I could hear my father yelling "Benny no!" as i landed in an attempt to pop the blow fish. I was covered in rotting fish guts.

My parents put me in the seat in the back of the station wagon, left the back window open and drove FAST.

That was not the last time did something stupid.
;)

Ben
 
Some years ago my honey and I went hunting in the swamps across from the house.
We hunted until quite a bit of snow had fallen and needed to head home.
We were headed up hill going back and I could not find the road.
We were going slow as I wanted to show her how to hunt with rifle ready.
I was very serious and dedicated until a car passed by about 30 feet away.
 
As a kid we deer hunted with dogs. Hunters would be dropped off along roads, edges of fields. But at trails where deer normally crossed roads. A driver (hunter with a pack of hounds), would take his dogs through an area hoping to jump a deer from it’s day bed. Which would be chased towards the waiting hunters. Hopefully we had people waiting at the right locations, not always the case. I’ve hunted with as few as 3 people, dog driver and 2 guys in vehicles. Everyone involved had to know deer hounds, how they sound when cold trailing, sound when they jump a deer, most importantly know how to anticipate where the deer is headed by the sound of the hounds.

I was put out one morning by a large cotton field along with an old man. There was a small hill/rise in between he and I so we both had clear fields of fire. I heard the dogs jump a deer way down in a big holler… A few minutes later I knew the deer was coming out over me or the old guy. I was ready, thumb on the safety, just standing and listening to the dogs… When I heard the old man shoot… There was no followup shot.

I started walking over to see if the old guy got a kill. I suddenly heard the old man yelling. As I topped the little rise I saw the strangest thing!

The old man had hit one of the deer's antlers and stunned it. When he stepped across the neck to cut the deer’s throat the deer woke up, leaped and tried to run. Except his antlers were hung in the old guys pants leg. He was dragging the old guy across the field with the old guy yelling “Help ME! Help ME!”

I couldn’t shoot! He and the deer were intertwined at this point. About that time his pants finally ripped and the deer was gone. I still didn’t get a shot, the old guy was between the deer and I.

Story 2. Locally, if someone misses a shot its a tradition that the hunter's shirt tail is cut off with a knife. It’s then tacked to the wall of the camp house, name and date added. I had my shirt tail cutoff once.

I was put out on an old gravel road. I found a good spot on top of an embankment to cover the area and sat down. Eastern woodland, thick brush and trees, I only had about 30yrds visibility in any direction.

See, I had to sit down since I could barely walk at all. Before getting dropped off I was in the back of a pickup. I was against the cab. It also had a plywood dog box. We stopped at the bottom of a long straight hill in the highway. The driver was talking to another hunter/vehicle who was traveling opposite.

An old drunk guy who hunted with us occasionally started down the hill in his old pickup, not very fast but his brakes failed or he was too drunk to notice. He rear ended the pickup I was sitting in. I bounced off the dog box and was thrown out of the truck into a ditch. But I was 14 and tough! Nothing was going to hurt or stop me so I refused the ER! Lets Hunt! My leg was bleeding but it looked superficial, hurt like hell but just rub some dirt on it! It'll be all right.

Many years later in the Navy my leg was Xrayed for another reason. I learned I had actually broken my leg that day in the accident… My tibia had a healed crack and a chunk of bone about the size of small marble was knocked out. I knew about the chunk of bone, I can feel it under my skin, it’s still there today. I can even feel the little divot in my shin bone.

Anyway, the dogs jumped several deer that day and ran them right over me. I found that in the hour I sat on the ground my leg had swollen badly and stiffened up. I could no longer stand up. I only got off one shot from a sitting position. The buckshot tore up some bushes but if I hit the deer he didn’t stop running. He was running full speed when he came by me, never slowed down. Actually it was a buck and 3 doe’s.

So, when guys came to pick me up later they literally had to pick me up and help me into the truck since I could no longer walk. But they still cut off my shirt tail for missing the shot! Tough crowd in these parts! :mad:

Looking back… it was a least a month before my leg got better, I limped for a long time, even used my grandpa’s crutches occasionally. Of course my family didn’t go to doctors back then. If we lost a limb or an eye, maybe.

A side note for folks who think deer hunting with dogs is too easy… These days most folks sit in a tree and wait for a deer to walk up and eat from a grain plot. Then take the shot, all of it quiet and relaxed… Hunting with dogs, usually, the only shot you get the deer is running 40mph through brush and trees. Which is the harder kill? With dogs the hunt is over in about 2 seconds. That’s all the time you had to choose your deer and shoot!

Shooting doe’s was illegal back then, many times I didn’t even get a shot… A buck comes by with several doe’s at 40mph and I have to make a clean shot at the buck only? Making sure not to hit a doe! Hunting with dogs has it’s challenges.
 
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When my son was a wee little thing, he caught his first real fish which was a white fish. I cooked it up for supper and it was pretty good. My daughter told him though "Next time you should catch a fish without the bones." 😂
 
A quick story… One day the same cousin who’s truck got rear-ended was out on ridge with a few others. I was driving with my dogs down in the holler. I had great dogs then, Running Walkers and Redbones, great deer dogs. They jumped a monster buck that day within yards of the road. I saw it but didn’t have a shot.

They ran that big buck right over my cousin, literally. It was early and cold, he decided he had time for his morning constitutional before anything happened. He didn’t. He literally got caught with his pants down.

He had taken off his coat, got his coveralls and clothes down, was squatted… He said later he heard the dogs and was trying to finish up when the deer literally ran into him. Knocked him down, but he still managed to kill the deer.

But, he was covered in poop! Even in his hair!!!! lololol. I was running behind my dogs and heard him shoot. When I got there my cousin was trying to clean himself up! A losing battle! We made him ride in the back of his own truck, he reeked!

But he got his 12 point though! We went to his house to clean the deer. His wife made him strip in the yard where she hosed him off with a garden hose. Lolol And it was cold that day, about 20 degrees.

It’s been 45 years and he still hasn’t lived that story down! Best part, that deer head is still on his living rm wall.
 
Great ! I read these n thought about similar incidences for each one. Skunk stories n all.
My buddy n me were overlooking a small pond moose hunting. I was doing some cow calls n got an immediate response from the other side. We could hear the big bull thrashing the brush with his antlers. Letting the world know he was there. When he finally stepped out I shot. Was my turn to shoot first but we had decided to have a follow up. So he shot immediately after me.
We rushed around the the pond through the muskeg to where he was standing. Lots of white hair ? We split up to find him.
I spot him laying on his belly but straight up in an alder thicket. Nastiest place he could find. I walk up from the side n reach out with my rifle to touch his eye. Just as it's about there he stands up. Now I'm 2' from a wounded bull moose with big antlers a foot above my head. Way to close. I was able to harvest him with a nice clean shot from all of 1".
After processing him. We find out that I missed. Still have my shirt tail for more pressing purposes. And my buddy shot a perfect Texas bulls eye.
Was salmon fishing. My bil n beautiful wife n me are resting in my truck camper when his huge really furry dog jumps in covered in rotting salmon. Dog perfume.
I was stuck up on the man walk while changing the sign letters at the drive in theater while a Skunk tried all he could do to hit me. Including standing on his front feet to gain reach. Skunk stuff 15' in the air all busted up from the breeze everywhere ! Skunk perfume.
Last time beautiful wife n me got into trouble on snogos was bad bad bad. 3' of fresh snow n 2 broke machines miles from anywhere in a blizzard. And she can't walk much.
I'll write that one next
Thanks all for the memories. I'm glad I was there to do it.
 
I used to be able to get out on 3-4 day long excursions with an old friend. He had a nice Bayliner trophy 22' boat. We would go out of Seward or Whittier. Both fantastic places. This was 30 years ago so not the phones n computers of today. But we had good maps n lots of grit.
I remember one summer solstice night. At midnight it was a beautiful sunny evening. With the sun setting in the horizon surrounded by mountains covered in dense spruce forests, backed by rugged snow covered peaks. Reflecting off the flat ocean like a mirror.
The fish coolers are full of salmon n halibut filets. We're grilling up some big steaks to make more cooler room. But the lines are still in the water. We did catch n release keeping only the fish that bled n wouldn't make it. And the thrill of catching a 12 pound coho or a 40 pound chinook salmon kept us fishing.
Dolphins were swimming with us like black n white torpedoes, whales breaching around us.
Nobody in the world but me n my buddy in one of the Good Lord's most beautiful places. We're 60 miles from anything and depending on our own skills to make sure everything goes OK. Just the way I love it. I can close my eyes n almost be there again in my mind.
At the time, feeding my family was my priority. And the satisfaction that comes from knowing that you have a years worth of seafood put up. Not just for me but for the folks around me. I would send my mom cases of canned salmon as she had cancer. And every trip south included a large cooler of frozen salmon n halibut filets. Our neighbors always had fish n game. As i was blessed to be able to do this several times a year. Along with running some of the most rugged rivers chasing salmon n rainbows. Moose n bears.
Being able to look back now n enjoy those memories is also kinda priceless. The passion I have for the outdoors has served me well. And will always continue to do that
 

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