This is easy for me. Teaching my 9 year old son to shoot his bow. Then getting him interested in hunting by bringing home deer the last couple years. This year he took his first deer out of a double ladder stand with me next to him. He did it all on his own. The deer hung up just out of range for 20 minutes and he was shaking the whole time. When he finally got the shot he connected. The deer went down inside of 10 yards and he was overcame with emotion like I've never seen. Crying a saying how lucky he was to get one and how much he loved me. He is hooked for life. Best day in the field ever for me.
I would have to say this whole year in general! First Pope & Young with shed same day and 5 deer total so far with one tag left! http://forums.bowhunting.com/showthread.php?t=17899
#1 Accomplishment I would have to go with hosting a hunter that became a friend for life from Huntingnet.com and now from Bowhunting.com. I'm a firm believer in getting a person up and close for a shot on a shooter buck , that I have done. With Shed33, 9 years ago,he took a small buck ,being his choice as his 1st son was in the basket at home with his wife Dee. Three years later I had a friend from Scent-loc in from Michigan,he had ton's of opportunity to take bucks but held out for mr big. Didn't happen and settled for a mature doe and a yote. Then of course you all know of this years story with Will taking a good shooter buck. All the time and effort in putting together a hunt for a person other than me,is always a question I ask of myself,Why??? Friendships that will last a lifetime and of course to get the opportunity to see the wide grin and smile of someone whom put the belief in you to get them the chance of shooting a buck. Will's grin will not be forgot ,sure make's me more humble than ever before. God gave us the land and we do the harvesting. Thank you Lord Rocky
Mine would be taking my daughter who has been hunting with me since she was 6 and is now 25 last year to Illinois deer hunting and being there when she killed her first buck with a bow. It dwarfed everything I have ever done my self..
My greatest would be getting my dad and kids into hunting. I got my dad hooked on hunting at the young age of 50 (he's 67 now). Exciting to see him become a successful hunter and have a great time each fall. He never hunted a day in his life prior. Watching my son be successful over the last 5 years (since age 8) has been quite an experience. Now my daughter over the past couple years learning as well....exciting stuff. She'll most likely get her first next year at 10. I'd rather watch any of them be successful than kill one myself. :D
In the spring of '09 my dad had a major stroke. All the doctors said that he wouldn't survive, and if he did he would live the rest of his life in a nursing home. As my dad has often said, "The docs never read a textbook about a country boy", and he came home in September of '09. Last fall, during our gun season, I took him out to sit with me for an afternoon. He didn't have a gun, we didn't see anything, and I wouldn't trade this hunt for ANYTHING. This year, he would have been able to gun hunt our 2nd season, but he had surgery on his eyes to correct the double vision that was a result of the stroke. Hopefully if he is feeling up to it, I can take him out for our late gun season.
Being a father during the hunting season. Wow.. what a challenge. To love to hunt so much and to give it up to be home as much as possible with a little one. It will test you in ways you never thought mentally possible.. and yet you know where your priority has to be. So the bow doesn't get use. So.. I'm going to hand it to all you pa's out there. It ain't no easy business becoming one and taking on a hunting season. It is an accomplishment in itself. Here's to you dad's.. and closer lands in 2011. Word.
I totally forgot about Wilbur (youngfart's post reminded me) taking his deer, here. Make that 4 hunters I've hosted who've taken deer. I'd much rather do that than take one, myself. Less work!
I've had tons of experiences, but those experiences are meaningless without the people who helped make them. Here's a huge SALUTE and a big THANK YOU! That's my greatest accomplishment, meeting and hunting with all of you! Keep swimming TREV! Yes you can!
Favorite hunting moment.........my first deer at the ripe age of 14 with a bow. It takes place over anything I have on the wall. I could care less about those. My dad heard my arrow smack that yearling doe and climbed out of his stand and walked to me. I remember those words, "Nice shot, son." I will never forget that moment for as long as I live. I just spent a day in a box blind in Southern Indiana (thats where my folks live, now) before Thanksgiving. 16 years after our first deef hunt, it was still just as good. Now that I live in Texas we don't get that opportunity often. Here is a pick out of our blind during that hunt. Our doe decoy died in the middle of the morning! lol
Mine was last year when I was able to video my son taking his first ever bow kill. I have the story saved in bookmarks from the post on another site but here it is anyway. http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1035630
It might be this year, putting my bro and bro law on their best bucks ever. Both high 150's bucks and both bucks I knew well. Even though they got them with their rifles they shot them from stands I set up for them. Yes rifle hunting is a little easier out here but many guys hunt their entire lives out here and never kill a 155+ buck. I think my greatest achievements are yet to come though. I have two boys that will be big game hunting soon, Jess gets to hunt turkeys this year! I believe watching my boys take their first big game critters is gonna top anything I will ever do or have ever achieved as a hunter.
I think my best achievement ever was tagging out in Archery season, with a 140" 9 point, a doe and a 9" bearded gobbler all in the same season. Haven't been able to repeat that since!
As of right now It's my bear I took In 2000. I have a feeling this will change though as my daughter grows older.
This has and will continue to be ever changing. Starting with my first deer, then first bow kill, then biggest buck...then finally in 2004 purchasing 35 acres with my Dad. It's not much, but it's rugged timber full of deer and just knowing I can take family and friends there anytime I want is just great! But this year it has changed yet again - I was always dreaming of all the other bowhunts I wanted to do, whitetails just weren't going to cut it for me. Elk was #1 on the list - I set out to start gathering info - that led me to Bowhunting.com - and my first post resulted in Will (iamyourhuckleberry) inviting me to his Elk Camp. http://forums.bowhunting.com/showthread.php?t=16026 Similar thoughts to what Trevor posted - I have changed from a "Someday" attitude to a "Why Not" thought process - and realized how great my wife really is, she started all this by saying "Why don't ya?" Will's camp was just awesome - in the process I learned that not only will I someday hunt the animals on my dream list - but I will meet some dang fine people along the way - and hopefully share my whitetails at some point with these new friends. It has become less about the animal taken - but about the whole process and just being outdoors, especially with friends/family! And...as my kids get a little older - my greatest hunting achievements are yet to come and will all involve them!
My achievements are year to year. Being active duty, I move a lot and have to basically start over every few years, so my greatest achievement over the past few years has been getting access to private land in an area that's notoriously difficult to land permission on, and harvesting a nice doe this year from that property, which was really far less than ideal whitetail habitat.
My greatest achievements have been helping my two boys to take their first deer and turkeys. Definitely more exciting than anything I have ever done for myself.
