alwayshunting
Active member
Here is a review with mostly pictures of my 2017 hunting season. I had another very memorable year. The year started off with my wife shooting this turkey at 18 yards after calling it off of some private land onto public. I get so much more enjoyment out of watching her excitement then for me to shoot the bird.
Next I met up with a friend in the Black Hills who took me on my first out of state turkey hunt.
Back in North Dakota I was able to fill my resident turkey tag on public land. While hunting I found a deer that did not make it through the winter. His bottom teeth were wore down to almost nothing.
Next came Hawaii. Earlier I posted my Mouflon sheep story on HuntTalk.
Next came Wyoming antelope. My brother in law from California had never been hunting and asked me to take him. He, my wife, and I each drew two doe tags near Casper and had a great hunt. It was nice being able to hunt a unit with ample public land. All of my previous WY antelope hunts were in the NE corner of the state with limited access. We filled all six tags in a few day and I think my brother in law is hooked on both the hunting experience and being able to fill his freezer with meat.
I came back to ND in time to help a buddy fill his ND antelope tag. Our tags are quite limited and typically take a number of years to draw.
I spent a number of evenings out after pheasants and ducks. My daughter loves being in the outdoors and I look forward to her going on more hunts next year.
In early September I was out shooting my longbow the day before the archery opener and I became frustrated with my shooting. I went home and ordered a compound bow. I had been shooting a longbow since I was only a few years old and had been deer hunting with it for the last ten years and had yet to shoot a deer due to my limited range (which was due to my limited practice). In the middle of September I shot a compound for the first time and loved it from the beginning. I was amazed at how proficient (compared to my longbow) I was able to become. I shot a few arrows almost every day for the next two months. My goal was to get a buck this year, but I was not going to be picky. I spotted a few while hunting in the badlands, but never had one in good stalking position.
Finally towards the end of October I spotted a buck bedded in a CRP field with my spotting scope. There ended up being two other bedded bucks in the area which was going to make the stalk difficult. I was able to cover the first quarter mile pretty easily, but the last couple hundred yards was on hands and knees due to the other bucks being in view. I ended up on a slight crest with the wind in my face and the buck facing me but it was still out of range. From that point forward I inched closer with my belly scraping for another twenty yards. At that point I was exhausted and not sure how I would ever get my arrow nocked let alone a shot off. While stretching my neck some movement caught my eye. The buck had stood up on its own and started walking broadside. I was able to get my bow ready, kneel up, and draw back. While doing so the buck stopped perfectly broadside. Just as I went to squeeze the trigger he spotted me and snapped his head in my direction. I panicked and jerked the trigger. My arrow hit far back and high. I was fortunate to hit an artery and he only went 18 yards. There were a lot of thoughts and emotions after finally taking a big game animal with the bow after so many years and days of trying.
A month later I headed to the badlands for two days with a mule deer doe rifle tag, but chose to leave the rifle at home. I had a lot of close calls the first day and saw plenty of deer including one very nice 6x5. Late the second morning I was able to make a stalk on a lone doe and fill my last tag of the year. A few days later I was able to help my wife and dad fill their rifle deer tags. This year resulted in a full freezer and had many great memories in the field for me to think about while I start to plan next year’s hunting season.
Next I met up with a friend in the Black Hills who took me on my first out of state turkey hunt.
Back in North Dakota I was able to fill my resident turkey tag on public land. While hunting I found a deer that did not make it through the winter. His bottom teeth were wore down to almost nothing.
Next came Hawaii. Earlier I posted my Mouflon sheep story on HuntTalk.
Next came Wyoming antelope. My brother in law from California had never been hunting and asked me to take him. He, my wife, and I each drew two doe tags near Casper and had a great hunt. It was nice being able to hunt a unit with ample public land. All of my previous WY antelope hunts were in the NE corner of the state with limited access. We filled all six tags in a few day and I think my brother in law is hooked on both the hunting experience and being able to fill his freezer with meat.
I came back to ND in time to help a buddy fill his ND antelope tag. Our tags are quite limited and typically take a number of years to draw.
I spent a number of evenings out after pheasants and ducks. My daughter loves being in the outdoors and I look forward to her going on more hunts next year.
In early September I was out shooting my longbow the day before the archery opener and I became frustrated with my shooting. I went home and ordered a compound bow. I had been shooting a longbow since I was only a few years old and had been deer hunting with it for the last ten years and had yet to shoot a deer due to my limited range (which was due to my limited practice). In the middle of September I shot a compound for the first time and loved it from the beginning. I was amazed at how proficient (compared to my longbow) I was able to become. I shot a few arrows almost every day for the next two months. My goal was to get a buck this year, but I was not going to be picky. I spotted a few while hunting in the badlands, but never had one in good stalking position.
Finally towards the end of October I spotted a buck bedded in a CRP field with my spotting scope. There ended up being two other bedded bucks in the area which was going to make the stalk difficult. I was able to cover the first quarter mile pretty easily, but the last couple hundred yards was on hands and knees due to the other bucks being in view. I ended up on a slight crest with the wind in my face and the buck facing me but it was still out of range. From that point forward I inched closer with my belly scraping for another twenty yards. At that point I was exhausted and not sure how I would ever get my arrow nocked let alone a shot off. While stretching my neck some movement caught my eye. The buck had stood up on its own and started walking broadside. I was able to get my bow ready, kneel up, and draw back. While doing so the buck stopped perfectly broadside. Just as I went to squeeze the trigger he spotted me and snapped his head in my direction. I panicked and jerked the trigger. My arrow hit far back and high. I was fortunate to hit an artery and he only went 18 yards. There were a lot of thoughts and emotions after finally taking a big game animal with the bow after so many years and days of trying.
A month later I headed to the badlands for two days with a mule deer doe rifle tag, but chose to leave the rifle at home. I had a lot of close calls the first day and saw plenty of deer including one very nice 6x5. Late the second morning I was able to make a stalk on a lone doe and fill my last tag of the year. A few days later I was able to help my wife and dad fill their rifle deer tags. This year resulted in a full freezer and had many great memories in the field for me to think about while I start to plan next year’s hunting season.
