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IN REAL LIFE

(Click pics to make them larger).

TOMBSTONE'S PICS

Here is a trail camera shot of my sons Mike, Chuck, and me headed out for a morning hunt.  So far, all I have caught was Poison Ivy, Chiggers and Mosquitoes!  Ha! "The thrill of the hunt." 

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Tombstone got himself a nice sow!

On the opening day of the General Hunt, my son Chuck and I went out to our tree stands at around 5:30 am.  They are climbers, so we give ourselves around 30 minutes to get up the tree and situated.  I used my laser range finder to see how far away some landmarks were for references.  My Winchester .338 magnum is zeroed in at 200 yards, so I have a lot of reach.   (The only important factor is finding a steady rest, like my knees when I am in the sitting position).  I was about 25 feet up in a tree and looking across a prairie in the Everglades National Preserve.  The farthest side of the prairie was 200 yards away, but there was a finger of cypress trees that jutted out into the prairie at around 100 yards from my left.  At 7:10 in the morning, I started hearing something sloshing through the water.  (The prairie is usually 2� to 6� deep in water).  I got ready and in position and then I saw something black coming out of the west (my left).  I verified what it was with my binoculars.  It was a pig and it was threading in and out of the cypress trees in that finger 100 yards away.  As usual, this pig wasn�t stopping and giving me any shot.  It was being pushed by one of the many hunters of the first day of the season.  I acquired it in my scope at the least powerful 1.5X.  I then zoomed into the maximum 5X and waited for the best shot.  The pig was actually moving past and away from me now ,but I didn�t want to risk a sloppy shot so, I waited and put my finger inside the trigger guard.  (I had my trigger modified where only 2.5lbs of pull will fire the rifle so I don�t put my finger inside the guard until I am ready to shoot).  Finally, it got into an open spot about 5 feet across and I lightly squeezed the trigger.  Boom!  A huge spray of water about six feet across came up behind the pig.  I quickly chambered another round.  It was early light and at least 100 yards away so, I really couldn�t see if I had hit the pig.  I could hear it splashing around but there was thin grass that was about two feet high and blocking my view.  I didn�t want this pig to run off and was expecting it to dash off away from me.  Then, I saw black again at about the same spot that I had shot at the first time.  Boom!  Another huge spray of water came up and was followed by silence.  I chambered another round and waited in case it tried to run off.  Nothing ever happened.  I couldn�t see the pig any more!  Chuck was calling me on the radio asking what the shots were about.  I had dropped my primary radio out of the tree stand and I could hear him calling me from the radio on the ground.  I had to root around in my backpack and find my backup radio.  (We always carry two just for this reason).  I told him that �I think I shot a pig� but it was not light enough to see through all the grass.  �Maybe when the sun comes up I will be able to see it in the mud.�  Sure enough, when the sun came up to its full glory, I could see the black pig lying in the mud.  (It wasn�t sleeping!).  We stayed up in the tree until 11:00 am hoping a buck might wander by.  No such luck.  When we finally got down and over to the pig, we found out that it was a sow with two bullet holes through her neck.  I used the range finder and lasered my tree.  It was 113 yards away.  The pig later weighed in at 136lb. 

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Click here to check out all of Tombstone's Trail Camera Pictures!

 

Look what Savage63 sent in!

This big tom was taken by Jim Hackewitz using a varmint call and hunting within 6 miles of Bellevue, WA. There is no official score as of yet, but judging by the photo, he has to score high in the all-time book.  Bellevue is a major suburb of Seattle, WA.  Washington voters passed a bill banning the hunting of cougars with dogs a few years back.  Good idea?

UPDATE: Unofficial score -- 15 12/16, which would be in a 6-way tie for #7 all-time. Included in this list is a 15 12/16 tom taken by the only American President in the records book - Boone and Crockett Club Founder, Theodore Roosevelt which, when entered, was the World's Record cougar taken in Meeker, CO, in 1901.  (New info taken from Boone & Crockett and sent in by  NAOutdoors).

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Susan Dunlap's Colorado Cow Elk Pic

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One cold November evening... freezing my butt off, I got 10yrd shot off on a 8 pt. and he went about 50 yards before he dropped. It's my biggest so far.  Buckmaster241

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Stats on this big boy from Wilson County, Texas

Non-typical Gross = 200 B&C Non-typical Net = 197 3/8 B&C (green) 16 scoreable points, 5 1/2 years old.  This buck probably weighed not much more than 100 pounds field dressed.  Low fence and no protein feed.

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Joseph's Monster Mule

I first spotted the buck when he was over 500 yards away and sneaking up the draw.  I really couldn't tell just how good the rack was, but when he looked in my direction his gray muzzle and roman nose were evidence that he had more than a few seasons behind him.  My friend needed only one look through the binocs to initiate a stalk which allowed him to sneak within 60 yards of the buck.  For the final 200 yards, he had removed his boots and "stealthed in" wearing only his wool sox, a bow hunting trick I had taught him a few years before.  The old buck lifted his head from the sage when he heard the hunter close in.  There was but one moment to raise the rifle before the trophy took one leap to safety.  One shot behind the shoulder and the buck fell to a well-placed 270 150gr. Spitzer.

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BUCKS I SHOT AT VALLEY FORGE

by Mike7750, with his camera

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STRIPERMAN'S PICS

This is a picture of myself and my older brother Jerry.  It was taken on 10/23/02.  It had been raining off and on most of the day with some pretty bad winds.  As you can see, it didn't seem to bother the fish very much.  We started at 8:30 am and by 1:00 pm we both had our limit.  We fished until 4 pm just hooking up and letting 2 more go.  My brother Jerry and I have been making this fishing trip for 15 years together.  He is 1 year older than me and the best friend I have in the world.  We also do a lot of deer hunting together.  He did beat me with 1 more fish then I had.  

This is a salmon that weighed approx.35 lbs that I caught on 10/24/02.  It was the last day of our fishing trip and the best weather we had all week.  When I first hooked into this fish I thought I was snagged on the bottom because he wouldn't even move.  I gave a hard tug on the line and he was off like a freight train.  I was using 10lb line so I had to be real careful not to break him off.  After 30 min. of chasing him upstream and downstream he finally came into shore for my brother to net. 

 

BREAKFAST BOY'S PICS

Here is a pic of myself and the moose I shot on Thursday, September 26, 2002.  It is a 5 point Bull Moose that weighed approximately 550lb.  I got him in Welsford, New Brunswick, just before nightfall.  It was a double lung shot at about 75 yards. 

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I Met Cutch!  by Tombstone

What a great guy!  Oregon has a huge amount of hunting potential, from Mulies, blacktail, elk, pronghorn, bear and a whole lot more!  As you can see, Cutch has had a nice time hunting there in Oregon!  Great trophies, Cutch!  (Cutch is on the left).  Click here to see more Tombstone's Trail Camera Pictures!

 

The Trophy Room at Castle Haut Koeningsbourg in Alsace, France  by Clem

This is a castle that was built in the 12th Century and restored by the Emperor Guillaume II at the beginning of the 20th Century.  These antlers were collected by the Lords of the castle and their guests in the surrounding mountains during the first half of the 20th Century.  I visited this beautiful castle in May, 2002.

 

UNCLE BUCK SENT THESE IN OF ALEXIS AND HER FISH

The first pic is my 4-year-old stepdaughter, Alexis, and her first fish which she caught within the first 5 minutes of getting to a local pond.  The second pic is Alexis, age 6, and she did it to me again!  Not 5 minutes after we sat down at one of my favorite spots, she hooked into a 12" striped bass. Shortly after that, she hooked another, a nice 15-in striper, but this time almost went for a swim with it.

  Update 01-11-14:  Alexis, now a lovely young lady, has written her dad a poem that one an Ohio poetry contest:

  

 

Look at this Fish, Gator, and Rattlesnakes!   by Honeywest

It was caught in Wisconsin and supposedly authenticated by the Wisconsin Fish and Game Department.  I got this pic from one of my old bosses in my email at work.  Sure is strange!

A Florida Power & Light crew putting in lines for an addition to the Orlando International Airport found the following in a culvert they were using... The gator is/was 18' 2" long.  The rattlesnake roundup totaled 87.

 

DUCKSLAYER'S FISH

I caught this Rainbow Trout using an RS2 Nymph, which is what I caught most of my fish on this river on.  This was taken in Deckers, Colorado, April 14, 2002.  I was fishing with my grandpa and I went to fish this one hole.  I caught a small stocker which was about 12" and then I caught  a 15" rainbow on the very next cast.  A couple casts later, I caught a nice one.  I had no idea how nice though!  When I saw him surface, my heart skipped a beat.  I have caught a bigger one, but I couldn't get a picture of it, it measured 22".  This Rainbow Trout measured 20". 

More pics from Duckslayer of him and his dad.

 

ANDREW'S TROPHIES

25 yard shot on this copperhead... Gun is a .45 with some kind of grain... I'm sure of that

My 9 pointer... on September on kids weekend... I was 13 and we went for kids weekend... I was walking around with my dad and we come up on a big deer at 50 yards... with my .223 with 64 grain I shoot and it runs off! We look around and find like 3 rocks with blood on it... never found him dead... the next weekend which was opening weekend... the first morning out  we go to our blind and stay till like 8:30 and we start walking back to the cabin... we see a big deer at about 200 yards so I free hand and shoot... missed... and trots off into the woods... my dad is bummed that I missed so he tells me to wait there and he walks way across the field and disappears  into the woods... so I wait for like 5 min and I hear something running up so I look into the field and see a doe.... suddenly he jumps out at 25 yards and boom! I hit him and falls down right in its tracks! closer look at the deer.... it was the one I shot at during kids weekend... the bullet skimmed its neck and left an inch of were the bullet tore its skin... it looked like a slit in its neck... 1 inch into its neck and I would have had him the weekend before... not a huge 9 pointer but its nice... shot him in Austin Texas!

Up in south Texas I'm invited to an elk hunt... on a hunting ranch... its like 10,000 acres... well... the night we get there, driving in I spot some elk in a field... we see some 3X3's out there... now... this hunt is with my dads work friends and its there connection and that's why I'm there... we are aloud one bull and one cow... so I chose to take the bull.... duh.... well... moving on, we see those and the rancher says that the bigger bulls are way harder to spot so don't keep your hopes up of getting something bigger than that 3X3... so we chose to hold and wait for the next day... people barely speak English so out guide is from across the border and he is really good... we can kinda understand him so early that morning we jump onto the top of the truck... it has a high rack and that's how you hunt them there... BTW its a high fenced place so the bulls stay there... anyway we come up to a steep mountain that's like 200 yards up to the top and I spot a head looking at me from up there... we stop and I raise the gun to see a bull elk... its a 3X3 so I hold on and right behind him a big bull comes out... now its on top of the hill so I'm at a slant... it looks at me and 3 more bull come out... walk down the parallel with us and the mountain so I take a shot with my .270, 130 grain and boom! he looks at me and the truck and walks over the mountain on the opposite side... now the Mexican floored it up the side of the mountain... now were are coming up were I just shot it... like 10 min later and I spot 4 heads... all 3X3's so I get the gun up to shoot and out of the corner of my eye I see something else and I spot my bigger bull... so I reposition my gun towards it and at 50 yards it walks across the dirt road and boom! It pauses and looks at me... and walks off and about 3 steps it falls dead... I get out to see its a nice 4X5... later when they were skinning it I noticed 2 holes in the beast... one dead on its hear and one 3 inches away from the previous shot...  the first shot must of hit him... and the side of the mountain being that high.... and 100 yards aw from the base... I think its a good shot...... I know only 4 points are noticeable on each side but its a 4X5... not HUGE bug a trophy for me :-)

 

MI-DAN'S BUCK

MI-Dan's recommended reading:  http://midlandmi.hearstnp.com/SelectStory/story_id=42085
 

COUESHUNTER'S PICS

I was woken up the first day of the hunt by my big brother Jon. He said there was a spike on the side of the hill. I didn't believe him so I went back to bed.  I woke a little later and he couldn't find him.  I was disappointed.  He said we would go up to this hill later that night.  So, we went there about 3:00, we sat down and began to glass the hillside.  He said, Cody there is a buck!  Get ready!  He said,  Its about 350 yards so aim at his back.  So I took a shot and I missed>  Then another, then another, then another, then the buck started running.  I then shot and hit him right in the lungs!   I almost pissed my pants, lol.   We went down to get him and I said to myself, here comes the fun part... 

 

COBRA'S PIC

This 8pt was taken on 11/27/00 in the hills of western Pa. I first spotted this deer during the archery season and harvested him using a 870 Wingmaster equipped with riffled barrel, 3 x 9 Tasco scope and sabot slugs. 

 

  LITTLEC SENT IN THIS PIC

Check out this "crafted" MEGA Buck! Boone and Crockett dream buck crafted by woodcarver Ralph Tretheway from Walla Wall, WA. 

 

SHOOTERSTEVE'S BUCK

Take a gander at this 8pt. buck I bagged in the 2000 dear season in the mountains of Pennsylvania.

 

CUTCH SENT IN THESE PICS

Look at this monster!

When looking closely at the numbers of this Midwest Monster (pic on the left), any whitetail hunter can tell that this buck is going to give the Hanson buck a run for its money!  The Hanson Buck (pic on the right), because of its wider spread, appears to be a much larger buck, but looks can be deceiving. The right side of the Hanson buck scores 95 3/8, the left 97 3/8. The right side of he Midwest Monster scores 98 3/8, the left 96 3/8. The Hanson buck boasts a 24 4/8 tip-to-tip spread which is over twice that of the 11 5/8 carried by the Midwest Monster. Nevertheless, the Midwest Monster has plenty of antler to make it a true world-class whitetail and it certainly has enough potential to compete for world record status. Five of the Midwest Monster�s main points exceed 11" compared to six main points over 11" on the Hanson buck.  However, the sixth tine on the Midwest Monster is not far behind at a healthy 10 0/8. The Hanson Buck totals 35 3/8 on its eight circumference measurements while the Midwest Monster is credited for 37 3/8 highlighting its more massive typical structure. The Hanson Buck has 28" main beams while the Midwest Monster has very respectable main beams in the 27" bracket.  The Hanson Buck has 7" of difference from its right side to its left while the Midwest Monster has 8" difference.

 

This hog was killed in Texas recently. The man in the picture killed him, took 3 shots from a 7 mag.  The afternoon before, he saw this hog eating on the side of the road. He pulled over, and when he slammed the door on his truck, the hog spooked, and charged him. He rammed the side of his truck and put a huge dent in it and popped two holes in the metal where his tusks hit. He went back in camo the next morning and sat by a fence. The hog came out, and he shot once and the hog turned and looked at him.  Shot him again, and he went to his knees and got back up. Shot him the third time and put him down. The rest of the story is the picture.  Weighed over 800 lbs. 

Don't know if you are familiar with "noodling", but it is the term for the way Oklahoma (and some Texan) guys catch their fish. These guys wade out into the river and feel for holes or logs on the river floor. When they find a catfish hole, they stick their hands in there wiggle their fingers, the cats latch on and the "fishermen" pull out these monsters. Many people lose their lives each year because of this. Some fish are so huge they literally pull them under.  Snapping turtles and snakes claim their fair share of rednecks too.  Here are some pictures of what they come out with. Think about these monsters the next time you order a catfish dinner!

This may be a new world record moose.  Taken on the Alaska Peninsula this fall.  Spread of 86".

Now, this is very cool!  A family in Bend, Oregon  found this fawn on their front steps a few weeks ago and took this photo. The white spots on the steps are apple blossom petals. As you know, deer hide their fawns and go away for awhile. The fawns have no odor yet, and naturally stay absolutely still. Isn't this an amazing photograph! A great job of camouflage! The fawn stayed there all morning,  and the mama came to get it after 4-5 hours. Nice that the people knew enough to leave the fawn alone till Mama came to get her baby!!

I think these locations are in Alaska...not sure.  This bear was killed down on Hitchenbrook Island by an airman stationed at Elmendorf.  The bear measured 12' 6" and was estimated at over 1600 lb.  The guy was walking to his hunting area and the bear stood up only 35 yards away.  The bear dropped down and went straight for him.  He emptied his gun and the bear fell 10 yards from him.  Check out the size of the paw in relation to the guy's head!!!  Alan T. Stephens.

  

This deer was shot near Dryden,Ontario (northwestern Ontario about 3 hours east of Winnipeg) one half hour after legal time and seized by OMNR. It is estimated that the rack scores 41 points over the world record. It is an 18pt Whitetail. Compares with the record Bighorn that was hit over the head with a ballpin hammer west of Calgary several years ago illegally!

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