As yet another hunting season approaches us I tend to think back to all the days afield I have had since I started hunting the good, and the bad. As most hunters know hunting is full of highs, and lows some of each being etched into our memories forever. So lets hear them the highs and lows!! What’s something good or bad that happen to you afield that stands out in your mind more than anything else? 
Well I have a crappy ol’ story for ya! 
A few years back I was up in Ripley and hunting the edge of a few year old clearcut. The clearcut had grown up with 3-4 inch wide poplars and there was a tank trail right through it (a perfect little funnel). I set up in a tree to the east with the clearcut and tank trail to my right 25 yards from the opening of this trail. Sure enough I hear the snap of a twig and a very nice mature buck is walking through the slashing on that trail. I draw back and get ready for him to step out for the perfect shot. BUT, when he gets through the slashing he keeps his left shoulder to the edge of the tanktrail and angles right towards me. I’m at full draw and he keeps coming at a fast walk. (Now picture the tree behind me, and I’m twisting my body and Right elbow with him as he walks. I see no reason for him to spook and the wind was in my favor. So I wait and twist and wait as he’s coming towards me to take the “ethical” 5 yard shot when he gets to the base of my tree instead of a 1 lung from the top type shot. WELL as he’s like 10 yards and walking fast, and I’m turning with him my elbow brushes against the tree that I’m in and he IMMEDIATELY makes a huge bound and bolts! I had zero time to react or even pull the trigger and my dream buck was gone.
I learned that day that there’s a reason big bucks get big…and if you have fairly high percentage shot that you can make you take it! I’m pretty sure I would have killed that deer with the shot I had available but didn’t see a reason not to wait. There are so many things that can go wrong and I had it that day.
I had been bow hunting hard for a buck that frequented my back field. Very nice 13pt with a kicker and a huge drop. Had him a dozen times within 30 yards with no shot. This old grampa of a buck had that SICK sense to know where I was at or that something just wasn’t right. I watched him fight a 10pt in a gruesome battle where both bucks were bleeding as they separated.
I took a buddy out calling coyotes with a new fox pro f-3 when they came out. With a whimpering fawn call at 10:30 at night, this buck crossed a field and walked to within 20 feet of us. There I sat with a 22-250, and couldn’t do a dang thing. He smelled us and danced around for about a minute before he WALKED off. Following week a guy trespassing on my land shot him on opening day of gun season, which I didn’t know at the time.
On Thanksgiving day, I shot the 10pnt (gun season) hoping to take the 13 in late season bow. Neighbor has stopped me on the road as I passed to register the 10, and told me about the 13. He watched the guy drag it off my field and down to his truck….just figured he had permission since he was so open about trespassing.
Final dagger was butchering the 10pt. Gag green from the neck to the rear. Had three busted off tines stuck in him. 1 in his lower neck and 2 in his 
. Meat was worthless and I ground it for coyote bait.
Like you said, filled with a lot of highs and extreme lows.
My best is yet to come. Olivia, my youngest daughter and “Mini-Me” has taken a passion to hunting. Got to sit with her many hours in a treestand over the last couple years. Was sitting with her when she passed a lot of deer because of a poor shot, and watched her hammer her first deer. Antelope on the 25th, pref, point apps are in for mulies and elk. Nothing better than watching your kids making awesome decisions and putting the 
on a few tasty critters! 
I’ve got a ton of great memories from years past, but I’m not sure I really could appreciate just how lucky I was growing up until recently. From the first time I saw Dad take a buck to the first time my uncle and I crossed Oahe in a 14′ dingy to chase salmon. The mornings in the blind or that first deer with a bow. They are such great memories it’s hard to say one is better than another.
One of the biggest disappointments I can recall happened during my senior year. I played our weekly football game on Friday night. Well, I had jacked up my back pretty good. As my uncle put me into the stand, he said “Don’t sit down, this deer tends to come from your back side and you won’t be able to draw sitting in this stand.” Sure enough, two hours later I’m in a ton of pain and had to sit down. Not 15 minutes later, here he comes. One of the nicest 4 points(8 for you Mn/Wi guys) comes strolling in. I had him at 7 yards and couldn’t do a single thing about it. Needless to say he sensed something and turned and walked right back where he came from. 
Some of my most vived memories afeild are when i didnt even take any amimals,.. like being up north bear hunting and watching a cub tear apart the bait and getting to watch two wolves on the same bait the year before, or last year bow hunting deer and rattling in two bucks for the first time, and both times i never took a shot, but then there are the times with my friends out goose hunting or pushing the woods that just can bring a smile on my face. i guess anytime i can get out there is a memorie waiting to be made. The people you seround yourself with, to me is what can make the best memories. as the realtree slogan goes “Family, freinds, and the outdoors”
One of my most memorable lows I ever had was a morning sit in WI on a creek bottom hunting a scrape line, the last day of archery season before shot gun started. I had a hot doe come threw a week prior with a little six and a larger buck chasing her no idea on points or score just knew he was BIG. So I made it my mission that I would stick it out morning, afternoons in that area in hopes he would show again. Well as luck would have it I woke up late that morning but during the rut anything can happen. I made it to my stand right as the sun was starting to peak threw the trees, I sat and waited scanning for any movement. It was maybe 45 min into my sit when I seen a deer slowing working my way thinking it was a doe or smaller buck i kicked back and watched the show. As the deer got closer I noticed he was sporting some major head gear. I got to my feet, grabbed my bow kept telling myself stay calm stay calm. After what seemed like hrs he was finally within bow range and I was surprisingly calm just had to wait for the right shot. As he started to turn broadside I drew my bow took a couple deep breaths settled my pin and sent a arrow his way, it looked true the buck mule kicked ran a few yards and stopped. I thought for sure he was going to go down right in front of me I watched and waited as he stood there motionless, so I thought he is still within bow range try to get another one in him drew back sent a arrow on it’s way only to hit a tree. The buck ran off as I thought well the first shot looked good, I waited and climbed down only to see I shot just low enough to graze his chest right behind the front legs never to see him again.
To this day that hunt haunts me more than any other one I have ever had, I know had I shot a hair higher he would still be my biggest buck to date.
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