Sometimes, We Have To Improvise.
I've heard so many crazy stories from several people about what they've done to make a shot on an animal. Some of them are actually pretty funny and pretty amazing. I always try to keep my ears open when someone's telling a story. Here are a few that I can't help but share with you all.
Caught with Your Pants Down
This is the one I have probably heard the most often: "I had to relieve myself, and all of the sudden, there he was the biggest bull or buck ever!"
Yup, and even my own father tucked and rolled grabbed his rifle one year, pants at his ankles, and took a shot. He didn't connect and had some cleanup afterwards. I still laugh at that one when he tells it to this day. We have all been there, and it's bound to happen to some of us, right? One friend told me of his experience using the outhouse. Leaned the gun out the window, pulled the trigger and downed the animal. He didn't even get up off the toilet!
It's Too Darn Cold
How about 63 degrees below zero? Yes, I know a husband and wife who canoed the Snake River in Wyoming to shoot a moose. Might I add, she made a great shot.
I Strapped Myself in... What?
Yet, another gent was kind enough to tell me how he tied a rope around his waist and strapped himself into a makeshift harness to hang over the edge of a cliff. He managed to make a great shot on a nice mule deer. Of course there's all those long range shots. Trust me, they are a lot tougher than the folks at Extreme Outer Limits make them look. Not recommended or endorsed. He did admit he was young and a bit more free spirited at the time. Then of course there was a lady friend of mine who wasn't quite tall enough to see over the high grass and sage to shoot her pronghorn. Yep, well, she climbed onto her guide's back and managed to make the shot.
Think I Pulled a Muscle
Of course, we have all contorted, twisted and leaned to make a shot. Some of us have leaned and bent so much that we pull muscles or even break bones. Another friend of mine was quail hunting when the covey flushes and birds flew in every direction; he was all twisted up falling over trying to make a good shot. It's not easy picking just one. Ha!
No Matter What……….
I always make sure to take my Work Sharp Gear along for the trip. I’m always needing to sharpen something or work something over in camp or even out in the field. I don’t recall how many times that I have used my portable sharpeners. There is nothing more frustrating than a dull knife, hatchet, machete, or hand pruners for a clear trail to my hunting stand.
Sometimes, improvising works out, but often, we find ourselves with nothing but a funny story to tell. Happy shooting, hunting and fishing to all!
Written by Troy Rodakowski
