Most Memorable Outdoor Experience

After reading the thread about when did you start trapping and enjoying it immensely thought I would start another "memory lane " discussion. What is your most memorable outdoor experience ever. A memory involving trapping would be great , but let's open it to include any outdoor experience. Hunting , trapping, fishing, etc. I'll have to think on this one for awhile as I have many that comes to mind instantly. But to pick just one....... mmmmnnnnnnn!

Witnessing firsthand, the eruption of Mount St. Helens, May of 1980.

WOW that is impressive!!!!!!!

Come on man! No one can follow that!!
:

Wow waggler, that will be a hard one to follow. Maybe I should change the 1 most memorable to several in you want. Then I wouldn't have to choose!!

While in the Navy our thermal camera picked up a very hot explosion on the surface several miles away. When we investigated we found a newly formed volcanic island rising out of the sea. It had just broken the surface that week and was still in the process of being named.

I guess my most memorable moment is a recent one. Last March I went to Wyoming to visit my daughter and son in law. Unknown to me she had plans, we got on a plane the next day and flew to Anchorage spent a few days there then drove up to Fairbanks. We stayed in a cabin there for a week. One night we headed out to look for the Northern lights. We got a great show that night! It made for quite a memory. Cant get back there soon enough. We were also there for the start of the Iditarod. That was very cool too!

I was hunting elk in Utah, It was late evening, could barely see. Was on a very narrow trail returning to camp, when a panicked bull elk rushed past me within a couple of feet.

Walking across a dam in a rain storm. I watched a streak of lightening run off my boot into the ground. No permanent damage. (at least physically, lol) Just a numb feeling on my whole left side.

On road up Denali, I got within 20 yards of a hugh grizzly. Fortunately, I was in a bus.

Wow ! Some good ones here !

When my daughter was about five, I had picked her up from school and ran a few errands.

Last thing we had to do was pick up about a dozen Canada goose floaters i had out on a pond as I was going to be hunting a different hole the next morning.

Since daylight was quickly fading and shooting hours were behind us , I didn't even bother to bring a gun . Just parked the truck , put on my waders , and her and I walked down to the pond . She was prattling on like five year old girls do , probably giving me her birthday and Christmas wish list.

Once we got down to the pond , I gave her instructions on where she could play while I went into the pond . I was able to watch her while I was hauling in decoys .

Soon as I had waded into my decoys , I heard that unmistakable ' honking ' coming from the north between a slight depression between hills . I looked up to see a group of about eight Greaters approaching with commitment . I bent at the waist and leaned forward until my torso was right at the surface , trying to hide amongst my decoys . I glanced over at Aeryn to see that she had found herself a hole to lay low in as she was watching , too. Pink Hello Kitty jacket and all.

I couldn't see the geese anymore . I could feel them . I could feel the air around me vibrating and could hear that barely discernable 'hum' that geese make as they're getting ready to sit down.

At the last possible second , I glanced up , and saw a grayish belly not two feet over me. I reached my hand up and stroked that massive bird's belly as it and the rest of the flock beat their wings to gain altitude.

I heard screams and "whoops" coming from Aeryn as she had watched the whole thing and didn't have the words
for her excitement , especially since they'd been within 10 yards of her, too.

I think about that every time I put on waders and hear a distant flock. Best day ever.

Is Hugh Grizzly related to Hugh Glass ?

Most memorable hunting escapade would be when the Minnesota highway patrol helicopter was called to rescue a friend of mine mired in mud when
out duck hunting tracking a wounded duck in an inch of water and feet of muck on bog shoes. Being disabled with the use of only one arm and attempting
a turn around he fell victim to the muck. Chest deep and sinking,his refusal to relinquish his shot gun to instructions per chopper request gained him status
in duck camp,..he refused to enter chopper with out his Browning!:

1/2 dozen or so that I'll carry to my grave....won't mean much to others, but to me...priceless!

Hunting with my Dad (his last hunt), my brother and my nephew. And I got to see my brother harvest his first deer. Sarge

Here is one that ranks pretty high on my list. We were in Wyoming for a rifle elk hunt. We were just SE of Yellowstone in the Bridger Teton National forest. Somewhere SW of Togwotee pass. We could see Grand Teton Peak west of us. We knew we were in Grizzly bear country and took the needed precautions. We made base camp .... our wall tent away from the cook shack and no food at all where we slept. But after the first day, 4 of us hiked in pushing a cart up a logging road with enough gear for a spike camp several miles in and higher. We had 3 small tents. Mine was large enough where I kept my rifle , 44 mag pistol and bear spray inside with me. My buddies had small tents so they had their gear outside leaning up a the against a tree. In the middle of the nite one of the other guys woke up hearing a bear pretty close to our tents, he started hollering for me if I had a lite or my spray or a gun. I hollered back "Where's yours"? He told me up against a tree..... heard him mumbling ... stupid, stupid, stupid. I grabbed a cheap led lite and got out of my tent. The bear was about 20 to 30 yards away and was kinda agitated. We could see his eyes and the form of his body but that was it. He left after we hollered. The next nite ... same thing only this time we were ready. And had brighter lites. This time the bear was way closer. Snapping his jaws and huffing. We easily could see he was a grizzly. We hollered and blew whistles and clapped. He would not retreat. For a long time it was a stand off. Finally he left. At first lite we broke camp and headed for base camp. We did not hunt so deep after that. The rangers said we did the right thing. Pretty scary!!

I was there when my wife, daughter and son shot their first deer. I was way more excited then I ever was when I shot something, I had a terrible time staying composed enough to keep them calm. The next best was walking up to my first bobcat, I am still waiting for a wolf.

One would be a few years back working at Badlands National Park,we were getting ready for the Bison roundup in October and had worked late getting the corral ready.Keep in mind at that time I had never seen a buffalo in my life,tamed or otherwise.We were driving out of the Sage Creek Wilderness Area,where the buffalo were located and I happened to look over to the right down into a valley.There were hundreds of buffalo scattered in small groups,some were loners,through out that whole valley.It was a scene out of the 18th-early 19th century.I remember staring at the sight.Later a local showed me a buffalo shoulder blade with a stone arrowhead embedded in it,his aunt found it in the same area about 70-80 years ago.

Scouting for whitetails not far from a shopping mall when I stumbled upon the empty package which once contained a device intended for aiding things marital. The picture on the package indicated that the apparatus included a Strap for the purpose of keeping it On.
Being instantly alarmed by the disturbing find, I carefully scanned my immediate proximity, especially my six o'clock.
Soon enough, I found the contents of said package affixed to a tree at slightly lower than belt high.
I could not get out of that piece of woods quick enough! I would have crawled on my belly through a room full of rattlesnakes, tarantulas, and red-haired women to get away from that spot!
What is wrong with people???

You didn't hear banjo's playing did you? Sarge

My nephew's last deer hunt. He had recurring brain cancer for 8 years but was in a rare period of relative fitness. He wanted to go deer hunting again. He hadn't hunted since he was 11 and killed his first buck. I selected a place that was relatively easy to walk to, and we only took one rifle, so I carried it. We went slowly so he wouldn't over heat. Half way to the stand he threw up. When I asked if he wanted to go back, he said "No way, I'm fine . Give me a minute or two to rest. " We waited about 30 minutes, then slowly went on to the stand in short walk and stop sections.
He shot a deer with my 30:06 at 10:30. I gave him a high 5 and he said, "I've still got it !" with an ear to ear grin.
He died the following spring.

1987 in a 12 foot row boat with no motor a Shakespere rod and a Mitchell 300 reel and hooked and caught a 50.5 inch 30 lbs. muskie, using a small bass net. It took 40 minutes to land the fish. My uncle dying of cancer mounted the fish for me and I have all those memories yet today.

Bryce

We were in a 17 foot skiff in the Icy Straits of Alaska at 2 AM returning to the yacht anchored 10 miles away. I had killed a nice brown bear and was in the front of the boat watching for floating dead heads. A humpback whale breached right in front of the boat, we missed it by mere feet.

The 7 weeks I spent trapping In Canada.

This is such a great and sad story. Sorry for your loss. You are an awesome uncle.

Getting to be with my 3 kids and wife when they killed
their first deer, and turkey. Nothing I've killed comes close...


Donnie

Kill a jack rabbit with a Red-tail hawk at a NAFA meet while in TX.