Every moment in the woods is great. I love it. But a successful hunt is one where I put myself in the right place at the right time. Here's an example:

My in season scouting found a river crossing being used by some of the more mature deer in the woods. I saw two deer that walked across on a row of barely submerged rocks. I found fresh scrapes and tracks a few days ago so I set up a ground blind. As I walked out to the blind I stopped to check out a very fresh scrape. As I stood up, I was EYE TO EYE with the buck that made it! We were on opposite sides of a fallen tree - all I could see was his eyes and antlers. He turned and trotted across the stream.

I will never forget that moment. I went home with a story and the feeling that, as a hunter, I am a success.