RE: What is the best hunt you've ever had?
My favorite was first day of PA's season 1997. Myself and my buddy Frank were hunting a little piece of ground only about 75yards apart hoping to intercept deer from different directions.
I had 5 bucks slide up over the hill to me, and its just something about the lighting as the crested the hill, those first orange rays of sun and the way they lit those deer up against the dark woods is a sight I'll never forget.
I was trying to shoot a big 8pt in the group and was stuck at full draw for what seemed like 5 minutes, when 2 more bucks angled over the hill and started toward my stand.
I shot the nicer of the 2, abeautiful chunky 2.5yr old 7pt just as the 8pt I swung off was in range of Frank over the hill. If I could have held off for a couple more seconds we would have had a double. As it was my buck ran the entire group right past Frank's stand and it crashed right in front of him.
It was a great combination of the setting and a scene like something out of an oil painting, some success and sharing it with a good friend. It's probably the most vivid snapshot of a hunting scene I have in my memory and I'd give a lot of money to see it all again.