What was the most challenging animal you've ever hunted?

[R.M.C.]

I'd say my most challenging animal to hunt was a pie bald whitetail deer that lived right in my neck of the woods. I took a week off work to hunt an early muzzleloader season for the doe. On day number four I spotted her and made a long stalk and a 100 yard shot on her.
Birds on public land are pretty tough too sometimes here in Pennsylvania

 

[tarbe]

Eland in the BVC. Bugger eluded me for the better part of 6 days!

 

[Trophyhunter01]

Free range aoudad sheep in the Texas hill country for a mature ram, as usual after finally getting one down seemed like I saw them every trip out.

 

[Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy]

Public land tahr bull hunt in New Zealand. No helicopters.

This was my first mountain hunt. We typically hiked 3-4 hours up and in each day from camp while glassing for the herds and the same back to camp at night in the dark. I'm in decent shape but felt dead on my feet by the end of each day. Rarely a step on level ground.

Of course, the bull we decided to shoot on the second to last day of the hunt was 5 hours in through ravines, hoping boulders, up skree slides, and over saddles. Shot him as dark set in loaded a heavy pack (still lighter than my guide's) and pointed ourselves back at camp. Did I mention the rain? The storm blew in quickly and thermals actually pushed the rain up as the wind whipped the valley. No moon on the pack out and headlamp batteries + backup batteries both died because, you know, hunting karma has to balance out my fortune of a mature bull. We also got lost because rock cairns you set in the day look different at night when your brain is out of steam.

I think I shed a tear of joy when I finally saw a shimmer of our tent. Even my guide admitted he was getting tired. His words "glad we're back. I think I only had another hour or two in me." Tough Kiwi is old enough to be my dad.

 

[Ty W Hart]

This is a great post. I thought I would through my 10 cent in. I guide kids with life threatening diseases on hunts on public land here in Arizona. I have been blessed with guiding several kids with extreme disabilities. I have guided 8 different quadriplegics kids now and all were successful and some on Boone and Crockett game. I know I had very little to do with their success. There was truly a higher power helping. It is never so clear until you give your all and know there is no way then it comes together.
I got to the point where I quit hunting and was just harvesting game. It wasn’t until I started guiding the kids that the excitement came back.
I have really been humbled to hunt with these kids. There are so many of them that are so inspiring. Most have the strongest faith I ever seen in any person without exception.
I had one young man this last year that was born without bones in his legs and has three toes for fingers on his right hand. We had a late bull elk tag donated and I had a different kid flying in the evening of the first day. He and I had hunted together the year before on a archery pronghorn hunt so I knew he could and would do what was needed.
He walked through a jungle of boulders as well as any other human could to a monster of a canyon. We found a couple of nice bulls and he made a great 460 yard shot on his bull in the bottom.
Like 90% of bulls we kill you have to debone them and pack them out on your back. There is no driving to the bottoms or pack mules that can make it in and out.
I had to have this bull boned out and back to camp before my next kid arrived. I was lucky to have a guy and his buddy come help me get his bull out.
At one point I seen the young man working his way down to us!! I yelled up at him to get his butt back up to the top! He was 1/4 of the way down. Scared the crap out of me to say the least. I think my hollering at him and his dad telling him I would drag him out if he didn’t listen made him turn back. When we were almost out I had a group of Marine cadets make to help with the pack. Lol
As we made it to camp I got the call from the other kid they were at our meeting point. By the time I got the second kid to camp 80% of the elk was cut and wrapped! The kid was doing the cutting his dad was wrapping they were quite the team. Everyone else just stood back and watched knowing they would just be in their way. That young man handled the knife as good as any meat processor I have seen!
When the two young men started to talking the first one said “his feet hurt really bad because I had walked his feet off!”

 

[Thumper Mcgee]

This is a great post. I thought I would through my 10 cent in. I guide kids with life threatening diseases on hunts on public land here in Arizona. I have been blessed with guiding several kids with extreme disabilities. I have guided 8 different quadriplegics kids now and all were successful and some on Boone and Crockett game. I know I had very little to do with their success. There was truly a higher power helping. It is never so clear until you give your all and know there is no way then it comes together.
I got to the point where I quit hunting and was just harvesting game. It wasn’t until I started guiding the kids that the excitement came back.
I have really been humbled to hunt with these kids. There are so many of them that are so inspiring. Most have the strongest faith I ever seen in any person without exception.
I had one young man this last year that was born without bones in his legs and has three toes for fingers on his right hand. We had a late bull elk tag donated and I had a different kid flying in the evening of the first day. He and I had hunted together the year before on a archery pronghorn hunt so I knew he could and would do what was needed.
He walked through a jungle of boulders as well as any other human could to a monster of a canyon. We found a couple of nice bulls and he made a great 460 yard shot on his bull in the bottom.
Like 90% of bulls we kill you have to debone them and pack them out on your back. There is no driving to the bottoms or pack mules that can make it in and out.
I had to have this bull boned out and back to camp before my next kid arrived. I was lucky to have a guy and his buddy come help me get his bull out.
At one point I seen the young man working his way down to us!! I yelled up at him to get his butt back up to the top! He was 1/4 of the way down. Scared the crap out of me to say the least. I think my hollering at him and his dad telling him I would drag him out if he didn’t listen made him turn back. When we were almost out I had a group of Marine cadets make to help with the pack. Lol
As we made it to camp I got the call from the other kid they were at our meeting point. By the time I got the second kid to camp 80% of the elk was cut and wrapped! The kid was doing the cutting his dad was wrapping they were quite the team. Everyone else just stood back and watched knowing they would just be in their way. That young man handled the knife as good as any meat processor I have seen!
When the two young men started to talking the first one said “his feet hurt really bad because I had walked his feet off!”

what a nice post and story, made my day much better.

 

[Muskox]

There are hard hunts, and there are hard animals to hunt.

Baboon and Zebras have to be one of the tougher animals to hunt in Africa. Even though there are plenty of them.

Big mule deer on public land would be a very tough animal to hunt in North America.

Hunted in elk 3rd rifle season in the Gila last year, and never saw an elk. Was tough going. Just wasn't a lot of elk.

Been on a lot of unsuccessful hunts in my life, some were tough animals, some were tough conditions, some were both.

Challenge makes it more rewarding.

 

[Ike85123]

My most challenging and toughest hunt wasnt planned at all, really wasnt a hunt in some sense?
I was working on the family farm and was chasing wild pigs from the crops. I shot a few. Went to grab the last one and a lion sprang on it. Only about 20ft away, I backed up slowly and walked to my truck.
About 2 weeks later I was on the tractor and seen him walking the edges of the field. Both these times I only had my 44mag pistol. It probably wouldve done the trick, but I like to use caution instead of luck. I drove the tractor to my truck and waited for him to leave.
About a month later, I was in the shop working on a tractor. I went in the storage room. Then heard him enter the shop, he had a rabbit he was busy with. I closed the door to the storage room and waited . My dad and brother drove up and he ran off.
I didnt see him anymore and forgotten all about him.
It was months later and it was very hot.
We have a clean pond on the farm. I jumped in to cool off.
After swimming a bit, I was walking back to the truck. I seen him stand up abput 50 yards from me. Behind a small hill with a fresh kill.
He started walking forward. I had no weapon on me.
I was only about 10ft from my truck. So I slowly kept walking and here he came at full speed !
He covered the ground so quickly.
I made it in the truck as he slammed the door shut for me !
Inside the truck I noticed my head bleeding. I looked out and he had my hat in his mouth.
My dad pulled up on the other side of the pond and was walking over. My dad didnt see anything with the tall grass.
The lion started to stalk my dad !
In my truck, I had my rifle.
I got out of the truck and slammed the door. The lion turned around and I put 4 rounds in him as quickly as a lefty can with a right handed rifle.
Dropped him from about 50 ft away.
So it wasnt a real huntimg trip, but it was definitely my most excitable shooting experience!

 

[VertigoBE]

My most challenging and toughest hunt wasnt planned at all, really wasnt a hunt in some sense?
I was working on the family farm and was chasing wild pigs from the crops. I shot a few. Went to grab the last one and a lion sprang on it. Only about 20ft away, I backed up slowly and walked to my truck.
About 2 weeks later I was on the tractor and seen him walking the edges of the field. Both these times I only had my 44mag pistol. It probably wouldve done the trick, but I like to use caution instead of luck. I drove the tractor to my truck and waited for him to leave.
About a month later, I was in the shop working on a tractor. I went in the storage room. Then heard him enter the shop, he had a rabbit he was busy with. I closed the door to the storage room and waited . My dad and brother drove up and he ran off.
I didnt see him anymore and forgotten all about him.
It was months later and it was very hot.
We have a clean pond on the farm. I jumped in to cool off.
After swimming a bit, I was walking back to the truck. I seen him stand up abput 50 yards from me. Behind a small hill with a fresh kill.
He started walking forward. I had no weapon on me.
I was only about 10ft from my truck. So I slowly kept walking and here he came at full speed !
He covered the ground so quickly.
I made it in the truck as he slammed the door shut for me !
Inside the truck I noticed my head bleeding. I looked out and he had my hat in his mouth.
My dad pulled up on the other side of the pond and was walking over. My dad didnt see anything with the tall grass.
The lion started to stalk my dad !
In my truck, I had my rifle.
I got out of the truck and slammed the door. The lion turned around and I put 4 rounds in him as quickly as a lefty can with a right handed rifle.
Dropped him from about 50 ft away.
So it wasnt a real huntimg trip, but it was definitely my most excitable shooting experience!

a very exciting story indeed @Ike85123 ! Where did this take place? Was this an African Lion? Or a mountain lion or some other cat?

 

[HWL]

The most challenging animal I have ever hunted is the bed bug.

I hunt it in accommodations around the wold.....


HWL

 

[Ike85123]

It was a mountain lion in southwest Arizona. A big tom. Not sure of the weight exactly. I was 16 or so at the time. So it looked like a african lion to me that close up. Haha
That was my first experience with a cat.
Although I habe been chased by wild pigs and javalina. Lol

 

[Ike85123]

a very exciting story indeed @Ike85123 ! Where did this take place? Was this an African Lion? Or a mountain lion or some other cat?

was a mountain lion in southwest Arizona. A big tom. Not sure of the weight exactly. I was 16 or so at the time. So it looked like a african lion to me that close up. Haha
That was my first experience with a cat.
Although I habe been chased by wild pigs and javalina. Lol