Michael Zawislak, Oakdale, Minn.
Last June Michael made a safari to the Limpopo province of South Africa for plains game with his friend, Life member Joel Bruesehoff, right. His hunt for a white blesbok was his favorite. He’d spoken of his desire to pursue the ram when he and his PH spotted the animal and its crooked left horn, and the next day they saw it again. “One shot, off the sticks, at just over 100 yards, from my Savage 110 in .300 Win. Mag. and the 180-grain Nosler Partition took him down.” Moments later Joel took his white ram.
Andrew Ward, Charlotte, N.C.
Twenty minutes into day one of Andrew’s Brooks Range moose hunt, his guide, Wesley Tyrrell of Tyrrell’s Trails Outfitters, had just completed a round of mournful cow-calling in dawn drizzle. Andrew turned to glance behind him in time to see a “grizzly loafing nose-down along the shoreline and closing the distance. ‘Bear,’ I hissed. ‘Find an opening and get ready,’ came the reply. I cautiously stepped down the 4 feet of bank to the water’s edge to clear some willows … . As he was about to clear the brush at 60 yards, I raised my Tikka 7mm Rem. Mag. to a freshly misted scope. … I remounted the rifle just as he sprung up on his hind legs at 40 yards, facing me … . The shot just to the right of his sternum knocked him backwards. As he gathered himself and started to move to my right I pressed the trigger again, sending a round through his lungs, eliciting a tremendous growl, then silence. Giving him 15 minutes, we slowly approached to see plenty of good sign … and no dead bear. After walking a slow, tense grid for almost two hours, we found the beautiful trophy well-camouflaged in the tundra grass 60 yards from the second shot.”
Richard B. Colton, Browntown, Va.
High up on a rocky ridge in Newfoundland, Richard’s guide, Josh Kelly, of Brophy and Sons Big Game Outfitters, had spotted a bull 800 yards out and headed in their direction. After quickly placing an electronic call in the bull’s path, Richard got into position and was ready when this big bull stopped to listen at 120 yards. “I had my Weatherby .300 Magnum with Leupold scope sighted on the spot where his neck met the top of his right shoulder. I fired, and from my elevated position the 180-grain bullet hit his spine, and he dropped immediately. … The bull measured 56 inches wide and, according to my outfitter, was the biggest bull taken from his camp since 1979.”
Richard Manly, Evans, Ga.
In 2000 Richard hunted Stone sheep at Scoop Lake, British Columbia; fast forward 24 years when he was blessed to take this beautiful 50-inch bull moose there after his guide called it in. “Thanks to the NRA and other organizations for defending our hunting rights throughout those years! I am truly proud and blessed to be an American hunter.”
Bobby Lowe, Idaho Falls, Idaho
Last December Bobby began an epic journey with a long flight to Istanbul followed by a flight to Dushanbe, Tajikistan, then a two-day drive east along the Panj River (on the Afghanistan border) to hunt the Pamir Mountains, where peaks may climb to 20,000 feet. At 16,000 feet, his party made a mile trek and cut distance for a shot at this Marco Polo ram to 600 yards for Bobby, who fired a single 185-grain Berger Classic Hunter from his Proof Research .300 Win. Mag. Two days later he took a heavy Pamir ibex. Says Bobby: “Dreams came true with this world-class adventure.”
Scott Hannay, Germantown, Ohio
On Nov. 8, the southern Ohio rut was in full swing, and Scott set up on a tree line next to a 50-acre bean field with a Montana doe decoy placed out front. Soon enough, this 10-point buck entered the field 200 yards away. A quick grunt call got his attention, and he was soon chasing the does feeding around Scott’s stand. Ten minutes later, he was sneaking up behind the stand to check out the decoy doe and offered a 20-yard shot. Scott connected with a perfect shot from his PSE RDX 400 crossbow, dropping the biggest buck of his 46-year hunting career in its tracks.
Leon A. Bogucki, Rolling Prairie, Ind.
Leon celebrated his 50th birthday last year in the best way he knew how—hunting, of course! Traveling to Idaho with a couple of buddies in late October, he was able to take his first-ever mule deer with a shot from his Christensen Arms Ridgeline .300 Win. Mag. at 114 yards. To add icing on the cake, a few weeks later in his home state of Indiana, he was able to score big on this great whitetail. Two states and two species sounds like a great birthday present to us!
