100 Best OL Reader Photos
We rank the 100 coolest, funniest and strangest photos sent in to the Outdoor Life Bragging Board.
My 2nd buck with a bow. I was lucky enough to have a buck of this caliber walk by me. Grossed 188 netted 180 6/8. I believe it will go on the top 10 all time typical bowkills in WI. – klint
A big muskie I caught while fishing with my guide and teammate; also known as my husband! I caught this muskie on June 6, 2010. -jasondenise
After years of dreaming and planning I finally made it to Alaska. This coastal Brown was taken at 40 yards, on the second day of a 10-day hunt in May 2010. He squared at just over 9 feet with a skull of 25 and 3/16 inches. The animal was taken with a rifle chambered in .340 Weatherby. – crow
Myself and PH, LG Trichardt spotted the waterbuck to our left. There were three cows eating while the two males faced off several times ending with the eldest male on top. As I prayed, he came into the watering hole at 20 yards and with a confident, yet heart pounding draw back, I released my heavy metal jacket arrow with 4 inch hot pink feathers into the kill zone and BAM, he was down 70 yards later! -CammoBear
He stepped out after three days of hunting during opening week. After what seemed like forever (probably only 15 minutes), he turned and I let it fly and found him after 30 yards. By the time I got him out it was pouring and rained for two days, so I was unable to take any good kill pics. But he’s a great trophy at 207 pounds, 12 points and 20 ½ spread officially scored at 182 6/8 net b&c. Buckmasters btr score: 168 3/8 – mwoller
6×6 bull elk killed on public land. This nice bull walked 30 yards up to me, turned broadside and gave me a great shot. – jmc001
Randy Cound caught this monster striper in Lake Martin in late August 2010. It weighed 50 pounds and measured 45 inches! What a great catch! – huntchic
With my .270, I crawled up a dike, in the prone position. I spotted the top of the gator’s head, a quarter-sized target, through my scope. With one shot from 85 yrds, I shot my first 9-foot bull gator. He dunked under water and then a stiff back leg came up and back down as if waving goodbye as he sunk. My birthday present was the hunt. My Christmas present will be a gator skin purse! – CaraMantovani
I finally decided to be patient and just wait to hear a bugle before I did any calling on the night I was able to get this gorgeous animal. I heard him from about 150 yards away so I softly cow called. I finally saw his huge rack over some trees so I positioned myself right where I thought he would come out; sure enough he did, and in mid bugle I poked him. I will never forget that hunt. – hookedonmt
I received this picture in an e-mail; killed in Wyoming. – abfreddie64
This is a picture of a moose my husband, Bill Simms, tagged in Kotzebue, Alaska in September. He booked this hunt with Alaska Wilderness and Charting, Inc. Going on moose hunt had always been a dream of his and he couldn’t be more thrilled with the end result. This bull measured approximately 63 inches. – ajsimms75
My cousin shot this monster mule deer in Colorado in 2007. – erict8
This is a 165-pound bluefin tuna that Michelle Marshall caught while fishing on Blue Water Charters, out of Green Harbor in Massachusetts, with Captain Kevin Scola. It was an all girls fishing trip. It took about 45 mintues to reel in and was an unbelievable battle! By far the best! – Mikki1027
Uriah Wurst and Lance Benson had a productive day out on the eastern plains of Colorado. Lance took this photo of Uriah before dark; after this photo they knocked down two more! That made it a dozen in one day. That will be a tough record to break. For a hunter that already coyote hunts or a hunter that wants to learn coyote hunting, you should look at www.buckingtheodds.com – uwurst
It was the guy’s (in the t-shirt) first ever mule deer hunt, and second ever deer. He will forever be spoiled. Gross 210; New Mexico public land hunt. -summersc
I was bow hunting in Pike County, PA and shot a Doe. I hung it on the meat pole and went inside for some dinner. I noticed the deer was swinging, so I ran outside to take a look. A 300-pound black bear was eating my deer. He ate the whole thing in about 15 minutes. I got about 25 great pictures from five feet away.
Michelle Roper, current women’s world record holder for the biggest bohala, recently shot another nice fish — but almost 20 pounds smaller than her record monster. Location is Panama, Central America. – Dixmo
I took this 275-pound Maine black bear in Portage Lake on August 30 with Eldon Jandreau of Hunter’s Point Guide Service. http://www.hunterspointguideservice.com/ – erict8
I happened to be leaving my stand one morning and walked by this guy laying in the trees at 7 yards. Shot him through the neck and come to find out he’s the buck I’ve been watching for three years. – mdpierce
Saw these two cow elk duking it out in at the Oak Creek Feeding Station. – hntrchik
Just another day in SITKA, AK. – Beast
My dad took my step mom (right) and me (left) fishing for sturgeon for the first time. Within the first 45 minutes, her and I had already caught both of these fishes. Mine was 59 inches, 65 pounds and her’s was 66 inches, 85 pounds. Both were caught on the Young Gun 2. – Allcamogirl08
This is a nice high silver medal Stag. – gordy watson
I got on a day old bear track and found a bed with fresh tracks coming out of it. I followed them for about 100 yards and caught up to him. Put a good shot on him with a Remington 700 .308. – josephc8
My son Lucas shot his first buck on Nov. 13, 2010. A 190-pound, 20 pointer. Rough green score: 194. -kcmaine
Lee Ricks drew a hard to get 380 trophy unit elk tag. He hunted all of the bow season and most of the rifle season before taking this magnificent bull. He killed the bull on his 30th day of elk hunting. – jonricks
Remington and 7-month-old Gauge, a father/son duck retrieving team after a cold and muddy January hunt. – DiXiE8387
This was my first year to put in for my license and I got it. We were put under a good endurance test. We hunted for 21 days and put about 75 miles on foot. We had no horses and no guide. We hunted up until the second to last day. After all the miles we put on, we found him about 600 yards from the road at 4:00 in the afternoon! Isn’t that the way it works? Our kids were glad to have us home again. – love2hunt
One shot from my .30-06 dropped this monster where he stood. He scored 249.8 S.C.I points and weighed 286-pounds. I’ve never seen anything like him in the woods and let him walk by me twice. By the third time I finally came to my senses and sealed the deal. – Rich VanDyke
This beautiful American Bison was shot last November with Marion Scott at the P Cross Bar in Gillette, WY. A traditional buffalo hunt, he was shot at about 40 yards with a Winchester 1886 in .45-90 with iron sights, following a great but quick stalk and a lot of waiting for some smaller bulls to get out of the way! – jdg8354
My buddy and I glassed this bull from about a mile away and waited for him to get into range. He was getting past us and I had to scoot and get past some cows in order to make the shot….got a nice broadside and ranged him at 294 yards. One shot with a .270 WSM did the trick! – nickd56
This is a huge bear that was taken somewhere in the U.P. of Michigan and was around 600 pounds. – Web7
Wade Walling (the 2008 World Goose Calling Champion) is my dedicated and talented other half; you can imagine how many great hunts we have been on…but this day takes the cake! This was the last day of our early season in Ontario and the hunt only lasted for 45 minutes! Two flocks, eight guns, 64 geese and my first band! The hunt of a lifetime! – MarcyLJackowiak
My wife Kim caught this off the coast of Paradise Island in the Bahamas. – preeg
I had this big guy chasing a doe right in my direction. I had just enough time to grab my bow and draw back. The doe saw me draw and she started to run off as did the buck; I shot and hit his back, behind the ribs quartering away. He only ran 50 yards and piled up. 11 points; 200 pounds dressed; and 176 3/8 gross score. – Steve S.73
My best friend’s husband killed an 18 pointer in Fairview Heights, IL on Monday, Nov. 16,2009. His name is Chris Goodwin, 40, from Belleville, IL. It was field dressed at 210 pounds. – maggieruby2002
No I’m sorry to say this is not me. This is a wolf harvested in Idaho. This is not something anyone would want in their backyard. I live in Montana and these animals are a problem and will continue to get worse. What will they eat next when the elk and deer are gone? – qaud50
The ram my buddy shot in 2009 right next to mine. – tylerfreel85
This 8-foot coastal brown bear was taken in Southeast Alaska. One shot at 150 yards with a .375 HH mag 300 grade. Federal Premium Barnes triple shock. Shot him at dusk on the beach. The round went through both lungs. He still ran 200 yards into the brush. Tracked him the next morning after staying up all night next to a fire. This kind of hunt makes a man feel old, tracking a brown bear in a rainforest. – alaskadiver
A 50.25-inch and 43-pound musky. I started a figure eight with 6 feet of line. Three times around the bow of the boat and back, she flared her gills and ate the entire bait at my feet. I set the hook and opened the bail and the fish came completely out of the water. As the fish came down, I cocked the reel and fought the fish to the net. The next day at 10:20 a.m. a 48-inch, 34-pounder took the bait. St.Croix rod/International Reel. – pelagicbldr
On the second morning of my 7-day archery moose hunt, I harvested this beautiful bull. Measuring 55.5 inchs with 19 points, he is more than I ever expected to harvest. Mathews Mustang bow and a Vibrake arrow tipped with a PINK Muzzy broad head. My bull only traveled 108 yards before expiring. – judy black
I watched this buck for two weeks before the muzzleloader season. I set up a trail cam by the field. I emailed my friend the pictures and we made a plan. We found the deer at daylight headed to bed down. The wind was blowing hard that day and allowed us to spot and stalk the resting deer. We got within 60 yards, waited for him to stand up and the hunt was over. – davidmeile
We went to the cabin to do some work and found this big tom turkey laying on the loveseat. If we would have been sitting there he would have landed in my lap. He came through the 6’x7′ plate glass window and died on the love seat. He was discovered on April 13, 2009. We do not know how long he had been there. That was one expensive turkey! – caroljean
My father and I have been after this buck in Kansas for the past few years. I have only seen him one other time. Everything finally fell into place on the opening day of the rifle season. This brute stepped out at 130 yards and a double lung shot put him down. He was aged at six and a half years and has not yet been scored. This truly is a buck of a lifetime, and I couldn’t have done it without my dad. – jwildcats
I shot this cape buffalo on June 16, 2009 in the Vredefort Dome area of South Africa with a .470 Nitro Express. The buffalo weighed over 2,000 pounds and the raw score puts it in the SCI record book. – drhank
This is a beautiful 225-pound Russian boar that I killed while my friend helped me film. I dropped him with a neck shot at 125 yards with my 7mm. This is my first boar and I killed him on a ranch in the U.P. of Michigan that the boars free range breed on. I thought the hunt would be easy but it turned out to be a six hour spot and stalk adventure. I now have a newfound respect for pig hunters. – bigbuck96
This is my first elk ever harvested. What a great experience! Shot it with a 7mm Winchester Model 70 BOSS Super Grade at 150 yards in the Malheur National Forest, OR. – rharnack
With one day left in the archery season, I decided to hunt a small half acre wooded area on the Sandusky River. This monster appeared out of nowhere. – craig hilty
July 2010, 9-year-old Robert Ives of Alaska was on a fishing trip to Valdez with his sister, Nevaeh and his parents. They fish Valdez often. He baits his own hooks, lets line down, sets hooks, and reels them in…this time was different. It was fighting and deeper than any others. After 15 minutes, he pulled up the biggest yellow eye they had seen, a 25.3 pounder. Not an easy feat for a boy weighing 40 pounds! – BobIves
Shot this dog while on my deer stand. -rickbernier
Hi, my name is Joshua Miller. I’m 16 and live in Wayne county, OH. While hunting at Johnson Woods, I harvested this buck of a life time. It gross scored 200, net scored 192 and has a third antler growing above its eye. It has a 28-inch spread and 18 points and it was scored non-typical. – joshmiller
Took my daughter bass fishing for the first time this April for spring break, and this is her first bass ever. Stephanie caught this fish all by herself. I did net the fish, and it was hard not to take the pole from her when I saw this fish. She had no idea how special this fish was. She gave it a kiss and sent him home to his family. – rfreiner@nefeda.com
Shot this elk in Colorado during the 2009 muzzleloader season. It was a DIY public land hunt. My father-in-law Terry helped spot the bull and with the pack out. – Buffalomike
May 10, Luke’s first hunt. 20 yards with his 20-gauge youth. Bird weighed 25.5 pounds with a double 11 inch beards. Awesome Day!! – DJBunde
Wild Boar SCI score 41 12/16 – bowhunter279
Was blessed to get drawn with only two bonus points. My wife and I! Do not know the exact score but it is over 36 inches wide. – mattmclearn
He has over 40 inches in mass. – MEANGENE1984
Was lucky enough to draw a Montana moose tag after 23 years of putting in! Shot this beautiful bull on opening morning and was able to get back to Ft. Carson, CO in the nick of time to deploy to Iraq! – Skahlera
I found this guy with a harem of about 8 does and 4 little bucks. The wind was blowing so hard that the tumble weeds weren’t touching the ground as they blew by. He was so rutted up and into the does that I was able to creep up behind a soap weed to about 125 yards. The does tried to move out of the area but he herded them back into a group and then separated himself and stood still. – Remington Metric
This photo was taken ice fishing in Idaho on Feb. 6, 2011. – grant killoy
This is the last trip my wife and I were able to make to the premier King Salmon River with Funny Moose Lodge and guide, John Iverson. The war on terror has kept me busy in support of the war (I work for the DOD). There are only a few more years until retirement. My rod and my staff shall then comfort me! – featherfisher
Two months of shooting practice and some new camo really paid off! – steg
I was able to harvest this deer in west central Kansas last week. I have several beautiful deer in the 30-inch range, but this one is something special. He is 34 inches wide and has a lot of points and mass. It was a tough, exciting stalk and a thrill to be able to get him. I hunted him for two years. I am waiting to have him scored and mounted. – Dexter Leach
Taken at daylight on opening day. – idahooutdoors
This awesome bear was shot by Dick Krech in Finland, MN on Sunday, Sept. 6. It weighed in at 400 pounds! – tikk22
This is my first buck. He’s 6×5 (including eye guards) and was about 210 pounds. I became the town celebrity. I got a European skull mount. Best tasting deer I ever ate. I used a 30-06. One shot to the head at about 65 yards. – The Great Onalaskan
My wife and I have been working non-stop to get this kid to use the toilet rather than these diapers, but his attention span is so short..so the next time on the toilet, I handed him an Outdoor Life Magazine and see what happens … He sat on that toilet for 5 minutes flipping through the pics of the big bucks with the look of amazement! I’m so proud of my little outdoorsman! – bpatters
John and his best friend “Hank” await the arrival of the ducks at his family farm near Independence, OR. – swaimjr
I am from Michigan, where I grew up with parents who hunted. I had many opportunities to hunt but was never able to shoot a deer. I moved to Colorado three years ago. I have hunted for two years and finally got my first deer. He was a 5×5 Muley with a 28-inch outside spread. It was very exciting and I can’t wait for the next hunt. – debandscott
I shot it with a bow. – Sean Williams
Took the whole family hunting, west of Quesnel, BC. Two days into the trip we got the mulie moose. He’s my bull of a lifetime. I hope you like him. – muliemoose2010
This big boy grossed at 370 B&C. – Bowhunter27
Lucas Watson, 12, connected with this public land elk on the last day of his hunt in October 2010. Lucas scored 100 percent on his hunter certification test earlier in the year. After much practice and preparation, Lucas successfully filled out his tag on his first elk hunt ever outside of Pecos, NM. – jwatson@bicnm.com
My husband and I took our 3-year-old on his first striper fishing trip last week. My husband held my son’s hand and spoke to him about being patient and waiting for the big one. The scenery was so beautiful that I just had to freeze that moment in time. Happy Father’s Day to all men – it’s moments like this that turn little boys into men. – bjc1039
That’s me and Pokey discussing on where the largemouths were hiding that day. – fasted
I’m pretty proud of this kid. Well, at 26, I guess he’s not a kid anymore. He’s come a long way since he was sleeping on the floor of my deer stand at 7! He passed my hunting ability long ago. He shot this bull at 400 yards after stalking the herd for four hours. It was the second year he has hunted elk since moving to Colorado. -Steve S.73
Team member Jake Jovanovich spent an hour and a half stalking within 60 yards of a huge herd of wapiti. After spending the whole afternoon in the “bedroom” with elk everywhere, Jake stuck’em at 45 yards and watched him tip over after running 50 yards. Nothing like being surrounded by hundreds of yodeling elk! – cstrachan
This was my first black bear hunt. I ended up shooting the bear at 8 yards with my Mathews Switchback XT, dropping the bear only 20 yrds from my stand. The bear weighed 400 pounds and will make the Pope and Young Record Book! Thanks to Turnpike Ridge Outfitters and Don Helstrom. – baechtle
Mornings like this keep us all heading to the rivers and lakes before dawn. Taken on the Kaskaskia River in New Athens, IL at Smitty’s Marina. – gretchensteele
My brother’s first duck. – briauna1
Check out this picture of a rare albino deer. – bighunter
After 10 years of putting in for drawing a branch antler bull tag, I was finally lucky. Then I hunted hard for 10 days without seeing a thing. Then on the last day, bam! Out of the blue, there he was. Sure tasted better than a tag would. – rut16
Northern Colorado, third day of a 5 day hunt! The weather made hunting difficult. The third day early morning snow provided fresh elk sign and their direction of travel. A warming sun burnt off the mountainside fog, which allowed us to locate a small herd of elk. With luck on my side, a single 200 yard shot filled my tag with a BC 310 plus inch bull! – woodeye06
This buck was taken during the rut in Adams County, IL. He officially gross scored 165 5/8 and weighed 245 pounds. – jraywheat
Annual spring break fishing trip with his grandpa. Aiden, 6, helped his grandpa, Paul Denney, reel in this 24.5-inch largemouth bass in an Arizona Lake. – RREngin952
My lab bringing back a grouse. – idahooutdoors
This deer came in hard and fast, leading a group of smaller bachelor bucks. Conditions were overcast and drizzly. The fields were wet, but the interiors were dry. Perfect! Wind was out of the south and he came in from the southwest. About one minute after spotting him it was all over. A low spine shot sealed the deal. I never dreamed of a deer as fine as this one. I hope these pics spark interest. – jason blakley
This was my first black bear hunt. I ended up shooting the bear at 8 yards with my Mathews Switchback XT, dropping the bear only 20 yrds from my stand. The bear weighed 400 pounds and will make the Pope and Young Record Book! Thanks to Turnpike Ridge Outfitters and Don Helstrom. – baechtle
He thought we looked like something good to eat, but at 60 yards she talked him out of it. – pecos04
Opening day of the first Colorado rifle season. Found this 13-year-old girl sitting in a meadow awaiting daylight. The temperature was only 9 degrees when the sun finally broke the horizon. After a short set, this beautiful 6X6 bull elk ran out into the meadow and stopped broadside at 140 yards. With a single well placed shot, this Colorado youth had herself a trophy of a lifetime. – cbuschy
My friend Dave Collins and his son Zack let me call in a turkey at Zack’s grandparents’ place. This turkey would wake them up almost every morning on his way to their bird feeder. So on the first day of youth turkey, we snuck in the woods and shot this 29-pound bruiser. – barryd1100
A 44-pound striper I caught while fishing of the Atlantic Highlands, NJ. – RiverPirate293
My pop took me and my brother trout fishing. It was my brother’s first time fishing for trout. – hfedder40
My daughter with my public land whitetail. She and I commonly look through OL magazine to find the deer pics and check out their antlers. She has spent a lot of time in the backpack scouting hunting areas with me. Only 13 more years until she can apply for her own tag! – Remington Metric
Forty-two pound striper I caught while fishing off the Atlantic Highlands, NJ. -RiverPirate293
Took this boar hunting in the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area in November 2010. -bearhunter
Been hunting since I was 8 and this was my first time killing a deer. My dad, sister and I were hunting for several hours until I spotted a nice looking buck about 175 yards from where I was standing. Threw up my dad’s B.A.R. 7 mag and shot off hand. I shot him right in the heart! Little did I know I had to haul him all the way back to the truck, but very well worth it! He was a 4×2 black tail. -Allcamogirl08
I hiked into the Bob Marshall wilderness during the summer of 2010; 25 miles to the White River, where I truly believe I caught the state record bull trout. He fought me for over 30 minutes with 4x tippet, but I finally tired him out enough to bring him to shore to take a picture before releasing him back into his stopping grounds. Enjoy the picture because it was worth the sprained ankle and the 25 mile hike back. -hookedonmt
We rank the 100 coolest, funniest and strangest photos sent in to the Outdoor Life Bragging Board.