Bonus Prize (Payback Invitational)

[Tanngnjostr]

Got a real trophy in my last hunt on Hirschfelden:

Spoiler:

It was so huge... once I picked it up, there was a hay bale hidden behind it!

Spoiler:

[DYEUZ]

Out i went in Timbergold Trails , was hoping not to fail
The second species Is the Bighorn Sheep, a real desease many time i repeat
I can't even walk in a straith line up there , because of all these rocks , thats just not fair
Finding a Sheep is a real challenge , because they blend in ,like the dimples on an orange
What objective will i do ? They are all hard for me i tell you
I see one and prepare my plan , better not use same technique as Stan
What weapon to use , there is so many to choose
Prone like an elite sniper , i'd rather be a drone and be higher
I decide to go with the .44 , wish for power a bit more
Shot from a good distance , but the Sheep ran in an instant
Got to claim it a bit later , will need to come back and try harder
Very frustrating this Timbergold map , should have beed called Timbergold maze and thats a fact .

[JimboCrow]

I woke up at 4:00 am today, and couldn't get back to sleep, so I staggered into the computer room to shoot a few pixel geese (and probably fall asleep from boredom ) for the Payback comp, but to do it quietly so I threw on the headphones.

We live in a condo complex built around a man-made lake (pond actually) and every year we have 6 to 8 nesting pairs of Canada geese to enjoy throughout the summer. They returned a couple of weeks ago and have been fighting constantly for territory ever since. They make a helluva racket, especially in the early mornings.

So while waiting for the geese to show up on Hirsch, and watching a spiker roe eat his breakfast, I heard the first few calls. I searched the skies, but nothing. A couple of minutes later, a few more, and again I looked around, but still nothing. Then all of a sudden all hell broke loose and I could hear them coming from all over the map. In front of me, beside me, behind me, all around me no matter which way I looked. Holy moly!! I hit the long range caller a couple of times, switched to the short range and got ready. I hit it once and then switched to the 20 ga. shotty... kaPOW! kaPOW!! kaPOW!!!

I got like 2 or 3 out of 15 or 20 birds!!! WTH??? It was very strange, something wasn't right! I kept wheeling around to find the birds that I could still hear, but couldn't find them anywhere. It was like they were right on top of me but my headphones weren't working right or something, because the sound didn't seem to match the screen, or move around with the game! It was very disorienting, almost like vertigo....

Of course, when I took the headphones off to figure out what was wrong I realized what was happening, although it was very confusing at first because the squalor continued with them off; the geese outside my window had indeed woken up as well, and were already giving each other supreme shite for coming too close. So I went and got my 12 ga. and shut them all up for good! (Naw, jk , but wait now, if I only had an RDX bow IRL.... )

[Raptor02]

I went out and used my final attempt at geese. Decided to not even try for the 20ga and go for just long range .22 and longbow shots. I had the typical multiple shot 190m+ with the .22 that won’t count. But I also managed to drop a couple single shots at 172 and 173 that will put me in the lead for now as far as the .22 goes.

As far as the longbow. I will have to bow my head to Tanngnjostr. I landed shots on birds all the way out to 104.5m with none dying! Lol. I did everything I could to steal them extra 25points from ya but your 14m is gonna get the best of me. Nice job bud. That’s how it goes sometimes. I’m moving on to bighorn and I have to ask. Are they harder to hit with the longbow vs airborne geese?

[Radamus]

I've had a couple busy days with a lot of personal things going on I wouldn't burden anyone with so my time available will be short. So I had to get in today and started off with a terrible hour and a half - it was the equivalent of throwing wet toilet paper at the wall and calling it art- Realizing that doubles with the 20 ga is going to work about as well as cold fusion for me at the moment as I'm not a big 20g hunter- SO, birds taking .22's at range, see the feathers fly, pellets scattered across the spawn and went 0 for all of them with the long bow - Man did that suck! OK, reload! again, plan was try LR with pistol or high score and practice with the LB - Well, good choice. And it dawned on me, damn! I just got me some "Payback" on the f...n goats .... It's funny how happy seems to trump sympathy when it's appropriate.

As far as the longbow. I will have to bow my head to Tanngnjostr.

... Raptor, might want to check that 1st draft ... But just as easily I can get smoked from behind too ... Damn, this is like gambling ya know!

[DYEUZ]

Down to the last species i'm on my way , its the Sambar Deer in Piccabeen Bay
Thunder and lightning there will be , bring it on it doesn't scare me
I see my friend Stan in first place for now , how did he do it that poker face , holy cow !
Maybe i should have copied his style of play ,then i wouldn't be so far away
Wish me luck out there , i need every trick i can spare
Treestand and urine scent i can use , so lets get started and walk amongst the spruce

[Raptor02]

All done with Bighorn and on to Sambar. Managed to land a nice longbow shot on a ram and I’ll have to hope it sticks. Less than 6 hours to go and i have to move on. i seem to be lost on this Picabeen reserve. Haven’t hunted here much. Picked up a bottle of scent and headed out for some trial and error. Here goes nothin!

[DYEUZ]

Well the comp is soon to be over , i'm almost ready to take part in another
I did my best like most of us i guess
Did not get the result i expected, i feel like a zombie in The Walking Dead
That brutal scoring system was a real pain , i lost all the points that i gained
Was a different comp alright , the guys put up a good fight
It was fun to compete against the best , but now i'm pretty beat and need some rest
Grats to the winner and thx to RidgeBack , now its time to recover for maybe another Payback

[Raptor02]

Picabeen and sambar did me in. I’m beat. I thought I could easily beat FR_bugs 20m longbow shot but I missed. I screwed up a couple shots in a row and then just ran into bad luck finding those or other males again.

It was a fun competition. I’m glad to have received an invite. Thanks again RidgeBack. And a big congrats to all that took part and the winners.

[BCKidd]

The Kidd stepped up to the podium, smiled and shook his head. "Geese, I have to hunt GEESE!" He wondered then if it would even be worth the effort. He owned no Goose set-up. A single Sentry and Long Range Goose caller is all he had. Still, he accepted that fate, no need to hesitate. He stepped up to the bat, packed his Grasshopper and set off to try and do all he could with the gear he owned. Not a bird hunter, the Kidd really saw no need to have anything more that what he needed for a casual Goose hunt, if the mood ever struck him. He paid little attention to what was required for the Goose bonus prize, even if he had read it correctly, there would still be no way he could achieve knocking from the heavens fifteen Geese. The distance shot was a possibility, even if he got zero points for it, that challenge alone was reason to try. He soon learned that getting Geese to break, was a pain, but patience and luck finally paid off. Able to manage a 130 m shot, the Kidd smiled, "Not bad," he said to himself. He was pleased with it, and to him that really was all that mattered.

Next, he set out for Timbergold Trails, a Bighorn up in the hills was calling his name. Loading up his Pulsar, and making sure, he had his trusty Grasshopper for the pesky ptarmigan he knew he was bound to come across, he headed north, then east to the railroad slopes. Tracks came and tracks went as the sun began to shine. Standing on a hill he looked out across the valley a beautiful sight all on its own. "Yep, this right here and what I'm looking at now, makes this hunt worth every bit of frustration it'll cause," he softly spoke, he was certain of that. Glassing the area he saw nothing that resembled a Bighorn Sheep. With a heavy sigh and time now ticking away, he stayed on the ridge walking along it as though he were a tight rope walker. The slopes were steep and perilous, one slip he knew, is all it would take and, only death would be the outcome. Heading up a few meters higher he was overcome by a brutal storm. The wind and rain so loud, a bow he knew under those circumstances was useless. As time slowly went by the wind dissipated, the rain however remained persistent. There was nothing more he wanted at that time, except to head back to his tent and call it a day. Instead, he swallowed hard, he had five attempts and wasting one because of the weather wasn't really an option. He had to do what he could otherwise the whole reason for him being there was pointless.

Bringing the binoculars to his eyes again, he glassed south-east, again there didn't seem to be anything alive on the hills or for that matter even in the distant grassy plains, or scantily forest areas of Timbergold Trails. "Damn, not a thing is about in this rain." The Kidd said in a murmur as he continued glassing the area. Then, there it was, one hundred or so meters across the shallow valley. Going prone, the Kidd slithered like a snake to get above the Ram so that he had a downward shot with his Pulsar Compound. Maybe I can get the longest distant shot, least wise, he thought as he finally made the distance to a out crop of rocks. Crouching now, he looked at the Ram and noted the distance, "eighty five meters, hmmm, I wonder...?" he questioned himself. Raising the bow and taking a deep breath he slowly let the arrow fly, the Ram quickly darted over the hill and out of sight. The Kidd shook his head as he brought up his binoculars, looking to where the Ram once stood a smile crossed his face. "Blood trail, I did hit him..." somewhat shocked he set out to find his kill.

Over hills, bramble and rock, he walked, stumbled and crawled. Finally, there it was a solid red dome of death. With joy and satisfaction the Kidd wasted no time, as time was ticking away. Not paying attention as he ran forward he fell to his death. His blood splattered on the sheer rock face, the Kidd slowly picked himself up, dusted off, slapped some gauze on his mangled body and with binoculars in hand he looked up, way up... the only thing that came to his mind then was the old kids show the Friendly Giant, "Look way up," he always used to say. There it was though stuck on the side of a cliff, dangling there like a kite in spring over telephone wires. The Kidd sighed, "Damn it, all that for nothing. I can't get up there." Then as if some invisible hands gave the Ram a finally push, it slid down the face, between two large rocks resting finally at the bottom. With Huntermate in hand the Kidd gathered his kill, to only discover that the longest bow shot was for the Long Bow only. With an attempt or two left, perhaps he could gain some points, but it never came to fruition for the Kidd, still, he could smile it had been one helluva ride.

The big man Ridgeback, approached the Kidd. "Kidd," he began, "I got one more thing for you to do. You ever been to Piccabben Bay?"
The Kidd shook his head, "Been there a time or three," he responded somewhat curious.
"You get me a Sambar, and you'll reap an awesome reward."
"Really?" The Kidd questioned.
Ridgeback nodded his head and a big burly smile crossed his face, "Yep, but it ain't gonna be easy."

And so it was the Kidd packed up his gear and headed to Piccabean Bay in the land down under. A Sambar was on his list. Not just any Sambar, but the biggest baddest Sambar the Bay had to offer. The Kidd had to keep reminding himself that he had only two hours to pull off the feat. It could be done, he knew it. It was just a matter of how he went about getting it done. Throwing up a tree-stand, and placing some spray he made his way up into the tree. Crouching, he waited patiently, and then waited some more. "To hell with this," he said to himself, "I ain't no Doctor and I ain't got patience to lollygag." Dismantling he headed north toward the railroad bridge that cut across the river. Along there was always good for Sambar. All he had to do was knock down the biggest, 100 points was more than he had so far and he could use a bit of a boost for his own ego, if not bragging rights. He once more headed back to the forum and read what the Sambar bonuses were, achievable they were.

The call from a male Sambar caught his attention and he quickly located where it was coming from with his trusty old Huntermate. Crouching he glassed the area, and across the river on a embankment, there it was. Way out of range for any bow. The only thing he could do as to not spook the critter into a fleeing state was to slowly back away. Putting enough distance between himself and the Sambar, the Kidd laid out more spray, tossed up his tree-stand and waited vigilantly for the animal to make its way toward him. He needed to put an arrow into its heart or lungs at a distance of 31-35 meters, easy enough to do. It took some time before he could see the Sambar cross the river but sure enough it was coming his way, sauntering along as though it had all the time in the world.

Lighting cracked and thunder rolled across the sky then came the rain, the damn rain. It always seemed to rain on Piccabean, it wasn't and obnoxious rain, kind of soothing in its own way. The Kidd waited, finally, the Sambar stopped; looked directly toward the Kidd. The Kidd held his breath, had the Sambar spotted him? With heavy recurve bow in hand, the Kidd nocked up an arrow, pulled back the string and the Sambar stepped forward, releasing the arrow it found its mark. The blood spray told the Kidd it was a good hit. When he brought up his bow, he knew the Sambar was within the required 31-35 meter range. The Kidd smiled at the thought that he had managed what was required, to get the reward ol' RidgeBack had offered him, for a good clean shot to the heart or lungs of Piccabean Sambar deer. Jumping out of the tree the Kidd, dismantled his the stand, he had left it behind on occasion and it was always a pain to go traipsing after it when the hunt was over. The Huntermate read Heart/Lung hit and the blood trail certainly proved it. Following the trail for a distance and finally finding it. The Kidd harvested it to only learn that between raising his bow, and nocking the arrow the Sambar had moved below the required distance. The Huntermate read 23 + meters. The Kidd shook his head, "Damn Ridgeback, and his genius rules..." he muttered to himself in disappointment.

The moral of the story. I had an awesome time, among all the disappointments. Like others have said, "being invited to compete with the best" is good enuff for me. Thanks RB, UHC Staff, and all the sponsors. I'll get you next time... Peace.

BCKidd.