(For the record, I see the original story as a threat or possible violent encounter. I didn't see a real encounter.)
Has anyone been attacked by sheepdogs, got in a fistfight with another hunter, or other real encounter?
Seriously though, no. Had a couple suspicious late night camp visitors here and there but nothing serious.
Naturally I ran and then stopped to let him think it over. He was determined so I drew my sidearm and shot him twice. I kept the claws but a friend of mine snagged them from me a few years later.
It was a violent stream hitting my foot with enough force to cover my face as i stood up. It lasted for a solid 10 seconds and did not taste too good.
I simply pulled my Glock and put it on my deer. I told them I was a deputy and I felt my chances were pretty good. They turned and walked away...not violent but It could have turned that way very quickly.
I also had a mountain lion put a serious stalk in me while calling. I noticed the cat and raised my arms yelling. The cat hunkered down and took quick steps towards me when I started to look around. I ran at the mountain lion yelling like a mad man. At about 10 feet it decided the crazy yelling gringo was not worth the fight and turned tail. Again, not violent per see but had a real possibility of turning violent.
The mountain lion encounter happened before he deer. That's why I always carry now while bow hunting.
Needless to say, there was a confrontation when we caught up to them. Everyone lived. I'll leave it at that as, it bothers me thinking about how easily that outcome could have changed.
I've literally had to defend myself from feral and undisciplined "pet" dogs. Numerous times.
Once while firearm deer hunting. 5 Feral dogs.
Once, I Broke the brass end of a Biltmore stick off on a big mutt's head that decided I must have looked like lunch. He was one tough hombre. Run off but, never yelped. Just switched directions and hauled butt. I got real lucky on that one. I'm certain a glancing blow wouldn't have stopped him. He was coming hard and fast.
Two more times while turkey hunting. Both times were dogs in a pack. Both times they acted as if they intended on eating me. It's a concerted, orchestrated attack every time with a hunting pack of dogs. When a pack of dogs get after you, There is always one or two that come straight at you hard and fast. The rest break off and flank you. They learn real fast how to hunt.
I do not venture into the woods to cruise timber, hunt, scout, or just to walk around without a firearm. Matter of fact, I don't venture much of anywhere without one because people are an even bigger threat. God Bless
About that time a few snowmobiles and a car come racing up the fire break. Interesting, so we pull back into the woods to see what they were doing. They walk right up to the deer and start quartering it.
My bold but stupid hunting partner then shows himself out of the woods and trees we were hiding behind yelling to them about "somebody taking a poached deer??" Then he pulls out the camera and starts taking pictures. One of them heads for the car and takes a rifle out of the back, OH crap!!! Grab my hunting buddy drag him back into the woods. You trying to get us all killed over a deer??
Drive back into the nearest town and called the warden. Brought him back out to the spot, (just legs left behind) and gave him the film from the camera. Were not good enough quality to ID anyone.
I was getting set-up for an evening hunt on a nice trail leading into a swamp bedding area.
Just before I was going into the tree I hear crashing and splashing coming my way. Thinking it was deer a few hours early the younger bear ran right up to me til I yelled and started my draw.
He looked puzzled but then climbed the nearest tree, growling and chomping his jaws. We watched each other for a few minutes he kept growling and slid down the tree a few times preparing for a false charge.
I kept yelling, stomping my feet til he went back up the tree. Once high enough I got a number of good pics. Hunted someplace else that night.
I was hunting in a metro area with special permit in a county park. I was successful and shot a doe. Since the place had a lot of trails for multiple users we had to close the park during the hunt to walkers, joggers, bikers, etc.
Well here I am bent over a deer field dressing it and up comes Rover growling and snapping at a fast clip.
I spin around with my shortened Kabar military knife ready to take a stand. When about a few feet from me I yell and prepare for the attack, then a dog owner yells loudly for the dog. The dog is still in my face snarling when the guy runs closer to take the dog. I explain to him quite boldly that the park is closed that is why all the trails, parking lots and border were posted to that effect. He wanted get a little snarky with me until he realized I was in no mood to be PC about his dog and coming into the park, against city ordinance...
Last thursday I was creeping up on a bedded bull, and I stopped to wait for him to bugle one more time for a good pinpoint. Then I saw a cub climb up a tree about 40 yards away. I started backing up to avoid contact with the sow. She charged me, but stopped after I hooked around a bush and nocked an arrow. Went back yesterday same spot. Calling in a fired up bull. Then I saw what I thought was a cow come running out at 50 yards... It was that bear (cinnamon body, black head). Then the cubs came out. They spooked the elk, and I snapped a stick to make her take the cubs back into the timber. Unfortunately it was a herd bull, and he was not small. Would have put an arrow into her if she didn't have the cubs.
luckily nothing really physical, or too life threatening.
Another time I was running with my dog down the road from our house. The neighbor's dog ran out into the road and went after my dog. I ran with the leash attached to my belt at all times so my dog was not off-leash as is the law in our neighborhood. THe other dog was running free and came out into the road and I had to step between the 2 dogs to separate them. Still don't know how I came out of that w/out getting bitten. That's when I started running with my pistol in a belly band.
Got to camp to find my empty tent shredded by Yogi bear, water bladders also shredded. Hiked a mile on up the trail to where I left my pack frame and climbing stand only to find my seat on my stand torn up (I really didn't think my ass smelled that good). Hiked up the trail another half mile to where I'd planned to hang the stand, took stand off pack frame and left frame and day pack and walked 75 yards up the hill to hang stand and did so. Returned to where I'd dropped the packs in no less than 15 minutes and they were gone. Found pack frame about 15 yards down the hill. After more searching found day pack about 75 yards down hill with hole eaten in it.
Returned to camp(torn up tent) taking it all in and looked up to see Yogi walking to me at 5 feet. Managed to spook him away. Saw him one other time and when he saw me he started walking directly toward me. Again managed to scare him off.
Turns out the state is dumping all the trash bears around that part of the state here. They gave those that had drawn tags absolutely no warning. I personally think this is a criminal offense not to warn hunters that have blown 12 to 20 preference points of this fact. I lost several hundred dollars of equipment and had to walk about 14 miles a day due to their neglect.
I had a handgun, elected not to shoot her .... outfitter later told me I'd have saved his camps a lot of money killing that rogue sow, she ate up everything in the area and taught her cubs to as well.
Thornton,
If your buddy was a cop, and someone fired 6 shots over your head, that is at least assault with a deadly weapon and could be attempted murder since they where already in the commission of committing a crime. possessing a firearm during archery season would be a very minor offense compared to the other charges... How come your buddy didn't call it in or arrest them?
In the afternoon I walked into one of our moose stands overlooking a marsh and some guy set up his blind right beside our stand. I check the blind and no one is in there. OK I climb the stand and I am going to hunt the afternoon. We have been hunting this marsh for over 20 years and the stand has been there for more than 15. What it comes down to though is that he was not there and I was.
An hour later he comes rolling up with his ATV driving right down the marsh. He gets off the bike and tells me I have to leave because this is his spot. I told him it's public land and we have a tree stand here and I was here first. He keeps getting angrier and telling me I have to leave and now he has no where to go. Lots of bush all over just go drive your bike somewhere else.
Anyways he says he is not leaving, I said fine neither am I. I 'm in an elevated stand and I will see the moose before you and shoot it before you. His reply "if a mosse walks out and you shoot it then I just might shoot you". WOW I was a little shocked to say the least. I felt his bluff so i wasn't too scared. I just asked him if he was threatening me and that threatening someone when you are in possession of a gun is a very serious offence. He backed down got on his bike and drove off.
Later I told my Dad the story so my Dad went and found the guys hunting partner and told him we were thinking of calling the cops. His hunting partner apologized profusely and said that is not like his buddy.
Anyways a few days later the guy rolled into our camp and apologized to me.
I kinda wish I called the cops on the guy. He was in his 50's and I was in my mid 20's. He should have known better to act like that. It was nice to get an apology though.
On about day 3 or 4, I dug into my food cache for my daily ration of crackers, you know...the package with 6 orange cheese cracker "sandwiches"? SO good. Anyway, I pulled out an empty cracker wrapper. It was as if it was surgically sliced open, with not a crumb left. Then I pulled out another empty package, then another. I felt my ears get hot. I pulled out my 4" barrel, SS .44 and let it flash in the sun as I asked my partners..."who stole my effin crackers"? I figured they thought it might be a great prank to take my crackers to see how I'd react. They weren't ready for my reaction. Jim was like, "WTF are you talking about"? I showed him the packages. He laughed. That's when I cocked the gun. Before I did something that would require a lot of digging in permafrost, he went and checked HIS crackers. Also pilfered. We both turned to Anthony. Before we could murder him, he checked his crackers. Also gone. When you're rationing the peanuts in your trail mix, missing crackers are serious business.
We forgoed (?) the afternoon of moose hunting and set up a perimeter. Sure as hell, the thief appeared just before sundown. A little, stinking, some kind of tundra mouse! How could that little bassturd eat so many crackers??!! In about 20 minutes we figured it out. BECAUSE THERE WERE DOZENS OF THEM!! Yappy sheep dogs had nothing on these satanic vermin!
By firelight and headlamp we set them up. Bits of crumbs from whatever we could sacrifice were placed as bait. As the vermin appeared, we assassinated them with .44, 240 gr. jacketed hollow points loaded for grizzly charges. Others got the 12 gauge with 6 shot. We went through almost all our ammo. We killed them all. When the sun rose the next morning, little rat bodies littered the ground. Other parts decorated the Alders like a morbid Christmas tree.
The next day, we were missing more food. There were actually hundreds of them.
The next day, we moved camp.
1. Baiting 2. Shooting over the limit 3. Jacklighting 4. Failure to tag 5. Wanton waste of meat
Turn yourself in, bro!
:)
