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Scariest encounters while hunting

can be animals or people.

Gun season when I was 14. We pull up to a group of deer. The following truck pulls up behind us full of Yahoo's, they fall out of the truck, guns already loaded and begin to fire at the group of deer....over my head while I'm laying on the ground trying to load mine.

Was the last time I went gun deer hunting for a very long time.

Haven't had a scary or bad experience yet knock on wood, except maybe when I forgot the tp in the truck one time

nightmare ^^^

^^^^ i tried using a pile of oak leaves once, not a good idea.

I do have some socks that don’t match. ^^^^

I left my buddy passed out drunk in the middle of the trail while a pack of wolves were actively hunting nearby. That same pack chased a deer past me at no more than 15 yds before I could get in my tree. I found my buddy in the same spot I left him on that trail five hours later surrounded by his vodka cranberry vomit. #howdidwegethome? #funtimes.

I had a shotgun slug hit above me in my tree once. A few years later I was walking on the same property and someone on the other side of a ridge from me shot towards the top of the ridge. Their slug hit a tree at the top and ricocheted down. It flew over my head and hit in the snow about 15 yards from me.

Camp2dukes,,,,,, that was so funny, I spit out my coffee this am

When I was 13 years old I was archery (recurve) hunting with a friend in the Town of Barns area (our cabin), it was during the rut, while walking threw some open pines I see this crazed huge buck and he sees me, thinking this monster buck is going to run away he does the opposite and runs right for me, I had to quickly hide behind a small Norway tree, one of those pine trees that are ready for harvest, everything happened so fast all I could think was I wanted this buck away from me, when I shot him he was so close to me that when I released the arrow it never totally left the rest when I hit him in the neck. We tracked that deer until we lost blood and the trail, 4 days later I seen that same buck chasing a doe. I really thought the buck was going to gore me or try other nasty things.

Well there is nothing I ever feared in outdoors except for safety,,,, Here is my story, and what saved my a.. is I was good with ropes...... I was 1/2 hour from truck, in the NF, going to hunt, a great buck area I found. First time, I ever used a climber, but I had practiced with it, prior,,,,,, I bought it used from Ruger 10-22

I picked this popple and climbed to about 25 feet. The hunt went well, and it was time to go. all this time I was strapped in with my SOP system. as I was going to come down, the bottom section fell down.... my tether connection was too long making it difficult to retrieve, than for a an improper hook up, I discovered later, it let loose and it was gone......

Now its dark, there I sit, no one knows where I am at (dumb) and I have to figure out how to get down..... I carried extra rope and a line man belt, and a head lamp, I secured myself, let the SOP loose, got out off the climbing seat section, and that slid down the tree,,,,, I was than able to slowly and sorely, get my body down to the ground

I was never so happy to be on firm ground,,,,,, I was lucky

Ya there is more than one hunter that now realizes the importance of a proper tether line. Ground hunter...did you ever go back and hunt that great buck area?

Camp 2 dukes..could have been a Baker Tree stand but then again they could have been out of business by then. Those damn Bakers, I slid down trees more than once with those.. glad I was strong back then.

Bow hunting when I was 16. I had a small game hunter and his dog come up behind me (down wind). The dog made a beeline for me. The dog sniffing around my tree, the guy was yelling at him to come. The guy then decided to send him a message, and shot in the tree above the dog. I had bb's raining down on me. I yelled at the guy. He came up and said he didn't know I was there. Somewhat apologized and moved on.

2010 I was hunting a funnel on our property during gun season. I had seen a hunter cutting across the neighbors field and heading towards our fence. it was only about 45 minutes before close. I heard what I thought was the barbwire fence screeching like when someone crawls over the top. Our trail runs along that fence on our side. It bothered me so I got down early and headed that way. I was purposely making noise as I walked. Topped a small rise in the trail to see a "hunter' leaning on the fence with his scoped shotgun on me. He was about 40 yards away. I yelled some not so nice things. I have never seen someone highstep across 40 acres of corn stubble so fast in my life. Never did find out who it was, although I think I know. Of course said person won't man up. This is the same person that cut all the straps on my ladder stands before opener of gun one year. That's another pucker factor when you climb a ladderstand that you just checked out the week before. Next thing you know you are riding it to the ground.

Almost forgot this one. One of my first bowhunts on public land in Chippewa county. It was an afternoon hunt and I got in early with my climber and was set up by 1:15. It was mid Oct. about 3 or so I hear what I assume are squirrel hunters shooting .22's. They were a ways off. Then it was quiet so I thought they left. Next thing I know there is between 5 and 7 people slowly moving through the oak flat I'm on. They were pretty quiet. a squirrel busts in front of them and runs up a tree 30 yards in front of me. They open up while it runs up the tree. I heard .22 rounds all around me. I yelled a few times. They apologized in broken english. Not really their fault, they had no clue I was there. But it still scaredd the crap out of me.

MF yes I did,,,, I knew there was a quality buck in there, rubs on huge trees and I mean huge,,,, passed 4 small bucks there,,,, bordered 600 acres of private,,,,, they gave me permission to go on their land for retrieval if necessary,,,,, hunted late season in there including the ML,,,, different spots for wind etc,,,,,, saw a few bucks, but not the one that made those rubs........

the following year I had a 140 come thru, at 11am, during the rut, no shot 50 yards out, a true wall hanger for public land in the NF, and I do not believe even he, was the buck, that made those rubs the year before,,,,,

The rubs never came back,,,, so something happened,,,,, the area is still good, one of my spots so to speak, ha ha,,,,,

I went in there all the time in the off season looking for sheds, which is tough in the big woods,,,,, nothing,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, private land people were only rifle hunters, and let me go on their land for sheds, nothing,,,,, but I saw those rubs again,,,,,,, smart old buck, that is going or has already died of old age

Was 16 hunting with my Dad and Uncles. We were driving deer and one of my uncles shot and the slug passed close enough I could hear it sail by. Yes, a bit scared.

A few years ago Art Hyde, his niece and step-daughter, myself, the hunter and another were trailing a bear that had been hit good. Art kept kicking the bear up ahead of us, after 4 or five times of kicking the bear up he asked me wtf is going on. I shined my light and saw the bear laying there STIFF. Art looked at me and said trailing wolf. We sent the other guide back for the otter sled while we started to take pictures and then it happened. A pack of wolves opened up in the distance and they were coming and coming fast. They were within thirty yards of us barking, howling. My light went dead so Art and the hunter had the only good lights. I grabbed the hunters light and started to shine up in the trees trying to find a good tree to get these two girls up. Art was shining and could see only a eye once in a while as it was thick. We had wolves on two sides of us and no weapons. Suddenly everything went quiet and we could hear one of other guides yelling and pounding his mag light on the otter sled and he was moving fast in our direction. He knew exactly where we were by listening to the wolves. Needless to say I'll never track again unless I'm carrying. We wondered what would have happened if we came up on this pack if they were feeding on the bear. I've heard a pack will not give up a kill. That by far was the worst experience I've ever had in the forest.

BT,, that is never good,,,, I was 6 months on the job, and a guy, shot and missed me at 6 feet,,,,, never a good thing dodging bullets....................

Idaho & NV borderline .1982 . My partner & I were calling Yotes & Bobcats . I was carrying my Super Kodiak in hopes of Bowkill Bobcat .My partner was calling & filming .

1/2 way thru a calling sequence a Yote popped up 20 yards away. We froze but it took off & I noticed it was looking to our left .

I looked & there was a mountain lion 10 yards away with its tail doing the hipmatize thing they do just before they leap .

I drew my Ruger 357 & fired a few feet below the cat . The explosion of rock made it jump 5 feet & run off . That got my heart pumping .

I was hunting private land adjacent to some public. I was about 40 yards from the property line hunting in the woods. A guy comes walking by, and doesn't see me in the tree. He is carrying two squirrels. He stops in front of me, and sets his gun down, and two squirrels. He then takes a leak. I'm slightly embarrassed, so I cough under my breath. He doesn't hear me. He then decides he's got to poop. We've all done it. I am now looking the other way, and at this point, I just want him to finish, and move on. I feel like he's still there, for far too long. I look sparingly and that's when it got scary. He is now masturbating. I swear I wanted to just climb out of that tree, and beg he didn't see me. He must have finished up, and moved on. He never saw me? I went blind that day. Craziest thing is, my brother in law in Indiana, had about the exact same thing happen to him, but he interrupted the dude. I was only 18, and didn't know how this guy would react getting caught with his pants down? SCARY!

The only time I was ever shot at was by Marty Medina a block from my house. Bullets were so close one skimmed the pants leg on the outside of my right knee. Marty was arrested about a week later for shooting another kid in the neck. Tweed might remember that case.

Yes I do.....he's still locked up. Crazy....at one time he was one of the more level headed ones. Booze, bravado and bullets....

You didn't know that kid in Rubberville did you?

Yes, I was at the house about 30 min before they got there. It could have turned out bad for me if I'd have still been at the house when they showed up. He shot at me because I beat the shit out of Danny Galvin who was his best friend at the time.

Danny had a slick mouth. That was one I never got along with. He was a spoiled kid that had tons handed to him.

You are right and his slick mouth is why he got his ass whooped.

A couple scary moments on the same bow hunt for black bear in Colorado. The year was 1977 (baiting still legal) and the serial killer Ted Bundy, who was representing himself in a murder case for killing a Michigan nurse, had jumped out of the Courthouse window and was on the large. Our vehicle went through the roadblocks several times that week and they searched it looking for Ted. That may have added to the first scare. I was walking in the dark back to a pick up spot from my bear bait. I hear rocks clattering as something is walking a dry creek bed that parallels my travel. So I yell out "hey". Animals normally run, but the clattering changes direction and is now coming in my direction. I peer into the darkness with my small flashlight at the sound coming in my direction. Eventually I see some dude walking towards me. It was some motorcycle dude looking for water. The second time, later in the week at a new bait, I was dropped off by the guide to walk up this trail to the bait. After dropping me off, the guide and the three other hunters took off around a bend in the truck. When just out of sight, I hear this explosion. I'm thinking the truck blew up and I have no idea where I am! I run around the bend and see the truck driving down the road. In Wisconsin I've never heard a jet breaking the sound barrier, but apparently it was common back in the day in remote areas.

NEVADA 1985 . 3 of us were camped at 8000 ft in NV in July . Testing some new equipment for a walk in Muledeer hunt in Late August .

It was my turn to cook supper so I headed to the waterhole ( 200 yards away ) for water .We were testing Mountain House freeze dried foods .

As I walked thru a wild onion field a huge Rattle Snake bit into my hiking boot & wrapped around my ankle .

The snakes fangs were stuck in my boot & it was trying to get free so it could bite again . My heart was POUNDING as I reached down & grabbed it behind the head & sliced the head off with my USN fighting knife .

I was still shaking when I skinned & cooked the Rattler. By the way . The snake tested very good .

Footnote : I used the old Cowboy snake rule . If the snake warns you or crawls off . let it go .

If it bushwhacks you , Kill it .

Ruger- how far did the fangs penetrate your boots?

Very little penetration . The boots were very hi quality . A pair of Walmart boots won't last a week in that country . I still have the 8 button rattle . The WI hunters have it pretty safe . In NV you were ducking Rattlers , Scorpions, Black Widows & Tarantulas.

Mid1970s I was hunting a public chunk 2 miles off of the road, ( seems like I was always 2 miles off the road back then) at closing time I got down out of my tree and started to walk out on a old logging trail. Well, after 1/2 mile I needed to go across country a 1/4 mile to connect with a different trail as I had done dozens of times before. After 100 yards I became disorientated a bit and reached for my compass. It wasn't in my pocket. Mind you in the 70s, we didn't have good flashlights either, mine was about as bright as a Bic lighter. I was fairly certain which direction west was and I came upon a logging road which I started to follow for a mile before it petered out.. What the hell! So I turned around and followed it the other direction, that's about when my light went dead. Now, I'm hunting Big country to me, not necessarily to what many of you hunt. But it was a 4 mile tract by 9 miles long without a road. After I started to follow the trail the other direction, well it petered out that way too. Well, it was one of those night that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, I stumbled along in the direction I believed to be west again going cross country. After 200yards and getting nowhere really because of swamps and bogs I finally decided to stay put for the night. I cleared an area and started a fire, basically for something to look at. It really wasn't cold out. Well, I Sat staring at that fire for about 3 hours when I heard a vehicle that I thought was coming directly at me. It was, and it continued on right past me at 5o yards. Here, the place that I decided to stop for the night was 50 yards away from the road I was parked on although over a mile away from the truck. Since that day I have 3 compasses and 2 flashlights with me.

Trapper I bet you started to laugh out loud. At least you made the right decision to stay put and thank goodness that truck went by LOL.

Its maybe not the "scariest" moment, nothing for that stands out in my head. But lets call it the most frequent "startling" moment. Never fails that multiple times a year I will be concentrating very hard on the perfect tree, funnels, acorns, or something that has my attention 100%. When you get into that state of mind, there is always a grouse that knows it, about 8 feet away. Never fails to make me jump......they do it on purpose, I swear.

Nothing that I would consider scary for me. Been uncomfortable a few times, turned around for a couple hours a few times, startled a few times by those stupid beady eyed sparrow hawks or owls that want to come and swoop at you while in a tree. I did have a bright flash of someones trailcam go off right as I was looking up while I was tracking a deer after dark one time. I though the world ended, I could not see for a few minutes.

In October of 2016 I was bowhunting from a wooden ladder stand on my land in Polk County. About an hour before sunset a large bear sow with two small cubs appeared about 100 yards behind me. I got out my phone and snapped a few pictures as they were 75 yards away. They proceeded in my direction and walked right under my stand. One cub decided that the ladder on the stand would make a nice jungle gym and proceeded to climb up the ladder to the point where its nose was two feet below my feet. Momma bear decided that she would join the cub and grabbed onto the ladder with her front paws while standing on the ground with her back feet. I was taking pictures and video of all of this until the sow started her ascent up the ladder. I grabbed my bow, which was on a bow hanger just in case things got a little hairier. My movement was caught by the cub and it decided to back down the ladder. Once the cub started its first step down, the sow jumped off the ladder as well. The bears eventually left after hanging out below the stand for another 20 minutes, walking down the trail I had to go down to leave the property and get to my truck. We have many bears sightings on our property both live and on trail cameras. From that day on, my pistol accompanies me on all my bow hunts.

# 3. 1973 A buddy & I were jump shooting the Bark river . We were about 300 yards apart .

I hammered a Green wing Teal & it got hung up on a branch about 50 feet from shore . I waded out to grab the Duck & got stuck in some black muck . The more I fought to get out the more I sank . I yelled for my partner as the icey water filled my waders . I was freezing in the windy wet situation I was stuck in . NO cell phones then .

My legs were getting numb when I fired 3 shots 3 times . one of them at a Mallard ( always the hunter ) . My partner showed up , waded out with a 20 ft branch & pulled me out.

A farmer invited us into his house to warm up . That was close !!!

A few years ago I was bow hunting on one of those magical days when several does were in heat and the bucks were freakin bonkers. I switched stands several times but they aways came by just out of range.

I had a call to make for work and had to get down from the tree at 1130am. I had doe in heat out on wicks and got down to collect them when I heard a grunt and brush breaking. I crouched behind a tiny bush and waited with arrow ready to go. The buck I had been after came out head down ready to either fight or mount me...he stopped 10 yards short. As I was going to draw he bounded left into a thick patch. I drew and waited. Instead of coming out either side, he took the only route away that didn't present a shot.

So that's it, I almost ended up on one of those "when animals attack" episodes.

#4 . Yea I could write a book . 1989 Muledeer hunt , Utah . late Oct . Very cold & snowy . I spot a 190 class 5x5 about 400 yards up . I put the crosshairs of the 270 Weatherby about 10 inches over the Mulies back amd touch the trigger .

The buck humps up & starts walking toward a stand of Ponderosa pine . I'm side hilling thru the Sage Brush looking for blood & the Mulie stands up , lowers its antlers & charges me .

Like a rookie I had the rifle on my shoulder . As I tried to swing the gun around I slipped on wet pine needles & fell about 30 feet on the steep mtn side .

I hurt my R knee & my L ankle . Couldn't walk . As the snow started coming down I started a fire . An easy thing to do out west . My buddys figured some was wrong & came to my rescue . We found the Mulie the next morning . Its for a wounded Mulie to attack in a area thick with Mountain Lions .

Correct you are MF, I sat there for an extra minute or so shaking my head and laughing out loud.

Had some, 87 had a API climber that collapse once about 15' up, hanging upside down the feet were pinched in, had a young poplar next to the tree were I was able to grip and let the pressure off the feet and I was able to shimmy down, started to be a hard core ground hunter after that one. Back in the early 80s had my chest waiters come apart while retrieving several gadwalls, 28 degrees out and just was passing out from hypothermia when got back to the boat and my bud was able to get me in and stripped down and back to the truck to warm up, was done for the day. The other one was out on the back yard working out my dog and had 5 rifle shots that pass my head and dog, she sprayed out, it came from the back woods early Sept before bow season, grabbed my piece and went up the hill to the back to find the fool. Back in the 70s had a gent that was going to shoot my gun dog claiming it was on his dad's land, I slammed my double close and told him that would be the last thing he would do and to get back on his daddy's land, start of fences taken down and the property lines were hard to define from another, this was in Iowa. Other than that just had normal shot pellets bouncing off my back from either public duck hunting or from hunting thick brush for woodcock and grouse with a fellow hunter, crap can happen no matter how safe you hunt.

About 50 years ago, I was driving dirt roads looking for deer trails and found some crossing the road. woods on one side and crop fields on the other. Drove to a farm house to ask permission to hunt. A real heavy set young women gave me permission. I went back and put up my tree stand about 50 yards from the road, to hunt that evening. I was around a half mile from the farm. While sitting in my stand, I here something behind me coming thru the brush. The lady from the farm walks to my tree, looks around and takes a pee under my stand. When she was done I asked her if she felt better. She looked up at me and screamed, I didn't think a women that big could run so fast. That was north of Grantsburg someplace. Getting bluff charged by griz. and brown bears is right up there.

tundrajumper, When you run for public office she will come out against you saying you looked at her inappropriately. 50 years ago Is about the timespan theses things are coming to surface.

I think if they saw her, they wouldn't believe her

She sounds scarier than the meanest she-bear.

Thank goodness you didn't fall out of the tree.

"I think if they saw her, they wouldn't believe her"

Have you seen some of the women doing the accusing lately? Fugly is the first word that comes to mind.

What is scary is that I think she was looking for me

During the 2005 gun season I was sitting against a tree, 300 or so yards from the property line on private land. I was in full blaze orange from head to ankles. 8-9 guys decided to drive our valley without warning or permission. I thought that maybe they would help me see something so I wasn’t going to cause a scene at the time. Then it happened: a nice 8 point buck crashed from the brush about 40 yards in front of me. I raised my rifle and heard 9 shots - none of them mine yet. The other hunters unloaded on the buck and, in the process, put a slug into the tree about 4” above my head. I have never shouted that loudly or swore that much at dudes that I didn’t know.

Tundra- was it Rosie o Donnell?

Wisc. gals don't get that ugly. Our sons family has a pug, short, fat, ugly. they named it Rosie because it looks like her. Go Vikes

Colorado bow hunt, had a herd of elk coming into my cow/calf call. All of a sudden a large black bear came through a wall of brush 6 steps away. We staired at each other for awhile then I yelled Bear and it retreated. Stepped it off at 6 steps - to close for comfort!

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