The COOLEST thing you ever encountered?
General Topic
While coyote hunting this weekend my brother and I walked up to a draw for another setup (calling). As we crested the edge I noticed 5 muley does slowly bouncing to my left. We watched them move along and then noticed a buck with his right side still intact. No more than I could get the words out that there was a half rack he bounced one more time and poof, that antler was on the ground. Since I enjoy looking for sheds it was at the top of the list for things I never thought I would see in the field!
What is yours?
In AZ I was snoozing on my back when two bull elk started fighting only 15 yards away. I didn't want to spook them by reaching into my pack for the videocam, so all I could do was enjoy the show.
A very large great horned owl was nesting in a tree about 15 feet from me, she took flight, and flew within one foot of my face/ head. kinda scary but very cool at the same time! The sound for her wings was a silent wooosh as she went by! Very awesome to say the least!
sneaking down a creek bottom I jumped a small flock of teal & a peregrine falcon nocked one out of the sky right in front of me just like on Nat geo
I was also within 5 feet of a black bear sow and her two cubs... She was laid down right in front of me (I was on the ground, sitting under a big tree.) the cubs ran around and played for probably 15 minutes before they all got up and walked behind me into my scent cone... That's when I got a little nervous! Nothing happened, but it sure was cool to watch them!
This was a cell phone pic from about 6 yards...OMG
This was a cell phone pic from about 6 yards...OMG
Tagged out on a huge 135" wide and massive Ohio 7 point opening day a few years back on my target buck. He was a regular on my cams and was extremely confident I'd see him opening morning and I did. I shot him, he ran off out of sight but was confident with the shot. 2 smaller bucks were with him sparring and jumped at the shot but didn't spook. They just watched him run off. I was just enjoying the show, happy with my shot enjoying a chew when the 2 smaller bucks stopped and looked down the hill behind me. That's when I saw what I believe to be my first Booner...and he was about 6 yards away! All I could do was watch and take pics/film him. He was in front of me for over 15 minutes and even looked right up at me. He looks young too boot. What I also noticed is he didn't go anywhere near my camera or bait...they don't get big being stupid!
About 10 years ago I watched a fisher and a coyote fight over a fresh gut pile. The fisher ended up grabbing the coyote by the throat and didn't let go, killing the coyote. It spent the next half hour munching on the deer's liver.
Happened to a buddy: He was hunting AZ archery bull and was leaning up against a tree and nodded off midday. He awoke to a 6X walking right to him about 10 yards away. With no time to react, he stayed still and the bull stepped right over his knees and walked past him. His chest was about a foot from his face. He was so shook up he forgot to grab his bow after it passed him.
When I was a kid I found a baby raccoon riding my bicycle. He was tiny and we had to bottle feed him. We kept him for about 2 years and named him rosco. He was very tame and he loved sitting on your shoulder. He was blind in one eye but you wouldn't know it. He ended up escaping his pen and we were sure we'd never see him again. About 8 years later my mother comes running out of the horse barn screaming. She saw a raccoon and thought it was definitely rabid. I grabbed a shotgun and got to the barn just as it walked out the door. I shouldered the gun and started squeezing the trigger. Something held me back from shooting long enough to notice his blind eye. Roscoe had come home! Although he didnt stay long, we had a couple minute eye contact before he headed to the woods. I felt like shit for almost shooting him.
Shooting this guy at 10 yards...... After a stare down!
I accidentally called in a mountain lion last fall while cow calling for elk in Colorado. He got to within 5 yards of me before I scared it off. Adrenaline overload. Shook me up for awhile.
The things that I have seen that were the most meaningful and memorable was standing beside my son and watching him take a moose a cougar a black bear a Caribou and a bison
One of my first elk hunts I had a cow standing on the other side of a tree I was behind. Her butt was about a foot and half away. She started peeing - was like a garden hose hitting the ground . litterly splashed on my boot.
My 3-year-old and I watched a golden eagle chasing diver ducks on a pond for about 15 minutes the other day, that was the coolest thing I saw last week...
Walking to my elk stand in the dark, looked up to see a meteor sailing over my head. Looked the size of a basketball and glowing orange. Seemed low, but in reality it probably wasn’t as it disappeared over the horizon.
I killed my biggest bull a few hours later.
A buddy and I watched a lion leap from a cliff, trying to take a 320+- bull elk. Something alerted the bull and he spun. The cat missed, bounded back and circled the bull who now had his head down, defending himself with his antlers. The cat gave up, walked a hundred yards across the meadow into the timber. Before he reached the timber, the bull was already feeding again.
A lifetime of things...everyday is filed with wonder..here is one I was sneaking up on a herd of elk trying to cut them off as they fed down hill. I still think it was the best stalk I ever made as to keep out of sight I had to move along a cliff face for most of it... I was in the midst of about 4o elk...I had not seen the bull yet but he had been screaming all morning.... some were three yards away nibbling on stuff the wind shifted the the herd blew out on a steep downhill chunk of turf ...rocks... rotten wood and these churning thundering sound as this herd thundered around me throwing themselves down hill the bull a 350 class bull blew past me at three yards and when our eyes met his got really big showing white all around and I'm sure I did the same and then they were gone the hill side looked like it has been back hoed...I'll never forget the look on that bulls face
I just remembered another one...When I was about 19 or 20, I was sitting on a stool under a pine tree, fully camoed out with a face mask on. I had a dip of Copenhagen in my mouth and I had a very small forky come walking by down wind. when he smelled me, he turned and walked right up to me within 3 inches of my face. He walked right past my bow and arrow with a broadhead on it! he proceeded to sniff me very loudly! It was very funny and it actually half laughed half sad boo at the same time. He truly turned inside out and was gone! He was now educated:) Haven't thought about that in years!
I was hunting below a broken cliff one day, and had just passed below a volkswagen size boulder on the steep hillside. Just after I passed it, my hand brushed against it, and it took off rolling down the hill.
One night I was bivouacked under a spruce that had recently been raked by a bull. In the middle of the night elk walking and a bull splashing and bugling above me in a wallow, woke me up. There was a bright moon and I could see the elk all around me as I propped my head up on my hand. After a while the bull came down and started raking the tree I was under from the low side. At first I thought it was pretty cool, until I realized how close his antlers were coming to my face. He finally realized after several seconds that something was under the tree, but didn't spook very far. I've had elk come really close several times, almost getting stepped on once, while bivouacking. They don't seem very spooky at night.
A raccoon riding your bike! That has to be the greatest thing ever! ;^)
Heh heh heh thats exactly what I was thinking lol
Lol. I forgot to put the, while riding in the post. Cool stuff guys!
Having an antelope buck rub his body against the side of my blind when leaving a waterhole. JJ Werner witnessed the event watching my blind though his binoculars.
Maybe 2005 I was in a stand by the North River in Madison county Iowa and saw six otters. They proceeded to spend a half hour diving for fish or clams or whatever. They would stalk one another and wrestle a while, like a bunch of kids. This wasn’t pre cell phone but pre cell phone camera, at least for me. Sat in that stand many times since and have never seen another otter. In fact those are the only otters I’ve ever seen in Iowa.
A funny thing happened to me on my first bowhunt, about 40 years ago. We were pronghorn hunting and dug pit blinds near waterholes. While sitting one day I heard something really close by and I stood up to have a look. The instant I stood up a jackrabbit running full speed slammed into my chest and landed in the hole with me. He sprang out of there and was gone in an instant. I don't know which of us was more shocked.
Holy crap Bou ... that must have been a big pile of meat..... ""standing beside my son and watching him take a moose a cougar a black bear a Caribou and a bison""
Sitting on a ridge at sunrise glassing for elk when a marmot was going nuts and alerting everything to our presence. A few minutes later a lion started creeping toward the marmot from tree line. He did the full sneak and made his move but the marmot dove into the rockpile. It all went down 50 yards away and the lion had no idea we were there.
About two years ago I watched a herd of drunken Neanderthals, buy a woman's pizza and bra from her, devour the pizza, and then... one man put the woman's bra on. It was complete and udder chaos.
"Udder chaos". Nice malapropism, Rick!
I was sitting at my favorite waterhole waiting for elk to come in. It was about noon and I didn't want to walk back to camp so I pulled two logs together and laid down between them with my pack for a pillow. In came a little fork horned buck that got a drink and walked straight at me. When he was about 10 feet away he stopped and looked at me wondering what I was. He walked to my right and, now he could smell me but didn't know what to think of me. He sneaked closer and ran back only to come closer several more times. My arms were on top of the logs and when his nose was about six inches away I tried to slap him on the nose but he was too quick and ran away.
Elk hunting with my dad, a non-Hunter, in Colorado we had a bull moose come down from a meadow to our camp at treeline, he got within feet of us and we all stood statue still. Finally he went on his way and tried to jump the small stream next to us but slipped and fell when he landed. He stood up and turned to stare at us again, as if wondering if we saw that, then continued on.
Hard to pick but here's one interesting one:
I was turkey hunting from a blind in the Colorado foothills. A hen flew up early and alarm putted for about 10 minutes straight. Pretty soon we saw the source. A bobcat snuck up to the decoys, sniffed and looked them over, scent marked the hen decoy and walked off.
This dead bull in a wallow was pretty bizarre.
A while back I was hunting Elk in Oregon. I sat on some rocks in a saddle where I could look down into two drainages. I heard some footsteps behind me and a mountain goat walked by at about 10'. First time I had ever seen a mountain goat in the wild.
The COOLEST thing? Not sure where to start. One of the less believable things I watched was while bass fishing in central Florida. The lake was full of hydrilla, which is a plant that ducks love to feed on. This area was just full of coots, which are small black diver ducks.
I heard a bald eagle make their high pitched "tee tee tee - tee tee tee" call and saw an eagle up a couple hundred feet flying in a 1/2 mile circle. This caused all of the coots to group up. Then the eagle continued to fly in tighter and tighter circles. As he did this he gradually lowered closer to the water. At first the coots were just grouping up but eventually they all panicked. There were thousands of coots and they were being balled up like baitfish. After the eagle circled a few more times there was about two acres of solid coots. They continued to panic and after a few more loops the coots were now in a wad about 50 yards in diameter and they were now stacked up a couple of layers deep, with coots running around on top of coots. I was wondering how that eagle was going to choose which one to go for when from the side a different eagle shot in several feet off of the water and picked a coot. Then the eagle that had been circled picked a coot and they flew off in the same direction.
Clearly, I had witnessed a coordinated hunt in which the eagles and the coots both knew exactly what they were doing.
Sitting in a tree stand 200 yards from my daughter, who was in a ground blind, shoot a 152" 12 pointer & hearing her scream with excitement.
Whitetail hunting one of the property's I have access to right before the rut. Due to work and family, I had limited time to hunt that year and had decided to zip the first decent buck that came through. Shot a respectable 8 mid-morning and heard him crash but decided to sit awhile and enjoy the woods. Climbed down and started following blood. I came around a large Honeysuckle and standing over my deer, not 10 yards away, was an easy 165" dropped tine buck. We stood there staring at each other for several moments until he simply turned and walked away through the woods. That deer was shot later during gun season on a neighboring property.
Can't wait until Jaq chimes in with his hippy chick story.
SD, I had that same experience with a raghormn bull along the Toutle River below Mt. St. Helens. Saw a half rack bull go behind a 'little' pile of ash debris only 20 yds out, and when he emerged from the other side, he went down a little drop to the creek, kinda bounced a bit and 'Click", off came the other side right in plain view! It was also my high point of shed hunting - (one of them anyway - I had another real biggie once) . The truly most exciting thing I have ever seen in the outdoors was this: I was in Montana up the Gallatin, deer hunting. I was only two miles in, and I heard this 'cracking', loud sounds coming from over a knoll. I reached the top, and there across the little draw at 40 yards were about 60 bighorns, lambs, ewes, and 5 or 6 sub-adult rams, and 10 mature rams, with a few full curls. Truly a majestic sight. And they were not just standing around, they were actively rutting. Rams rearing up and squaring off, then bursting forward and crashing into each other with a thunderous crash that echoed across the valley, after which they stood stunned, quivering like an aspen leaf in the breeze. They another one would rear up and whack the one that just got beaned , and this continued with me watching and glassing them for almost an hour. I was right in their lap with my binocs, and I could see the pupils in their glazed over eyes after they got slammed. It was the most incredible sight I've even witnessed in the wild, along with a few elk duals, but this was over the top. I did not have a camera unfortunately. If only these phones were invented, I'd have some amazing footage. I have it in my brain though. Unreal.
thecanadian, I noticed the date on your post, but I bet that is no April fool joke (the fisher killing the coyote). They are some tough hombres. However, Junior, I have to think yours is... ;) "When I was a kid I found a baby raccoon riding my bicycle." LOL!
Kicked up a woodcock in the woods last Saturday. Now normally I wouldn't think much of it, but there's still a foot of snow in the woods. He definitely cut his winter vacation short to get up to central MN so early. But can't deny he's optimistic.
On a bow hunt in Western Nebraska, I watched a mama bobcat and her twin half grown kittens hunt a fox squirrel for about 30 minutes. They triangulated the squirrel and chased him through the canopy of a half dozen trees before he got away. Pretty cool to watch. 2 days later the same 3 bobcats stalked an opossum right under the tree I was in. When he realized he was being hunted, the possum just snarled, drooled, and stood his ground. They backed off:)
I had a mink climb a tree I was in, stick his head in a hole and come out with a mouse. About 5 feet below me. It was odd. He walked right to my tree, climbed it and went straight to that hole like he knew the mouse was in there.
Also almost been stepped on by a 6×6 bull elk while napping. He didnt quite step over my legs, but It was close. 5 feet maybe. Pretty humbling.
Lots of other encounters. Owls, flying squirrels, I once saw a red fox jump out of a tree while I was walking through the woods. Its these little things that make hunting and time spent outdoors so cool.
I've seen a lot of cool things out there! Two that readily come to mind are watching a bald eagle grab a snow goose out of the air directly above me as it was descending into our decoys. The eagle was a black streak and snatched the goose right out of the air. My buddies and I all looked at each other and simply said "I can't believe that just happened!". I've actually watched a lot of really cool eagle behavior over the years in the spring time while snow goose hunting. Another was watching a mountain lion come within a few yards of me while sitting on a water hole waiting for deer. He was walking right to where I was sitting and I finally chickened out at a few steps distance and stood up. He about turned himself inside out running away.
While hunting quail in AZ, my dog went on point on one side of a tall brush patch. When a quail went out the other side, I heard a whoosh overhead and saw a peregrine falcon streak down at the quail. It hit the quail so hard I heard the smack and saw the puff of feathers.
Float tube fishing on one of the many lakes near me, I often get to watch the antics of bald eagles and ospreys. Usually the eagle will steal the fish from the osprey, but one day I saw the osprey harass the eagle in flight and then steal the fish when it was dropped.
Coolest thing I've ever experienced, while hunting.... My wife rifle hunted with me for years, but never got to pull the trigger on her Savage Model 110 30-06. Many close encounters with deer, but nothing ever really materialized. She passed away from a seizure in March 2012, and I felt my son should have her rifle. We spent some time at the range, he got comfortable with it, and after passing his PA hunter safety education course, he was ready to hunt. The morning he shot his first doe, was chilly and overcast. He made a perfect shot on her, we waited the 30 minutes to take up the bloodtrail, even though I knew where she was laying. When we found her at the end of the trail, we knelt by her side and gave thanks. I remember my son asking me if he thought his mom was there, and if she saw the whole event go down...he wanted her to know he finally got one for her, with her rifle. At that very moment, the rain just started pouring down from the sky, and it seemed we both had gotten our answer. It was hard wiping all those rain drops from my face that morning.
It kind of long and I have posted before, but it is a good story This happen in Colorado I think in 2005 on rifle elk hunt. I was hunting a ridge and right before dark a small heard of elk showed themselves. I had already filled my bull tag and was looking to fill a cow tag. I setup and took a shot at a cow, at the shot I heard the report of the bullet impact but by the time that I had recovered from the recoil of the shot I could not tell which cow I had shot at. Not wanting to push the elk and know that the shot was good I decided to back out and come back in the morning to recover my elk. I knew she would bed down and die very close to where I had shot her. That night my hunting partners and I made a plan. The next morning at sun rise my son and I were going to drop into the valley and make a bee line to where the elk were at when I shot. My hunting partners would setup up on the ridges in the dark hoping they may get a chance at the bull that was with the herd. As soon as my son and I topped over the ridge we could hear a bunch of coyotes making a howling and making all kinds of noises. I was pretty sure the coyotes had found the cow I shot and were enjoying a meal on me. My son and I worked are way to where the elk had been the night before. We did not find her or any blood, but we did find fresh elk tracks heading down to where the coyotes making all the noise. We decided to follow the tracks to see if I could recover anything. I was working slowly down this small ridge finger when I heard the growl yelp and then out of the corner of my eye I seen this flash of movement. It took only a fraction of second to realize that the flash was a mountain lion running up a small finger on the same ridge I was on. The cat was not alone, there were at least 20 or so coyotes hot on the cats’ tail. As soon as the cat it the top of the finger about 20 or so yards in front of me he it climbed a pretty good size juniper tree. The cat and the coyotes were oblivious to our presents. At this time a smart man would have pull the camera from his backpack and start taken picture, I’m not a smart man. After seemed like several minute, but probably on few seconds I decided the best course of action was to alert them of our presence. With my gun at my shoulder and my 10 year old son tuck right up against me I yelled at the dogs and cat to get the hell out of here. When I yelled all the coyotes stop in their tracks and turned their focus on my son and I. Again this steer down was only probably seconds, but seem way longer than it should have been. Look through the scope on my rifle one of the larger dogs took a step toward us. I could hear my son starting to says that big coyote is. That is all he got out before the sound of my rifle finished his sentence. Let’s just say that, that big coyote is no longer chasing mountain lions. At the sound of my shot the rest of the coyotes took off in all direction. The lion did not move and was happy to stay in the tree. At this point I yelled at the top of my lungs up to my hunting partners asking if they had just seen what had happen. My partner answered that they had seen the whole thing and he had the cat in his crosshairs. At this time I told my son who was standing behind me to throw rocks at the tree. After a couple of rocks the lion jumped down and ran out of the valley. I am so glad that my partners had witness this as I don’t think they would have ever believed the story. Earlier I said that I saw approximately 20 coyotes, my partners said there was at least 50 coyotes coming out of the valley after my shot. Later that week when ran into a local outfitter that was high on the ridge and had witness the whole thing through his spotting scope. I never did recover that elk.
Apparently this mature bull slipped off of the rock face, hooked the back and of his antler on the small tree, and flopped around until he broke his neck and died. Crazy thing to walk up on!
Another one, I was sitting in a tree stand elk hunting a couple years ago. I had a damn ground squirrel barking at me all morning. He would bark at me for 5 minutes are so and then take a couple minute break before starting all over. Out of nowhere this small hawk fly in and land in a branch just feet away from me in the same tree I was sitting in. He and I watch the stupid squirrel bounce around in the bush barking at us. The longer we watched the braver the squirrel got. Each sequence he would movie more and more out of the bush that was protecting him. After half an hour or so the squirrel ran out on this branch that was totally exposed. Oh, I thought it was over, but the hawk just watched. After the next break that dumb squirrel ran out on that same branch again. That was what the hawk was waiting for that squirrel no more than hit the end of that branch and that hawk had him. Sure enjoyed the silence and the memories of that morning.
SlipShot reminded me of my own coyote/cougar encounter. Many years ago, I heard several coyotes yipping and howling just below our house. I eased down there to see what they were up to. They scattered when they saw me, and I went down to the ponderosa they were under. After looking around a bit, I couldn't find what had them so excited. I never thought to look up. My neighbor, just below, was watching through binoculars. When I talked to him later, he said "yeh, they ran right through our yard. That was pretty cool watching those coyotes tree that lion. I can't believe he stayed there while you went up to the tree." Duh.
As with all of you, I have seen and enjoyed many things on the hunt. One unusual event happened a few years ago bowhunting in early September here in Nebraska. There was a small brown object across the hay meadow I was watching from my tree stand. A coyote came across the field eyeing that brown thing. At the very same moment a badger came out of this den near the brown object and the two squared off, both after the object. I was amazed as neither would give ground. It was then that the scene got weird. A large group of turkeys ran on to the field and chased those two around and around. The turkeys ultimately won as the coyote and badger retreated. The turkeys picked up what I believe was a young deceased turkey and headed to the trees. My son wouldn't believe me and I was to dumbfounded to even get the camera out.
Not a bowhunting one, but I watched my golden retriever t-bone a wounded rooster pheasant in 7' high switchgrass where I could just barely see the bird clear the grass and then my pup grab a hold of him. Still my favorite retrieve.
Embry,
Did the incident you witnessed happen at a P&Y Convention?
Sitting next to the fire with my oldest in my lap several years ago. We were looking at the night sky, picking out constellations, planets, stars and watching statellites.
One satellite started getting brighter and bigger in appearance as it flew. Suddenly, the area flashed bright as mid day all around us. It lasted for just long enough to glance around wide-eyed and then we were back in the dark and the satellite was again just a quick moving pinprick in the night sky.
It was a satellite flare. The sun reflecting off of the panels on the satellite, down onto the Earth. There are websites where people can track potential satellite flare paths to attempt to intercept them, weather permitting.
If we hadn’t been looking up at the satellite and watching it brighten, (wondering if I was watching a meteor heading for me and the kid), if I’d have been looking down at the fire, that sudden flash of light with no sound and no hint of anything after it passed...somebody could be swearing to their encounter with some alien beam of light or something.
Lots of cool encounters on here!
While sitting in a tree stand, I saw what I first thought was a leaf fluttering down from high in a tree. That “leaf” flew over and stuck to the side of a big burr oak tree about 10 feet from my stand. It was a flying squirrel, which are pretty rare in our area. He worked his way down and around the burr oak to the ground, then commenced to working his way up the trunk of the tree that I was in. He ended up on a branch about 5 feet in front of me at eye level. He crawled in a knothole and came back out with a hickory nut and started working it over, while watching me the entire time. I watched him for about 2-3 minutes before he worked his way back down the tree and disappeared.
Also got watch, probably 200-300 bluebirds flitting through the trees, one November morning, while deer hunting. I’ve seen 20-30 of them at a time when they migrating, but nothing like that morning.
I was in a treestand deer hunting and saw a fisher walking through the woods. I always enjoy seeing fishers and think they are some of the most interesting animals in the forest. By some stroke of luck, this particular fisher walked over to the tree right next to mine, climbed 30ft up it, then climbed back down. Things got even more exciting when the fisher decided to start climbing up my tree. It got to the base of my treestand platform before backing down the tree. No idea why it decided to climb the two trees, but it's a memory that has stuck with me.
Took me a while to think of something impressive. About 20 years ago, I was bow hunting from a tree. Heard something walking in the leaves that came to a very slightly leaning oak tree. It climbed about 12-14' up the straight trunk. I could tell it wasn't a coon, and thought it was a house cat. It backed down the tree and walked within ten yards of my tree. It was a gray fox. I had read that they could climb, but never thought I would see it happen. No idea why it climbed the tree, I didn't see a bird or squirrel, and nothing was chasing it. I played with it with lip squeaks for five minutes before it walked away.
Hikers on the right hand ridge. Look closely.
Hikers on the right hand ridge. Look closely.
The mountain from a distance of 20 miles.
The mountain from a distance of 20 miles.
Mt Huntington next to Denali. The sheer size of the country blew my mind. That wall is around 5,000!
Mt Huntington next to Denali. The sheer size of the country blew my mind. That wall is around 5,000!
I flew over Denali in a light plane on a tour with my wife in June 2013. As if that wasn’t spectacular enough we saw descendants of the first group to summit Denali making their way up the mountain exactly 100 years later. You can see the climbers strung out on the right hand ridge in the first attached picture - they’re little specs. The flight around the mountain was one of the most awe inspiring things I’ve seen.
I was looking for sheds in northern MN , when 2 fawns ran by me about 20 feet away. I noticed the second one was bleeding from the guts. So I just sat there and figured there must be wolves chasing this deer. It was about 1-2 minutes later when I saw one wolf, then 2, then 3 and they were trotting right at me as I was standing on the deer trail they were on. The hair started to stand on my neck as I couldn't wait any longer and I yelled STOP and waved my arms. They stopped and stared right through me at about 20 yards. Thankfully they ran the other way.
Bow hunting the Minnesota rifle opener a few years back. Was sitting in a beautiful saddle and had several does pass by at the bottom of the ridge. Shortly after a doe came running up over the saddle with her tongue hanging out. I figured wolves must be after her so I was focused on her back trail. When I finally turned and looked where I should have been watching a very nice buck had already passed by me. I quickly dug out my grunt call and got his attention. He turned and trailed that doe the wrong way right under me where I shot him. He was on his death run towards where the doe had come from. Like a missile a wolf was closing on him and tackled him right before my eyes. I flew down the tree so fast in my climber I forgot my bow on the hanger. I ran the wolf off and claimed the biggest buck I had ever shot. When I climbed back up the tree the rest of the pack went right under me trailing the doe as soon as I lowered my bow down. One stopped to smell my bow and looked right up at me. Only wish I could have filmed that encounter.
I was turkey hunting with my brother last spring. I called in a nice Tom, my brother was set up 20 yards ahead of me and I was calling for him. He missed, the Tom ran right to me and I arrowed him, I was using my recurve. He dropped over the ridge, flailing with my arrow through his vitals. I was laughing my ass off at my brother for missing and he was hanging his head low. Then all of a sudden, we heard a hellish ruckus as a large coyote came over the ridge right back at us, ran by us, in between us, with my Tom in his mouth!!!. My brother shot twice, I got one arrow off, we both missed. We just stood there dumb founded, and speechless for a few minutes, then laughed all the way back to the truck and home. OK, I made that up, but after reading these adventures, I got nothing.
Getting hit by a humpback whale's tail while free diving amongst them...in hunting, calling in big bull elk.
Orionsbrother, when I was about 8 or 9, I was lying on my back on the back lawn in my central NY town during late summer late afternoon, looking up at the sky at dusk. Suddenly from over the top of my head a streaking large reddish orange ball of fire that looked like the Miami Heat's basketball logo streaked straight over me toward my 'feet', then broke into two unequal sized chunks, one turning bright yellow and the smaller one a bluishish yellow and faster than the bigger one. They both disappeared over the northern horizon below my 'feet'. Incredible sight and timing, it still amazes me that I was lying there on my back when that happened. I have seen a couple others huge and bright blue-white that made it look light daylight out too, in Washington State, while out steelhead fishing at night.
I was in a ladder stand with my bow on a hanger arrow nocked in front of me. A squirrel fell from above hitting the arrow and knocking it off the rest. The squirrel staggered around a bit, then ran off.
My wife, laying naked in the back of the suv. She likes to surprise me sometimes! ??
I was hunting out in Kansas with my son probably 8 years ago.
We had snuck out to a fence row with some cover in the middle of a field that the deer had been coming into in the evenings.
The deer were coming out right at dark and were still out of range for my boy when I noticed a bright light to the east.
I thought it was a plane but it kept getting brighter and bigger. As it got closer, it got really bright and turned more orange colored. I was a little scared that it was coming right at us. It literally lit up the whole area like noontime. I told my boy that it wasn’t a plane and must be a meteorite. It hit the ground about two miles north east near a creek and started a brush fire.
Was really glad we weren’t any closer!
Probably should have gone over to see if any of it survived impact.
Mulie hunting one year in Wyoming's Bighorn canyon country, I had just killed a good buck who, fortunately, expired on the top of a 2600 canyon above the Paint Rock creek. After taking care of the deer, I took a break and sat at the top enjoying the early morning sunshine while munching an apple for breakfast.
Soon, a golden eagle was soaring about in search of his morning meal. I watched him hunt for about an hour...wings spanned wide while gliding back and forth on the morning thermals, which would cause him to rise and drop considerable distance.
On serveral passes he floated by only a few feet below my dangling feet which was really something to witness...I'd never seen one from above! Really cool.
Not hunting, but on a dive trip to Belize, we were looking for whale sharks just off the southern barrier reef. We spotted one while taking a lunch break. It was just my wife and I and dive guide on the small boat. We jumped in with just our snorkel gear. I was trying to get some photos, and was following it as it started a slow dive. When I was about out of air, I started back to the surface. I hadn't realized I was close enough to have been drafting in his wake. Don't know how deep I was, but it was a LONG way back up.
Slept under a tree. All night a bull walked around us scraping trees and stomping his feet. It was pretty unreal. Didn't kill him the next day got winded on the call in.
Got to watch a bobcat catch a rabbit in a brush pile, and as he was munching away on his dinner his head snaps up, and he grabs the rabbit and up a tree he goes. About 5 seconds later a coyote comes running in and tries to jump and climb up the tree to where the bobcat is holding his prize. The coyote continued to try and climb the tree, and circle it, for 10 to 15 minutes. The whole time the bobcat just looks down at him very calmly, never moving. After awhile the coyote gave up and walked off, then the bobcat jumped back down with his rabbit, and finished his dinner. The bobcat ended up walking directly my tree on his way out. Have seen many cool things over the years, but that is one of the best for me.
This, last season, among a hundred other things I can think of.
TrapperKayak and Treeline - I've seen a few small meteors, but never a really good sized one and nothing that made landfall anywhere near me. Our middle kid is really into geology and received a small meteorite as a gift, but I think it'd be really cool to find a meteorite that we'd seen strike.
Peco,
Believe it or not....this happened to me.
I was turkey hunting spring 2011. I had just been released by the Dr. after a broken and dislocated ankle. I could barely walk on it but was glad I was hunting. I ended up calling in a gobbler at 2pm that came straight to my decoy. I drew and shot. I thought I hit him perfect but he soaked my arrow like a champ, turned and just walked off. He was heading towards some nasty stuff and I figured he would crawl under some brush never to be found. I immediately took off after him. I caught up with him in this nasty tangled up brush. While fighting through the stuff to catch up with this gobbler that is frantically flapping his wings, I dropped my release and had a few arrows ripped out of my quiver. I was able to work my way through the stuff and grabbed the bird by the neck. He started flapping his wings even more frantically. Immediately a coyote came out of nowhere and was fixated on the gobbler. He literally had no idea I was there and was only a few feet away. I scolded him like I would a dog and he sort of cowered a bit but then locked back in on the bird. I yelled again and he retreated a few yards and stared at me for a bit. Soon he snapped back into reality and finally retreated.
This ranks right up there! Wish I knew what happened....
Sitting in my tree stand whitetail hunting. It was the rut. In the distance, through the trees I see two people walking toward me. As they get closer I see they are man and woman. The woman separates from the man and comes closer to my tree. At about 20yards she gets behind some bushes. She takes her pants down and does her business. I didn’t want to let her know I was there. Didn’t want to start a conversation or shouting match. She finished, joined her male friend and disappeared. Two hours later a nice 9 pointer came in to her spot like he was on a rope. He sniffed around, gave me a broad side, it was over! Wish I knew ahead of time what affect she had on antlered bucks, I’d would have asked her to marry me!!!
Years ago spring turkey hunting in northern PA. Walking along a ridge top where the mountain laurel meets the hardwoods I heard what I thought was porcupines . I approached and saw three black bear cubs...I froze. They saw me and scuffled up a tree. Naturally I think "Where's ma." She appeared and charged me, giving a tremendous roar...stopping mere yards away. I slowly backed off and, from a distance, saw her gather the kids and go on their way.
I was hunting mule deer in the Missouri breaks of Montana few years back and spotted a nice thick based buck. I put a sneak on him and he busted me. He was about to go over a rim into a coulee when I made the shot. When I approached him on the ground three feet from his head was his left antler shed from the prior year. An exact match ! He had a weird tine with a goofy split at the end. Same size, length, points and all.
Ursman, I had a gal out springer fishing with me at the mouth of the Wind River on the Columbia once. Fishing was real slow. She felt the urge to pee and not wanting to go ashore, she dropped her drawers, hung her butt over the side, and whizzed over the port gunwale next to her fishing rod mounted in the holder. Just as she was finishing, her rod tip bent wildly with a hookup and she almost fell in trying to grab that pole before she had her pants up. Set the hook, then zipped up and landed the fish - amazing display of determination!!! And a nice fat springer to feast on later! Must have been the salt water....heheheheh. The only fish of the day. Something to remember to suggest the next time you have a gal aboard and the fishing is slow!
When I was 16 I was walking my dog behind my parents house. There was a fence that ran between the woods and the highway. My dog took off and ran up to the fence to try and get a 6 pointer. The buck just stood there and then found a small space to come under the fence the whole time ignoring my dog as she bit a his back legs. I went to grab my dog and the deer charged me hitting me in the side. We both went to the ground me landing on top of the buck. Realizing this thing could kill me I got up and grabbed my dog still attacking the buck. The buck laid there for a few seconds and then got up and ran off. I had a sore kidney for about a week but, that was it.
Posted on Bowsite before...
We were hunting the heavy forest in northern MN during the peak of the rut. Late in the afternoon I heard brush crashing behind me. Not a stick breaking. More like the sound of a deer busting through a deadfall. I turned in time to see a doe go running by headed south with another deer in hot pursuit. I couldn't tell exactly what the 2nd deer was, but figured it was a buck. The 2nd deer stopped with its head behind some brush. Eventually it turn back the way it came from revealing a very nice 8 point rack. We don't see the massive racks where we hunt, but we get some nice heavy racks with a lot of mass and BIG body size. He was a beauty. His actions puzzled me a bit... why did he quit following? About the time that question popped into my head, I hear more brush breaking and a very nice 10 point buck runs by (not in range) headed to the north. He was running tail down and was upwind of me. I wonder... what spooked him???
About the time that question popped into my head, I hear more brush breaking (I'm not making this up). Out charges an even bigger 10 point buck chasing after the other 10. They stop about 100 yards away and posture up. They are circling each other with their heads pointed in getting ready to do battle. I am thinking this is the most awesome deer hunting experience I have ever seen! As I am watching these 2 circle, I hear more brush breaking...
And true to how this episode was going, an even bigger deer that I am pretty sure was a 12 point buck comes blasting out of the thick stuff. He was running in a way that I have never seen before. He was stomping his front hooves at the same time as he ran toward the two 10 pointers. They took one look at him and bolted in the other direction. He was obviously the boss of this area and they wanted nothing to do with him!
I would love to tell you that this ended with me and a hero shot, but it wasn't meant to be. That being said, it was the most exhilarating hunting experience ever. I highly doubt I will top this, but I will damn sure try. So cool!
While deer hunting in Colorado, a doe antelope crested the top of a hillside about 1/2 mile in front of me and came running towards me in 1 1/2 feet of snow. Behind her were two coyotes within 30 yards and when they got 1/4 mile from me, another coyote popped up out of the snow in front of her and turned the doe 90 degrees and the 3 coyotes chased her 75 yards to a barbed wire fence. When the doe reached the fence, she started crawling underneath the bottom wire and waiting on the other side of the fence were 2 coyotes who immediately latched onto her throat. Within seconds the 3 trailing coyotes caught up with her and grabbed her legs and flank and it only took 1 1/2 minutes to kill her. It was an incredible display of the teamwork and intelligence within a pack of coyotes to adapt to the environment...chasing the doe in deep snow, a coyote covering itself to hide in the snow, and utilizing the fence as a tool and using the behavior of antelope to go underneath wires and slowing her down and snow covered coyotes waiting on the other side of the fence where they could easily grab her throat without getting kicked.
My wife and I were in a double ladder stand in Zimbabwe and had a bull elephant walk by about 2 feet from the legs of the stand! Heartstopper for sure!
RD, that would really be scary! I was stalking buffalo in Zimbabwe in some thick stuff. My PH and I accidentally stalked with in 30-40 yards of two elephant that were feeding. We watched them for a few minutes and then we reversed course and left them. They never knew we were there.
You’re wife? Let’s hear about this encounter? Pictures?
Just found this shed hunting not sure what it’s doing in there turned it around to the backside doesn’t look violated last thing a guy needs is a perv in the woods
Elk hunting in Colorado with my lifetime hunting partner Brad and I were working on getting a 5x5 to come into bow range. As we were discussing our next move, laying behind a log, the bull came running in and stopped on the other side of the log. Maybe 3 feet away. He sprayed dirt all over us and then bugled. Both Brad and I ended up wearing dirt, elk snot and laughing our faces off!
Hunting early december during nebraskas muzzy season I watched about a 160 and 180 inch whitetail bucks fighting in a winter wheat field. They were about 300 yards out. They went at it hard for 10 minutes. After the brawl the smaller buck chased the bigger buck by me at 200 yards. Got a good look at both deer and was shocked neither of their racks were busted up as hard as the were fighting they wanted to kill each other. This is before cell cam videos so the nextvyea
Hunting early december during nebraskas muzzy season I watched about a 160 and 180 inch whitetail bucks fighting in a winter wheat field. They were about 300 yards out. They went at it hard for 10 minutes. After the brawl the smaller buck chased the bigger buck by me at 200 yards. Got a good look at both deer and was shocked neither of their racks were busted up as hard as the were fighting they wanted to kill each other. Ended up killing the smaller one the next year
Hunting early december during nebraskas muzzy season I watched 160 and 180 inch whitetail bucks fighting in a winter wheat field. They were about 300 yards out. They went at it hard for 10 minutes. After the brawl the smaller buck chased the bigger buck by me at 200 yards. Got a good look at both deer and was shocked neither of their racks were busted up as hard as the were fighting they wanted to kill each other. Ended up killing the smaller one the next year
Bowhunting for elk with my teenage son late in the season. We'd been following a herd bull with cows all morning, but couldn't get close. We lose track of them about 10am then a few hundred yards below us, in a huge burn from a fire the previous year, we hear the sound of antlers smashing together. As we get closer a the herd of cows runs off followed by a 6 point bull, down the mountain and far away. We think the hunt is over, but the sound of bulls fighting starts up again, not far away and a little above us. We run closer, as these two bulls are fighting so intensely that they haven't even noticed all of the cows left with a smaller bull. The two big six point bulls appear to be oblivious to everything other than each other, as they battle it out. We walk withing 30 yards in a burn with little to no cover, but they don't notice us. They tear up the ground with their hooves as they push back and forth. My son and I are standing a few yards apart arrows nocked, bows in our hands, waiting for the right moment to draw back and both shoot. It is almost a comical situation. The elk are 30 yds away, broadside, all we need is them to stop for an instant. Their movement is fast and sudden jerking back and forth, sometimes they back up our direction and you think you are going to get ran over. I'm using my rangefinder, elk 33 yds, elk 30 yds, sometimes I can't get a reading as they move back and forth so much. It seems like we are going to get the two easiest kills ever. However, we get nothing. When one bull finally calls it quit, they disengage so fast, and he runs off being followed by the other. The victor pauses at about 50 yds and I shoot, but only send sparks flying off the rocks beneath him (after 5 mins of thinking 30 yds, I took a 30 yard shot at a 50+ yard target. We ending out with nothing, but we weren't disappointed. It was the coolest thing I'd ever seen bow-hunting.
Back in 1985 we were bowhunting moose and caribou out on the Alaska peninsula and one day I went over the top of a mountain to check out the next valley, and right at the top I looked down in a depression and saw a can of something. Was a can of bacon from Hungary. Took it back to camp and we ate it with silver salmon.
Posted about it on Bowsite years ago, and someone related about how they were crossing Alaska on foot from one end to the other, and when they got to their checkpoint and food cache, it was gone. Nearly starved.
Overt 20 years ago bowhunting with my brother and nephew. While scouting during midday found a nice rubline.
While standing there talking about where to set-up for a possible evening hunt I start scanning the area with binoculars. "Hey guys there is a decent buck out about 220 yds." " Really?": they replied?? "Yeah get an arrow on your bow, looks like he is walking this way." I said.
Which he did, closed the distance to 200, 150, 120, 90, 60, 30, 20, 12 yards... My nephew was a young teenager at the time, only one to be in the position for a shot. Drew once, arrow falls of the rest, draws again same affect, third time shakes so much almost looses the arrow off of the string. Whole time buck is getting closer, closer while Uncle watches in the binoculars, His Dad has no shot due to uncle being in the way. Finally get to full draw on the buck, finally sees us and bolts. Never seen one walk so oblivious towards hunters in a relatively open woods. And yup he was a 12 pointer got to count all the tines several times with those binos at close range.
On another occasion almost stepped on one in thick brush. Surrounded by other bowhunters at a Ripley hunt at the crack of dawn looking for a place to hunt we stopped walking in to figure out the best way to get out of the woods without pissing off too many other hunters. While resting decided to split up. My brother started walking away got about ten yards and here this buck materializes out of a brush pile maybe 10-12 feet away. Having trouble standing up getting his antlers out of the brush I struggle to get an arrow on the bow. Did that just as the buck broke free and bolted. Always look at your feet I guess.
My story is a little different than those listed above. Bear with me as this didn't even happen in the woods but it still relates to bowhunting. The odds of this happening are astronomical. My apologies if it gets rather long.
As some of you know I tend to be very accident prone. I've been treed by grizz; charged by lions; fallen off a cliff; had deadly close encounters with black mambas; hippos; warthogs; black bears; got charged TWICE in one day by feral hogs where I was forced to shoot my way out and killed one in hand-to-hand combat (got a broken arm out of that deal.) , etc. I could write a book on it.. oh yeah.. I did. Ha. Anyway this happening is totally different. You'll have to forgive me on the specifics as it's been so long ago. But I'll try to write this as I remember it. If brother Gene happens to see this maybe he can jump in.
I'm going to say it was 1968 or maybe '69. Gene and I were in school in Indiana and both working part-time bussing/waiting tables at Stouffer's restaurant in downtown Indianapolis at night. The restaurant was right on top of the hotel rooms. You could oversee the city lights for many miles. One evening I happened to see a guy standing at the window looking out at the city. I was looking at him from the back. As a coincidence, Gene happened to be walking past me at that second. I stopped him and said, "look at that guy. Look at those ears and the shape of his head. (he was wearing a sport jacket and had his hands in his pockets). I said to Gene, "that looks like Fred Bear". Gene agreed. We walked over together and introduced ourselves. I honestly think he was surprised someone recognized him. Because we were working we could only spend a couple minutes talking with him. He was having dinner with his wife, Henrietta, their daughter Julie, and another couple from Indianapolis. After their meal their waitress stopped me and said "that older gentlemen asked for you and your brother to join him after you got off work." Wow! For real?? Yes for real!
So after we checked out we went and he graciously introduced us to his friends and family, then kind of pulled us off to the side so we could talk bowhunting and the others could catch up on their visit. He even bought us each a drink (yes.. we were of age). Anyway, here's the part that blows me away when you consider the odds of when this all happened. I asked what they were doing in Indianapolis and he said he and Henrietta were just on their way home from Florida. That they had been down there and THAT DAY had put money down on a piece of property and had decided to move the business from Grayling, MI to Florida. Think of the chances/odds of us not only meeting him but meeting him on the day he decided to move to Florida. I probably should have asked him for a job right then. Ha.
Over the years I had the opportunity to meet him again several times. Fred always said he "remembered us because we obviously had the bowhunting bug pretty bad." I must say he was as polite and a perfect gentleman as you can imagine. A chance meeting turned into a life-long memory. I think that was really "cool." Thanks for allowing me to ramble on and refresh those gifted memories. BW
Wow Barry! That one has to top the list of Cool Encounters!
What are the chances?
Thanks for sharing that one!
Speaking of a turkey vulture. A neat thing happened to me while turkey hunting on an Indian reservation. I hiked up to the top and end of a huge butte. As I stood there admiring all that was below me I spotted this bird circling off in the distance. I watched the bird circle and it got closer and closer, lower and lower. Pretty soon the vulture was straight overhead and it continued circling. It circled lower and lower and now was hovering directly overhead about six feet in the air. It was so close I could almost reach out and touch it. The turkey vulture looked me directly in the eyes. Our eyes locked as in some primeval ritual and left me standing in awe. With that done the bird lifted off and soared away.
I was moose hunting in GMU 13 years ago. Watched a grizzly feeding on a moose carcass. After a while, 5 wolves (2 adults and 3 pups) came up wind and began pestering the grizzly. They finally ran it off the kill and started chowing down themselves.
Here’s another Bear encounter: At the Pope and Young Convention in 1969 in Denver, I met a man in a plaid shirt wearing the iconic hat carrying a shoe box. It was Fred Bear. Don’t know what was in the shoe box. I mentioned that I hunted grizzly with Bill Love in BC. near Stevens Lake. Fred had taken a Bear with Bill at Stevens Lake also. I told him that Bill and I tapped into their stash of beer he buried near Bill’s cabin. It was buried away from the cabin because Bill’s wife wouldn’t allow beer in camp. Bill and I secretly had a few to celebrate my grizzly. Fred was happy that the beer didn’t go to waste. We chatted a bit more, we shook hands again and he disappeared into the crowd. Wish I would have had a camera!
A few years back three of us, along with three dogs, were pheasant hunting a very thick cattail slough. I was on a heavy deer trail, and one of the dogs must have gotten a bit ahead and kicked up a deer. The deer, unbeknownst to me, took the trail I was on and she came full stride around a turn in the trail. She hit me hard, right in my upper thighs and knocked my legs up off the ground which put my chest and weight right on top of her. She went down, and I landed on top of her. I instinctually squeezed and had her in a bear hug on the ground, and she started bellowing. I could feel her legs trying to kick, and knew when I decided to let go, I needed to get clear of her immediately. I released the hug and pushed at the same time, and up she sprang and took off down the deer trail. Hearing the bellowing, the other two guys were on their way over in time to see her spring up and take off.
My knee was messed up for a while after, but in hindsight, I'm darn lucky it was a doe and not a buck. To this day, I don't know why I instinctually hugged her!
Back in 1994 was spring bear hunting with my dad and mom at Bear Paw Landing in Ontario, Canada. I was sitting in a stand over looking a bear bait when a red squirrel came to the bait and started eating a marshmallow. It looks up and sees me in the tree and comes running over. He climbs the tree up to the stand and crawls into my bow soft bow case. Then he pops out looks at my leg and crawls up into my left knee. I can see he has marshmallow all around his mouth. He then lays his head on my pants and walks forward a bit turns his head to the other side and does the same. Leaving two little streaks of marshmallow on my pants. He then crawls across my crotch into my right legs and lays down by my knee. He just lays there for a few minutes watching out over the bait. He gets up to walk back toward my crotch. I have my arms crossed across my stomach and I am worried he will bite my hand hanging right there. As I pull my hand back he sees the movement and comes to check it out. I pull my hand back faster which makes him more curious. He stands up and rests his front paws on my arm and is looking at my face. He checks me out for a few seconds, climbs down and continues to walk across my lap. He climbs down the tree and walks away like it was nothing. Just walks away into the woods. Still brings a smile to my face. Just glad it wasn't a bear! Mark
While in a tree deer hunting, saw a diamond back rattlesnake crawling below my tree. Then out of nowhere a road runner appeared. Watched as the road runner killed the snake and run off with it.
This was about 30 years ago. I use to go out and sit from fields starting in June and watch deer. I loved to watch the deer interactions. One night i was sitting by a tree on the edge of a bean field. A lone doe came out and was eating about 150 yards away. Shortly after a doe with twins came out to join the lone doe. As the mother and twins got close to the lone doe; the lone doe reared up and started kicking at the mother. The mother and fawn's started to run away and the lone doe stated chasing them aggressively. The group started running in bigger and bigger circles. Suddenly the mother and fawn's changed direction and were now running right at me. The fawns are leading the group with the mom next. The mom suddenly stops about 20 feet in front of me and is alerted to my presence. The fawns are maybe two feet from me looking me over. The lone doe stops at 20 yards and is blowing at me and then takes off. The mother doe stands there looking at me and then relaxes and starts to feed. The fawns are sniffing at me and looking me over and are mewing softly back and forth. After about a minute the doe grunts softly and turns to walk away. The fawns follow. The mom and fawns were in no hurry. Mark
As a youngster dad and I were living in a camper, when we came home one night, there was a sow and two cubs in the garbage. Dad yelled when the truck stops jump out and start barking at the bears and chase them. I did, he was right beside me. The sow ran the cubs up a little lodgepole, then ran off, we stopped when we got to the tree they went up. Here they were looking down on us, fairly soon they started to descend the tree and were right at shoulder height. We petted the fuzzy little critters until, we heard the popping of the mom's jaw. Then we ran off, took a while to go to sleep in the camper that night, a lot of adrenaline flowing.
oz
Blackbear62, can you translate that for us?
Another one, because I have time to type. One weekend we were horse riding in the big hay meadow, Dad had his German Shepard along. About the time we hit the middle of the meadow, a coyote came scuttling out to us. It played chase with the dog for a short time then retreated to the edge of the meadow with a longing look asking the shepard to follow, She didn't we called her back. Soon the coyote came back out in the meadow and ran and jumped and made life with the shepard look fun. The it retreated again, we again called the dog back. After a couple of attempts the coyote gave up when it trotted off to the north, a couple of other yotes joined it from back in the timber. It had all been one big attempt to lure the dog to it's death.
oz
Sorry. Dam auto correct. Fixed it. Mark
Bigozzie, I had a very similar experience. I had my border collie/ blue heeler with me when riding on my horse into a pasture I had 3 deer stands on. There was a coyote that came out of the timber about 200 yards away and came towards us. At about 100 yards my dog took off after him. I tried to call him off the yote but, he wouldn't listen. They went in the timber then, a few seconds later my dog came back out with 3 coyotes on his butt. If I hadn't been there to run them off I'm sure they would have killed my dog.
I was still hunting in va & had a seat against a tree & a chipmunk took notice of me & started barking & barking & barking & about the time I was thinking it was time for him to move on a big red tailed hawk flew right past my head & snatched him up. nature is hard. I always felt guilty for that chipmunks demise
Have seen that coyote behavior a number of times and actually lost a dog to them once growing up.
When we were cutting hay, we always had a dog or two following the tractors and the coyotes would try that trick every time. Weird how they would get really close to the tractor as long as it was moving.
We started carrying rifles and managed to kill a bunch of them but they always took off as soon as the tractor stopped.
Remembering the hawks and eagles coming in when we were cutting reminds me of another one. The bighorn sheep and mountain goats used to have their babies up near a mine I used to work at. The golden eagles were viscous on the lambs and kids up there. Saw them knock lots of goats and sheep off the cliffs and drop down and eat them. Makes a guy wonder how much of an impact they actually have on the sheep and goat populations.
Tavis: my understanding is that golden eagles are the highest mortality cause for Dall sheep lambs bar none.
Maybe not the coolest thing, but I have a picture of this...
Eating lunch on a Colorado elk hunt. Camp robbers must really love granola bars.
About a month ago I was out shed hunting with Trapper when a coyote started barking (not yipping, barking like a dog) at about 30 yds. I healed the dog knowing these coyotes are never alone and their penchant for luring in and then killing dogs. This yote was barking and posturing at me for a good 20 minutes before he started moving in a semi circle around us, and actually came closer. At one point he was 25 yds away. I threw sticks and snowballs at him, and he stood ground, and resumed barking. I walked parallel and armed myself with a stout stick. I had no weapon other than a bowie knife that day. The yote then let us to a deer kill, and continued to bark, and lurch toward us while barking. I took a bunch of video and pics. Finally we just left. He never backed down. I keep going back ovr there with a .22 mag but have not seen him since. He's a Daisy when I do...
I have two and both involve wild cats. I was slipping into a steep draw looking for hogs on the central CA coast in 2006. I noticed a bobcat stalking a bush on the other side of the draw so I sat down to watch the show. A covey of valley quail flushed out of the bush and the cat leaped into the air. He came back down with a quail attached to one paw, transferred it to his mouth and walked away. Pretty cool.
About 5 years ago I was back in central CA a few hundred miles north of my bobcat/quail sighting and in pursuit of hogs. I was quickly working up an old two-track hoping to make it to a water hole before dark. Darkness was closing in when I noticed something on the road ahead of me. It took a second for my eyes to convince my brain that I was looking at a mountain lion sleeping on the road facing directly away at 10-12 yards.
Without much thought I knocked an arrow and drew my bow (self preservation mode). The cat heard me during that process and by the time I got to anchor it was facing me in pounce mode. The stair-down lasted less than 10 seconds. He leaped into the nearby brush and was gone...never even heard him land. Two weeks later I saw another mountain lion maybe a mile away at 80 yards. Still the only two mountain lions I've ever seen.
i remember in 1973 my brother and i were backpacking in Leadville,CO around Camp Hale across from the railroad tracks we came upon an old miners camp and we found an old decorated saddle and a scabbard. An Yellow Boy 1866 Winchester still in scabbard. Pretty cool find.
To continue the cat theme: While archery deer hunting in Nevada during August around midday, I spotted a light colored object in the shade 150 yards or so below me. I looked at it quite awhile before I figured out what it was. Biggest bobcat I have seen lying on its back with four paws up in the air sound asleep. Pretty content posture for an animal in the wild.
Seeing mountain lions (especially up close ) is a very special experience for me. I have encountered lions in Utah, Oregon, Nevada, and New Mexico on hunting trips and several were in bow range but never in a threatening situation although just a few long jumps away (30 yards). One of the most interesting was in Nevada on a 2 track while scouting. l saw 3 animals running around in the road that looked about the size of raccoons but I couldn't quite figure out what they were until I saw the mother lion come into view. As soon as she saw me she just jumped to the side taking the kittens with her. This sighting was so unexpected because it was midmorning on a warm day. I don't think that I will ever see anything like this again.................Bob
I've seen two my lions in my life. Both in the Black Hills.
The first, I had a job cutting timber in 1984. I'd ran out of gas. Really early morning. Gauge didn't work. Hey... I was 21, lol! Walking along to get my BIL to help, I heard brush breaking on the hillside above me. I'd walked right up on the cat and spooked him at 40yds.
The second, I was in a pop-up blind and had 3 gobblers coming... I could just see their heads over the rise at 80yds. Suddenly, they disappeared and quit answering my calls. I saw a flash of tan. Thinking it was a deer, I got my binos up and was looking at a really big tom walking right through where the turkeys had just been.
I was shed hunting in Oregon scrub oak country and walked up to a small seep. About 25-30 yds ahead, a large cougar got up and bolted. It was getting toward dusk. I stood still and looked at a 'dead deer' the cat was feeding on. I thought maybe the cat would be lurking, defending its kill. I stepped forward anyway, and the,'deer' got up...three more cats, a bit smaller that the first one, and all took off in every direction, tails flailing every which way. Kind of unnerving, but I just continued down to the truck without incident. Very cool experience...
I've had two encounters with mountain lions while trying to bugle in elk. The first one happened when I tried to call in a bull that was just over the hill above me, when I noticed something approaching me from my right side. I looked and a mountain lion was running over the tops of blow downs straight to me. When it got within 10 yards I growled at it, and off it ran. The second time was the next year. I had an elk bugling, then the whole herd came towards me, but ran past. I was thinking that was strange, then up towards me comes this mountain lion, much bigger than the previous mountain lion. It stops about 25 yds away and looks at me. My first impression was "this is cool". Then after a bit, I thought, isn't it supposed to be scared of me and run off. I waved at it - nothing. I shouted at it - no response. Now it's tail is up in the air and flicking back and forth. I'd seen the house cat do that, and it wasn't a good sign. I draw back the bow, and decide that I'm going to take a couple of steps toward it, and if it doesn't run, I'm shooting. Luckily it turned and walked off. I didn't hunt that area again that year, despite seeing lots of elk there. I was wearing a brown shirt, had elk scent on me, and was bugling - so I can understand why the lion might have been a little confused.
