Ever fallen asleep in the woods
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: DonVathome
01-Mar-24
I have but not for that long. Laid down to take a nap deer & elk hunting a few times midday.
One day deer hunting the rut was on so I decided to stand all day. No water, no seat, no food. 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. That was a long day. My wife was sure I fell out and that night I learned her and my dad tried to find me! She was not happy!
From: Thornton
01-Mar-24
Several times during spring turkey and when I awoke, there was an old hen picking around nervously ten yards away.
From: Papadeerhtr
01-Mar-24
Yep have fell asleep couple times while in my climber. Absolutely not the smartest thing to do lol
From: buckeye
01-Mar-24
The best nap is in a tree in my climber, those long strings of early mornings put me out mid day when the sun is warming me up.
From: Jaquomo
01-Mar-24
Once in the elk woods I over-napped and woke up in the dark. Another time I woke up and there was a 180-class muley bedded 30 yards away. I tried to reach my bow but he blew out of there like a rocket.
From: Will
01-Mar-24
Yes. Turkey hunting. To many 330 AM wake up calls and on a slow morning, just sitting against a tree pondering my next move at around 7:30, I woke up about 3 hours later ha ha ha!
From: Glunt@work
01-Mar-24
Napping in a sunny spot is an essential part of elk hunting.
From: bowhunter24
01-Mar-24
Agree with Glunt, but twice I have been rudely awaken by those darn little squirrels running across my lap while chasing elk.
From: casekiska
01-Mar-24
Deep in the woods,...on a walking trail in WI,...about noon,...beautiful, warm October day,...I stop to have lunch and pretty soon doze off,...I'm laying on my back in the long grass, eyes closed, relaxed,...I feel warm breath blowing on my face and can hear the sound of heavy breathing,...WTF?,...I'm startled awake and bolt upright only to smack my face into the nose of a horse that had been bent down and checking me out! WOW, what a shock that was! The horse rider and I were both surprised and laughed about my reaction. I think the horse was surprised too!
From: RonP
01-Mar-24
glunt x2. some of my best naps are in the woods during fall. a nice sunny hillside after lunch.
From: kadbow
01-Mar-24
I wrote an article about it years ago for TBM. I woke up from a nap one time with a bear 10 yds away coming in on me.
From: Husker
01-Mar-24
Turkey blind naps & an afternoon sunny slope elk hunting are the best!
From: t-roy
01-Mar-24
More than once I’ve been awakened by a thunderous nearby gobble.
From: Buc i 313
01-Mar-24
too many times to remember
From: Ziek
01-Mar-24
Never! Well, maybe once or twice or more EVERY year. The naps I don't like are when in a tree stand. That first second or two when you're waking up can be terrifying.
From: Sandbrew
01-Mar-24
Sleeping midday out on the mountain is a big part of some hunts where you are in deep and don't want to leave before the evening glassing session. It sis critical at least one person keeps an eye out and takes a picture like this.
From: Two dogs mobile
01-Mar-24
Napping is a part of turkey hunting. Any self-respecting turkey will announce his arrival.
From: elkmtngear
01-Mar-24
I do it all the time. Once, I was dreaming that a game Warden was kicking me in my right foot...woke up to a gray squirrel with the tread of my boot in his mouth, pulling on it (I guess he thought it was a pine cone) ???
From: samman
01-Mar-24
Many times.
From: Nomad
01-Mar-24
My wife is famous for napping in the turkey blind. But I always wake her up in time.
From: JohnMC
01-Mar-24
When my daughter was probably 8-10 years old turkey hunting in NE. She naps on most hunts. But she is sleeping in blind, I give her a shake to wake her and whisper that turkeys are coming in. She says "tell them to come back later". Another shake she is wide away (at least mostly) and kills one moments later.
From: scentman
01-Mar-24
Timex must be napping, haven't heard from him in 20 minutes:0) lol!
From: Screwball
01-Mar-24
Yep, 16 warm sunny side of a large red oak I was leaning up against. When I woke up nice 8 point staring right at me at about 20 yards. Now at 61 more than I will admit. LOL
From: 2Wild Bill
01-Mar-24
Yes, intentionally in my screened hammock. My first sense of awakening is hearing. A warm temperature and gentle breeze are heavensent joys.
From: Cotton
02-Mar-24
Hunting in Texas once I crawled under a cedar tree to get out of the sleet storm and woke up to a little doe about 2 feet away looking intently at me. Then Turkey hunting in Minnesota I was in a brush blind and my buddy came by and told me I’d been sleeping which I heartily disagreed with……….until he showed me the video of seven turkeys parading past me.
From: Olde style
02-Mar-24
Yep a couple of times - once when I woke up against a tree I had a young do 10 yds away -walked away shaking her head probably thinking- what an idiot- bow on wrong side,no arrow nocked,and sleeping .We need more like him out here!
From: StickFlicker
02-Mar-24
We used to lay down in shallow dips on the prairie and wait for pronghorn to come by, and then try to get the bow shot without spooking then. A couple of times I fell asleep in the warm morning sun just to wake up with a buck standing a yard away staring at me! But the worst was napping on the bank of a river while hunting spring bear and opening my eyes to a rattlesnake curled up and enjoying a nap in the sun next to me!
From: fdp
02-Mar-24
Yes.
From: air leak
02-Mar-24
Plenty of power naps while turkey hunting.
From: IdyllwildArcher
02-Mar-24
What Glunt said. Any sort of hunt that involves leaving early on foot, walking all day, and getting back at dark often times involves me finding a nice spot for a nap - especially if it's warm.
From: Two Feathers
02-Mar-24
The best thing about my Tree Lounge is sleeping safe and sound.
From: fuzzy
02-Mar-24
Almost every time lately
From: Patdel
02-Mar-24
Plenty of times. I take naps elk hunting often..long predawn hikes catch up with me. Sometimes the elk will wake me up. I had a bull wake me up one day then nearly step on me...5 yards maybe. He never did figure out i was there. Laying on the ground like a fool with a half eaten sandwich on my chest.
From: drycreek
02-Mar-24
Yep, woke up a few times with my chin on my chest. It always starts with just “resting my eyes” !
From: scentman
02-Mar-24
Fell asleep sitting against a Hemlock, Tom starts gobbling 20 yds out on a logging trail, wakes me up... I shoot and hit him but I can't stand up both legs fell asleep, I had to physically shake them with my hands to get the blood flowing... all the while he's flopping down the ravine. I did get it together and retrieve my 20 pound gobbler. scentman
From: nchunter
02-Mar-24
From: nchunter
02-Mar-24
After a morning hunt during rifle season years ago I sat down on a deer trail passing under a high voltage tower. The sun felt awesome so I laid down with the gun across my chest unloaded. I woke up with something licking my face. When I opened my eyes i was looking straight into the eyes of a doe. I reacted by slapping its nose and it ran about ten feet off. When I stood up it ran off. It was an older doe which was a little strange to be so calm around a human.
From: BULELK1
03-Mar-24
I was bowhunting a Bull on my Az. tag and I went into a meadow mid-afternoon and got behind some blowdown hoping to ambush a Bull as they fed out off the mountain daybed.
I had a guy with me, from Alabama, that wanted to experience Az. bow Bull hunting but didn't have a tag, he was about 100 yards across the meadow in some Quakies.
I dozed off------ when I woke up, I could see him jumping up and down waving his arms above his head and pointing towards me.
A decent 6 x 6 was thrashing in a small wallow about 60 yards to my north.
Afternoon shifting breeze and he was gone.
Dang it!
Good luck, Robb
From: Jeff Durnell
03-Mar-24
Have I fallen asleep in the woods? Yes, while staying there overnight.
While hunting? Nope. Not so far in 40+ years but I've never been much of a sleeper. Alarm clock is set for 4 am and it hasn't woke me in years. No napping for me thanks, especially while hunting... which is mostly all stillhunting. Hard to do that while sleeping.
From: grizzly
03-Mar-24
Extremely tired after a long Guard weekend and I was about to fall asleep in the stand so I climbed down, took a 30 minute nap on the ground. I got back up in the stand and 15 minutes later shot a nice doe.
From: Basil
03-Mar-24
Years ago after working a night shift I hunted all day. In the evening I crawled up in a huge old birch tree. After a while I got sleepy so I laid down on a big branch listening for deer. I was positioned with the branch running up my spine & legs dangling down. I was chilled when I woke up & it was well after dark. My bow was on my chest & my arms had been dangling down & had went to sleep numb. I had a heck of a time just sitting up to crawl down. Used to burn the candle at both ends. Was pretty common to go several days without sleep.
From: LBshooter
03-Mar-24
all the time, it’s helps me from moving. A number of times I’ve awakened with deer looking at me lol
From: Scar Finga
03-Mar-24
Oh yeah! Nothing worse than laying down for a quick nap and waking up 5 later and its pitch black, 2 miles back to the trail head and another hour to camp:/
From: TRnCO
04-Mar-24
some of my best sleep happens while in the woods.
From: bowwild
04-Mar-24
Never have.
From: VogieMN
04-Mar-24
I still vividly remember my first day of bowhunting when I was 12. My dad built a really nice stand that had a railing and burlap around it and I was a little tired when it was still dark so I leaned my head against the railing and when I opened my eyes, there were 3 really nice bucks in front of me about 30 yards away. Couldn't take a shot but it was a cool experience.
From: Meat Grinder
04-Mar-24
Early in my hunting career, before I owned a treestand of any kind, I'd sit on the ground against the base of a tree (gun hunting). There is nothing like falling asleep on a cold, still, sunny morning when the woods are quiet and you're dressed just right. It's a light, peaceful sleep like no other.
You don't see a lot of deer, though. ;-) But when the woods are quiet, the crunching of leaves wakes you up.
From: sasquatch
04-Mar-24
All the time, probably near every day at some point that I hunt elk or turkeys. A good “woods nap” is hard to beat
From: TonyBear
07-Mar-24
Power naps during bowhunting or turkey hunting. Usually not more than 40 minutes or so. Once or twice in a natural blind with deer right in front of me when I awoke.
From: Who Cares
07-Mar-24
Duh! Hate that when a fly or ant crawls across your face and wakes you up.
From: VAMtns
07-Mar-24
Heck yea , we used to have a lot of hedge rows around and you could lay in them on real thick Honeysuckle vines that would support you better then a bed mattress , winter time only or ticks and chiggers .
From: Candor
09-Mar-24
There is not a whole lot better than a nap on a bed of pine needles in the midday sun. Your lower half in the sun and your upper half in the shade. As long as the redbugs aren't out.
From: Brun
09-Mar-24
Warm mid-day naps while elk hunting. Frequently.
From: caribou77
09-Mar-24
Every single time I step in the woods I nap. It’s part of the enjoyment.
From: HiMtnHnter
09-Mar-24
One hot, dry year on an elk hunt I napped against a big quakie mid morning as I hunted back to camp for some coffee. I awoke and the woods seemed different. A minute later I heard a crash as a young bull made his way through the brush. Only time I’ve taken an animal within minutes of waking up. And there I’d got to thinking the morning was a bust….
From: Lost Arra
09-Mar-24
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
09-Mar-24
Question is have I even not fallen asleep in the woods lol… woke up one day whitetail hunting from the ground with two coyotes about 20 yards away staring at me… it was a sad day for one. The other suffer only a flesh wound. I think they were sizing up dinner…
From: Juancho
09-Mar-24
I didn't quite fall asleep, but got so late out of the tree stand, that I had no choice but to spend the night in the bush. Had a fire going for the night and slept on and off all thru the night. Was a long walk next morning to camp, but no one missed me, as I was hunting alone way before cell phones and GPS and such. Had a nice nap, a nice breakfast, and out hunting again for the rest of the week.
