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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Pine on March 18, 2020, 07:03:41 PM

Title: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: Pine on March 18, 2020, 07:03:41 PM
It was about 47 years ago, mid-October and my friend Mike offered to drop me off in the National Forest near Luther Michigan.
I was very set in my mind that I wanted to do a wilderness hunt all alone. I was to be out there for a week. I had an ice chest with eggs, bacon and two loaves of bread. The rest of my food would come from what I would forage and hunt with my bow or slingshot.
I had four broadheads and two blunts. I also had a small bag of marbles for the slingshot. Archery deer season was open as well as small game, so I was all set. What could possibly go wrong?  :thumbsup: :archer:
The first two days were very productive, I had taken two rabbits and one squirrel. I did fire a warning shot at a grouse with a blunt and lost the arrow. Oh well, still had one blunt and four broadheads.
The deer sign was a little sparse. So I decided to try in the swamp that was about a half mile from my camp.
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: Alexander Traditional on March 18, 2020, 07:06:05 PM
Sounds very cool! I have thought of doing something like this myself.

I'm guessing there's more to the story?
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: Orion on March 18, 2020, 08:00:32 PM
Well, you're writing about it, so we know you made it out.  Waiting to hear "the rest of the story."  :goldtooth:
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: Captain*Kirk on March 18, 2020, 08:28:41 PM
What could possibly go wrong? 

 :dunno:
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: achigan on March 18, 2020, 08:49:26 PM
Great start for a long, drawn-out tale!
I’m retired, quarantined and ready for more, at your leisure.
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: Pine on March 18, 2020, 09:22:35 PM
 :nono: Don't be impatient.

The swamp is called The Big Bear Swamp of Luther. It is a few miles wide and over twenty miles long. It is filled with cedar trees and very tight underbrush.
The third morning I was cooking bacon and eggs in my Dutch oven lid and I noticed that there was a very thick fog rolling in. It was so thick that with my flashlight I could only see a few feet. So I decided to wait until light before I headed to the swamp.
I had to check my compass very often just to keep on the right path to the swamp. The eerie thing was with no rain for a few weeks, the ground was soaking wet and I could walk silent as long as I didn't step on a twig.
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: Bvas on March 18, 2020, 09:42:27 PM
Well you’ve got me hooked.....can’t wait to be reeled in  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: BearBandit on March 18, 2020, 09:55:06 PM
Why do I feel like this is one if those tales like my dad's one friend used to tell around the fire at deer camp where I hang on every word only to end up laughing in relief after being left in suspense for so long.   Man I miss those moments in time.

Thanks for sharing
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: MGH on March 19, 2020, 08:47:55 AM
Dog Man!!
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: Pine on March 19, 2020, 03:21:36 PM
Made it to the edge of the swamp and started my way in, very slow and constantly sweeping my eyes for what I could see. I found a very well used deer run and I decided to sit in a blow down that made a very good natural blind.
After about an hour, I was able to see a little further because the fog was letting up a little. I could see a tree that seemed to be broken off about ten feet above the ground. This seemed odd to me because there were no other trees in the area that had damage like that, so couldn't have been wind damage.
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: Pine on March 19, 2020, 04:29:24 PM
As I pondered the tree a nice twelve point buck wandered down the deer run towards me. He stopped about fifteen yards from me but seemed very nervous. I didn't think it was me because he was looking slightly in a different direction from me. I just held tight because he was head on to me and there was no good shot.
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: Pine on March 19, 2020, 07:26:41 PM
He then stomped his foot and turned sideways to me and I let fly with a good shot. He ran off and then there was silence for about a few minutes. Then in the direction the deer was looking I heard a twig snap. I wondered what it could be. Then a little ways closer to where the deer had ran I heard another stick break. That was a big stick that would take a lot of force to snap. I started to get a little nervous and curious. :dunno:
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: Soonerlongbow on March 19, 2020, 08:21:40 PM
 :campfire:
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: Pine on March 19, 2020, 08:29:13 PM
I got up and slowly got to where the deer was and found the blood trail. Started trailing it and I noticed that there were large foot prints next to the trail.
I saw the deer up ahead and it appeared to be pulled apart at the back quarters. There was a large hump moss covered looking object next to the deer that for some reason made me feel uneasy.
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: Gator1 on March 19, 2020, 09:20:38 PM
Big Foot? :scared: :scared:
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: Pine on March 19, 2020, 09:40:17 PM
I stood where I was for quite some time just watching intently and wondering why the deer looked like that. I finally started closer and when I was just a few feet away the hump rose up and it was enormous! :scared:
 It looked like a man with hair all over and had to be at least eight feet tall.  :o For a moment I was petrified, I pulled an arrow and it stepped toward me and I shot. Missed, grabbed another, dropped it, grabbed the last broadhead and missed again. :scared:
Now it was coming after me, all I had left was a blunt. Knocked it and I was staring it in the eyes, and the next thing I remember was the thing running away with the arrow stuck in one of its eyes.
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: Pine on March 19, 2020, 10:21:35 PM
I ran back to my campsite as fast as I could and I was scared out of my mind. I stayed there with the fire going and all I had left was my slingshot.
I had to wait until the next day for my friend to show up. When he did, I decided not to tell what had happened for fear that I would be thought crazy.
He asked me how things went and I told him about the small game. He ribbed me all the way home about losing all my arrows. But that was OK, I made it out alive and that was all that mattered to me.
I have never shared this with anybody till now.
I did hear that some old guy claimed to see a Big Foot a few years later that had only one eye.
 :dunno:
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: Wudstix on March 19, 2020, 11:53:57 PM
That makes sense.
 :campfire:
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: yaderehey on March 20, 2020, 01:33:05 AM
I absolutely believe every part of your story.  Except the bit about the twelve point buck....
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: creekwood on March 20, 2020, 10:18:49 AM
I don't know if I have ever read a story that was so well narrated as this one.  It felt like I was actually there with you. And, I believe that it was a 12 pt deer, heck, it might have been even bigger. Your story even explains why my mother-in-law only has one eye.
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: Archie on March 20, 2020, 11:14:22 AM
I don't know if I have ever read a story that was so well narrated as this one.  It felt like I was actually there with you. And, I believe that it was a 12 pt deer, heck, it might have been even bigger. Your story even explains why my mother-in-law only has one eye.

 :clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: Wudstix on March 20, 2020, 11:43:51 AM
Creekwood; well played.   :laughing: :laughing:
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: Deno on March 20, 2020, 01:02:36 PM
creekwood    :laughing: :laughing:

Deno
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: Tim Finley on March 20, 2020, 02:43:16 PM
Did you go back for the antlers ?
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: Cyclic-Rivers on March 20, 2020, 10:52:23 PM
Good read. Thank you. I just thought one eyed grass covered humps were vegetarian.  I've been proven wrong.
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: Eric Krewson on March 21, 2020, 10:34:02 AM
Well, this isn't a made up story and actually happened to me;

Back in about 1974, before treestands became common, we stalk hunted, moving very slowly on old logging roads taking plenty of time to watch for deer. We actually got quite a few shots back then, we practiced with our equipment much less that we should have and missed almost every shot we took.

I was stalking up Little Coon Valley on Skyline Mgt Area in N/E Alabama, bow in hand, walking up an old logging road in mid October when this happened.

This was mountainous terrain that stepped up in benches from the bottom of the valley to the top of the mountain. As I got close to a river cane covered bench, slightly above the logging road, something in the canebreak started growling, the cane was about 10-12 ft tall and I couldn't see what it was.

I was about 25 yards from the comotion, in a matter of seconds, the guttural growl became a angry roar increasing in ferocity and volume. The "thing" started throwing sticks and leaves straight up into the air above the cane break. The roaring growl increased in anger and intensity, the shaking cane indicated a large "something" was in there.

Then came the rocks, all of which were being thrown in my direction. My heart was pounding like crazy, I was frozen momentarially, then a log as big as my leg came flying out of the cane break and landed beside me.

I looked down at my bear Kodiak Hunter recurve and little razor head tipped 2016 arrows and thought "NO WAY". I turned tail and ran like a scared little girl down the valley as fast as I could, I made it back to my car and got the heck out of there.

Of course I told this story to the locals who hunted the same area, not a single one believed me.

I live in N/W Alabama now and have run into two credible witnesses who had a similar encounters in the Bear Creek area, the difference between their story and mine is they actually saw the creature.
 
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: Pine on March 21, 2020, 12:56:04 PM
Nobody ever believes.
My best friend seen one near Baldwin Mi. Not far from where I was.
He was walking a 2 track after sundown while bow hunting. It stepped to the middle of the road and the next step was the other side of the road.
He didnt see or hear anything after that.
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: Wudstix on March 21, 2020, 02:17:12 PM
Heard some pretty unidentifiable and strange noises back on top of Paddy Mt as a younger man.

 :coffee:            :campfire: 
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: Terry Green on March 22, 2020, 07:31:31 AM
Pine ya doing fine!!!  Charlie Lambesque! Great stuff!
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: 3arrows on March 23, 2020, 07:07:39 PM
Reminds me off old times. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: RJonesRCRV on March 23, 2020, 09:46:56 PM
I just revisited this thread and the first thing that my eyes picked out was "two blunts", ie. no wonder he saw Bigfoot. Took me about a quarter second to process that back to arrow points...

Seriously though, these stories creep me out a bit.  As many accounts as there are from credible (as far as I can tell) people must mean something very possibly could exist that isn't officially in the books.  Its usually a passing encounter or the creature trying to scare the human away.  Obviously these creatures have the brain power to know not to injure us, as that will set off a posse or bounty hunt, or maybe they can tell we are similar animals.  Either way, they are doing a good job of keeping their distance from us, if they do exist.
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: Jakeemt on March 25, 2020, 03:16:47 PM
This is a reprint I believe. Used to be in a thread about scary or unexplainable things that happened in the woods. Super fun thread and it eventually covered some 15 pages or so if I recall correctly.
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: Doug S on March 28, 2020, 07:25:40 PM

  Yeah the 12 pt buck sounds like a stretch. Esp so close and with excitement ....
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: Pine on April 18, 2020, 11:51:16 PM
https://youtu.be/pLMg4P8pUnM
Title: Re: A young man on a solo hunt.
Post by: blacktailbob on April 19, 2020, 05:28:50 PM
X2 yader

With all this cabin 19 fever stuff we needed a good story.