i woud like to here some of your most terrifying
hunts where you get attacked or even lost. :scared: :eek:
thanks! jake ;)
I was returning from the back side of a mountain last week. Some idiot drove into our fields at dawn and chased the deer over the mountain. I went over looking for them. As I was returning, i swung my left leg over a barbed wire and the next thing I knew I was hanging upside down. Pretty impressive how much a barbed wire can make a leg look like a chainsaw accident. My point is anytime we're afield, a bad thing can change routine to damgerous. It was not terrifying, just painful!
lol... wow! it must of been a pain walking back to your house or truck. :eek:
jake
YOUCH!!! Pain, Blood, and Boogered Up Your Drawers in the Process!! :scared:
I am Glad You Got Home to Tell about it Too!! :thumbsup: :archer:
same here... glad to hear it from you and not on the news. :)
I don't know about the most terrifying as I'm seldom get scared while out, concerned yes but not terrified. But I've had a few "memoriable" ones. I'll give you a rememberance or two while I'm waiting to go caribou hunting tomorrow. Yeah two herds plus grouse opens...
Back in the late 60's & early 70's I used to hunt Nason Creek every chance I got. Once I tried to step on a black bear and I mean within a foot. We both were surprised. It was like slow motion. Him a tearing up the brush trying to get away and me trying to climb an imaginary ladder into space while getting hit by that flying brush. As I was young then I had to go back to camp & sample the Jack alot to clam my shakes as hunting was no longer on my mind that morning.
Another time there I walked right up accidentely like within 5 feet on mother mountain lion and her two cubs. She was mad and was letting me know it. As I was tired afer chasing mulies all day I wanted no fight so she kindly let me back off. Why she didn't attack is a mystery but for me a good ending.
While sheep hunting a few years back I decided to take a short cut off this mountain and try and find a better way down. Bad decision! I ended up falling, rolling, jumping to limbs and clawing to get down. Ripped my clothes & gear up good and lost a item or two but I had no choice as it was a one way trip and that was down. My old body was battered and bruised but everything worked when I got to the bottom but then I had to work my way out of a very heavy black spruce. Note to self after that was to take my normal route.
And one more as I don't want to bore you. Again I was sheep hunting and I walked within 10-15 yards of a grizzly laying on his kill. Now mister bear was so kind to give me a low warning growl which I thought was a bird drumming as I was in heavy cover and promply ignored it, next step the volume picked up but I still hadn't seen him but by now I knew it wasn't a bird, so I took one more step and I swear God spoke! I have never ever heard such a loud growl in my life. It literally shake the forest. Yep he got my full undivided attention alright. I saw him just a laying there staring at me. He also like the mommy couger let me slowly retreat. Yep alot can happen when you are out in the bush.
Back when I was 19 and at the time had just began dating my wife. Her family owned a few commercial turkey houses and about 300 yards behind these buildings was the pit that they threw the turkeys that died each day. Each house contained 30,000 birds so 10-15 dead birds a day was common. My now fater-in-law told me I could go sit in the brush and watch the pit and easily shoot a coyote or hog that would come there to feed each evening. I had been sitting about an hour when I heard someone walking up. It turned out to be the ranch hand who was a few years younger than me. He was holding a rifle and asked if he could sit with me. I said sure (not like I had an option at that point) so we both sat there and waited. About 30 minutes went by when the guy said that he wanted to step out of the brush to get a better look down the right-of-way. (OH BROTHER!!!!) As soon as he did he began shooting and yelling. I stepped out and saw about 15 hogs running across the clearing approx. 200 yards away. By this time I was hacked, but I walked down with him to "see what he hit" :rolleyes:
When we got down to where the hogs entered the brush we found a huge briar thicket that had trails cut through it about 18-24" high. We got on our knees and looked through the maze of trails and could see hogs moving through this mess of vines and brush. The guy's first comment was, "I'll crawl in there if you will."
Not wanting to be shown up by a youngster, I didn't hesitate to belly crawl my way in. The ranch hand went on a trail right next to me. The hogs began to run in all directions and once we were about 30 feet in most had left the area. We then heard the distinct squealing of small pigs, but it was coming from behind us. Within a second we also heard the grunting of a ticked off sow and she was in front of us. We had somehow got in between a sow and her pigs and the sow was having none of that! It was all I could do to get my gun up and shoot. She dropped about 10 feet in front of me. Was only about 100 pounds, but when you cant stand up or move to the side it felt like I was tied to a railroad track with a train coming! I tried to act like it was no big deal (trying to be tough in front of the guy) and I guess it worked.
The things we do as kids! :biglaugh:
Back in the 80's I was charged by an injured 8 point buck. Luckily he was weak and I was able to bulldog him to the ground. Got a good bruise on my leg for the trouble.
last fall while squirrel hunting with a bow, I decided to take along mt 22 handgun for target practice,glad I did, as I walked back in the evening, I came inches away from stepping on a coiled up cottonmouth, that little ruger came in handy
Several years ago, I was climbing into my treestand when one of my screw-in steps broke off. I managed to hold onto an upper step with one hand, but swang into the tree with my full body weight. When I hit the tree, the step that I was stepping up to ripped thru my hunting pants and "racked the twins" so to speak. I, with much care, took my free hand and dislodged myself from the step and very slowly climbed down. When I reached the ground I noticed blood on my pants near the tear and dropped my pants to check for damage. What I found was a tree-step shaped gash in my scrotum and my left testicle was now on the outside of my scrotum. I immediately broke into a sweat and tried to calm myself. After trying to take a couple of steps, I found that I couldn't walk with "one of the boys" out of place! Then, as carefully as possible, put my testicle back in place and pulled my underwear up tight and held them there to keep everything in place. Walked to my friend's house and hitched a ride to the hospital.....some painful clean-up and 11 stitches later, everything was back where it belonged. Took a couple of weeks to heal and let me tell you, I shook like a leaf the next time I climbed a tree. I no longer use screw-in steps....climbing sticks and ladderstands only. The folding steps were new and from a quality manufacturer. I bought them in bulk form a local archery shop. I contacted the manufacturer and was told that the steps were recommended for upto 185# and it was clearly stated on the package. I didn't get a package as I bought in bulk and I weigh #250. By the way, I still sing bass in the church choir! Hunt hard, hunt safe-Mike
Mike, now I remember why I hunt from the ground most of the time!!
And I also remember why I hate screw in tree steps. :eek:
One time, no, I can't tell it. It's to scary. If I told it, you guys would never go in the woods again.
Rob
1985 Grizzly Bear attack in Montana while Elk hunting....added 10 yrs to my life.
Alright, MAN-LAW #13 is being invoked on Strutter and Joe Skipp. No teasing on a good story for more than one hour......and it's up !!!
QuoteOriginally posted by Mike Bolin:
What I found was a tree-step shaped gash in my scrotum and my left testicle was now on the outside of my scrotum.
Game over. You win.
Mike ...that was the nuttiest story ive ever heard :biglaugh:
Are you saying Mike's new handle should be Onehunglow? I would agree that beats everything else hands down, Hurts just thinking about it.
Shadow Hunter
....I've heard /em all fellars. You prolly noticed that Bolin rhymes with swollen?! :rolleyes: This mess even made the local outdoors section of our Sunday paper. My 15 minutes of fame! LOL!!! Mike
shadow...it's definitely not two hung low...!!! ouch!!! Mike..maybe you better not make the trip to michigan...now i know too much about ya... kidding bud... come chase some of these deer with me... they keep eating my flowers!
steve, No offense taken buddy. When you work construction and something like that makes the paper, you' better not get your feelings hurt too easy! Mike
Mike I had a similar experience but I'm not telling,,LOL,,
Jake,,I think the scareiest thing that has ever happened to me is,,,, I got lost at night in newaygo big woods,,after I knew I was lost I just sat down and waited for my buddies to come and get me,,If they weren't there I would've been spending the night in the woods,,OH BOY I heard it all after that one,,LOL,,
I fell from a tree stand and really I was lucky I didn't break my neck,, Those years in school wrestling must've helped that out,, I walked away with a chipped tooth,,chunk taken off of the side of my tongue and a very bruised ego,,LOL,,Just till last year I hadn't really hunted from the perch,,still a little uneasy doing it,,J
Good post buddy,,
I was hunting a small in the late December season here. There was about three feet of snow on the ground and the deer had pounded some pretty good trails through the swamp/ I was following one to a blind I had set-up in the early season from which I had taken a nice doe. It had been above freezing for a few days but some nasty weather was on the way in. Walking through the swamp I went right through the snow and ground up to my neck in water, the bank had been cut under and the warm air had caused enough melt to soften the ground. 36 feels warm here in December unless your soaked and the temperature is dropping. Longest half mile walk to my truck I ever made.
Mike I had kind of the same thing happen to me. But My wife insisted that I do it after our third kid.
I was elk hunt in CO a few years back with a buddy kind of just walking along and cow calling. We heard something in the brush so we set up with my buddy behind me calling. The mama black bear and two cubs came right into the calling. Too bad we didn't have bear tags. At Twenty yards and closing fast My buddy stood up and barked at them. It worked they high tailed it out of there.
Picking up the decoys after a duck hunt I stepped from knee deep water into a beaver ditch that was way deeper than the hip waders...did I mention that the water had been ice an hour before? The two decoys under my arms kept me afloat and I was glad I had my tonsils out as a kid cause my n**s went pretty high when that cold water hit...
ttt
Well my first year hunting....after we arrived in Maryville, Mo. ...while I visited the Aunts...Tom and Dr. Rick hung the stands...they put me in an easy stand... well they came back and fetched me...and I go up to the stand...climb up a ladder stand (easy) then grab a high branch step out on a lower but high limb and kinda swing over grab another branch and climb up in the lock on stand on the opposite side of the tree. Sounds easy now...but I was scared...got through it on sheer determination and within 45 minutes I shot my first two deer. Two button bucks...I thought they looked like big Florida does... BTW that stand is one of my favorite...and I get in and out and on the ground with no trouble.
Seriously though the scariest thing was when I packed in a hurry and got all the way to the Paradise hunting camp in Ga. and found I forgot my hair dryer....NEVER made that mistake again.
note to self: if hunting iwth John-Alaska, always walk 50 yards behind. and Mike Bolin? They're made of steel, dude...Mitch is right- I got no game compared to that.
well The scariest thing happened to me after the hunt we had been duck hunting on thanksgiving morning and done the best we had ever done before the ducks were in there like fleas on a dog . well anyway my budd and i were on the way home on the parkway running about 65 mph . all the sudden the truck started bunny hopping and we started sliding slidee for about 60 feet or so and hit a guard rail head on threw me through the windsheild and i landed 30 feet from where we impacted the guard rail . honestly thought i was a dead man when i seen us going toward that rail . but i ended up with only a bruised side and a knot on my head . I had forgotten to buckle my seat belt . :knothead:
Early October. Warm and windy. I figure I will use the wind to hide my noise and squeeze my way through some really thick stuff along our beautiful AuSable river, and do some mid-day sneaking in the swamps.
Frog hopping my way from log to log, avoiding the black muck to what I thought was firm ground, I made a looong jump. I expected to land hard, but instead I sank up to my armpits in muck. My Super Diablo is all that kept me from going under.
I remember there was no bottom to be found. I remember I could not move forward. I eventually got out, but truly I am not sure exactly how I did it.
I remember thinking that there weren`t any animal tracks where I was just before I jumped. I was experienced enough to know, but I guess I just wasn`t thinking.
The Grizzly story is quite long...got even longer when we were arrested for killing a Federally Protected Animal....Maybe later I'll have some time to break it down in 2 parts.
1998 Wyoming grizzly bear attack while elk hunting.
My father and I were hunting on Union Pass near Dubois Wyoming in September 1998. My father don't bow hunt, but enjoys hiking along with me while I elk hunt. Well we were hunting one of my favorite "Honey Holes" one morning and found ourselves surrounded by elk. After a few minutes of trying to figure out which animal would offer the best chance for a good clean shot (I had an any elk tag) I decided on a spike about 20 yards from me before one of them caught my sent. I pulled back and released the arrow which disappeared right where I was looking. The whole woods lit up with elk running in all directions when my elk took off through the trees. Well we sat for about thirty minutes before picking up the trail. The elk left lots of blood for the first 25 of 30 yards then just started dripping blood every few yards. The elk had run down a very well used game trail which forked after 50 yards and we found one spot of blood just before the "Y" in the trail and nothing each direction from the "Y". At this point my father & I decided to split up and each check out one of the trails branching out from the "Y". My father took the lower trail and I took the upper. I wandered up the trail with my nose to the ground for about 30 yards when I heard a bunch of timber breaking down the direction of my dad. I figured he must have jumped my elk as I had not found any more blood. So I took off in that direction. The timber breaking started again and sounded like it was coming my way, so I made my way to a little clearing that was just ahead of me and the sound appeared to be coming from that direction. As soon as I got to the edge of the clearing (approximately 20 yards wide) I could see something brown down the hill and coming my way. About that time I heard my dad yell "BEAR". Well I also had a black bear tag so I got my self set up to shoot the bear when it got into the clearing. Well when the "black bear" came running out of the trees 20 yards from me and heading straight at me I realized it was a grizzly and he was coming full steam. By the time I dropped my bow arm down from being prepared for the possible shot, the bear was 5 feet from me. At this point my feet started to override my mind and they took over. I know you are never to run from a bear, however that is a whole lot easier to say than do when you have one at full charge 5 feet from you. I side stepped around the tree I was standing by and the bear charged past me and I took off running down hill over down falls and through the trees for everything I was worth. At one point I remember looking back and seeing the bear climbing over all the down fall after me. I made it 20 or 30 yards straight down a fairly steep hill when I felt the bear claw at my pack and trip me. When I was falling I spun around and was able to get both my feet up and into the bears chest as it jumped on me. I kicked as hard as I could and the bear kind of rolled over me and landed by my head. I spun around on my back and kicked the bear again in the side. At that the bear just kind of grunted and looked down at me, then just took off into the trees back down the mountain. I have no idea why the bear did not attack any further... I really must have had someone looking out for me that day. After the bear took off, I sat up and tried to gather my wits. I don't know how long I sat there trying to get my head around what just happened, but finally I heard my dad coming down the trail looking for me. When he got to me he explained what had happened to him. He said he was following the trail when he seen the bear running in a big circle down below him and looking up the mountain our direction. He said the bear saw him and came running up the hill at him. My dad stepped back and fell over a large fallen tree. He said the bear came up and put it front paws up on the log and looked down at him. That is when he yelled "Bear" and the bear turned and ran my direction. I guess all the breaking timber I heard was the bear running through the trees to my dad and then my direction. We are two very lucky people to have come out of the whole deal with only a few bumps and scrapes. We figure the bear had my elk down and was protecting it. When both of us were on the ground we did not pose a threat to him and he let us be. Wow after all these years this still makes me break into a sweat and the old heart rate climb a bit.
Rusty Izatt
Many years ago I took an elevator ride on an old Baker tree stand. It was a rainy afternoon hunt for whitetail when I decided to use the Baker on a slick Sycamore tree... what did I know, I was only 23 and hunting with my first compound bow, a "Whitetai Hunter". No safety straps on that rig and no way to lock it into the tree. At about 20' I turned around to face the tree and begin my climb down when I shifted my weight into the tree and that's when somebody pushed the express button for the first floor! As I accelerated toward the ground, I somehow shifted my weight to the edge of the platform and abruptly stopped my descent only two feet from the ground floor. Checked my pants and went home shaking.
Trout Creek, Cabinet Mts of NW Montana. First day of our elk hunt with Guide Billy Hill. My buddy and I headed up the steep Mtn behind Bill and he motioned for us to set up quietly. First bugle brought in a big bull, wind shifted, no shot.
Up the Mtn and across some rocks to another "spot". We set up and called..wind in our faces...another large bull came in 20 yds from me, but I had no shot. He stood there raking and screaming then suddenly, went dead silent and slipped away. Thinking this was strange as we grabbed a bite, the bull bugled way down the Mtn.
So...we headed across a steep slope easing down when the timber behind us exploded. The crashing stopped then suddenly the crashing came back and right at my buddy. We were walking in order of Bill, myself and my buddy. The loud "Whoof" caused Billy to yell its a Grizzly. The bear now turned at the sound and headed straight for Bill and I...with me in front of Bill.
The bear covered 40 yds in what seemed like 1001, 1002. At 5 yds he bore down on me and swung his head right at me. I was at full draw and arrowed him at 4 ft as he passed me and chased our guide down the Mtn. My buddy also shot an arrow from roughly 12 ft.
The bear expired 60 yds away although my guide ran a stick in his eye and had Bear blood down his shirt and pants. We came on the bear, he was wearing a large Radio collar. We took some photos and headed off the Mtn and turned ourselves in to the F&G. Self defense right? Wrong...we were interviewed all night, handcuffed, arrested (I spent 8 hrs in jail).
This was in Sept...January found us back in Thompson Falls for a trial...7 days before the jury finally found us NOT GUILTY. I kept all the national headlines from the newspapers, North American Hunter Magazine etc..I still had some bad dreams for 6 months as all I could see was that large head, coal black eyes bearing down on me.
I could go into more detail about the trial and how the state and feds tried to railroad us with fake evidence etc....but I won't.
I hear you Joe, 9 years later I can still see the beady black eyes and sun shining off the front claws as the bear came charging. Not to fun.
Rusty
Joe,
I'd sure like to hear the rest of the story. Expose them for what they are!!!
I'd like to hear the rest too, why would they try to lock you up for acting in selfdefence?, I just dont get it?
Thanks Joe and Rusty, I really enjoyed the true life adventures you have just posted.
Joe, just as there are honest and dishonest people in all walks of life, so to shall it be with any state or federal game agencies....I'm just glad that no one was injured or worse by the griz........
I have had some "thrills" in the mountains but I will keep them to myself. That treestep story has got me squirming so bad I can't hardly type. :scared:
OK...bottom line, the Game Warden and my guide have been at odds for years. They tried to get my buddy and I to turn states evidence against Bill by offering us Montana deer tags, hunts etc..
They said 2 New York boys shot the bear mistakenly for a black bear. The Grizzly was 27 yrs old, 475 lbs with one testicle. The Biologist who was tracking the radio collared bear took Bill, the Warden and other guys back up the Mtn to retrieve the hide and skull the same day we shot it. They compared Bill's story to ours and said nothing added up.
After we were arrested, and when I finally got out of jail, the 3 of us headed up the Mtn with horses and retrieved the bear carcass. There was nothing in the Bears stomach AND...which I forgot to mention, the bear had a severley broken jaw. The state showed photos at the trial of fresh deer meat taken from the bear...no...the carcass was intact fully when we arrived. They brough forensic experts in to determine the entry and exit wounds and said we were lying about how far we were.
They did determine I was no more than 4 ft away, my buddy said he was 12 and they said he was 18 ft. Our lawywers brought out during the trial, the bear had been trapped by the biologist in a snare and thats when ol Griz broke his jaw. The biologist took photos of the bear at time of capture, turning the head so the broken jaw could not be seen. THEN HE RELEASED THE BEAR BACK IN THE WILD WITH THE BROKEN JAW. The state was hiding all the photographs until our lawyers threatened them.
If we had lost on a state level, the Feds would have prosecuted. After 7 grueling days, the jury finally found us not guilty. Four years later, 1989, Bill Hill sued the State for Malicious Prosecution and was awarded $100,000. However his business was basically ruined by then. He has now started back up last year. The DA who prosecuted us is no longer working, the Warden hung himself a few years later....
From our trial, I managed to walk away with my broken aluminum arrow and Zwickey broadhead along with a few pics of the bear. Something to tell the Grandkids about........
wow, glad you and your friend came out ok
when i was in eighth grade(3 years ago) i was shooting a compound and carbon arrows. i live with my mom and i was basically teaching myself how to bowhunt. i knew nothing about carbon arrows or that they could crack. well i had one cracked just past the fletchings that i had set in a pile of arrows i don't shoot. well i forgot about it and accidentaly grabbed the broke arrow. i pulled it back and as i let it go there was a huge flash and a loud noise. the bow shot out of my arm and i just stood there confused. i then felt something roll down my arm. i looked down to see a piece of the arrow sticking out of my forearm. well to make a long story short the arrow shattered hit me in the forearm right in between 3 major arteries.
anyways i got a ride in the ambulance, and after a lot of tests and plenty of morphine the doctor pulled the arrow out of my arm with a pair of pliers(like you have in your toolbox). i guess i was just really lucky. since then i switched to traditional bows and aluminum arrows but i'm starting to fool around with carbons again.
like i tell everyone else, at least it makes for a good story.
Bigfoot ? :scared:
TX Sweat, 06. I'd had a great time with Curtis and the bunch; but hadn't killed anything which was just fine with me. Last night, I went out "rabbit hunting" , really just plinking and enjoying the ranch. 20 minutes before dark, I stepped into a sendero and looking down the path saw 3 hogs feeding along the path. I faded back into the sparse brush and got ready. Two of them slipped off the sendero and under a fence before they got into my shooting lane. The third still ambled along and was not quite in shooting position when he winded me. He turned directly facing me and "growled" Wild hogs don't "oink". Due to the length of their head, I had nothing to shoot at because his head covered his chest and all but his feet. I really did feel that he was about to come for me so I decided to shoot him in the head. Aimed right between his eyes and be damned if the arrow didn't go exactly where I looked. Sounded like I'd shot the broadhead into a telephone pole from 6 feet when it buried itself between his eyes. He immediately charged, but went into the brush about 10 feet to my right. I could hear the aluminum shaft bouncing off brush for about 40 yards, and then all was quiet. I thought the arrow would have been broken off or knocked out but later serious looking that night and the next morning found no arrow and no blood. I hope that hog is OK. Had I not shot him, I think he'd have come for me. Judging by the hog Charlie Lamb shot, I'd guess the one I shot weighed 250-300 pounds. Curtis said when they get that big, they have no natural predators and can become aggressive. I had a blast and only regret that I wounded a fine animal and didn't recover it.
I've got one.
I was hunting on my farm about 8-9yrs ago.I was in a red oak tree about 16ft of the ground. The tree sits on a very gental slope, stick weeds for 25yds from the grass road that divides the big woods just above me.Down below me are some pines and small oaks, a funnel you could say. Now i can see our barn out in the meadow and i'm watching a hawk chase some sguirrels way out behind me. I had some time on my hands because the buck i was after wasn't due for two hrs. I had my widow hanging in front of me because i was in the big fork of that tree and limbs all around me. I was well hid.
I was peeling an acorn with my two index fingers, and not moveing anything else. I was lost in making something out of that little acorn...maybe 10-15mins.
all of the sudden it was like somebody swung at me with a ball bat! I swapped in the direction of that huey landing claws extended and it just about took me out of the tree!! I looked up and saw him
go striat up! he was a very big hawk.
He could have ripped my hands off if i hadn't heard him comeing at the last second!!WHEW!!
I don't were face paint anymore...
One winter many years ago and when I wasn't so smart. I was tightening a three bladed broad head with my fingers. As you can guess it slipped and I cut my thumb and first two fingers to the bone. It was a good thing we had snow, because I kept packing my fingers in snow to slow the bleeding. I won't forget that trip!!!
nothing too exciting for me....i was walking thru a michigan farm woodlot down a soft quiet trail about an hour before light....when i jumped a group of deer that took off on my left... i couldnt see anything because it was pitch dark, but it sounded like 3 or 4 deer.. as i stood there another deer started slowly running right for me from my right side...All i had was a pen light and this buck stopped about 4 feet from me and i could hear him snotting, and wheezing as he was trying to figure out what broke up his party with the does...i thought for sure he was gonna let me have it, but he decided to turn and slowly walk away.... I think that was the fastest i ever made it to a tree stand and sat down.....the hunter became the hunted...
TTT
Many years ago I was spring black bear hunting along the Northfork of the Flathead River. Like most river bottoms in this country, the cover was thick with head high red willow and other dense vegetation. The only way through this tangle was by following some game trails which meander around and occassionally go through small meadows where bears like to feed on the tender young spring vegetation. I had just crossed a small creek and climbed up a muddy bank when the brush about 50 yrds ahead of me shook as an adult grizzly stood up and started swinging its head to and fro trying to catch sight of the trespasser in its domain. When the bear spotted me I saw its hackles rise and I hear a low rumble become a full out roar as it dropped to all fours and charged. Before I even had time to react it stopped at about 15 yards, gave me a hard stare and walked away.
Not really dangerous hunts but weird things occured while hunting:
Where we deer hunt, losing deer to bears and coyotes has been an on going problem for us the last several years. Two years ago on our last night of hunting, I drilled a doe pretty good. She took off and collapsed about 40 yards away. Being the last night, I waited about 15 minutes, took down the steps and the stand, went and gutted the deer and dragged her back to the stand location. I was going to attempt to drag out the deer, my bow, pack, clothes, stand and steps all in one trip but only made it about 20 yards before I figured out it would be too much. I dropped the deer and brought everything else out to the two track and was back to the deer about 20-25 minutes later.
Upon arriving, I came upon a really good sized bear who already had laid claim to the gut pile. Thinking of course that the bear had the deer on it's mind and was going to follow the blood trail from the gut pile to the deer, I started yelling and waving at the bear to get him to hit the road. After two weeks of terrible hunting, there was no way in the world I was letting a stinking bear get that deer. Most of our encounters with bears up to that point had been uneventful with every bear leaving as quickly as possible. But much to my surprise, this one wasn't real anxious to leave. He stood on his hind legs and looked at me, snapping his jaws several times. He bluffed/charged twice a few yards toward me and then reluctantly backed away, all the while looking back snapping his jaws as he wandered slowly back into the woods.
Needless to say, I BACKED all the way out of the woods and back to the two track with the deer. 8~)
-------------
Back in about 89 or 90 (I forgot), we were up in Ontario moose hunting. The story we had was that this area had been closed by the MNR for 15 years and the year we were there was the first time it had been opened back up for hunting. The trek back to where we hunted was almost a one day trip in itself, with atv's, rowboats, argos, the whole nine yards so obviously many of the animals we encountered probably had never seen a human being before.
We found that indeed, all the animals we encountered literally had no fear - especially the wolves.
One day we were back at the camp for lunch and I decided to walk down this old, old logging road to shoot some judos. As I got some distance from the camp, I had an eerie feeling I can't describe come over me, but I knew I was not alone - I was being watched. Lo and behold - I was. Somewhat unnerved, I slowly turned around and not 30 yards behind was a jet black wolf, just sitting on the trail, looking at me - much in the same way a dog would just sit. He did not seem at all tense or threatened by my presence. My gut feeling was that he was just curious but I wasn't about to wait to find out. I yelled a little and waved my arms and he just got up, slowly walked about 10 yards down the trail in the opposite direction, turned and gave me one last look like, "What in the world is THAT?" and just quietly turned off the trail into the thick bush and disappeared.
LOL, needless to say I didn't waste any time at all getting my hind end back to the camp. I hate to admit it but it shook me up a little bit. But I also have to say that when I think back to that trip, it is always one of the first things I think of and it was definitely one of the most exhilarating experiences I have ever had while hunting - I will never forget it.
QuoteOriginally posted by Mitch-In-NJ:
QuoteOriginally posted by Mike Bolin:
What I found was a tree-step shaped gash in my scrotum and my left testicle was now on the outside of my scrotum.
Game over. You win. [/b]
no doubt! I hurt just thinkin about it!
Was out coyote hunting at night once with a mouth blown rabbit in distress call....long story short, lost my hat to a great horned owl that at the time I would have sworn had a 10 ft wingspan! Man them talons are wicked sharp!!!!1
oh yeah, there was the time I nearly shot my eye out with a .22 that bounced back off a limb or something. I was trying to shoot a coon out of the tree when BAM...I was seeing stars and not much else. The bullet was apparently tumbling and hit the bone rihgt on the edge of my eye socket. No penetration but a tiny bruise the exact silhouette of a 22 bullet, 1/16" to the left and I would be blind in one eye for sure!
Ok no attacking animals but scary situations.
The first was after a big ice storm in MD. I was deer hunting in a watershed area. I was walking to my stand and was looking at how pretty the ice was. It was much thicker than at my house. A I walked down the trail to my stand I watched the top of a tree (yes the whole top) fall about 50 yards away. Needless to say I decided that day was not the day to go hunting.
Another situation earlier in another season. Again in MD. I was in a tree stand it was warm and in the middle of the day so I had gotten cofortable and closed my eyes. Above me I heard a crack then another. I grabed my bow and leaned hard to my right. This large limb brushed me and my treestand as it fell to the ground. I was unhurt but pretty shaken after that. I didn't see it as I climbed the tree but it must have been ready to fall. Leaves were still on so I probably missed it because of that. Pretty scary.
Like John/Alaska at the beginning of this thread we used to hunt the Nason creek area quite a bit during the early 70s. There is an airstrip there that had a small campground around it. Next us a man and his wife were staying in a camper. They had a big black dog that if I remember right was a Newfoundland.
Since it was hot my friend and I decided that rather then sleep in the back of his truck to instead lay our sleeping bags out on some dry leaves under a nearby tree. This made for a pretty cozy bed. About one in the morning I woke up to something rattling the garage can that was located 30 yards or so from were we were laying and half way between our camp and our neighbors. In the dark I thought at first it must have been the dog, but after a few minutes it became apparent that the black furry animal trying to crawl into the can was in fact a bear! You never saw two more scared teenagers then us. Laying there in our bags on those noisy leaves we were both afraid to move and felt totally helpless. Our bows were in the truck which was probably a good thing looking back on it now. After what seemed like an eternity the bear went off the other way back to the woods. Our neighbors and their dog never heard a thing inside their camper.
TTT
While I have had several "bad" incidents in the outdoors I don't think anything could be worse them Mike's!
2 incidents that happened to me do stand out in my mind very well though.
The first was in 1987 while scouting for spring gobblers in Parke County IN. It was warm for early April and I had been out since well before daylight listening to gobbles, around 9:00 a.m. or so the birds finaly shut up on me and I begin heading back to my truck. Well when I got to it I had a dead battery from leaving my dome light on, no problem I thought I would just do a little cross country hike, cross Sugar creek and get back to the house in maybe an hour. Well when I got to the creek I heard a single gobble and decided that I would set on a sandstone ledge maybe 20 feet high near the creek for awhile and take a breather and maybe hear another gobble or two. As I got to the edge of the ledge and was just getting sat down, about 6 foot of the ledge broke off sending me and a big chunk of rock falling 20 or so feet onto the ground below. I knew it was bad when I hit. My left elbow was completley busted up with 2 inches of bone protruding out of it, Bleeding pretty good as well. It hurt to breath and I knew that was a problem as well, and I also managed to dislocate my hip somehow. I sat there and used my shirt to get the bleeding under control and trying to figure out how I was going to manage to get out of this one. No one knew where I was (I was single at the time and only 16). The longer I sat there the more it hurt, and I was sweating bad and craving water so after a while I managed to lay on my back holding my left arm togeher with my right hand and pushed myself with one leg and worked my way to the creek. It was probaly 30 feet away but seemed like a mile. Anyway to make a long story short, I layed there all day, all night and around noon the following day I heard a tractor accross the creek from me. I'm not sure why but after a while the tractor pulled onto the sandbar straight accross from me. Of course I was screaming for all I was worth but the guy on it wasn't hearing me. Luckily he shut it down on the sandbar to unhook a log he was dragging and heard me. I ended up with compound fractures on my left elbow, broken right wrist, 3 broken ribs, and a dislocated hip! Morale of the story always tell someone where you plan on being!
The second one was in 1994 while hunting whitetails with a freind. I had managed to take a young buck early in the evening and had recruited a freind to help me drag him out. It was early october fairly warm with a light rain. As we were dragging the buck we spotted a group of deer in an old apple orchard about 100 yards ahead of us. My freind had his bow so we decided a stalk was in order! There was an old barn between us and the deer and it had large open doors on each end we could see the deer through the barn. We decided it would be best to slip through the old barn and peek out the far side to see where the deer were heading. As we got in the barn we kept watching the group of deer. They were maybe 30 yards from the far side of the barn. The light was dim in that old barn and my freind was ahead of me with his bow, sometime while we were in there he knocked an arrow, well the deer moved to our right out of site and we begin going to the far end of the barn to peak out. as we reached the end I saw another buck to the left of us just coming ino the old orchard. As I was watching it my freind turned around to whisper something and I stepped forward at the same time. The old bear two blade on the end of his arrow entered my leg 3 inches or so above my right knee and buried completley! needless to say that hunt was over. Ended up having to have it removed by surgery The tip of the point was about 1/2 inch from the back of my leg. I never felt any pain at all when it happened just kinda like poking yourself with a stick while walking, but it sure bled good. Oh course I still harrass him about poking me! We still hunt together as it was really no ones fault, no hard feelings Timmy!
Those that know me know that mother nature has had a LOT of fun with me.
Here are three of many experiences:
My oldest son and I were walking out of an elk area to a road we knew was below us about a mile away. We were following an old trail that was above a ravine we knew would take us to a road we were parked on- several miles up.
This was pre-LED days; and I had a flashlight; and to save power; I just walked along the trail in the darkness; and my son followed.
At one point I stopped because I could not see the trail; and asked my son for the flashlight. When I turned it on; I realised both my feet were toes over the edge of a drop off: that was about 100 feet down - too not so soft broken rocks. I just stood there a while-- just have never forgotten that feeling....if I had taken just one more step!!
Once I was elk hunting. I had taken a bear that spring; and I had a controlled hunt for deer that winter; so it was all about elk. I parked my truck and walked a long trail- up in the direction of some active wallows.
I thought I heard a noise behind me. It was just cracking dawn; and I couldn't see anything. I let out a cow call and got no response; so I continued on. I then heard a noise to my left; and I could see just enough in that direction to see it was tall ferns; and such; and if there was an elk there- I should have seen it.
So; I continued on. Then I heard a noise again; and nocked an arrow. I stood there for several minutes totally still. Then I heard a noise about 12 steps from me; and there was a mountain lion there- and it ran straight for me. I was shooting a bear recurve; and I watched as my arrow hit it square in the mouth.
To this day; I have no idea why I hit it in the mouth. But it was 8 steps from me when I hit it. It went kind of berserk trying to get the broadhead out of its mouth; and then jumped into the brush. I shot at it a couple more times;although I could only see little bits of tan in the bushes.
I then remembered that I had forgotten to check the oil in my truck; and headed that direction... kind of fast...
It was NOT lion season. I had a tag; the season was ten days away. So; I went to a friends and called fish and game. They told me to go get the lion and take it too a local taxidermist- for him to hold on to.
Then I thought; jeepers; what if the lions not dead? I really didn't want an officer injured; so I put on a .22 pistol and grabbed my bow and camera; and set off to the scene.
When I was walking in; it was light; and I could see lion tracks in my tracks. I realised the lion had been following me.
I got to where the lion attacked me; and started taking pictures. I followed a sparse blood trail; and then saw the lions tail protruding from the brush. I took a picture of it; and the tail moved; and the lion stood up- about 5 feet from me.
I grabbed my bow; and put another arrow into it; and it ran off a bit; then turned my direction as I was taking yet another picture of it. I dropped the bow; and put another arrow into it. Then grabbed the camera and took a couple pictures as it tried to come at me; and then fell back and died.
I dragged it whole from the spot back to my truck; and drove out to my friends place. There was a deputy sheriff there that told me a fish and game officer was on the way; and that I was to stay there.
The officer investigated it; checked the arrow hits- and now uses it as a case of when you SHOULD shoot a mt lion.
He did though confiscate the lion. It was measured at 88 inches from the nose to tail before skinning; and was a male.
The officer saw my pistol and asked if I had shot the lion with the pistol; and that was a shocker to me; as I had until that very moment forgotten I even had a pistol on! He is a good officer; but wrote me a warning ticket advising me: not to shoot lions out of season..
My third experience was with a black bear. It came into my camp walking around the tent at night; popping its jaws and growling. The season was not open yet; and I had a tag; so I just laid in my cot hoping the bear would eat my buddy in his cot ( and he was hoping the same for me). This went on for nearly a week; every night. I even put some camp trash about 10 yards from the tent - hey why put up a treestand when the season was getting close?
I sat one day below camp; and below an elk trail. The bear came in below me and charged me several times; kind of bluff charges- but really intense. That lasted over a half hour. I was ready to kill the bear.
The day before the bear season opened I was sitting on a hillside. As some elk approached- the bear headed into camp. It had a back and forth motion to it that I had never seen before; a really odd gait. I ran down there to keep it from getting into my bear bait- and/or the tent.
Then when the season opened; I put 5 gallons of corn syrup on a stump; and left a bushel of apples there; and put up a treestand.
The next night; the bait was gone; and so was the stump! The bear had torn it to shreds; and dug a hole that was quite big to get at all the syrup.
So; that night I rebaited; and got up into the treestand. Nothing happened and nothing hit the bait for over a week. I decided to move the bait; and when I was picking up the apples I had put into a bag; and I had my treestand over my shoulder; the bear lept off a ledge above me (an old trail) and hit me square; smacking the stand with one paw.
It of course knocked me hard to the ground; but the stand had taken most of the blow; and the ground was soft from the bear having dug it up.
The bear started biting the ground; and growling; and headed my way; and I put an arrow right into the front opening to its chest at about five steps away; and it turned right before it hit me again; and died on that trail above me. That is the kind of thing when time just dissapears. I could hear its death moan; which probably lasted a couple minutes at most... but it seemed like each second was an hour.
I tagged it; and skinned it out and found on the top of its spine; a hole; that was all healed up; but with the skin off; I could take three fingers and stick into it- funnel shaped to the spine ( probably the reason for the odd gait). I couldn't really come up with anyway that could be unless it had been hit from above - with an arrow; which it had healed perfectly from.
Several.... several years later... my son told me he had taken a straight down shot on a bear about a half mile from the camp; from a treestand over bait; and said the bear had rolled and the arrow broke off; and it was 'angry' and he didn't follow up on it.
I really believe; as I baited that bait for myself and my son; and had taken a boar off the bait that year he shot the bear; that the bear he hit remembered my smell ( from the repeated baiting and setting up stands etc). And when she found my scent in the woods again- she wanted some payback. I have no proof of that; but in retrospect- that's the way it seemed!!!
I prefer all the above to having been the one in the 'loose nut -treestep story' :(
I was doing some scouting one year in the county i grew up in and the place i was going to hunt i had to walk. The turkeys were gobbeling like crazy on every other ridge. Now alot of this country is strait up and down, little mountains you could call'em i guess. Sort of like the Smokies in tenn.
I had been there i guess since about noon and saw a lot of turkeys, and sign everywhere. Thier is no fall season in that co. and they are everywhere. There are also alot of wild dogs that people have dumped off to survive on their own. Bobcats are plentifull as well. I have personally seen a very big black cat there as well, it was about the size of a medium sized dog. I've heard'em scream a few times as well...
Now if you have ever heard one scream you'll know what i'm taikin about. Amplified by the small creeks and the hills close together it can be a hair raiseing experiance for sure...
I had been lookin around for awhile and not been payin much attention to the time untill i noticed the sun was going down. I had just packed for the day and didn't take a light with me, and i thought man i better get a move on or i'm going to be walkin out a here in the dark and it was gettin cold fast. I had a ways to walk so i stayed on the ridge tops and figured i'd just drop off the top down to the railroad tracks and walk back to the truck.. That took longer than i expected. I also forgot that i had to walk by some old boarded up mine openings. Now they are spooky in the daytime moreso at night. When i hit the tracks it was almost picth black. I walked along skipping ever other railroad tie trying to judge the distance and make good time in the dark.. Walking beside them was dangerous in the dark, big gravel and other obsticles you can't see. The trains hardly ever moved through there much anymore. While i was walking i was trying not to make much noise so that i could here the surounding darkness that seemed to choke out everything...
I could see enough though to make out one of the openings that i just past and i could feel the colder air comeing from the opening. I did pick up the pace as well. Now i'm a big guy, but not being able to see very well compounded by all the preteders around do to all the game birds made me more nervious than usuall. And my dad had run into a bunch of wild dogs one time while cruseing some timber where he walked up on an old punch mines and had to fight his way out with an old board, after walking by it. Anyway i thought about that when i heard the gravel moveing behind me. I would stop and listen nothin i would walk a little more and here it again! I stopped and it stopped! I don't know what this is but i do know he is down wind of me. I started to walk a little faster! And it starts to walk faster! I stopped and I could only here my heart pounding in my ears! Now i'm starting to get creeped out! Something came off of the bank above the tracks aways down from what ever was walking behind me, i heard the rocks and stuff falling down. Now i'm starting to get a metalic taste in my nouth! FEAR!!!
I turned and picked up the pase the best i could in the dark and so did whatever that was behind me!! It sounded like it was about 60-70 yds behind me. I could make out the faint sounds every now and then of something. Now this thing whatever it was is trying to be quite!! I stopped and turned around because this was really getting old!! I yelled out at it,and it kept comeing slowly!! Well enough is enough, I pulled out my 1911.45cal that i had cocked and locked behind my back, I fired two rounds into the bank about 20yds or so away. The sound was soaked up by the darkness alot but still rang out do to the mountains so close together.Whatever that was ran off!!! And man was i glad!!
I made it back to the truck soaking wet and scared about half to death!!
I went back a couple of days later and looked for some tracks, i believe it was a bunch of domesticated dogs that have went wild or some of thier pups from years gone by...I haven't walked the tracks much at night without a flashlight since, i take a light all the time now regardless of when or where i hunt..
Gordy... Don't go there......
Lost? Hmmm... been fearsome confused for a month or two, but I ain't never been lost. - Henry Frapp
Suprised noone's mentioned scary encounters of a two legged kind. Ever wander up on a pot field?
TTT
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