I was in a tree stand waiting for daylight when a Horned owl swooped down at my head. Almost fell out of the stand. I guess at the last second, he or she figured I wasn't breakfast. I had a cap on w/ the fur ear flaps. I don't wear that cap anymore !! What a rush.....

Yeah had ones wings hit me in the face as it passed over the top of my noggin. I liked to have jumped outta that 20+' treestand that evening! Jeez! talk about catchin ya off guard os they are silent in flight.

J

It seems to happen to me at least once every season. On at least two occasions it cost me getting shots at deer.

Last year I had a small hawk go for my eyes while I was in my ground blind. Pretty freaky to see a pair of talons and 2 big yellow eyes only inches from my face. He realized some thing was wrong at the last second and brushed past my head.

Several years ago I hung my hunting pants up by the suspenders on the front porch to "air out" over night. The next morning at o'dark-thirty as I was stepping into my pants to hit the woods again a small bird, which had decided to roost in my pants for the night, came fluttering up and out! HOLY MOLY!      

I don't know who was scared the most,  me or the bird,  or the dog.  The bird was squeeling, I was yelling choice profanities, and the poor dog was yelping after he banged his head on a piece of patio furniture trying to get out of the way!  I fell off the porch into the holly bush (ouch!), rolled onto the ground, and got mud all over me because it had been raining.

Now that was a HOOT!!!    

Yes.  I was in my tree before daylight years ago and was hit in the head by one.  It was after my hat.  Never heard it coming.

yup...calling coyotes at night, I had one swoop in, hit my head, took my hat-some hair-and all my dignity at the moment.....let out a squeal like a little girl, I did  :D

Middle of nowhere in Colorado, I had an owl dive on me. Not sure what he was after, but he came within a foot or so of my head. Never heard a thing, either. The only reason I even knew it was there was I saw a shadow on the ground.

Ive had both owls and hawks take a run at me. Once while on stand moose hunting I had a kestrel land in a jackpine 20yrds away. He watched me real close and then launched at me, I had to swat him with my bow.

I have been buzzed on at  least 2 occasions by some type of raptors. Since I am not familliar with the diffrent typs of Hawks, Falcons I have no clue what type of bird it was. Must have been going after a finger tip(I cut some of the tips off the gloves) or something else cause I could actually feel the wind from it's wings as it changed course at the very last second.

My sone Andrew was with me this season sitting in a blow down 12 yards away from me reading a book and he claims he was buzzed by an owl. I never saw it or heard anything untill he wispered to me about it.

Nearly,, just last week.A barred owl was squirrel hunting when he took notice of my beedy eyes .peering from within my face mask.I waved at him to let him know I was the wrong kind of rodent.

Had them chase us out of the hay barn back in the days when they still made rectalgle bales and you hand stacked them in the barn after baleing  and loading trailers all day..
and roost in the limbs over  our ground stands too,,they are LOUD at 2 yards!

Two years ago while on stand- sharp shinned hawk swoops in and lands about 12 feet away.  He's peering at my eyes- just visible through my fask mask opening- next thing I see is talons headed my way FAST- luckily I was holding my bow and blocked him with my limb!!

Sounds like I'm going to have learn to shoot with a full face Motocylce Helmet...

I sometimes owl a few times, right at dark when I'm going to climb down.  I've found that seems to make any deer in the immediate area leave without spooking them to badly.  One evening I had to set a little late due to deer eating on white oak acorns under me.  When it was full dark I finally started owling pretty loud.  About the third or fourth time a big owl almost took my head off.  Not sure what I said to him, but he defenitley took offense.

I have had owls swoop close to me on numerous occasions while in treestands, but they usually veered at the last second.  On one occasion an owl hit my hand that I was holding my bowstring and knocked arrow with.  Another time I brought my bow up to protect myself and an owl hit my bow about six inches in front of my face.  I had one owl that for a couple of years that landed two or three feet from one of my stands several time each year while I was in it.  Twice it flew from the limb next to me and caught a field mouse.

Not me but I have seen Turkey hunters in spring get stitches in top of head. This still playes in my head every year I shock turkeys...

Several yaers ago I was hunting from a cedar tree in a thicket.  A buck was feeding about 10 yards in front of me--head on.  I was waiting for him to turn broadside.  I was in full camo including headnet and gloves.  My bow quiver with barred turkey feathers was hanging behind me.  I caught some movement coming from above and covered my head.  A Great Horned Owl landed on a limb about 2 feet from my head on my right side.  Seconds later I ducked again as a second owl landed on my left.  I kept glancing apprhensively at the big birds who had their beady eyes trained on me.  Fortunately, the buck turned broadside and I yanked my bow back to my anchor and sent a shaft through his rib cage.  At my motion, the owls simply lifted off without a sound and I was left wondering if the event had really happened.  A feather spiraling to the ground convinced me it had.

Skip

Never been attacked by one but I killed one the other evening.
I didn't shoot it, I just walked around the tree he was in several times until his head unscrewed and fell off.    
John

Timberghost, that's one of the funniest things I've ever read! I can see it in my mind, and it's hilarious! Thanks for the best laugh of the day.

Digger