Closest you've ever been to an animal?

[bruinman]

Had a young mule deer lick the toes of my boots one time. Had deer at about a yard several times over the years.

[Ibow]

Several years back I hunted from the ground while bear hunting in Manitoba. While I had numerous encounters within that 10-12 yard distance from the bait, I had one younger bear that was VERY determined to show me he wasn't happy at all that I was there. He postured, snapped his teeth, huffed and puffed for quite a while but at one point he got within 3 feet of me and just growled showing his teeth. I DEFINITELY had my hand on that bear spray and was within a split second of letting him have it.      

I gave him one last chance and whispered, "Hey big boy, hit the road." That was all it took. He turned inside out and never saw him again.    

[Brock]

I have had a doe and two yearlings at 4 feet before with me inside a croup of wax myrtles....

I have had a buck come up behind me when I was leaning against a tree sitting on ground eating an apple and I felt his breath on my neck as he sniffed to see what I was...I turned and screamed-yelled-groaned with fear and the buck gave out a bleat and snort and his eyes got as big as saucers when he turned to depart.

Those are my closest encounters...other than the wild boar I shot at around 15 yds but when tracking him a half hour later walked up on him watching his backtrail at 5 feet....for followup arrow.

[Flingblade]

My dog sometimes licks my face when I'm sleeping.  Hate it when she does that.  Ibow that is crazy!  I think I would have emptied the spray and filled my britches.  Ha ha

[Wudstix]

Chased a 140# sow into a briar patch and shot her broadside at  4 yards.  Walked up to her and stuck her with my BK 5.

[RecurveRookie]

Ran into a hog in the dark, early morning, walking  out to my deer spot.  I heard it breathing in a big clump of high grass 6 ft. from me.  I just stood there thinking for a  minute, then circled wide and went on.  I didn't have a light set up on my bow at the time.  Killed a possum at 5 yds. lol

[slim_grim]

I got close enough to a long tailed weasel to stink of musk for a few days. Won't be doing that again.

[longbow565]

In yellowstone I slid my hand thru a small tree and tapped a cow elk on the nose. When I was younger and dumber of course.

[lbshooter]

When I was 15 years old back in the 60's  I was standing in a clump of pines and had a small buck buck come in from behind. His  nose just a few inches from my side.  We had a state wildlife farm down the road from where we lived and the biologists suggested we let them rob our jackets on the crotch of one of their  hot does. It sure worked. Didnt get that buck. He ran about and stopped 20 yards in front of me, still convinced I was a hot doe. He finally took off after  I shot all my arrows without a hit.   That was the day I learned to pick a spot.  Also, our jackets stunk so badly, we discontinue the practice.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Funny and good stories.

I have touched a few: deer, squirrels, chickadees, moles and mice.  

Been 5 yards or less of Black bear, Moose, mule deer, racoons, skunk      , weasel, Beaver, Muskrat, chipmunk, turkey.

[Whip]

Had an elk calf run by me last fall so close that I had to move my bow out of the way or she would have knocked it out of my hand.  
Another time I was sitting against a tree watching a waterhole.  A group of cows and a spike came in and as one of the cows walked by she seemed to notice my felt hat and walked directly to me.  She got within probably six inches, took a big sniff,  and exploded!

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Joe,

A. you take your boss hunting?
B. I thought you were retired     LOL

It must have been funny after the Elk realized your hat wasn't what she was expecting.

[YORNOC]

While bear hunting, I was jogging my way off a 150' high river bank on the Peace river in Alberta to meet my guide(picking me up in a boat) before it got dark, and ran right into a herd of mule deer feeding in a grassy opening. The light was getting dim and I never saw them.
I ran smack into a doe full tilt. I had a back quiver on, and my abrupt stop made all my arrows fly out of the quiver over my head and all over the field. My bow went behind me somehow and I even lost my knife out of it's sheath. The doe tumbled over in front bending 2 arrows in the process. Mule deer scattered everywhere hopping and bouncing in all directions.
I never fell, and was left just standing there with no equipment left on my body, frozen with shock.
The guide saw the whole thing from below in his binoculars (since he was concerned I was not out yet, he was glassing the high bank) and I could hear him laughing his butt off.
It took me awhile before I found humor in it.

[Bowwild]

A small owl flew (Indiana) into me while sitting in a tree before daylight.

A goshawk almost took my knit cap off in Colorado on an elk hunt.

I caught a full-grown squirrel by throwing my sweatshirt over it as it swam in flooded water -- tiger by the tail definitely came to mind.

I could have grabbed the ankle of mule deer as they came out of nearby draws beside my ground blind on the edge of an irrigated alfalfa field in Wyoming.  

My closest big game kills have been under the stand.

[foxbo]

Some of you guys should leave your bow at home and just take an arrow.

[LONGSTYKES]

Had a cow elk and her calf walk by my stand, between two fir trees. Close enough to touch. Shot a whitetail doe from a ground stand @ about 5ft.

[Tater]

I've counted coup on Mule Deer & Elk by touching them with my bow, and had a Black Bear try to climb in the stand with me a few years ago in Alberta.

  The one encounter that particularly sticks in my mind happened about 18-20 years ago. I was hunting Mule Deer during archery season.

  I had walked in a creek bottom before daylight and set up in a small draw that overlooked the creek. I had been in the timbered draw for a couple hours and hadn't seen any Deer movement.

  The sun was working it's way over the mountain across the draw and I was a little chilled so I thought I might work my way up the ridge above and set up in the rocks and do some glassing for the rest of the morning.

  Just as I broke out of the timber and into the sunlight I stopped to warm and glass a bit. Standing there for a couple minutes I caught a slight movement out of the corner of my eye, it was a brown flash.

   I froze and thinking it might be a Deer and slipped an arrow on the string, as I didn't want to move. I stood in amazement watching the big tom Mountain Lion walking towards me, he had his head down and was sauntering up the ridge, he had no idea I was in his path.

  Finally when he was about 20 yards from me he realized something was there. He raised his head and froze staring at me, I didn't dare move, so we stared at each other for what seemed like several minutes (probably more like 30 seconds). He finally lost interst flicked his tail a couple times and walked away up the ridge.

  I have had two encounters with cats over the years other than chasing them with hounds but this one was definatly one that had the adrenaline pumping..!

[Claymore]

Cutting timber walking through waist high blueberry bushes came to a fallen log I was going to cut into so I ran the saw near the top of the log to cut the blue berry bushes. So then I was about 10-12" from a waist high timber rattler laying on  the log. I wish I knew how high and backwards I jumped with chainsaw in hand.

[kadbow]

I touched a spike bull elk on the nose.  He was leaning in to smell me and I put my hand up and stopped his nose.  His eyes about popped out of his head but he didn't really spook too bad.  Kept looking at me trying to figure out what I was.

[Doug Campbell]

These are all great, I love close encounters, that's why we do what we do...            

Had several elk close. When I shot my first bull I drew my bow when he was at 18". Literally couldn't release till he was further.
Sat down in the brush to rest and have a snack one day when a small group of cows came thru. Three of em stepped over my legs and never knew I was there.
A 3/4 grown calf walked by and stopped under my elbow while I stood by a fir tree. She was maybe 3" from my hip. I stood still long as I could stand it then said "boo". Lucky she didn't kick my teeth out when she took off.  

Killed my antelope buck couple years ago when he blew by at 4 or 5' while I was stalking the herd.

Had a mature wolf 3' away year fore last, he walked up looking for me when I got pinned down during a stalk, intense!

Snuck up on this guy and grabbed him by the tail on a dare...        
 
Had a few bears up close and personal, got a pic somewhere of a small black from 18" away and here's a 450# griz at 6'. I was in a stand 6' off the ground and he was directly under me. I was glad he didn't stand up.