What a HOOT

[Bvas]

The boy and I went for a walk this afternoon when I spotted this guy sitting about eight feet off the ground. We were about 20 yds away when I first spotted him, and thought that was pretty cool. We decided to see just how close we could get. We would take a couple steps and snap another pic. Take a couple more, and snap another. This pic was taken when we were just five of six feet away. By this time I was getting a little nervous because every time I raised or lowered my phone he was tracking it like it was prey. Finally I reached up and tapped the end of the branch he was sitting on and he flew off into the woods. It was so cool to get so close.  
 

[SC Bowhunter]

Cool!
That's an experience your boy will remember for the rest of his life.

[J. Cook]

Beautiful creature!  Owls are some of the coolest animals in the woods.

[Captain*Kirk]

Who?

[Stumpkiller]

Owls are always a joy to spend time with.

     

Years ago I used to hunt on thousands of acres owned by a furniture company.  One morning after making my way into my ground spot an hour before sunrise I started to have an odd feeling I was being watched.  At daybreak I turned and a tree 15 feet away and eight feet up had eyes!  And then the great horned owl that was on the branch spread his wings and flew off.  And a short while after my heart started to beat again . . . rapidly.

[Drewster]

What a great encounter with a barred owl.  Thanks for sharing.

[Pine]

That's neat .

[Paul Cousineau]

Cool bird!

[joe ashton]

Did you feel like you were being watched?

They are cool birds!

Sounds like a neat experience!

Bisch

[maineac]

Cool, never been that close.

[Bvas]

It was cool and eerie at the same time. The owl would look away, then when we took a step forward he would stare at our feet like he was eyeing up his next meal.
When we got that close, I looked at my son and told him that was about as close as I  felt comfortable getting. I'll never forget his response. "Yep, I think we've reached mutual respect territory."

[KodaChuck]

Had one land in the tree I was  bowhunting from when I was a youngster. The owl was less than 3 feet away. I remember three things very vividly.The size of the eyes are enormous. The owl keep lifting one leg and then the other as if he was impatient. I was getting pretty nervous. I flashed my bow in an effort to scare the bird away and there was no reaction. The bird just continued his intense stare. At that point, I was losing it pretty good but there was no where to go. And then the owl departed on his own terms. It was a crazy 45 seconds.

[shankspony]

Nice!

[Pheonixarcher]

[D. Key]

Great Pic and a great experience.  I too have had some close encounters with Owls.  Once, I was hunting early in the morning in South Texas during a full moon when I spot a huge Owl hovering over some high grass for a mouse.  His wings didn't make a sound and it wasn't long before he found breakfast.

Another time I was in my tree stand before daylight when an owl flew on a collision course for my head.  At the last second he flew upwards and just missed me by a fraction of an inch. I actually felt the wind from his wings on my face.  A true unnerving experience for sure.

[TradBrewSC]

I love birds in general but like to think of the barred owl as my "spirit" animal. such a cool creature!

[Matty]

I love Owls. Such a treat when you get to see them! Just cause it's so un common. We see bunches of Hawks and even bald eagles every once in a while. But Owls not so much! Cool experience for you guys!

[RAGHORN 3]

Last year this guy landed across from my stand, I snapped a few pics of him and he caught me moving. When he took off, I could see he had a chipmunk in his talons. If I stayed still, I probablly could have watched him eat?

 

He wasn't the only sucessful hunter that day! About a 1/2hr after the owl left I rattled in this buck...

 

[Sam McMichael]

I used to have several barred owls on my place. That is, until the Screech Owls moved in.