cool happenings while hunting...

[Birdbow]

Sitting a treestand on a autumn bear hunt, I heard something approaching. It was a small bear - a 3 legged bear. It moved off downhill from me and I watched it turn into a berry patch and stop to apparently watch it's back trail. Within moments, I heard something else coming along the bear's path - a coyote. It was looking ahead and pausing to sniff  along the bear's trail. As the yote approached the now hidden bear, it was attacked by the bear from it's hiding place!! The bear missed but chased the dog out of hearing, chasing very fast for a 3 legged critter.
 Best guess is that the coyote saw the limping bear and thought to follow up to see if it might be an easy meal - NOT!!!
 Neatest thing I've ever seen in the woods.

[Legolas]

Daybreak in a tree stand on a cold morning saw the sunshine cover a tree and the leaves all dropped off and there was no wind.

Saw a turkey running through the woods balls out speed and run straight into a 40 foot stone cliff. 10 seconds later he was up top above me running the ridge. I went over to the base of the cliff and found a cut out like a leaning chimney he had scaled out of my sight.

In a tree stand had a hawk land near me at eye level and just sat. He spread his wings and dropped to capture a mouse. He missed seeing the 200 lb rat next to him.

I was hunting on the edge of a hillside cedar thicket. The cedars were all about 8 feet tall and they made a perfect natural blind. Above me I heard a group of turkeys putting and purring. Having a fall turkey tag and being well concealed, I was getting a bit excited as they worked down the hill towards me and getting closer. The putts turned into purts and I thought that one must have come in and spotted me.  Suddenly, the whole flock took to the air and behind one of birds as it gained altitude, a mountain lion appeared launching straight up out of the cedars taking an aerial swipe at a turkey. I don't remember much of what happened next, but I do remember looking back at the hillside when it was about 200 yards away and thinking that things like this are not supposed to happen in Iowa, but it did explain the piles of turkey remains buried under mounds of cedar duff.

[cahaba]

A few years ago while turkey hunting I saw this nature unfold. There was a hen,gobbler and jake on this little knoll about 100 yars out. This hawk would dive down and hit the jake. He did this 3 times. All the while the gobbler was getting closer to the jake till he was right up against him. Then the hawk made another dive at the jake with the gobbler right beside him. Like lightning the gobbler hit the hawk and killed him. He must have put a spur into his brain cause the hawk didn't even flinch after he was hit. It was awesome to see. I just wish I had gotten a video of it.

[goingoldskool]

Seeing how alot of people have bobcat stories, I'll put mine in...  A couple years ago I had a real nice bobcat approach my deer stand.  With it still being Oct, he had nothing to worry about (fur bearer season 1Nov).  

He stayed at 15-18 yards for 10-15 minutes and finally moved off toward the north.  About 45 minutes later, all kinds of commotion erupted to the northwest.  All of a sudden a squirrel ran up a tree barking as he ascended with the 'cat right on his tail!  The tree rat got out on a limb that the 'cat didn't want to try.  That squirrel barked at him all the way back down the tree and until he was out of sight.

Good times!

[Harleysboss]

Not a bobcat story..just a little larger. 2 years ago while elk hunting I was watching a small meadow in the late afternoon. As time went by a cow elk and small calf fed their way to about 40 yards of me. As I watched, the calf started to get separated from momma. All of a sudden the calf started chirping and ran barreling into the side of Mom. Momma threw up her head and started staring back up the draw. I also began looking for the cause of their concern. Then I saw it...BIGFOOT! NO just kidding, what I did see was a very large mountain lion putting on the sneak. What a sight to see! Very impressive animal to see in person with no zoo fence separating you. Any ways I was not allowed to shoot a cow elk in the game unit I was in so I figured the cat was not going to get one either..without violating Trad gang rules.. I fired one shot over the cat and it was all over..he lit out to the east and the elk headed west.. me I went west towards the truck. Very exciting to say the least. Take care.

[PRK]

I once watched a pine marten stalk along a dead log  beneath my tree stand.  When he got to the end he paused briefly then pounced head first into the leaf litter and came up with a mouse in his mouth.  I frequently watch fishers hunt their way by my stand.  Cool animal to watch work the woods for dinner.

[VictoryHunter]

Two years ago I was ground hunting and as I was sitting there on my stump a family of racoons climbed down the tree right next to me and scared me to death.

[zimjohn]

Years ago, bowhunting in a natural ground blind in Quebec province, I had a pine martin (I think it is like a Mink) walk right up to me and stand on my boot.  

Deer hunting in England (with a rifle as bowhunting is banned) also had some great sights - barn owls flying directly overhead in the early dawn - totally silent. Badgers and the badger kits playing outside their sett (den) and foxes just walking straight up to you while still hunting.

I love hunting - you just never know what you'll see next.

[Digger_JC]

I was elk/deer hunting a few years back and decided to sit up against a tree trunk and rest. I woke up about 20 min's later to a coyote pup sitting and watching me from about 10'! Just watching, no concern or fear. I thought about shoot'n then decided against it as it was a pretty cool thing. It just walked away about 2 min's later.

[bow loving man]

I was deer hunting in Colorado and had decided to lean up against an Aspen tree and watch a deer trail that was up the mountain about 20 yards or so.  I had stepped off a trail about 5 yards and found a comfortable stout aspen to lean against.  I watched a Doe and an older fawn move along the trail above me and was waiting to see what was behind them when I heard a bunch of rustling to my right just across the trail I had stepped off of. I slowly drew my bow not knowing what was making all that racket and if I had missed seeing a bedded deer.  As I was holding my bow at full draw, a bobcat walked straight to the that trail and stretched real good!  I thought about shooting him but his nearest tree to climb was the one I was leaning against!  I lowered my bow slowly and watched him ease downhill for about 15 yards until he caught wind of me and he was gone...it was an awesome experience!

[dagwood64]

One fall morning in November, during the start of the rut I watched a 8 pointer with a doe in a grassy field.
They were only 60 yards away from where I was sitting.
The buck turned away for about a minute to look at something else, and the doe at that time decided to walk a little ways off and lay down in the tall grass.
The buck turned around and couldn't find her. He had a look like "Oh crap, where did she go."
I had to muffle my chuckle.
He finally found her, and were scared off by my Aunt opening her back door,to let her dog out.

[dirtguy]

One morning my son and I had stalked into tree stands about 100 yards apart.  After a couple hours of sitting, all the little birds and rodents to might right started to put up a big fuss - warning calls, movement, etc.  The fuss moved like a wave from my right to my left, in the direction of my son's stand.  I never saw what caused the disruption.  A couple of hours later when we were walking out, I described it to my son.  He had the same experience except he knew the source.  A fisher cat had walked directly underneath his stand.