counting coup

[Doug S]

This year I made a pretty good stalk in high winds to about 8 yards of a bedded deer. I was on my butt and leaned for a shot. My arrow hit a twg and flew high. The deer jumped up and bolted straight at me. At the last it turned and I stuck my bow out and think I touched it's rump as it passed.

[Mike Brown]

I had a young spike buck walk up behind and through the brush pile I was in.  Stick his nose out and touch my Ghillie suit.  He then walked around in front of me and stopped at 10 yards and stood there for a couple of minutes without a care in the world.

I guess he counted coup on me.

[Nakohe]

This fall I was spot and stalking and walked up on a bedded button buck. He was asleep and I squated by him a watched for a couple of minutes. He woke and kinda of looke over at me and his eyes got as big as dinner plates and he busted out of there. I had my hand on his rump. That was great.

A few years ago I was hunting in a ground blind and shot a nice seven point and was waiting a while before going to get him when a cold wet nose touched the back of my neck and scared the beejeeby out of me. The doe ran about 10 yds to my right and stood there blowing and stomping for 10 min or so.

Great memories are made in the woods every year.

[David Hewitt]

Two years ago while caribou hunting, I was set up in some shrubs along a well used trail.  After several minutes, I had a cow and calf walk within a few feet of my spot.  As the cow passed, I touched her rump with the tip of my recurve.  She was so close that you could see her eyelashes and watch her hooves splay open as see took each step in the mud.  Very cool.

Woody

[Dryrot]

In '85 I was out in one of the heaviest fogs I had ever seen on my Grandpas farm. At the time there were no cattle on the place and I was pretty much walking by brail on an old cow trail towards my stand when I ran into something on the trail. All I heard was a snort and a wheeze and hooves beating off into the distance. Not sure what I bumped into.

A few years ago I had a young doe catch me "not quite ready" settling into a brush blind. she came up and craned her head out to see what the odd lump was and I decided to tap her on the nose with the tip of my longbow. I didn't see another deer close to that blind the rest of the season.

[Marvin M.]

Had a bird land on my arm a couple of years ago while sitting in a brush pile.  It was so close that I couldn't see him well enough to tell what species he was.

Had a chipmunk crawl across my toe one morning on stand.  I don't think he ever even knew I was there.

During Basic Training at Paris Island we were out for night infantry trainging.  We took turns sleeping in our fox holes.  It was my turn to sleep and I felt something moving around my feet.  Woke up to a huge coon working his way up my legs looking for something to eat.  My partner had fallen asleep with me.  I tried my best to give that rascal a good solid butt stroke with the old M-16 but he was just a little too fast for me.  Needless to say my partner got a few choice words.

[Shawn Leonard]

I had a hawk count coup on me once. I was hunting in NC and it was warm and buggy. I had on one of those light screen type head-nets. Out of no where I hear wing beats and whack I get smacked in the head and away goes my headnet. Put a nice gash in my scalp. The hawk flew into a nearby tree and had a hell of a time getting untangled from it, kinda mad me laugh and scared the hell out of me. Shawn

[Jesse Minish]

My Dad had to smack a Black Tail spike on the butt with his longbow to shoot at a two point in a two point minimum area.

[kerry]

Do oppossum on- the- half- shell count?  I think not...

[JiminTexas]

Does having my back pressed up to a big rock while hiding in the brush growing around it and the Griz passing so close to me that I couldn't get my rifle down to shoot it count? It's the reason I don't hunt bears anymore. I made a deal with them right then and there. They let me go, so from now on, I'll let them go.

[DaleinOhio]

Called in a hen turkey one spring...she proceeded to peck the toe of my outstretched boot for two or three minutes as I sat on the ground under a cedar.  I was laughing so hard that I finally scared her off.  A few more hen yelps and she was back at it.  One of my best turkey hunting memories...

[Jim now in Kentucky]

Had  several  kinds of  birds land  on me. Several  squirrels run up my side  and one perch on my shoulder.

Once  climbed  up the  inside  of the wall  of  a barn and swatted the tailfeathers  of  a barn owl  whose  head was sticking  out a  window.

Had a screech owl  come  and  sit  in a tree about 8 feet away and  look  me over last season. Twice  had  to  wave my arms to keep deer  from  running over me. Last  one was an 8-point going  full tilt.

[Mike Orton]

I once touched a rifle hunter with an arrow in my hand.  I was all cammied out in a ghillie suite sitting under an apple tree and the fool was walking up and down the rows of my orchard carrying a 500 yard capable rifle when he couldn't see beyound 40 yards in the orchard.  I actually smelled his after shave before I saw the fool.

Next time I'll let him pass by without touching though...it wasn't a safe thing to do w/ him holding that rifle.  The fool tried to say he had actually saw me and was ignoring me.  Right!

[Izzy]

Got hit in the head by a barred owl, after I passed under his tree.My cousin had the luck of a pine marten on his boot toe.Many squirrels,voles and mice crawling over me, they like wool I guess.

[StickBowManMI]

I picked up a possum by the tail when it was in my garage (raiding the apple bushels stored there) and carried the possum out of the garage and released it. Probably not the smartest thing that I have ever done.

[Budog56]

Not sure I want to admit this one or not, but Was hunting with a friend on some public land it was the first time id been there and it was after legal shooting light I was sitting there waiting for him and the fletchings in my hip quiver rustled I reached back and felt a wet nose then an explosion scared off a 5 deer including the yearling that was checking me out. Wish I had a tape recorder couldve used it to perfect my snort weeze..  

[bowdude]

I had it happen to me in reverse.  Followed up on an 8 pointer I had paunch shot (not deliberately of course), the following morning.  He charged out of the bed from 10 yards in real thick cover and put me on my a**.  Holding on to his horns I bulldogged him down and a buddy who was luckily with finished him off while I held him.  ( see I have a witness!).  Thank God he was weak and not moving well.  Still gave me some good bruises though.

[Frank V]

Does taking a Porkupine's picture in a bush 3' away count? No I didn't touch him. Frank

[tpoof]

Not sure if this counts    
Had a wood tic on me!     :D

[ishiwannabe]

I had a fisher hunt past me....walked over my boots....very strange animal. Squirrels and birds in my stand with me or land on me.
Never touched a deer...yet.
One time, at oh-dark thirty, I was climbing up into my stand. My foot hit something and I heard the strangest chatter. I ended up face to face with a huge porcupine....who didnt feel the need to let me have any quills.
Another morning, oh dark thirty again, walking to my stand I heard something so I stopped. I could actually hear an animal breathing. Then it was gone....later on my way out there were black bear tracks....it was so dark I have no idea how close I was, or how far for that matter.
Did get within three feet of a hawk trying to kill a rabbit today....never heard arabbitscream like that before.