I thought it had me dead to rights!!!

[ChrisM]

Went out hoghunting/deer scouting during mid day today.  It was a cool 98 degrees so I was working my way down the drought stricken spears creek lookin for piggies cooling themselves in the sand and sparce pools.  This area is thick with canebreaks and blow downs and is rarely ventured into.  Well about an hour into the hunt I come to a sharp bend in the creek with a deep muddy pool with multiple gametrails and hog wallows around it.  I decide to hang out next to a sycamore on the edge watching a down wind trail and hope.  Five minutes into my wait I hear a low growl followed by two huffs.  Now years of being in the woods and around animals it sounds like it was feline in origin.  I begin to rapidly scan the area it came from and put an arrow on the string.  I can't find it as the growls continue.  Now in my area we have bob cats and the occasional lion.  The growl sounded very defensive in nature and sounded like it was coming from the area of the pool that had a 10 foot solid bank so my mind says I have a cat cornered in that bank and I am the only way out.  I look and look with pressure on the string. Then the sound stops dead silent with no sound of movement.  Now what is it about to jump on me before I can find it?  Just before I hollared to get its attention or to make it move I see a ripple in the water.  Out pops an Otter!! I am 32 yrs old and have been in these woods since I was about 6 and I have never seen an odder in my neck of the woods.  Well to my great relif the little buggers starts to growl and huff at me.  Well I chuckled to myself, relaxed and sat down to watch him.  He came out of the water after a while to within a couple of yards and after a few minutes he went into his hole.  There for a second I thought a pissed off cat was gonna get a piece.  Just one of the many reason I love getting out there.  Glad to see a species finally returning to an area it used to be common in.  A few years ago I saw my first beaver and now a otter.
Sorry for the long read

[RUSTY1]

LOL!! That was awesome!!

[Claym]

Haha! Great story! Glad he didn't maul you

[daveycrockett]

 Thanks!!

[DannyBows]

Good one!  

[S C Mercer]

Wish I could send some of our Virginia beavers your way...  They are all over the place and making a mess of things here.  Glad your otter encounter wasn't deadly! LOL!  Steve

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Otters are fun to watch. Nice sighting.  

[USAFdad]

You had my full attention with that story. Been stalked by a couple lions, eerie feeling. Glad it turned out happy.

[Mudd]

[Outwest]

They are neat critters, they like to play and are very curious. I've had them follow me down the river for a mile.
Lots of them around here both river and sea otters.

John

[Bjorn]

Fun to watch!

[Brett Wilmore]

LOL good stuff Chris!  THANKS for the *long read*

[BowHunterGA]

Great story, did not see that one coming!

[Bill Kissner]

Otters have invaded southern Illinois and are a nuisance. They move into a fish pond and literally kill every fish in it. They are voracious eaters. Some of the catfish farmers have had their summers work ruined. After they leave all you can find are fish bones everywhere.

[Dogboy900]

Cool read. Would have got the old heart jumping for sure!

[JimL]

Too cool

[xma]

Trag Gang Foul! Should be in the Dangerous Game Forum....

[Margly]

Great story  

[Ydanny]

Great story and Bill Kissner is right, they will clean out a pond in short order.

[hardtimes]

Good story, thanks for sharing. Just goes to show you never know what you may see in the woods.