cool happenings while hunting...

[Mike Vines]

So I'm sitting in my ground blind tonight, ghillie. suit on, waiting for a deer to leave the bedding area with enough shooting light left, and all of the sudden, all kinds of little birds start chirping, and swarming the branches around me.  then one decided my Eclipse tipped douglas fir shaft was to cool looking not to land on it.  sat there for a good 10 seconds bouncing back and forth, then flew off with the flock.

I'm sure this has happened to others, but this was my first time.  I thought about the guy who caught it on camera, and wondered how he managed to get the pic.

what cool stuff has ever happened to you guys when out hunting?

[Rick Butler]

A few years back I was in the UP for a late October hunt.  It was a cold gray dawn with a light snow falling and absolutely no wind.
  As I sat in my treestand I had this feeling I was being watched.  I happened to glance up and to my left, and not 15 yards away was a Snowy Owl perched in a tree watching me.  Coolest thing I've seen sitting in a tree..  I'm sure he was trying to figure out how really big that squirrel was!

[mountain lion]

A few years ago while setting in the stand I was watching a squirrel mess around when all of a sudden everything got quiet and he just froze in his tracks. I thought this was odd, so I gave him my full attention when out of nowhere the squirrel jumped straight up with a big ol bobcat right on his tail. I never even seen the cat setting there, it was the coolest thing ever!!! The squirrel got away but then the kitty just looked up at the squirrel while he was barking his head off then it was like he shrugged his shoulders and just walked off.

[erierik]

The last two years I sat in my treestand and watched a mink hunting thru the brush.Very cool.

[huntingarcher]

Several years back I was hunting the edge of a wheat field.Earlier that mourning I had seen an eagle flying around the field.I doin't see many eagles in my area but knew they were around.The eagle had been gone for sometime when I see it flying toward me.It was going to land close to me in a tall pine tree.The eagle started kinda back peddling with its wings,its claws looking to grab a limb about the size of your arm.The limb broke off and started falling with the eagle hanging on to it.For a short period of time the eagle was actually upside down falling with this tree limb in its grasp.Seemed like slow motion and with just feet to spare the eagle let go of the limb and sailed out across the wheat field only a few feet off the ground.It was really cool to see and will never forget it.

[creekwood]

I had a Great Horned Owl land on the same limb that I was standing on a number of years ago while bowhunting. Those things are HUGE! I was sure glad when he took flight and left me on the limb alone.

[magnus]

That's cool Mike. Makes you feel like one with nature.

I was still hunting once on a cold windy and snowy January day. I was creeping from one tree to another when a. Big gust of wind blew up. One of those kind that makes for a temporary white out condition. I caught movement up and to my left and when I looked  I saw a Red-tailed hawk soaring down thru the snow blown tree tops. It was so cool to see the snow move around him due to the air flow from him soaring. Suddenly I realize his talons are out and he is thinking the tree stump looks like a nice place to land. I WAS THE TREE STUMP!  He came at me till our eyes locked and he swooped directly over my head. I could've reached up and touched him easily and I could feel the rush of air as he flew over. It was one of the coolest things I've ever witnessed. Looking back it was to close for comfort but what a great memory!!!

[Phrogdrvr]

I had a chipmunk pounce on my Dyer moccasins last month while still hunting.  That was a great victory for me, as my still hunting skills are fledgling.  Great fun.

Tom

[Stump73]

Last year while deer hunting I had a hen turkey fly and land on a limb 5 ft above my stand. I got pictures and video of it on my old phone. I almost stood up and grabbed it.

[Sam McMichael]

Some years ago a bunch of birds came in pretty much like you described. One landed on my longbow and just slid right off the end. It looked like a cartoon with all his wing fluttering. My stand was not very high so He fell almost all the way to the ground. His wings were a flurry of motion as he frantically tried to get airborne again, but he finally did. I had a good laugh over that one.

I have had several other birds land on me or my arrow, but this guy is the only one that got all excited about it.

I did have a squirrell jump in my lap once, and he bolted very quickly when he realized something was wrong. That one uneased me, because I knew a guy once who got bitten by a squirrell, but foolishly he tried to pick it up. I may be dumb, but I ain't stupid, so I kept my fingers out of the way.

[dcmeckel]

My Dad and I had a Tektite fall into a canyon we were climbing out of one night while hunting. It lit up the canyon with a blue green light ,similar to the blueish light an Arc welder puts out. We could even hear it sputtering on the way down. Talked about that one for a few years I'll tell 'ya!!

[Matthew Bolton]

Last season in early October I got to watch a big ole hawk pester the heck out of a bunch of squirells in my little block of woods. The best part is he kept landing about 10 feet up on my tree to use it as a vantage point. Also yesterday morning I had a red fox come trotting in to about 30 yards. I've never been that close to one before.

[Mudd]

I was sitting on a downed tree leaning against a part of the trunk that was still standing (maybe 10 feet tall).

It was snowing but not white-out conditions, I was just sitting there taking it all in really enjoying the serenity of the moment.

Something caught my eye and I looked up at what I thought at 1st was a falling leaf being blown toward me but it turns out it as a flying squirrel and he landed just above my head.

Strange looking little critters up close.(huge eyes)

I can still remember the pleasure I got from those few moments.

God bless,Mudd

[Woody303]

Several years ago in central New York, we arrived to camp late in the day.  As the sun set, the moon was full, with wispy clouds moving by, and the wind whistling in the pines.  We could have filmed a horror movie that night.  After finishing up dinner, we heard a screaming sound and a bunch of coyotes barking and growling.  The following morning we found a deer skull and spine, still covered in fresh blood.

We didn't see any deer after that.

[Cool Springer]

A few years ago I was sitting in a tree watching some squirrels chase each other on the ground about 30 yards away.  From what seemed like out of nowhere a blur of what turned out to be a bobcat came rushing in, chasing the squirrels.  One of them started up a tree and the cat went about 8 feet up and caught it.  When the cat hit the ground, the squirrel was limp between its jaws. The bobcat walked toward my tree, and when it was about 10 yards away it looked up at me with the squirrel in its mouth.  It then slowly walked up the mountain, heading for someplace to enjoy its evening meal.  
The speed at which this all took place was incredible, and something I'll never forget.

[graybarkhunter]

two weeks ago i built a ground blind with my backing being a big oak that was recently cut by a timber company and i cut several sweet gum limbs and placed them around me several feet away to give me enough room to "sprawl" out(it was hot and i was tired   :D   ). i was sitting 2 feet from the end of the stump where the logger cut the base of the oak because it was big and would hide me with plenty of limbs front and back. well right before dark i feel/hear my blind moving behind me. it was so close I couldnt move. after 2 minutes went by and silence i veeeery slowly moved my head around and there was a spotted fawn in between the end of the trunk and my sweet gum limbs i had stuck in the ground 2 hrs before. it was close enough i couldve taken my arrow off my rest and stuck her/him in the heart. talk about a rush. didnt have a clue i was there. it was the closest i've ever been to a live deer in the wild. it just walked on thru and went and ate under my persimmon i was hunting.

[hitman]

A few years ago I was turkey hunting out of my blind with a single hen decoy out. A hen came in and was just feeding around the decoy when all of a sudden a shadow passed over and a hawk swooped down and attacked the decoy. The hawk must have realized something was wrong and flew up into a small tree nearby. The live hen ruffled up her feathers and started squacking and ran right at the hawk and it flew off.
   The poor hen was visably shaken and walked all around the decoy, clucking and very distressed. She finally wandered off down over the hill but in a few minutes came back and went through the routine again. I surely enjoyed it.

[Mocsin1]

I've got a couple. A couple of years ago I was in a stand my Dad and I built. An owl flew in and landed in a tree about 15yds from me. I thought well thats cool. I was fully camoed with a mask on. The owl saw me looking at it so it flew in to 5yds. I said to myself this is too cool. Well then it flew in and perched on a limb of one of the trees the stand was nailed to. I started to get a little uneasy then. So I got the big idea to jump at it to scare it away. Well this owl had no fear it just puffed up its feathers and gave the look to say big guy you do that again I'm going to claw your eyes out. So intimated I sat back down and 5min later it flew away.

The other was on the first morning of season this year. I got in my ladder stand before daylight. It was just getting to where I could see when I started to hear a sound that I've never heard before and it was close. I'm almost def anyways so I knew if I heard it it was real close. I kept looking around and couldn't see nothing. Then i caught a glimpse of movement  in a tree just to my left where my bow and pack were hanging. I looked and a coon was looking around the tree eye level with me. You talking about uneasy. I knew if that thing jumped on me it was a fight I was going to lose. I just froze. It played peek a boo with me for a minute or two and finally climbed down and left. A couple of fun experiences I can tell my kids about.

[DamselflyFarm]

I had a red fox mark the tree I sat in one time. That was an awesome experience.

[KOOK68]

Sitting in a climber once, and I heard rustling leaves on the ground. I spotted a water moccasin and just then, it struck and snatched a frog. Pretty neat to see.
I hunt from a 4 legged platform stand. One day, a small kite or kestrel type hawk was perched on it. He flew off when I climbed up. On the platform was literally hundreds of insect parts. On closer inspection, they were mostly the heads praying mantis. Found that a little weird.