cool happenings while hunting...

[kill shot]

I was standing on a gravel road getting ready to head out to my "spot" when a kestral (small falcon) tackled a sparrow out of the air. They ended up inches away from my feet. I could hear bones snapping then the kestral flew away with its prize. Life can be cruel.

[Hoyt]

I was riding my bicyle out of a no vehicle zone in Greenswamp WMA in Fl. quiet a few yrs ago. It was about noon time and I see about a 12' gator laying across the two path road. It took up the whole road and I couldn't push my bike around her (had little ones)because there was a deep, good sized, creek going under the road where she was.

Anyway, I'm off my bike and push it up closer and see a guy standing in the road beside his bike on the other side of her about 75yds. He's looking up a tree and I see another guy up in a stand and they are talking.

They can't see the gator and I tell the guy there's a gator in the road down here don't ride through this tall grass. It was the first of the season and the road had grown up and was hard to see the gator. The guy puts his finger to his lips and points up the tree..like be quiet. So I forget about the guy and pick up a big rock and throw at the gator and she ignores it and just lays there. I find one a little bigger than a soccer ball and lob it and it bounces up against her side. She rolls her head straight up, opens here mouth wide and lets out a loud roar. Sounds like an African lion.

I could only imagine what those guys though was down the road from them. I didn't ask them..the gator slid down into the creek and I got on my bike and left.

[Butternutz]

For me it was seeing a hawk snatch a squirrel off the tree limb that was ten feet in front of me while I was in my stand. Besides watching squirrels having sex the hawk was the coolest !! Don

[HuronArcher]

Once while sleeping in my stand, I woke to some hissing and growling.  Beneath my stand was a bobcat backing foot over foot into the thickest brush hissing all the way. It seems he could smell me but could not locate me in stand. Also had a coyote bust from the cover and leap at my turkey decoy. Pretty funny as he went into all sorts of contorsions trying to get away when he realized it was fake.

[Bill Turner]

Several years ago I had a owl land on a stump about 10 yards in front of my natural ground blind. It was a nasty day, cold and over-cast, just before a storm. The owl started rotating his neck looking for dinner. I watched him carefully. It appeared to me that he slowly rotated his head almost 360 degrees in one direction. Don't think that was possible, but it sure looked that way to me. I've never forgotten that experience.  

[Knawbone]

Was watching a squirrel 15ft. ahead of me while sitting calling turkey. A flash came down in the form of a Red tailed Hawk and tried to snatch the tree rat from off the log he was eating on. Just as the Hawk was ready to impale the critter with his taillons, the squirrel slid to the opposite side of the log to make his escape. The hawk landed on the log and recieved a good cussing from the astute little nut muncher. The hawk and squirrel had no idea i was there. Then there was the time.......
Have a bunch more I'll save for latter.  

[Pheonixarcher]

Here's a couple short ones from this season. We had an early cold snap the night before.  When I climbed into my ladder stand, there was a new squirrel nest built on my seat. It was still cold out, and as I started to remove it, I thought that little bugger might be inside. So I carefully started to pull it apart, and saw fur! But it didn't move. So I grabbed a stick and poked it. Still nothing. I removed a little more, and looked carefully for any signs of life. Finally I grabbed the rest of the nest and threw it to the ground. There lay a dead squirrel all curled up. I think it froze to death, but who knows. I brushed it to the ground and sat down. Next day it was gone.

Sitting in a different stand, a chickadee landed on my pack behind me. I said please don't poop on my bag. He flew to a branch two feet away and pooped! Lol. Then he flew back to me and landed on my bow, then jumped to my arm, then perched on my arrow. Later that day, I was checking some scrapes, and the chickadees were fluttering all around me. One landed on the brim of my hat and looked me in the eye, then flew to a near by branch. I stuck my arm and finger straight out, inviting him to come back, and the little guy landed right on my finger. He pecked at my knuckle a few times, then flew back to the brim of my hat. Not wanting him to peck at my face, I closed my eyes and he flew off. Funny little things they are.

[Bjorn]

Adam and I were pig hunting a few years ago-when we had that lunar eclipse. Just after it got started there was this huge cacophony of sound break out. I literally thought there must be a giant bad ass fire or accident-then I realized we were miles from the nearest highway! Every coyote and even all the turkeys went crazy when they saw the moon begin to get covered up! This went on for almost twenty minutes. It was the awesomemest experience.

[ziggy]

We were elk hunting in Montana and it was late afternoon when we were making our way back to the truck (about a 3 mile hike).  As we hiked down a game/cow trail I noticed a young bull moose about 50 yards off to our right.  We stopped and stared at each other for a couple of minutes when we decide to continue our journey.  Less than 70 yards ahead we crested a small rise with a section of pines and then an open hillside were we noticed several elk near the top.  We quickly spread out in the pines, about 15 yards apart, and my friend Steve started cow calling in an effort to entice the elk to move in our direction, which they started to do.  

The elk were 150 yards out when I heard a loud UUUUUAAAAGGGH and the ground shook.  I looked to my right to see my friend Steve on one side of the tree with the moose we saw earlier on the other.  Steve kept calling to the elk and the moose kept grunting.  Steve did his best to keep the tree between himself and the moose all the while talking to the moose and calling to the elk.  The comment I remember best was “It’s ok Mr. Moose we’re hunting elk not moose”.  

When the elk were within 75 yards the moose took off after them and chased them off the side of the mountain.  At this point it was starting to get dark and as we dug through our packs to get out flash lights we agreed that  our hunt was already a success even if we never get a shot at an elk.

Ever since then I’ve referred to my friend Steve as “Dances with Moose”.

The next night Steve put his tag on a nice bull elk and I sprinted up the side of the mountain when that same moose started grunting on the other side of the tree from me.  One moose dancer in the gang is enough.

[TxAg]

I may have told this story before, but I don't remember....

A couple years ago, I was sitting in a ladder stand before daylight.  I could hear deer milling around but see nothing.

All of a sudden, there was a bright flash...kinda green in color, and it reminded me of a car coming around a corner flashing its brights.

Once the light hit, the deer spooked. I remember it so vividly. I can recall being frustrated thinking someone had driven too close to my set up....because it was still way too early for dawn.

Well, I sat there in the dark for another 30 minutes without an answer. Later that afternoon, I learned that a satellite had fallen from orbit causing the great flash. Talk about a random event.

[JEFF B]

it happened while i was over in your fine country in the state of virginia hunting with ronhuntalot and  Bob and Bobby walker in 2007  Bob and Bobby went to there hide and Ron took me to a stand of trees and said any where here would be good. so i said i will sit right here  on the  ground as i found out later Big mistake and i mean Big mistake CHIGGERS!!!!!!! any how while sitting i put my bow on the ground and my arrow on the other side of me and thought it was time to eat something soooooooo i put my hand in my pack  to get a snack bar out and heard this cracking sound and i looked up and saw this doe  she was about 4 yards from me with her head down eating all the way. but yup there is always a but  i could not do a thing as when i took my had out of my pack her head shot up as quick as possum crap off glass and she stood there and looked right into my eyes as if to say well what the hell are you doing in my woods so i just smiled at her and waved and boy did she fly out of there if ya blinked ya would have missed her. and i sure as hell would not swap that moment for all the tea in china

[akbowbender]

I once watched a snowshoe hare hop along one of the many runs thru the thick cover near my stand. At one point, it stopped, and in a very alert looking stance, started thumping one of it's hind feet on the ground. Then it hopped off. Thought that was kind of odd until about a minute later, a Fisher came loping along in the same run. I think this was the only time I've ever seen a Fisher, or heard a rabbit thump it's foot.

[Kc kreger]

While turkey hunting one spring I was watching as 4 or 5 squirrels were running around and doing what squirrels do when all a sudden there was a loud squawk and a thump behind me.  As I slowly turned to look a red tail hawk had caught a squirrel but only by the tail.  They were both struggling on the ground and putting on a show!

That squirrel fought for his life and squirmed his way loose some how from that hawks talons.  That was a sight to see.  Then the hawk set there for a couple of minutes as if to catch his breath then took off.

Another time after climbing into a ladder stand I heard what I thought to be a deer snort behind me but could not see anything.  A couple minutes go by and it happens again.  This time I look even harder down wind and still can not see anything.  

The third time it happens I know there is something behind me and it sounds really close but I can not see anything, no critters at all!  So I look all around and then up and in the tree right beside the one I am perched in is a porcupine in the top of the tree.  When I saw him he started making that sound again as to let me know he was not happy that I was intruding on his territory!

He finally calmed down and slowly climbed down to the ground circled the tree he just came down from and slowly climbed back up to the top of the tree.

I was raised in Western Oklahoma and had never seen a porcupine until this event.  I wish I would have had a camera with me.

[Ibow]

Back in about 89 or 90 (I forgot), we were up in Ontario moose hunting. The story we had was that this area had been closed by the MNR for 15 years and the year we were there was the first time it had been opened back up for hunting. The trek back to where we hunted was almost a one day trip in itself, with atv's, rowboats, argos, the whole nine yards so obviously many of the animals we encountered probably had never seen a human being before.

We found that indeed, all the animals we encountered literally had no fear - especially the wolves.

One day we were back at the camp for lunch and I decided to walk down this old, old logging road to shoot some judos. As I got some distance from the camp, I had an eerie feeling I can't describe come over me, but I knew I was not alone - I was being watched. Lo and behold - I was.  Somewhat unnerved, I slowly turned around and not 30 yards behind was a jet black wolf, just sitting on the trail, looking at me - much in the same way a dog would just sit. He did not seem at all tense or threatened by my presence. My gut feeling was that he was just curious but I wasn't about to wait to find out. I yelled a little and waved my arms and he just got up, slowly walked about 10 yards down the trail in the opposite direction, turned and gave me one last look like, "What in the world is THAT?" and just quietly turned off the trail into the thick bush and disappeared.

LOL, needless to say I didn't waste any time at all getting my hind end back to the camp. I hate to admit it but it shook me up a little bit.   But I also have to say that when I think back to that trip, it is always one of the first things I think of and it was definitely one of the most exhilarating experiences I have ever had while hunting - I will never forget it.

[Retnuh Wob]

This last October I spent 5 days deer hunting up in the mountains north of Yosemite in a little granite valley I found that I like to hunt. I was in camp about mid afternoon sitting on a big rock next to my tent reading my Bible. My bow was hanging horizontal in a tree about 8' away from me. I have bow quiver and my arrow were black carbon with red fletching and bright yellow nocks. Well, this humming bird started hanging around. He would fly in and sit on various twigs, take off for a minute or so and then come back. I was wondering if he thought my arrows were flowers so I just sat there very still. Sure enough, he finnaly gathered the courage to fly down and tried to take a sip out of one of my arrow nocks. After a couple of trys he gave up and flew right over to me and hung suspended not more than 5 or 6 inches from the end of my bible and looked at me as if to say "Hey dude, what's up with the fake flowers". He then flew off not to reapear.

All I saw on the trip were does, but the weather was Ideal and that humming bird really made it special.

[Timberking]

I was sitting in a tree stand one afternoon and could hear something rattling through the leaves and  out pops a weasel with a dead chipmunk in it's mouth. It had the chipy by the nape of the neck(like a mother cat carries her kittens)and was dragging the chipy for all it was worth!

Another time while fishing on the bank of a river where the river emptied out of the lake a large beaver was swimming across and an eagle was circling  overhead all of a sudden the eagle dives down and sinks it's talons into the back of the beaver and tries to lift off with it! The beaver started smashing its tail and trying to get free. The eagle made a great effort trying to get his prize but the beaver was just to large and the eagle released its grip and flew off. the beaver dove and resurfaced again smashing its tail on the water  over and over warning every other beaver around finally diving again and swimming off...

[mathews8pt]

Just last week i was out hunting and had a white(albino possibly) squirrel come within 10yards of me.  ive never seen one in the woods before and it was very cool!!

[Rob W.]

Great thread!

[LookMomNoSights]

a couple years back.....I was accending a thick ole white pine with my climber one morning...it was still pretty dark out.  There was a smaller (not much) white pine not 2 feet off to the left side and slightly behind the one I was climbing.  As Im gonig up,  I can hear the usual noises that come from climbing with a stand....the scratching of the tree bark with the back cables of my Summit Viper.  Funny thing was though,  that every time I made a step up the tree,  the noise seemed to be echoing off to the side of me on that other pine....as if I were dragging a branch on that other pine as I accended.  I really didnt think to much of it,  as it was somewhat faint.  When I approached the top of my climb,  obviously,  I stopped and began to secure the stand....but I could still hear that noise!!!!! (its a shade lighter out now, as the sun is starting to come up)  Kinda freaked out now,   Im looking at that second tree!  Something was on the other side of!  It came out from behind that tree and coiled up on a branch to check me out....IT WAS A LARGE FISHER!!!     and we were an arms length appart!
Seems as though he had been climbing up his tree as I was climbing up mine,  checking me out the entire time!  We locked eyes for about 10 seconds Id say,  before he climbed back down and disappeared.  
 A very cool moment...a somewhat creepy moment as well  :eek:

[Fattony77]

Love this thread, and I actually have some stories to contribute! Two years ago, while still hunting down a  path, I had a bobcat walk out 10 yds. in front of me. The year before, (on the same path) I was wearing my leafy 3D suit and had a spike buck walk up beside and behind me, close enough to have stabbed him with my arrow. Literally, less than one yard behind me, and BOY did he come unglued when I turned to see him from the other side!! Shot a couple cottonmouths with a couple arrows while they were mating. (The male didn't wanna give up his conquest until HE got hit with a judo too!