What are some exciting.....

[growalot]

Walking to or from stands in the dark encounters have you had?

I have had several over the years..but one was a particular skunk that lived near one of my stands...still counting blessings on several near ...incidents with him...Didn't matter whether I was going in or leaving....he managed to be between my stand and home...few times I got within a couple of feet before realizing he was there...lol..never sprayed though...

[arrow nocker]

i hate it when i get poked in the eye with a branch.I know it isn't exactly an encounter but nothing worse than trying to navigate my self out with my eye burning and watering and barely being able to see.

[Top ramen]

Last fall a neighbor came to where I was sitting from 5am, kinda rude, but had a good conversation. He then walked right through an active bedding area that I kicked some deer to before light. Nothing moved as he trudged in and around.

I sat another 1/2 hour and figured everything had moved on. Wrong of course. A huge buck and several doe had bedded down and remained bedded while my sure footed neighbor almost stepped on them. When I stood and moved to the Left flank of the thicket, the deer sprang to life and bolted.

I probably was looking right at those deer the whole time and didn't see them.

[wooly]

A few years ago I was bull rushed by a rut struck buck (3pt) in the dark 20yds from my blind.

He made 3 or 4 passes at me, would stop 10-15yds away and turn around and do it again even with my headlamp shining on him and me hitting the deck. Every time I could feel the WHOOOSH of wind as he blew by only feet away. I had gotten video of him that morning sniffing a mock scrape in front of my cam. The day before I had accidently spilled 1/2 a bottle of Tinks on my hunting clothes while prepping some scent wicks.

[Doc]

Walking to or from stands in the dark encounters have you had?

I have had several over the years..but one was a particular skunk that lived near one of my stands...still counting blessings on several near ...incidents with him...Didn't matter whether I was going in or leaving....he managed to be between my stand and home...few times I got within a couple of feet before realizing he was there...lol..never sprayed though...

Would have made a heck of a great cover-scent.

[Doc]

A friend of mine was half way up the hill on his way to his stand (in the dark). Apparently someone had let his big black lab dog out to take care of its business. Sure enough, my friend hears this huge big animal running full tilt at him crashing through the frozen leaves and snapping twigs and branches and just generally making all kinds of noise. I guess it was a pretty tense few seconds until the dog got close enough for him to figure out whatthe heck was going on. The hunt was cut short while he returned the dog, and even though he never said so, I would suspect some more time was lost changing his pants .... lol.

[Elmo]

A deer. Climber still on my back, bow in hand, arrows in quiver. It was literally maybe 20-30 feet from me. We stared at each other for a few second like "this is awkward" before it decided to run jump into the thickets.

[Lawdwaz]

25 years ago I was coming out in the dark from an evening bowhunt in PA. I was going down a trail between the standing corn and heavy woods, thinking "man is it dark"! Could be a bear in that corn, looking for a fat, easy meal.

Mere seconds later...........my buddy jumps out from behind me in the corn and hollers like a ENRAGED BROWN BEAR!! I just about crabbed my Jim Crumley outfit. SOB...........

[First-light]

Had a buck challenge me. Actually he was with a doe and probably thought I was after his doe. Held the bow up and screamed at him. He probably got within 10 feet of me. Place stunk of rut so I probably interrupted their love scene. Scared the hell out of me.

[G-Man]

While walking out in new brunswick, i heard some snapping limbs in the direction of the bear bait i just left and figured it was a bear. i stopped and stood for a second and 2 huge moose stepped out in front of me at 15 feet without making a sound! scared the crap out of me.. i'm only 5'6 these things looked to be 9' tall.. they looked at me and then crossed the trail.....

[Lawdwaz]

Lightning crackling all around me at 9700' in Colorado while trying to jump out of a tree stand at dusk.

Edited September 3, 2012 by Lawdwaz

[nyantler]

Coming out of the woods in Colorado... I was on the back side of a mountain about 2-3 miles from the truck if I walked the bottom edge... there was snow on and although it was dark you could see sillouettes quit well.. as i entered a hemlock stand coming around the mountain I suddenly was surrounded by a herd of elk sillouettes some less than 50 yards from me... I have to admit all of this made me a bit nervous... because I'm accustomed to the ADK's that doesn't have herds of 700 lb elk wandering around at night... I made my way quickly past the herd, but had a way to go before getting to the truck... I just don't like being surrounded by animals twice as big as me after dark not knowing enough about them to know what they might do with a stranger interrupting the herd at night.

[sampotter]

25 years ago I was coming out in the dark from an evening bowhunt in PA. I was going down a trail between the standing corn and heavy woods, thinking "man is it dark"! Could be a bear in that corn, looking for a fat, easy meal.

Mere seconds later...........my buddy jumps out from behind me in the corn and hollers like a ENRAGED BROWN BEAR!! I just about crabbed my Jim Crumley outfit. SOB...........

Tell you what- I would never attempt to scare an armed buddy. I would scare the crap out of him if I knew he was unarmed though.

I had a coyote come right to the base of the tree I had just descended in the dark when I was 15 feet away. I knew what it was and wasn't really scared but I can tell you that the hair stood up on the back of my neck.

I also had a spike come right up to me in the dark in CT as I worked my way to a tree.

[growalot]

Great stories guys...even scary is fun...a few hours after the fact...lol ...I know there's more out there don't be shy.....

[mxsmitz201]

walking in the dark and getting to your spot that you scouted out weeks before on your own land, get settled in, and as your eyes adjust to the dark and can make out objects.... you realize your sitting 10ft away from ANOTHER HUNTER! True story. Why he didnt speak up as soon as I got there is beyond me..... dont think ill ever figure that one out.

[deerpassion]

was deer huntin in central florida with my nephew, had about a mile walk in, our stands were bout a few hundred yds apart so i could keep an eye on him, bout a third of the way down the trail we were about to split off and walk him to his stand before i headed to mine, started around the bend of the trail and in the beam of my light i saw the hind end of a deer layin there...what the hell? inched around the corner a little more and we were 10 yds away from a panther and her cub! she poofed up real good and growled at us, man i was paralized , she had blood drippin down her mouth and looked like she was gonna pounce on us,,, kept the light in her eyes and shoved my nephew behind me, her cub ran away and she backed down n went off after the cub.... I truly believe that cub saved our lives that morning.. if she was by herself Im almost certain she would have gotten us... you can bet your A!@ we scurried up our stands in a hurry after that... most eventful hunt i've ever been on, shot a buck later that morning and my nephew shot a 180 lb boar with 3 1/4 inch cutters.... after that i got my concealed so i could carry during archery, I can't believe you guys up here can't carry during archery if you have your concealed pistol permit with bears runnin around... ! other than that bumped the usual hog every now n then walkin in n out.... they startle the crap outa ya cause they can't hear for nothin ya get right on em before they just grunt n squeal n run away....

[deerpassion]

oh ya haha , got both of em on trail cam three weeks before.... thats the buck i shot later that morning in my avatar

Edited September 4, 2012 by deerpassion

[wheelieman]

Last Bow season i got to my lease a little early, The stand i planned on hunting that morning was about 500yds across this fresh cut hayfield and there was a full moon, So as im walking i get a text from my brother and saw how early it was so i decided to really take my time, Thats when i saw it, the cutest black cat, now ive seen this cat everyday and im thinking im going to see if i can pet this kitty, So i started saying hey kitty, kitty and walking toward it, When i got about 5 feet away mister kitty decided that he was gonna show me that he really wasnt a cat at all, So now im standing there 5ft from one pissed off skunk he lifted his tail and started stomping his feet, Thats when i decided that i should get out of there and should do it as fast as i could, So now im running and i think im doing a decent job at it, when i look back this skunk is chasing my big rear end across, this hay field in the middle of the night under a full moon and he is gaining ground, I cant tell you he was going to do when he caught me but i really didnt want to find out, so i kept running, I eventually get away from him and made it too my stand, where i get phone call from my brother, Laughing his a$$ off because he watched the entire thing go down, So now its one of his favorite stories to tell people, and everytime he even smells a skunk around i will get a text from him and all it says is "rihlmao" and that means rolling in hayfield laughing my a$$ off,

[Tio1]

Spot i hunt in PA has lots of grouse. I know they are there but they still scare the crap out of me when they flush in the early A.M.

[growalot]

Wheelieman... Yep lmao...because I know how fast they can run when they are chasing you!!.....one day my dog pounced in the middle of a family of them...I was running before she hit the ground and the second all their tails went up she was too...looked behind me and We have an adult skunk chasing us both through the woods....had it not been for a stream we cleared he may have gotten us....They have attitude!!...lol

Edited September 4, 2012 by growalot

[Paula]

Last Bow season i got to my lease a little early, The stand i planned on hunting that morning was about 500yds across this fresh cut hayfield and there was a full moon, So as im walking i get a text from my brother and saw how early it was so i decided to really take my time, Thats when i saw it, the cutest black cat, now ive seen this cat everyday and im thinking im going to see if i can pet this kitty, So i started saying hey kitty, kitty and walking toward it, When i got about 5 feet away mister kitty decided that he was gonna show me that he really wasnt a cat at all, So now im standing there 5ft from one pissed off skunk he lifted his tail and started stomping his feet, Thats when i decided that i should get out of there and should do it as fast as i could, So now im running and i think im doing a decent job at it, when i look back this skunk is chasing my big rear end across, this hay field in the middle of the night under a full moon and he is gaining ground, I cant tell you he was going to do when he caught me but i really didnt want to find out, so i kept running, I eventually get away from him and made it too my stand, where i get phone call from my brother, Laughing his a$$ off because he watched the entire thing go down, So now its one of his favorite stories to tell people, and everytime he even smells a skunk around i will get a text from him and all it says is "rihlmao" and that means rolling in hayfield laughing my a$$ off,

Thats funny....................................................................

Edited September 4, 2012 by paula

[RangerClay]

Walking to or from stands in the dark encounters have you had?

I have had several over the years..but one was a particular skunk that lived near one of my stands...still counting blessings on several near ...incidents with him...Didn't matter whether I was going in or leaving....he managed to be between my stand and home...few times I got within a couple of feet before realizing he was there...lol..never sprayed though...

LOL! I had a skunk try to crawl under my ground blind last year at first light. I could barely see him. I softly kicked him in the face. Luckily he didn't spray.

[Doewhacker]

I recall this one day when we went to do a little drive thru a little brush patch. My brother went in and I was on watch along with another guy when I heard this crazy loud rucus coming from the brush patch, I thought maybe it was a herd of deer at first but quickly out poped a large Bull that was hiding out in there..lol and to top it off my brother does not like cows so he came out a little frazzeled looking.

[Doc]

I recall this one day when we went to do a little drive thru a little brush patch. My brother went in and I was on watch along with another guy when I heard this crazy loud rucus coming from the brush patch, I thought maybe it was a herd of deer at first but quickly out poped a large Bull that was hiding out in there..lol and to top it off my brother does not like cows so he came out a little frazzeled looking.

Now that's hilarious!! I can just picture that whole scenario like an Elmer Fudd cartoon. Lol .... that's is one funny mental image.

[joe12]

I was approaching the ladder to my stand one morning and my flashlight catches 2 sets of glowing eyes at the base of the tree. Two of the biggest racoons I have ever seen were standing there, refusing to run away. We had a standoff for about two minutes until they decided to run up the tree that MY STAND was in. Lets just say I waited on the ground until it got light that morning.