Still no tags filled but what a weird season

[Caveman]

Most of you read about my mishap with the 12 point I finished off for another hunter.  I didn't tell too many people about my strange encounter with a man on horseback that seemed to disappear and left no tracks.  And now today an even more random occurence in the woods. 

I'm sitting on a stump watching a promising clearing.  I hear something crashing through the trees and my first thought is, "it's a monster buck."  Then I see something black moving in the treeline and my new line of thought is,"I'm gonna get a bear today."  And finally when the beast comes crashing out into the open I didn't even know what to think.  It was a cow...a domesticated cow.  I was at least 5 miles from the nearest known farm and a good deal into the thick brush.  Not where I was expecting to see a cow. 

I haven't filled a tag yet this year but it's an enjoyable season just because of the weird and random stuff that's been happening to me. 

[Fairgame]

That cow would of put alot of meat in the freezer.  What are the legalities on shooting a lost cow?

[Caveman]

That thought actually crossed my mind but two things stopped me...not wanting a violation if it was illegal, and the thought of packing out all that meat the mile back to my truck.

[Mr VJP]

Of all of the hunting zones we have in NY, I didn't know we had a "Twilight Zone".

;D

[Caveman]

Exactly! This is my first season in the Albany area so my first impression is strange to say the least.  This stuff never happened to me in WNY.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Id have shot the cow, lots of meat there and you dont have to burn a deer tag. 

[fasteddie]

Is there a season on cows or are they considered varmints ?  :

[Caveman]

I was going to shoot it and claim it charged me lol

[WNYBuckHunter]

Is there a season on cows or are they considered varmints ?  :

feral animals 

[ELMER J. FUDD]

Wildcats, tell us about the man on horseback.

[Caveman]

I didn't really want to mention it for the same reason that otherwise credible don't admit that they think they saw a UFO.  I'm a bit of a skeptic so I'm not sure I really want to guess as to what happened myself but here it goes...

I was sitting against a tree a few weeks back when I heard hooves behind me.  Not deer hooves though, it sounded like a horse.  I looked to my left and about 35 yards away there was a man on horseback riding through the woods.  He looked right at me (I was heavily draped in orange by the way) and made no attempt to change his course so as not to interfere with my hunt.  He just kept on riding, never acknowledged that I was there.  I shouted, "Thanks a lot a$$hole!" Still he never even turned back.  I decided to follow him to give him a piece of my mind for being so rude.  At this point he had gone rounded a stand of thick trees and was out of sight.  I could still hear the clip-clop of the horse though in the mud.  As I rounded the corner only about 45 seconds behind him I was surprised at what I saw...nothing.  There was no man, no horse, but I could still hear the horse walking.  I looked down at the mud to see which direction he had gone and here's the part the freaked me out, there were none.  The ground was soft enough that I, at 180 pounds, was leaving clear impressions yet an 800 pound animal did not. 

Over the next ridge I came across a headstone dated 1871.  There are many cemeteries in this WMA dating as far back as the revolutionary war and I've come across a few random burial sites in the last few months there so that part alone did not freak me out.  But that discovery in such close proximity to the horse incident got to me.  I don't know what it was, for all I know it was a random man with no manners, but we'll just say I made sure to leave the woods well before dark that evening. 

As for the man's dress, he was wearing a dark colored black or navy blue peacoat with gold buttons.  Pretty generic with no real connection to any time period. 

[burmjohn]

Great, I am reading this while watching ghost hunters right now.... No joke... Not going to sleep well (Meeeeeow!) unless I get some booze in me. (working on that)

[Fletch]

Dude I would not have stayed till dark either!!  ???

[Husker5]

Thats good enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck to stand straight up! It makes you wonder.

[the blur]

I got spooked in the woods too.  It was windy, very windy.  There was a dog barking, and he was barking for a while.  And I imagined the barking was getting closer, and closer.  maybe it was, maybe it wasn't, who knows.    I know there are houses in the area, and they all have big dogs that run loose.  But the wind was bad.

and being spoked I walked out.

Ever since then I decided to carry my side arm in a tactical holster.

last day, I felt so much more secure carrying my side arm.  coyote, dogs, whatever, I feel better with an extra weapon, and extra mag.

[bkln]

I didn't really want to mention it for the same reason that otherwise credible don't admit that they think they saw a UFO.  I'm a bit of a skeptic so I'm not sure I really want to guess as to what happened myself but here it goes...

I was sitting against a tree a few weeks back when I heard hooves behind me.  Not deer hooves though, it sounded like a horse.  I looked to my left and about 35 yards away there was a man on horseback riding through the woods.  He looked right at me (I was heavily draped in orange by the way) and made no attempt to change his course so as not to interfere with my hunt.  He just kept on riding, never acknowledged that I was there.  I shouted, "Thanks a lot a$$hole!" Still he never even turned back.  I decided to follow him to give him a piece of my mind for being so rude.  At this point he had gone rounded a stand of thick trees and was out of sight.  I could still hear the clip-clop of the horse though in the mud.  As I rounded the corner only about 45 seconds behind him I was surprised at what I saw...nothing.  There was no man, no horse, but I could still hear the horse walking.  I looked down at the mud to see which direction he had gone and here's the part the freaked me out, there were none.  The ground was soft enough that I, at 180 pounds, was leaving clear impressions yet an 800 pound animal did not. 

Over the next ridge I came across a headstone dated 1871.  There are many cemeteries in this WMA dating as far back as the revolutionary war and I've come across a few random burial sites in the last few months there so that part alone did not freak me out.  But that discovery in such close proximity to the horse incident got to me.  I don't know what it was, for all I know it was a random man with no manners, but we'll just say I made sure to leave the woods well before dark that evening. 

As for the man's dress, he was wearing a dark colored black or navy blue peacoat with gold buttons.  Pretty generic with no real connection to any time period.

Hey Wildcats, I would go out tonight to that spot with the Winter Solstice on schedule and Lunar Eclipse tonight I bet you a dollar he will back there...