What’s your spookiest hunting experience?

Not hunting but camping up in the colorado mountains. Dog wakes up, starts darting around and growling at something in the tent in the middle of the night. After a few minutes he stopped. Never know what it was but he had spotted elk, foxes, and squirrels at 75 to 100 yds out that I wasn't able to see at one time or another.
 
Turkeytider said:
It's interesting to me how many of these "spooky" episodes involve elk hunters and big bear country. Coincidence? That, and I wonder how many go out there with nothing but a bow and arrow(s)? That would be my idea of "naked and afraid "!
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Been there done that with the bow and arrow, however my guide had a 12 gauge pump shotgun…needless to say I didn't venture far from him.
 
Turkeytider said:
It's interesting to me how many of these "spooky" episodes involve elk hunters and big bear country. Coincidence? That, and I wonder how many go out there with nothing but a bow and arrow(s)? That would be my idea of "naked and afraid "!
Click to expand...
Hunters, and elk hunters in particular, do go into places where other people just don't. Trail hikers may walk past on developed trails, but we pry into seemingly pristine places with little indication of man's pollution. Elk and bears like privacy. So do other beings.

This is a recent incident with young bowhunters who ran into a grizzly way too close. They were after deer, but were in elk country. These young men really had it together, which resulted in a better outcome than it would have. Being able to hunt with sidearms these days really turned the tide on being, or at least feeling safer out there with the bears. Used to be we couldn't carry a defensive fire arm in Wyoming while bowhunting, but they finally wised up and changed the regulations. About time with all the grizzlies that are really here. When I lived in Colorado firearms while bowhunting were forbidden. It would leave you on edge alright. Especially during one experience we had that didn't involve grizzlies but did involve something scary.

This interview is worth watching.

 
M77Fan said:
Hunters, and elk hunters in particular, do go into places where other people just don't. Trail hikers may walk past on developed trails, but we pry into seemingly pristine places with little indication of man's pollution. Elk and bears like privacy. So do other beings.

This is a recent incident with young bowhunters who ran into a grizzly way too close. They were after deer, but were in elk country. These young men really had it together, which resulted in a better outcome than it would have. Being able to hunt with sidearms these days really turned the tide on being, or at least feeling safer out there with the bears. Used to be we couldn't carry a defensive fire arm in Wyoming while bowhunting, but they finally wised up and changed the regulations. About time with all the grizzlies that are really here. When I lived in Colorado firearms while bowhunting were forbidden. It would leave you on edge alright. Especially during one experience we had that didn't involve grizzlies but did involve something scary.

This interview is worth watching.

Click to expand...

Holey mackerel!
 
M77Fan said:
Hunters, and elk hunters in particular, do go into places where other people just don't. Trail hikers may walk past on developed trails, but we pry into seemingly pristine places with little indication of man's pollution. Elk and bears like privacy. So do other beings.

This is a recent incident with young bowhunters who ran into a grizzly way too close. They were after deer, but were in elk country. These young men really had it together, which resulted in a better outcome than it would have. Being able to hunt with sidearms these days really turned the tide on being, or at least feeling safer out there with the bears. Used to be we couldn't carry a defensive fire arm in Wyoming while bowhunting, but they finally wised up and changed the regulations. About time with all the grizzlies that are really here. When I lived in Colorado firearms while bowhunting were forbidden. It would leave you on edge alright. Especially during one experience we had that didn't involve grizzlies but did involve something scary.

This interview is worth watching.

Click to expand...


Rick79 said:
Not that there are many big predators in Texas, but the only way you can carry a sidearm while bow hunting here is if you have a CHL/LTC.

I have a moose hunt planned in Canada for 2027. I am not fond of the idea I cannot take a pistol with me, but I don't really have any other option on that hunt…
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Going to be in big bear country?
 
carpassasin said:
No I've never carried a pistol and Left my bow on the elk carcass that night while I packed the hind quarter out knowing id be there first thing in the morning to get the rest of the meat. Back then never thought about needing one now yea knowing what I know Iwould carry thanks.
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If for some reason I couldn't carry a firearm in the back country, particularly bear country, then I wouldn't be there. But that's just me. Call me " low testosterone" if you will, but the thought of a dark night, just me and only my trusty bow sitting by a fire in the far back woods, gives me the Willy's just thinking about it. And I'm sitting in my kitchen!
 
Spooky and dark go together like peas and carrots. I guess I watched too many horror movies as a kid. When in the woods after dark my brain seems to conjure up all kinds of irrational thoughts. I just got back from walking my dog at dark thirty. Obviously his night vision and other senses are more suited to the dark than mine. He took off after something in the woods. I followed for a minute or two. A few spider webs and sneaky roots later I stopped. All quiet, and then I hear something coming toward me. Rational thought would have been it's my dog coming back. However, my brain put me in defensive position.
 
A few years back I was hiking back to the truck in the dark, after chasing elk all day. It was in pretty thick timber with quite a bit of snow on the ground so the snow definitely helped with some ambient lighting. I was about a mile or so from the truck and it had gotten quite a bit darker so I busted out the old head lamp. Needless to say when I started looking around, I started getting glimpses of eyes glowing in the dark on both sides of me. They proceeded to follow me almost all the way to the truck.

Went back the next morning and there were multiple sets of wolf tracks, some bigger than my palm, that had followed me. I'm guessing they did it out of curiosity. Made sense why I never saw any elk.
 
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Yehaw! What a great description!
Will.284 said:
Bow hunting elk this morning 1/2 mile from the house 5 am hiking through a meadow to get to my spot all of the sudden saber tooth prairie chickens erupt all around me squalking and raising hell I near ****ed my pants and almost drew my pistol trying to defend myself all in total darkness!!
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