What’s your spookiest hunting experience?

My scariest hunt was a trip out to my buddies cabin in UT. I went in a day early alone to open up the cabin and get it ready. I decided to do a little scouting around the cabin as there was 2-3" of fresh snow and it would be easy to spot any fresh tracks. Hiked about 2 miles from the cabin and came across some cat tracks with some blood in the tracks .... figured it was just a bleeding paw or something and decided to follow the tracks.

I had a .45 with me and one spare mag so I went ahead and unholstered that and kept it at the ready. After about another 1/2 mile or so my mind is racing and I'm second guessing what I'm doing but press on following the tracks. More tracks, and then more. I stop and look around (spinning in circles thinking I'm going to get attacked from behind), walk a little further ahead and come across what looked like a bomb went off. Blood everywhere, tracks everywhere, snow and leaves turned up in about a 30' radius. Definitely walked into a kill site and felt like I shouldn't hang around to see if the cat was nearby.

Long walk back to the cabin with my mind racing and sure that I was being stalked the whole way back!
 
I was bow hunting deer, so no human smell and was acting like deer like I always do...
Had see évidence that someone was hunting without my permission on my land. I hear a sound like someone was clearing is voice realy close to me... My first idea was Im going to get you poarcher... that when the sound turn to à yote call... answer by the rest off the pack, yes they hunt in pack like woulf around here, all seem to be inside 50yrds of me...

So off was my hunt and I started to sing all the way to my truck 😅 That was like 20 years ago if not more but it like yesterday to me.

Do ya have a tune that will thwart a grizzly/brown attack! 😂 memtb
 
Yipes this thread, now that I've had time to think. Coming off a mt as a kid with my dad bow hunting deer a really big bear came by with an arrow in it's butt. It was biting everything it walked by. My dad motioned to me to be quiet and we ducked down behind a dead tree. My cuz was down the hill, guess he spooked and took off. Came back to the truck with no arrows and dirty shorts. White as a ghost. Basically rolled down the hill.
 
Another accidental firing…..or two!

About 30 years ago a group of guys that I worked with (I didn't make the hunt) and one's wife were elk hunting!

They decided to make a "push" up a steep, wide draw, sending the wife and another guy that wasn't in the best of shape up a 2 track to the top of the big draw that had a large opening. The woman was driving an older '70's model chevy 4x4 ……which as many of you know didn't have a lot of soundproofing in that mostly metal cab.

They parked at the clearing for a while when they decided that maybe they should chamber their rifles and be ready for the elk that may cross quickly…..this is where things quickly went bad!

As my buddy was closing the bolt on a round in his Model 70 …..it fired. Completely stunned and disoriented, he slammed another round home….you can probably guess what happened!

Both he and the woman developed instant headaches and were pretty much deaf.

One of the 210 Nosler Partitions from his .338 WM went through the frame taking out a brake line. Another went through the bell housing ….then took out the pressure plate! The woman's husband wasn't very happy with the destruction of his truck…..and the wife wasn't very happy about anything! 🤬

Later upon inspection, it was found that the trigger adjustment nuts backed-off …..stopping the sear from completely engaging! It had been adjusted by another friend that didn't locktite the nut or the jam nut. After many hours traveling on 4 wheelers, the nut apparently started to loosen! memtb
I had a similar instance back in the late 70's. I bought a used Remington 721 that had been re chambered from 300 H&H to 300 Weatherby. It was the first rifle I purchased on my own and it had a very light trigger pull. I was driving my Datsun 1200 on an old logging road with a couple buddies coming home from a deer hunt and the buddy in the passenger seat was holding my gun. He says "I think I better unload this". I didn't even know he had one in the chamber and told him I will stop so you can get out and unload it. He says "that's ok" and starts to unload it in the car. The rifle goes off through the floorboard , two places in the frame, and blows the rubber mat on the floor all over the car. The concussion was so bad it opened the trunk of the car. My ears are still ringing. The guy jumps out of the car and sets the rifle on the ground and steps back from it like it is alive and is going to go off again. I told him he touched the trigger by accident and it wasn't going to go off again. He didn't believe me and said it went off on its own. Believe it or not, this guys day job was working behind the firearm counter at a sporting goods store!
 
I had a similar instance back in the late 70's. I bought a used Remington 721 that had been re chambered from 300 H&H to 300 Weatherby. It was the first rifle I purchased on my own and it had a very light trigger pull. I was driving my Datsun 1200 on an old logging road with a couple buddies coming home from a deer hunt and the buddy in the passenger seat was holding my gun. He says "I think I better unload this". I didn't even know he had one in the chamber and told him I will stop so you can get out and unload it. He says "that's ok" and starts to unload it in the car. The rifle goes off through the floorboard , two places in the frame, and blows the rubber mat on the floor all over the car. The concussion was so bad it opened the trunk of the car. My ears are still ringing. The guy jumps out of the car and sets the rifle on the ground and steps back from it like it is alive and is going to go off again. I told him he touched the trigger by accident and it wasn't going to go off again. He didn't believe me and said it went off on its own. Believe it or not, this guys day job was working behind the firearm counter at a sporting goods store!
As a previous sporting goods store counter jockey, I have learned that title doesn't mean the person knows a single thing about firearms
 
I had a similar instance back in the late 70's. I bought a used Remington 721 that had been re chambered from 300 H&H to 300 Weatherby. It was the first rifle I purchased on my own and it had a very light trigger pull. I was driving my Datsun 1200 on an old logging road with a couple buddies coming home from a deer hunt and the buddy in the passenger seat was holding my gun. He says "I think I better unload this". I didn't even know he had one in the chamber and told him I will stop so you can get out and unload it. He says "that's ok" and starts to unload it in the car. The rifle goes off through the floorboard , two places in the frame, and blows the rubber mat on the floor all over the car. The concussion was so bad it opened the trunk of the car. My ears are still ringing. The guy jumps out of the car and sets the rifle on the ground and steps back from it like it is alive and is going to go off again. I told him he touched the trigger by accident and it wasn't going to go off again. He didn't believe me and said it went off on its own. Believe it or not, this guys day job was working behind the firearm counter at a sporting goods store!
Got a similar storie to. I was about 12 year old, all of my uncle keep their rifle loaded in theyr pick-up just in case a moose came across the way.... back at the camps one off them try to took is 7mm mag out of is pick-up at fired à round... cost him a transmission on is new truck and à permanent loss of earing...

Guest what I did once I have been old enouf to hunt on my ome....
 
Bears. I seem to have issues with bears. Northern Alberta, big black bears. I've shot bears deer and Elk hunting - California, Montana, Wyoming. No big deal. First night out on first dedicated big bear hunt - Rule 1 - all bears look big - especially on the first day. I'm dropped off at a tree stand with a ladder. Seat height is 17' off the ground. It raining hard and cold - 33*ish. So I'm in goretex hoping to stay dry and warm. An hour in I hear a couple of wolves but can't get a clear line on either one. (I have tags.) so, high alert, but no go.
They leave without coming to the stand.
Another cold wet hour in I catch movement. A bear! Remember Rule 1/Nite 1. So I sit and watch it come in to the barrel loaded with beaver carcasses. I'm pleased to just watch and enjoy the show. I have absolutely no intention of shooting. Gun's in my lap. As I'm watching, he hits the 55 gallon barrel. When it gets there, the barrel just disappears. The bear is on all 4s, it just covered it up. As it edged around I could his back was at least a foot taller than the barrel. I was blown away. Now I'm paying close attention. The bear noses around the can a bit. Then it backs up and gives a Woof. It slowly turns around and sees me about 60 yds away silhouetted in the tree!
It mosies over to the stand. I'm calm and fascinated. Then it stands up and stretches using the ladder. Still calm - both of us. He's still curious. Then he decides to stretch even more. Standing with hind legs on the ground he turned his head and stuffed his snoot right in my crotch + 17'6" in the air! At this point there is no doubt in my mind that what we have here is a huge bear. As I look down on his head I estimate his ears to be 12-14" apart. I forced myself to look away. I was afraid that if we made eye contact he'd grab me by …. And rip me out of the tree. It worked. He lowered himself down, gave a big Woof, and waddled off. So far - so good. I'm alive and not bit. But now I'm a bear hunter. The bear stops back at the can for a beaver snack.

I'm very aware that goretex can be loud. Rifle is still in my lap. The bear leaves the barrel and heads off into screen of low aspen. At about 100 or so yards I decide to use the trees as my screen to start my shouldering of the 300RUM. As I raise the rifle butt away from my chest to my shoulder, the toe of the stock caught a piece of goretex, making the tiniest 'tccch'. In a micro flash that bear was tearing dirt and mud clods over the tops of the trees! I'm a top wing shot, and I've shot a lot of running game. But I had too much respect and awe for this monster to even think of trying that with him.

When the outfitter arrived to pick me up I showed him the tracks that told the whole story. He was blown away. He asked if I was OK to hunt the next day? I told him didn't get bit, so why was he asking. He said that on average he has 1 out every 8 hunters during the season ask to be taken back to town (75 miles away.) after the first or second nights. Some don't like being covered up in bears - and many didn't know just how afraid of the dark they really were!

It ruined the rest of my week, though. First, I was spoiled by my experience with an indisputably monster sized bear. I was immediately spoiled. Second - I knew better than to go out again goretex, no matter the rain or cold. So, I froze my wet, cold miserable butt off the rest of the week. Never fired a shot.
 
Another time we were hunting with my uncles. My dad had made plans to meet them at a certain part of the trail be for starting the hunt. We met up with 2 of my uncles at the trailhead the third wasn't there so the rest of us decided to go to the spot to wait. It was really early in the morning around 3am when we got to the spot tied up the dogs and waited. Some time went by and there was a faint sound up the trail. We couldn't make it out at first and wondered what it was. It was pitch black couldn't see your hand in front of your face black. Sound got closer and closer and finally we could hear a man's voice calling my uncles name. At first, we all thought it was my uncle Herman whom we were waiting for. My dad and uncles were wondering how the hell he got ahead of us. So we grabbed the dogs which we had roped up and started walking towards the calls. We didn't go very far when we came upon a spot on the trail that was very muddy. And my uncle who was in the front and who's name was being called looked down with the only flashlight we had and said there's no man track here. We all looked at the mud and wondered what the hell? This was a trail my uncle and dad had made years before and wasn't a regular hiking trail etc. Only my dad, uncles and a few of their friends knew of this trail. Right then we heard noise behind us. Looking back down the trail it was my uncle Herman coming up the trail with his 2 dogs. My dad asked if he was calling and he said nope thought you guys left me cause you weren't there at the spot. All of a sudden an ice cold chill came upon us I don't know how else to describe it. The dogs started to growl and snarl while looking into the darkness ahead of us. One of my uncles who fully believes in hawaiian spirits etc was like ok guys I'm outta here. My uncle who's name was being called was like nah we go hunt that's nothing. My other uncle was like no let's go this is no good we gotta leave. So my other uncle concedes and we turn to leave. All the dogs at this point are goin pretty nuts and hard to control. We take but a few steps and all of a sudden right behind us the voice we heard earlier calls my uncles name loud and clear. It sounded like he was right behind us. Everyone's turns around and there's no one there! I'm getting chills n goosebumps telling this story. At that moment, my uncle who believes in spirits was gone! I don't think the fastest man in the world could've beat him to the truck that day. While dragging along a few dogs lol we all just walked away as fast as we could while trying to calm the dogs down. Freaks me out til this day!
 
not much of a story compared to the others here but I will share this one. I always enter the Texas Drawn hunts, it is cheap and there are some really good hunts. A few years back a friend and I got picked for a hunt on a private ranch near Sanderson Texas. It was a guided hunt on a 3000 acre ranch.

The first day there they made us sight in at 100 yards (I guess really to ensure the hunters can shoot) and then we went out that first afternoon for an evening hunt. We were allowed one buck and one doe but the guide was there to ensure we got the correct buck (6 point limit). The guides would drive us out to the blinds, it ended up being 30-45 minutes or more of a drive to the blinds and I had no idea where we were, we crossed so many gates, went ver so many hills and made so many turns I had no sense of direction. The first evening a buck came out and I shot him at about 150 yards with my 6.5 Creedmoor. It was the first deer I had ever shot at/killed so I was happy that first day.

Since I got my buck, the guide did not need to come with me for my doe so they were dropping each of us off at blinds before light. Same drive, 30-45 minutes or more of bumpy road to get there. On the way they start telling stories of having illegals and cartel coming through the area (Sanderson is fairly close to the border). Stories of Border Patrol and helicopters chasing people. They said we could offer water if we saw anyone. They had seen drug runners in all black BDU's with AR's coming through the ranch too. Visions started going through my head.

It is zero dark thirty, we are driving who knows where and I am going through scenarios in my head of the cartel coming by my blind. I had a 4 shot bolt action rifle (with no extra ammo) which would not be very good against multiple people with AR's. Fortunately I had a concealed handgun with me but that only gave me about 20 rounds more ammo that was only good up close.

When they dropped me off at that blind in the dark, every sound I heard seemed to be someone walking toward me and I was hyper aware of everything. It was all for naught, it got light and I never did see any humans or deer.

To top that off, on the drive back the guide told me that there was a small "cave" in front of where my blind was (it is fairly flat but there were some rocky areas overlooking some open areas) and at times they had seen mountain lions coming out of that cave. That would have been good info to know before they dropped me off there. I got my doe later that day and spent the last couple hunts looking for foxes and mountain lions. Never got any thought but I did get my two deer. Info on two and four legged animals that could possibly hunt me would have been good info to have prior to the hunt. I suppose since they had never had any issues they assumed nobody else would.
 
More than a few times both before and (usually) after daylight going to and from a stand, have had quail coveys blow up in my face literally right out from under my feet, some even hitting me in the face. No matter how many times it has happened it still spooks me pretty good.
Always able to chuckle about it after my heart slows down & I catch my breath. Seems to shake up the guided hunter a step or two behind me worse. Wild Horse Desert Bob-Whites will hold until your foot is coming down on them.
This is funny because they so dang quick.
 
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