What’s your spookiest hunting experience?

[marksman1941]

Bow hunting elk years ago and followed a skunk out after dark. We were heading the same way on the trail. I stayed a respectful distance behind.

With as many skunks as I have seen dead on the road, I had never seen one in the woods until last year. while turkey hunting I kept hearing a scrabbling in the leaves that sounded like a turkey digging for food. Calls were not doing much so I decided to try and put the stalk on the turkey (rarely effective but often fun).

I came around a big Doug fir expecting a turkey and instead was face to face with a skunk, digging through the leaves looking for bugs I'm guessing. We just stared at each other for about 10 seconds, and I made the most gentle backwards retreat I could around the fir tree. The moment I broke his line of sight (and line of fire) I hightailed it a few hundred yards back up the hill, and gave that little fella his space. I have nothing but respect for something that stinky lol.

 

[memtb]

With as many skunks as I have seen dead on the road, I had never seen one in the woods until last year. while turkey hunting I kept hearing a scrabbling in the leaves that sounded like a turkey digging for food. Calls were not doing much so I decided to try and put the stalk on the turkey (rarely effective but often fun).

I came around a big Doug fir expecting a turkey and instead was face to face with a skunk, digging through the leaves looking for bugs I'm guessing. We just stared at each other for about 10 seconds, and I made the most gentle backwards retreat I could around the fir tree. The moment I broke his line of sight (and line of fire) I hightailed it a few hundred yards back up the hill, and gave that little fella his space. I have nothing but respect for something that stinky lol.

As they're primarily nocturnal……all of my encounters have been while deer hunting at night! Did I really just say that? memtb

 

[Grizzly60]

As they're primarily nocturnal……all of my encounters have been while deer hunting at night! Did I really just say that? memtb

Yep, you did.

 

[FrogFire7]

Yep, you did.

Allegedly

 

[sp6x6]

Was bowhunting and cow called a grizzly in to point blank, and it woofed at me real close when it winded me.Shortly after a fight erupted between two, I think there was a kill close,3 bears woofing. There other time my friend hit the wake of a ferry type boat.We where in 14 foot skiff and just took off , out about 400 yrds.He lost tiller and U turned us and almost flipped.I asked where life jackets where,said don't need em, die in couple minutes in that water! This was up off POW,wasnt to thrilled about that.

 

[memtb]

Was bowhunting and cow called a grizzly in to point blank, and it woofed at me real close when it winded me.Shortly after a fight erupted between two, I think there was a kill close,3 bears woofing. There other time my friend hit the wake of a ferry type boat.We where in 14 foot skiff and just took off , out about 400 yrds.He lost tiller and U turned us and almost flipped.I asked where life jackets where,said don't need em, die in couple minutes in that water! This was up of POW,wasnt to thrilled about that.

You should probably take up Chess or something similar……you've about used up you good fortune! memtb

 

[Mark37082]

As I was reading the stories of mean bull encounters I thought I would share one.
My best friend lived on farm and I helped out as much as I could. The ranch next to his family farm raised Brahma bulls and was actively involved in rodeos. One afternoon we were picking up some blow downs and loading them on a flat bed trailer. We noticed this huge bull in the field adjacent to where we were working. It was spinning around and just going crazy. All of sudden it just jumped the fence and was charging right toward us. We jumped on the flat bed hay trailer and it literally attacked the trailer. It knocked both of us off the trailer as it tossed it around. We jumped on the tractor and the bull continued to ram the trailer and tractor. There were ground hornets stinging the bull and it took its revenge on us. We escaped without major injury, but needless to say we were done working in that field for the day.

 

[steel2]

As I was reading the stories of mean bull encounters I thought I would share one.
My best friend lived on farm and I helped out as much as I could. The ranch next to his family farm raised Brahma bulls and was actively involved in rodeos. One afternoon we were picking up some blow downs and loading them on a flat bed trailer. We noticed this huge bull in the field adjacent to where we were working. It was spinning around and just going crazy. All of sudden it just jumped the fence and was charging right toward us. We jumped on the flat bed hay trailer and it literally attacked the trailer. It knocked both of us off the trailer as it tossed it around. We jumped on the tractor and the bull continued to ram the trailer and tractor. There were ground hornets stinging the bull and it took its revenge on us. We escaped without major injury, but needless to say we were done working in that field for the day.

sounds like he was "madder than a hornet" lol

 

[Kyle Wheeler]

Wasn't super spooky but I took my son deer hunting for the first time this year and a car saw us from pretty far away and honked their horn for about 5 minutes racing on the county roads trying to make noise. It felt very aggressive. We were 100% legal on private property but they even came back multiple times racing the roads honking. I sure didn't like that while I was trying to teach my son about hunting but it turned out to be a good lesson for him as we talked about it. I called my brother who was on the tractor about half a mile away and no joke I've never seen a tractor go so fast to get to his truck so he could chase them down .

 

[Turpentine21]

With as many skunks as I have seen dead on the road, I had never seen one in the woods until last year. while turkey hunting I kept hearing a scrabbling in the leaves that sounded like a turkey digging for food. Calls were not doing much so I decided to try and put the stalk on the turkey (rarely effective but often fun).

I came around a big Doug fir expecting a turkey and instead was face to face with a skunk, digging through the leaves looking for bugs I'm guessing. We just stared at each other for about 10 seconds, and I made the most gentle backwards retreat I could around the fir tree. The moment I broke his line of sight (and line of fire) I hightailed it a few hundred yards back up the hill, and gave that little fella his space. I have nothing but respect for something that stinky lol.

My in-laws had skunks that lived under their house. Pa-in-law had no sense of smell so they didn't bother him. Therefore he felt no need to trap them. I would stay with them when I combined the crops sometimes up to 2 months out of the year. Evidently the A/C unit would spook them occasionally and they would spray it or the air handler when it would suddenly come on. Good gracious those things stink. I'd wake up with tears in my eyes.. I never managed to trap or shoot them but I sure tried.

 

[Turpentine21]

Wasn't super spooky but I took my son deer hunting for the first time this year and a car saw us from pretty far away and honked their horn for about 5 minutes racing on the county roads trying to make noise. It felt very aggressive. We were 100% legal on private property but they even came back multiple times racing the roads honking. I sure didn't like that while I was trying to teach my son about hunting but it turned out to be a good lesson for him as we talked about it. I called my brother who was on the tractor about half a mile away and no joke I've never seen a tractor go so fast to get to his truck so he could chase them down .

I'm pretty sure there is a law here in South Carolina where they could be fined for "interfering" with a persons hunt. Wouldn't that have been great. My memory is terrible but it seems like I read it in our hunting laws brochure.

 

[MtPockets]

We'

Wasn't super spooky but I took my son deer hunting for the first time this year and a car saw us from pretty far away and honked their horn for about 5 minutes racing on the county roads trying to make noise. It felt very aggressive. We were 100% legal on private property but they even came back multiple times racing the roads honking. I sure didn't like that while I was trying to teach my son about hunting but it turned out to be a good lesson for him as we talked about it. I called my brother who was on the tractor about half a mile away and no joke I've never seen a tractor go so fast to get to his truck so he could chase them down .

We're all waiting for Paul Harvey and "The Rest of the Story."
Did your brother catch them or at least run them off?

I wish people like that would, just once, join in on a hunt and see how special it can be- especially a father/young son hunt like that.
Might help them realize that we're not a bunch of blood thirsty murderers like they've been told.

 

[Kyle Wheeler]

We'

We're all waiting for Paul Harvey and "The Rest of the Story."
Did your brother catch them or at least run them off?

I wish people like that would, just once, join in on a hunt and see how special it can be- especially a father/young son hunt like that.
Might help them realize that we're not a bunch of blood thirsty murderers like they've been told.

I agree 100%. I would love to take someone who has never been or is against hunting. I think once they realize we only harvest maybe once or twice a year (sometimes we wait a few years) and use the whole animal they could see the honor. From meat, cape and euro there is lots of way to honor the animal. The car ran off by the time he got there but they figured out who it was. It's a small farm community and neighbors are all aware and I haven't heard if they talked to him as we were visiting over Thanksgiving but he is on the watch list haha. It's in Texas and the game wardens are hard to get a hold in that area sometimes so we decided since they didn't technically trespass (they were right on the line) to let it be this time. My brother has caught up to people on his farm though who were doing drugs or dumping as it's been a problem in the past. If we ever get to meet the guy who did this will be sure to follow up especially if we take him hunting . Also to end the story I did take my first deer in 3 years with my 5 year old son. He was elated and helped me with everything including gutting the deer. Memories that will last a lifetime we are still talking about. Also first harvest with a surpressor so I don't think the mystery car had any idea we got one . I'm absolutely hooked on using a suppressor now.

 

[sp6x6]

Heres one from my son. He was bowhunting on east side solo and returned to truck at end of day.The access there where two guys and gal.I thought ill just make small talked and asked how the hunting was.This morphed into them stating the land was there's and they had ranch down the road, and my son offered to show them boundary on ONx,which they news in fall many hunters park there at rifle season.They were drinking and calling him fagott and all kinds of things. My 5-7'' son is ex marine,MP,ans SWAT trained.He can also pull 400# deadlift.He left and as he went my ranch house they dropped of gal and came racing back out.He had to stop at a gate of there's ahead to leave and it was now dark.He was afraid of being pinned down in headlights as they neared.So in his tactical mind, he flopped out in ditch, off to side with his rig running at gate.They approached and looked for him in vehicle.At which time he stood up from behind them and in a loud commanding voice, asked what the H,they where doing, while in his arms folded in front, he held he's 40.The one guy caught that, he then told them get in your truck and leave in front of me.Which they did.As he left, they said they where going to bar.Later they ,I guess got his plate and a sheriff was involved, in follow up.They accused him of many false things and in the end, the sheriff told him he could charge them for hunter harassment .And if he went out there hunting again ,give him a call if he had problems