What’s your spookiest hunting experience?

Three of us were hunting mule deer up near Bagdad, Az. The terrain is rough to say the least. Each of us were riding mules. We needed to cover a lot of territory, we split up and each took to riding a ridge on adjacent canyons. We knew the deer would be in there somewhere. We had been riding for three days and it seemed like the deer had left the territory.

I was riding a 16 hand Apolusa mule named Chief. I had been riding Chief all year, and he was sound as a dollar. As all three of us separated, I started working down into the some draws, then up the canyon walls, and down into the neighboring draws. The three of us were never more than a half mile from each other, and we had planned what we were doing off of a good topo map, we had good radios, also.

I had a Browning A bolt in 7 Mag in the scabbard, and my Ruger GP100 was in the saddle bag on this ride vs being on my hip.

I rode into some cows that looked more like scarecrows they were so skinny. All of a sudden, Chief went bucking wild, I rode him out pretty good but he finally threw me off. I landed on a rock in the small of my back and head. I was knocked out cold, and as I woke up, I tried to roll over to get my 357 out of my cross-draw Galco holster, but it was on the mule.

I lay on the ground, screaming talking to God, while screaming from the pain. I finally rolled over on my side, screaming all the while. I got on my knees and hands, screaming and crying at the same time. I realized that my radio had been busted from the fall. I got to my feet, and I thought that I was going to pass out from the pain. Every step was a scream with Prayers for God's help.

I figured that I was 5-6 miles from the truck and horse trailer, no way for me to make it back. I pulled the map out of the pocket on my leg, and oriented the map with my simple Boy Scout Compass. There was a road about half a mile from me. I began to think of killing that mule which helped me to accept the pain. I made it to a stout fence meant to keep the cattle off the road, but I could not lift my leg to get over the fence. I cried and Prayed for God's help. I realized that the only way for me to get through the fence was to lay on the middle strand of barbed wire and just fall through the fence, as best I could. I knew that it was probable that I would get hung up on the barbed wire. With God's Grace, I fell through the fence, only tearing a pants leg with a very small slice on my leg. The Fence was on the top of a hill with the road perhaps 500 yards down the steep hill. I knew that I would probably trip and fall going down the steep hill, but with a lot of Praying and screaming, I made it down to the dirt road.

When I got down to the road, I just laid down on the side of the road and went sound asleep. Sometime later, I was awoken by three men, they happened to be Paramedics, hunting in the same area. Another Paramedic came riding up on my mule Chief, exclaiming how good a mule he was.

They wanted to take me to the hospital, but I told them to take me back to the horse trailer as I needed to wait for my two friends. I made it home, lucky to be alive. Hospital visit the next day, full recovery in three months. I sold Chief to a good friend who had seen me ride Chief many times. I told Chief's new owner to send me a check in three months if he still liked the mule. I bought another mule that I named Kansas because he came from Kansas. Kansas would go to bucking every time he stepped off into a Sand wash. After he bucked the first time, I cut a big green limb off of a tree, The next time he went to bucking, I beat his head and ears real good with that stick. After the second tune-up with that stick, Kansas never bucked again!

My good friend liked to buy cheap mules. He bought a mule at an auction named Diamond. Diamond had the largest ugly head I have ever seen on a mule. The mule was good to ride but we had to have him sedated by the vet to get shoes on him. Diamond had the crazy habit of jumping creeks and mud puddles. Craig was fed up with having his balls busted on the saddle horn from Diamond jumping like a flying squirrel.

Craig had wanted to use his new Suburban to pull the 4 horse trailer to the trailhead. During the hunt, Diamond once again busted Craig's balls on the saddle horn while jumping a creek. I thought that Craig was going to shoot the mule, but I reminded him that he would have to carry the saddle about 4 miles back to the truck. Craig was cussing and raising hell all the way to the truck.

When we arrived at the horse trailer, There was a very large mud puddle that completely covered the dirt road we were on. Craig got the idea of unhooking the horse trailer and tying Diamond with two leade ropes to the trailer hitch of the New Suburban. Craig said he was going to drive back and forth through the mud puddle until Diamond was no longer scared of the water.

Diamond was tied up to the Trailer hitch, and when he got to the mud puddle he locked up all 4 feet. As his front feet went into the mud puddle, Diamond tried to jump the mud puddle and landed on top of the Suburban! Diamond caved in the top of the Brand new Suburban, rear door, broke the rear glass, and caved in a rear quarter panel as he rolled off the top of the vehicle. This event ended the hunt for that weekend, Diamond went back to the auction.

I asked Craig what he was going to tell the Insurance Company, I never found out!
 
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When I was in my late teens I was going hunting one morning ( first day of gun season) I always got to the woods early 1-1 1/2 hours before shooting time I would be in my stand. A friend of mine was supposed to go with me on this day but couldn't make it because of being sick. So I go anyways and was used to hunting by myself. When I got to the property I decided to take a different route to my stand for some reason , it was really bright out from a full moon and I didn't need a light at all. So I get about 75 yards into the woods and see something that catches my eye, as I get closer I can see that it's a blanket and it's covering something up. When I get up to it my first thought is someone shot a deer the day before (Sunday and no hunting back then) so I kneel down and pat it still thinking that it's a deer. So I lift up a corner of the blanket and was extremely surprised when I see a arm and face 😳. I dropped the blanket, got up and made my way to my stand in a hurry thinking the whole time of what in the hell just happened, and whoever put it there could still be around. So I get up into my treestand (still a good hour before light) and I hear someone walking in a straight line towards me, so I load my gun and just wait. They stop about 50 yards from me and I can't really see them or hear them anymore. Once its light enough to make them out I keep a really good eye on him until it's light enough that I can see it's another friend of mine. So finally I can relax a little, after about a hour and not seeing anything I made a grunt call to get his attention and wave him over. He gets under me and says it's still early why did you call me over. I look at him and say ....There's a dead person in the woods up on the hill coming in. He just stands there looking around for what seemed to be 15 minutes and finally says....What in the hell did you just say. So we get our stuff together and go up there and in full daylight you can definitely see that it's a body. Go down to the 7-11 and call the police and spend the next couple of hours telling them the story. The first cop to show was a rookie and when we took him to the body his hand never left his pistol the whole time lol.
I can't believe you got in your tree stand after finding a dead body🤷
 
Second was weirder and still unexplained. I packed a small muley about 4 miles back to the truck, arrived around 9pm, and found another guy waiting by my truck. Super nice, said he was just making sure I made it off the mountain cause it wasn't the safest area (his words). I asked him why, and he just put his finger to his lips and said "sit and listen". I was wrecked so I was happy to sit for a bit. After about 5 minutes, on the opposite side of the canyon I heard what I can only describe as a wounded elk squalling. Half bugle, high pitched, but changing tempo and pitch oddly. It went straight to the spine and made me want to bail. Right as that sound ended, the same type of call lit off on the mountain I had just came down. A third call answered the second from back to the west a good ways. These three calls went back and forth for all of 15-20 minutes before they just stopped with no warning. The other guy and I hadn't said a word the whole time we listened, fairly transfixed. Then he just smiled and me and said "this is why I waited. Not a good mountain to be on after dark". And off he drove. I have no idea what I heard that night (I'm not a big foot believer) but it was the most eerie, hair raising communication I've ever heard. I moved shortly after that (graduated from school and moved home) and I've never been back up there.
I was told that's a skin crawler. I used to hear the exact same elk bugle squall in a place I hunted years ago, in SE PA where there are no elk. It would always come right before dark and freak out the deer and send them running. the area is a well known Indian sacred site. The place was weird. I've gone in and out of the woods before sunrise and after sunset for over 35 years, and have no fear of the dark. this place? It always felt oppressive, like I was being watched, and I would sometimes get the feeling that something was hovering next to me, breathing down my neck.
 
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Oh another. Well two. Opening day my buddy text's me who the hell are you talking to? I texted back, no one. It's from the camp behind us. Turns out a Mt Lion ran into the campground and people were throwing pots and pans at it trying to get it to leave. Other was was buddy next tree over turns his phone on flash. I'm like wth. He ends up sending me a pic of a Mt lion right under his stand with a fawn in his mouth. Still dark out. I waited till 10 before going down.
 
I feel like I'm telling to many stories, but here goes another one. I'd been married about three years and my wife went on quite a few of our little adventures. This one took place in the Smoky Mtns. Another trip to ice water springs trail shelter, where we spent the night. Then on to Mt. Laconte trail shelter. Its about quarter mile from the lodge, we got to the shelter fairly early and claimed three top bunks against the fireplace wall. Went to the lodge and ate a lunch there. The lodge is five plus miles by trail from any direction. And its on the AT. There was a picture of a bear like a wanted poster there that said to beware of him. He had a scar from the top of his head through his left eye and down to his muzzle. Mean bear! When we returned to the shelter there was three adults and a bunch of teenagers. They took up the rest of the shelter. Also they were a religious group, and stupid. We told one of the adults about the bear and his response was God will protect us! Ok, we'll see. The shelter is three sides rock walls and chain link fence and door, with a u shaped drop to lock the door. About1 in the afternoon they got in a circle in front of the shelter and started a prayer, Bible reading. Scar face shows up. I yell for them to get in the shelter but no-one moves. The bear comes up and sniffs one girls hair. I'll give her credit, she didn't move. Bear moves to a young man and starts sniffing him. He's not so cool and swats at the bear. The kid was wearing a white nylon jacket and when the bear hit him it sounded like a 22lr going off. Me and my friend were out of the shelter a throwing rocks at the bear. He backs off but is huffing and popping his teeth. My wife yells at me and I look around, I'm the only person outside the shelter. Ok, ok time to retreat. Just before dark one of the young girls takes a collapsible wash basin and moves out the shelter to do her dishes. I'm standing in the shelter door watching, the bear rounds the other end of the shelter and is making a lunge at her. I reach down and grab her by the back of her jacket and toss her into the shelter. As she's flying through the air she calls me a SOB. I close the door and drop the latch as the bear hits the door. I was into martial arts then and just out of response I kicked his claws in the chain links of the door. He's po-ed now. Bridget my wife says don't do that again. Ok, we're stuck in a twenty foot long shelter with a bunch of terrified kids. One of the leaders had the gall to say, see God protected us. Never thought I'd be a guardian angel. Night went by without any trouble except for skunks. Thankfully none of the kids woke up when the skunks invaded. The next morning we were packing up to leave and one of them asked, what do we do about the bear. I couldn't help myself, I said pray. Then we left. I often wonder how long it took them to work up the courage to leave.
Oh man, as a former pastor I have no reservations saying that these kinds of people who think they can do whatever the heck they want without thinking because "God will protect us" drive me nuts!!!!! 🤣

There is a difference between trusting the good Lord and "putting the Lord your God to the test".

Being willfully foolish and calling it faith doesn't make you virtuous, just stupid!
 
I was told that's a skin crawler. I used to hear the exact same elk bugle squall in a place I hunted years ago, in SE PA where there are no elk. It would always come right before dark and freak out the deer and send them running. the area is a well known Indian sacred site. The place was weird. I've gone in and out of the woods before sunrise and after sunset for over 35 years, and have no fear of the dark. this place? It always felt oppressive, like I was being watched, and I would sometimes get the feeling that something was hovering next to me, breathing down my neck.
I thought they've been trying to reintroduce them for a while now?
 
Trying to decide if it was when my 1st born was born or when I was told my wife was having twins (last 2 born totaled 6) when I was 42 and glad it wasn't triplets! 1 girl (4th born) and 5 boys. At 57 (58 next month) and still have 4 more years until the twins graduate. I'll be a senior citizen by then, if I live that long?
 
Three of us were hunting mule deer up near Bagdad, Az. The terrain is rough to say the least. Each of us were riding mules. We needed to cover a lot of territory, we split up and each took to riding a ridge on adjacent canyons. We knew the deer would be in there somewhere. We had been riding for three days and it seemed like the deer had left the territory.

I was riding a 16 hand Apolusa mule named Chief. I had been riding Chief all year, and he was sound as a dollar. As all three of us separated, I started working down into the some draws, then up the canyon walls, and down into the neighboring draws. The three of us were never more than a half mile from each other, and we had planned what we were doing off of a good topo map, we had good radios, also.

I had a Browning A bolt in 7 Mag in the scabbard, and my Ruger GP100 was in the saddle bag on this ride vs being on my hip.

I rode into some cows that looked more like scarecrows they were so skinny. All of a sudden, Chief went bucking wild, I rode him out pretty good but he finally threw me off. I landed on a rock in the small of my back and head. I was knocked out cold, and as I woke up, I tried to roll over to get my 357 out of my cross-draw Galco holster, but it was on the mule.

I lay on the ground, screaming talking to God, while screaming from the pain. I finally rolled over on my side, screaming all the while. I got on my knees and hands, screaming and crying at the same time. I realized that my radio had been busted from the fall. I got to my feet, and I thought that I was going to pass out from the pain. Every step was a scream with Prayers for God's help.

I figured that I was 5-6 miles from the truck and horse trailer, no way for me to make it back. I pulled the map out of the pocket on my leg, and oriented the map with my simple Boy Scout Compass. There was a road about half a mile from me. I began to think of killing that mule which helped me to accept the pain. I made it to a stout fence meant to keep the cattle off the road, but I could not lift my leg to get over the fence. I cried and Prayed for God's help. I realized that the only way for me to get through the fence was to lay on the middle strand of barbed wire and just fall through the fence, as best I could. I knew that it was probable that I would get hung up on the barbed wire. With God's Grace, I fell through the fence, only tearing a pants leg with a very small slice on my leg. The Fence was on the top of a hill with the road perhaps 500 yards down the steep hill. I knew that I would probably trip and fall going down the steep hill, but with a lot of Praying and screaming, I made it down to the dirt road.

When I got down to the road, I just laid down on the side of the road and went sound asleep. Sometime later, I was awoken by three men, they happened to be Paramedics, hunting in the same area. Another Paramedic came riding up on my mule Chief, exclaiming how good a mule he was.

They wanted to take me to the hospital, but I told them to take me back to the horse trailer as I needed to wait for my two friends. I made it home, lucky to be alive. Hospital visit the next day, full recovery in three months. I sold Chief to a good friend who had seen me ride Chief many times. I told Chief's new owner to send me a check in three months if he still liked the mule. I bought another mule that I named Kansas because he came from Kansas. Kansas would go to bucking every time he stepped off into a Sand wash. After he bucked the first time, I cut a big green limb off of a tree, The next time he went to bucking, I beat his head and ears real good with that stick. After the second tune-up with that stick, Kansas never bucked again!

My good friend liked to buy cheap mules. He bought a mule at an auction named Diamond. Diamond had the largest ugly head I have ever seen on a mule. The mule was good to ride but we had to have him sedated by the vet to get shoes on him. Diamond had the crazy habit of jumping creeks and mud puddles. Craig was fed up with having his balls busted on the saddle horn from Diamond jumping like a flying squirrel.

Craig had wanted to use his new Suburban to pull the 4 horse trailer to the trailhead. During the hunt, Diamond once again busted Craig's balls on the saddle horn while jumping a creek. I thought that Craig was going to shoot the mule, but I reminded him that he would have to carry the saddle about 4 miles back to the truck. Craig was cussing and raising hell all the way to the truck.

When we arrived at the horse trailer, There was a very large mud puddle that completely covered the dirt road we were on. Craig got the idea of unhooking the horse trailer and tying Diamond with two leade ropes to the trailer hitch of the New Suburban. Craig said he was going to drive back and forth through the mud puddle until Diamond was no longer scared of the water.

Diamond was tied up to the Trailer hitch, and when he got to the mud puddle he locked up all 4 feet. As his front feet went into the mud puddle, Diamond tried to jump the mud puddle and landed on top of the Suburban! Diamond caved in the top of the Brand new Suburban, rear door, broke the rear glass, and caved in a rear quarter panel as he rolled off the top of the vehicle. This event ended the hunt for that weekend, Diamond went back to the auction.

I asked Craig what he was going to tell the Insurance Company, I never found out!
lol 😂 mules you gotta love them
 
Oh another. Well two. Opening day my buddy text's me who the hell are you talking to? I texted back, no one. It's from the camp behind us. Turns out a Mt Lion ran into the campground and people were throwing pots and pans at it trying to get it to leave. Other was was buddy next tree over turns his phone on flash. I'm like wth. He ends up sending me a pic of a Mt lion right under his stand with a fawn in his mouth. Still dark out. I waited till 10 before going down.
When I was in my teens I had one track me to my tree just at daylight.
It came right to the bottom of the tree and looked up at me. Then it sat down, cleaned itself and laid down and started making a loud purring sound.
Was a pretty cool experience
 
Back in 2018 me and a couple buddies were elk hunting first rifle season in northern NM. We had taken our pickup trucks to different areas that morning with the plan to meet back at camp around 8 or so for dinner. I didn't see anything on my hunt so I head back to camp after dark, running a little late. As I'm driving back to camp, I see headlights; it's my buddies coming up the road in their pickup to come check on me. We're both on a two track so I stop at the top of the hill where there's a little turnout and they pull up beside me. We've all got our windows down parked side by side (driver to driver) discussing the day and what all happened. By this time we had shut our pickups off and all the lights were off, it's pitch dark and quiet except for our talking. We're knee deep in elk talk, discussing what we saw, what we want to do tomorrow. We start to hear this approaching sound, like a whoosh at first, but it's coming fast and getting louder quick. Quickly going from a whoosh to a roar. I'm starting to duck in my pickup cause this thing is getting LOUDER and CLOSER with every millisecond. It happened too quick to really look around but in our minds we're all trying to figure it out, minds racing - is this an earthquake, a tornado, hurricane winds, CHUPACABRA?? I really thought tornado. Suddenly it passes DIRECTLY overhead, whistling, ROARING and shaking both trucks, and all four of us hit the deck. I'm laying over the center console part in my seat and part in the passenger seat. As I look to my right a sliver of moonlight is just coming up in the direction it's heading I can make out two small red lights on the rear of it, a huge wingspan and four turbo props - it was a C-130 doing a low level mountain run in blackout. I guess they were flying off infrared. They were low and they were dark. It was probably a little higher in reality, but it seemed like this thing was RIGHT OVER OUR HEADS maybe 20' over the tree tops at the top of that hill. Close enough that it shook our 3/4 ton trucks. I'd love to know if we just happened to converge at that spot, or if those pilots thought "I bet we can scare the hell out of these guys?" Probably the latter!
 
Back in 2018 me and a couple buddies were elk hunting first rifle season in northern NM. We had taken our pickup trucks to different areas that morning with the plan to meet back at camp around 8 or so for dinner. I didn't see anything on my hunt so I head back to camp after dark, running a little late. As I'm driving back to camp, I see headlights; it's my buddies coming up the road in their pickup to come check on me. We're both on a two track so I stop at the top of the hill where there's a little turnout and they pull up beside me. We've all got our windows down parked side by side (driver to driver) discussing the day and what all happened. By this time we had shut our pickups off and all the lights were off, it's pitch dark and quiet except for our talking. We're knee deep in elk talk, discussing what we saw, what we want to do tomorrow. We start to hear this approaching sound, like a whoosh at first, but it's coming fast and getting louder quick. Quickly going from a whoosh to a roar. I'm starting to duck in my pickup cause this thing is getting LOUDER and CLOSER with every millisecond. It happened too quick to really look around but in our minds we're all trying to figure it out, minds racing - is this an earthquake, a tornado, hurricane winds, CHUPACABRA?? I really thought tornado. Suddenly it passes DIRECTLY overhead, whistling, ROARING and shaking both trucks, and all four of us hit the deck. I'm laying over the center console part in my seat and part in the passenger seat. As I look to my right a sliver of moonlight is just coming up in the direction it's heading I can make out two small red lights on the rear of it, a huge wingspan and four turbo props - it was a C-130 doing a low level mountain run in blackout. I guess they were flying off infrared. They were low and they were dark. It was probably a little higher in reality, but it seemed like this thing was RIGHT OVER OUR HEADS maybe 20' over the tree tops at the top of that hill. Close enough that it shook our 3/4 ton trucks. I'd love to know if we just happened to converge at that spot, or if those pilots thought "I bet we can scare the hell out of these guys?" Probably the latter!
Wonder what the elk had to say
 

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