Your most interesting animal encounter
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Horicon Marsh Hunter
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2011…Meeker, Colorado, 2nd rifle season, day 5, 4" fresh snow. At 10am, sitting with my back to a cedar, watching north, eating a granola bar, I turned my head to the right to look along the east edge of the cedar checking behind me at the same moment a black bear had just turned to his left to look around the same cedar to both our surprise! I swung my rifle off my Stoney Point shooting sticks and in the bears direction almost as fast as the bear spun around and it then plowed through the barb wire fence 30 yards to my east. The bears tracks behind the cedar were only 15' away. I never heard it and it never saw or smelled me until our special moment!
I was in Waycross, Ga in early 70's on an environmental job and decided to visit the Okefenokee Swamp over weekend. I had just purchased my first Minolta SLR so its a great place for photography. There was a boardwalk through a swampy area that was filled with birds etc. I was taking all sorts of photos when I spotted a small alligator 1' long off the boardwalk so I laid down on boardwalk to get really good close up of it. Snapping away and getting great shots! Ranger with some visitors quietly comes up to me and whispers "please stand up and back away slowly". I am laughing over 1' alligator? He shakes his head and points behind me other side of boardwalk. Another gator maybe 10-11' had creeped up within couple feet where my feet were on edge of boardwalk. He assured me PROBABLY nothing would have happened. I went back to Waycross to hotel room to change shorts. Great business trip! My new camera was also stolen out of baggage on return trip home. 
Even all my film with photos was in bag so have nothing from the swamp which made me angrier! Eastern Airlines refused to pay for it too.
Even all my film with photos was in bag so have nothing from the swamp which made me angrier! Eastern Airlines refused to pay for it too.
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brant89
Well-Known Member
Just saw a piebald whitetail a couple days ago near me as well.
My most interesting hunting experience was in Maine on a bear hunt. We decided to spend one of the days taking a canoe down a local stream to see what wildlife we could spot. As we came around a bend we heard something in the brush on a high bank, so we started back-paddling to see what it was. Out steps a moose calf, and not far behind was a VERY nervous cow. Realizing we had just gotten ourselves into a potentially dangerous situation, we started putting some distance between ourselves and the bank when all the brush starts thrashing behind her. Cue one very large bull erupting from the brush, hot on the trail of the cow. So here we sit in a canoe in the middle of the moose rut, no firearm, with a bull full on chasing a cow whose only concern in protecting her calf from said bull and now us as well. I'm not sure if it really qualifies as a bluff charge, but at one point the bull rushed towards us into the water, stopping about 20 feet away and staring at us. About that same time, the cow took off downstream and he decided he'd rather pursue her. We crossed paths with them a couple more times but never closer than 150yd.
My most interesting hunting experience was in Maine on a bear hunt. We decided to spend one of the days taking a canoe down a local stream to see what wildlife we could spot. As we came around a bend we heard something in the brush on a high bank, so we started back-paddling to see what it was. Out steps a moose calf, and not far behind was a VERY nervous cow. Realizing we had just gotten ourselves into a potentially dangerous situation, we started putting some distance between ourselves and the bank when all the brush starts thrashing behind her. Cue one very large bull erupting from the brush, hot on the trail of the cow. So here we sit in a canoe in the middle of the moose rut, no firearm, with a bull full on chasing a cow whose only concern in protecting her calf from said bull and now us as well. I'm not sure if it really qualifies as a bluff charge, but at one point the bull rushed towards us into the water, stopping about 20 feet away and staring at us. About that same time, the cow took off downstream and he decided he'd rather pursue her. We crossed paths with them a couple more times but never closer than 150yd.
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Nice CAMOFLAUG!
BillLarson
Well-Known Member
Was in northern Wis. on black bear hunt..... in a tree stand..... saw one coming.....got ready......behind her 2 cubs...... watched her sit with her back against a tree....50 yds. from me..... she fed those 2 cubs at the same time...... was too shocked to take a pic....
Could`nt shoot....
Could`nt shoot....
My buddy and I were calling coyotes off of a cut bank on both sides of us. The only place to put the call was at our feet. After about 20 minutes of calling I had given up and was looking off to my right. Just as I turned to the the left a coyote had come up the bank and was staring at the call. Just as I looked over the coyote had picked it's head up and we locked eyes within a foot of each other. I could feel the breath from the coyote. I scrambled and ended up in my buddies lap and the coyote was tripping over its own feet trying to get the hell out of there. To this day we still get a good laugh from it.
After an extremely exhausting day and packing some elk remnants out of one of the nastiest places, I ran into this PO'ed 1500-2000 lb free ranging bull almost at the trailhead. I was in a ravine with nowhere to go and I was so exhausted I couldn't have done crap to get away. So I held my .338 RUM at the ready in one hand and filmed him with my phone with the other. Thought I was gonna have to shoot him and wanted proof of self defense. He charged from about 30 meters away and I threw the phone down and fired a warning shot over the bow. He stopped at about 10 yards before I had to put one in his face. Then we had a staring contest for a bit and he turned and headed away, stopping every so often to look me over. When I got to the trailhead and loaded my ATV, he stood watching from a short distance away and then chased me as I drove off.
After seeing how the .338 Hammer bullet I loaded had performed I think it would have been a good choice, but probably not the publicity RockyMtnMT would want.
Zen Archery
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20 yard bear while cleaning an elk we shot late in the evening. GLOCK rocked and ready to go. Guess it wasn't my time but it would have been a good death.
Starlite
Well-Known Member
Your encounters reminds me of one of the coolest thing I've ever seen. One morning while having a coffee and watching the birds and squirrels at my feeder, Two brown hawks came swooping in for a squirrel. First one missed but the second took a fatty right the side of the oak tree. If ever there was a moment that I wished for a camera. This will likely be the coolest animal encounter of my life. I've been chased by a black bear. Yep definitely the scariest encounter. Most interesting thing I didn't see was a Partridge move it's clutch of eggs; 3 years ago while heading into a spring bear ground blind I practically stepped on a partridge nest. She flew off and scared the ba-Jesus out of me. I stopped dead in my tracks. Looked down to see 9 eggs. Anyway, thought that's cool and carried on. The next morning I headed into the blind and made sure to check in on the nest. It was completely empty. No broken shells no bear or predator signs. Later that evening I looked this phenomenon up on google. Apparently they can and have moved their clutch if they feel threatened.
Starlite
Well-Known Member
I'm still laughing reminds me if a practical joke I was involved in. I'll tell it another time but needless to say she; running into a door and getting knocked out cold was not in the plan. Wasn't funny til she woke up. The things I did in the military. I should write a book.dmj
Well-Known Member
Had just finished eating a mid day snack while archery hunting. Had stood up, put on my pack and picked up my bow. Heard a noisy and looked over to my right and a cow and calf elk were coming my direction. Just stood still and they walked right up beside me and stopped. Calf was standing within a foot of me and mama was standing just on the other side of the calf. They stood there for several seconds and then moved on.
Another time wife and I rode our horses in about 10 miles and set up camp in the eagle cap wilderness in Oregon. When I got up the next morning there was a mule deer doe in camp and she'd let me walk right up to her. I went ahead and made coffee and when my wife got up I was telling her about my pet deer. She didn't believe me. After breakfast we saddled up and went on in another 7-8 miles to look over some country. Got back that evening, hobbled the horses, turned them loose and we were watching them and having something to drink before starting dinner. Heard something behind me and here was my new friend standing about 3 feet from me. Told my wife to watch this. Got up and walked up to the deer held out my hand. She started licking my hand and I started scratching her behind the ears. She spent a good part of the evening with us. My wife didn't figure anyone would believe our story.
It just doesn't get any better than being out in the mountains and seeing whatever mother nature can serve up.
Another time wife and I rode our horses in about 10 miles and set up camp in the eagle cap wilderness in Oregon. When I got up the next morning there was a mule deer doe in camp and she'd let me walk right up to her. I went ahead and made coffee and when my wife got up I was telling her about my pet deer. She didn't believe me. After breakfast we saddled up and went on in another 7-8 miles to look over some country. Got back that evening, hobbled the horses, turned them loose and we were watching them and having something to drink before starting dinner. Heard something behind me and here was my new friend standing about 3 feet from me. Told my wife to watch this. Got up and walked up to the deer held out my hand. She started licking my hand and I started scratching her behind the ears. She spent a good part of the evening with us. My wife didn't figure anyone would believe our story.
It just doesn't get any better than being out in the mountains and seeing whatever mother nature can serve up.
Deputy819
Well-Known Member
June of 2021. It was 'surreal'…
www.longrangehunting.com
Never had this happen before..(ain’t she cute? 😉)
Was out walking on the backside of my property this afternoon and started hearing baby deer ‘bleats’. I started ‘bleating’ back to it and lo and behold out she came out of the tall grasses and walked right up to me! I kept looking over my shoulder for “Momma deer” and figured I was getting ready...
brant89
Well-Known Member
Another one that happened to me when I was about 12. We were hiking in the Porcupine Mountains in Northern Michigan and a whitetail doe approached us. It walked over to a young sapling where it couldn't quite reach the leaves, looked up at the leaves, then looked at me. I grabbed some leaves from a tree near me to try to entice it to come closer. She came over to me, sniffed the leaves, took a bite, then turned around and went back to the same young sapling and looked at the leaves then back at me again. So I went over to the tree and bent it over to break off a couple branches, and stood there for a minute or two feeding it leaves while stroking her head and neck like a dog. She had obviously had a lot of human interaction leading up to this, but it was crazy to see how a wild (albeit socialized) deer had learned to communicate with people.
