THIS HAPPENED TO ME!!!

[CouesWhitetail]

Ok, here is one that I was reminded of the other day because we were back in the exact same spot doing owl surveys recently.

 

Several years ago, my husband and I had just finished conducting a nighttime owl survey and had found a spot to pitch a tent. As my husband is putting up the tent, I am at at the back of the open jeep getting other gear out. We are setting up camp in a small opening in the forest, next to a dirt road at the edge of a canyon that drops off pretty steep. I have the headlights of the jeep on to help light up the camp spot so we can put up the tent. The lights are shining away from the canyon and the road and toward the tent. anyway, I am in the dark at the back of the jeep messing with gear and I suddenly hear this very loud thundering of what sounded like horses, but it wasn't quite right and I couldn't figure it out. I ask my husband if he hears it and without even realizing it, I get very nervous and then I start shouting very loudly something about "whatever it is, it is coming here fast...NOW!" I turn to look across the dirt road in the dark to see two shapes come racing FULL speed up and over the canyon into the road. One skirts right by me and goes under the jeep and toward my husband, the other slams on the breaks and stops a little further out by the road edge. It all happens so fast and it's dark out so I don't really know what the heck is going on. Turns out it was two large bobcats chasing each other. I can't believe how loud their thundering feet sounded as they came up out of the canyon. I would have sworn it was elk or horses. I don't know where the bobcat that went under the jeep ended up, I don't think my husband ever saw it race by. But the other one just looked bewildered and sat down at the edge of the road looking at us, wondering what on earth just happened. My guess is it was a male chasing a female bobcat. It was a crazy episode and one we still talk about.

[afmalinois]

I had humming birds on my arrow in 23 numerous times a few years back. They were pretty cool to have that close. This past season in Va I got dive bombed by two crows that were chasing each other, so close that I had to hide my face in the tree I was in and could feel the wind rush by me after they passed. Then the next day a peregrine falcon smashed a dove that was perched a few branches above me in an oak tree. The noise was louder than anything I could have imagined and feathers were floating down for a few minutes afterwords. Those two experiences make me keep my head on a swivel when I hear the woods come to life...not just for big game but for attacking raptors!

[singleshot]

One of the most amusing things I witnessed while hunting was in New Mexico's unit 15. I was along for the ride with "Lucky One" who had a late muzzleloader tag. The first morning of the hunt we were easing through some mixed juniper country when "Lucky One" spotted something moving about 90 yards away. A big lion came walking out and spotted us immediately even though we were not moving. Instead of the usual tannish red it was a beautiful gray, almost the same color of coues deer. It sat on it's haunches and watched us for several minutes before walking off. The amusing thing was a flock of crows had landed in a dead ponderosa pine directly above him and continuously showered him with branches and sticks. They would grab a small branch and flap their wings until it broke off and then drop it on the cat. The lion never even looked up. He acted as if this was just another day in his life of being harrased by crows. They followed him as he walked off and continued with the harrassment.

[tjhunt2]

I have a million but one that stands out right now is just after Peg and I got married and was on a deer hunt up around Apache Lake. We had come back to camp for lunch and Peg put her camo cloths, which she had made herself, on a chair. After lunch we loaded up and started up the mountain when all of a sudden I hear Peg yell and watch as she undressed on the hill side. She is stark a$$ naked and doing a dance of some kind. I'm laughing my a$$ off. Red ants had gotten into her cloths while on the chair and began to bite her half way up the mountain. If only I had a camera.

 

TJ

[WOODSAZ]

Allright I have one more too...

 

A couple years ago My son and I hiked up onto the peaks to check a trail cam. We had my two labs with us and after we chacked the cam we started back down the mountain. Conner was about 4 at the time so it was slow going between him walking and me carrying him. As we came into a meadow the dogs took off to my left and they started barking like crazy. They were on the trail of something but I couldnt make out what it was. Soon i saw it was a turkey and they were on its heels. They kept going in this big circle snapping at that birds tail feathers. Im screaming at the dogs to come back to me but they were dead set on getting this huge bird! looking back the thing must have been injured previous because of the way it was acting. it was trying to fly but we were up in that thck spruce so it didnt have ebnough runway area for lift off. i continue to try and get the dogs off this thing when all the sudden it comes running right at us. It slowly lifted off and was flying about 2 ft off the ground. Conner was standing next to me just watching when I realized this bird is gonna run right into us. As i bend down to pick up Conner the bird is about 10 feet from us and must have seen us at that moment. It veered off to the side right towards the tree in front of us but didnt have time to avoid it. It slammed into the tree likee a sack of potatoes! It hit the ground got up and ran up over the ridge out of sight with the dogs on its heels.

 

I was just standing there is awe and i looked down at Conner and asked him" What did you think of that?" He just responded "WOW!"

 

Caught up to the dogs and now dead turkey. It must have busted its wing when it hit the tree. And to this day unfortunatlety i can say the my dog has killed more turkeys than i have...

 

 

Jay

[BowNut]

Great Stories!!

Me and a buddy were deer hunting in 4B years ago and decided to sit and grab a bite to eat. We were sitting with both are backs up against a huge pine tree with a fallen tree in front of us. Just as we finished eating I looked up and had a couple cow elk walking right to us. I whispered to him not to move and see how close they would get. Little did I know they were going to walk right around the fallen tree and stand right next to my buddy! He could have touched one if he wanted to. Well one of them starts to walk around the tree we are sitting by and its hind legs are maybe 10 to 12IN from my buddies side then I hear what sounds like a fart! I look over an all I see is my buddy,an elks a$$ and crap falling and hitting the ground right next to my buddy!!! We could not take it! We both tried to hold in the laughter but there was NO WAY!! The elk took off like they got bit and we laughed for hours!! Good thing she didn't have the runs or he would have had a great cover sent.

[.270]

one time when me and my boys were quail huntin' with big john and porky and all their kids and grandkids, well, nature called. so i took my little folding porta john and wandered off out in the brush. i took a gun, because i always take a gun. might see somethin' to shoot and with porky around ya might need it for self defense. anyway, i was getting all comfortable and was about ready to clean up when all the sudden them cheesy little cables broke and my fancy store bought porta john folded flat on me. it was a really crappy experience. i got me one made out of big steel foldin' chair now. and big john and porky have real long memories. Lark.

[Elkhunter1]

Great Stories!!

Me and a buddy were deer hunting in 4B years ago and decided to sit and grab a bite to eat. We were sitting with both are backs up against a huge pine tree with a fallen tree in front of us. Just as we finished eating I looked up and had a couple cow elk walking right to us. I whispered to him not to move and see how close they would get. Little did I know they were going to walk right around the fallen tree and stand right next to my buddy! He could have touched one if he wanted to. Well one of them starts to walk around the tree we are sitting by and its hind legs are maybe 10 to 12IN from my buddies side then I hear what sounds like a fart! I look over an all I see is my buddy,an elks a$$ and crap falling and hitting the ground right next to my buddy!!! We could not take it! We both tried to hold in the laughter but there was NO WAY!! The elk took off like they got bit and we laughed for hours!! Good thing she didn't have the runs or he would have had a great cover sent.

 

 

one time when me and my boys were quail huntin' with big john and porky and all their kids and grandkids, well, nature called. so i took my little folding porta john and wandered off out in the brush. i took a gun, because i always take a gun. might see somethin' to shoot and with porky around ya might need it for self defense. anyway, i was getting all comfortable and was about ready to clean up when all the sudden them cheesy little cables broke and my fancy store bought porta john folded flat on me. it was a really crappy experience. i got me one made out of big steel foldin' chair now. and big john and porky have real long memories. Lark.

 

 

I almost cra$$%# my pants laoghing so hard at these. You guys are great, keep them coming. Thanks Stephen

[GJMauro12]

In 2006 my grandpa, uncle and myself drew a limited opportunity any elk hunt in 5a. We have a cabin in clear creek so the whole family went up while the three of us were hunting. The day before season we had found 3 good bulls on a water hole on the east sunset. Opening morning we rode together around the mountain at dark to get to where we needed to walk in. as we came around the mountain we had tail lights ahead of us and head lights coming at us from the other side of the mountain. Of course everyone parked at the same gate and basically walked in single file up the same road.

 

The next day my uncle went on his own to try out a new area while me and grandpa did our own thing. Well, late morning we were heading back to the cabin to see how my uncle did and we seen his truck parked out in the flats. We drove over to the truck and seen his tool box was gone and quad tracks going off the road. (my uncle doesn't do much hunting) We started following the quad tracks and found him driving back to the truck, he stopped and said he had a cow down a little ways out but he had pulled his trailer with his quad and had dropped it some where to drag the elk to it with the quad but couldn't remember where he left the trailer. He took us to the elk and of course he didn't gut it so we got that done for him loaded the cow onto the quad and headed for the truck. I decided to look for the trailer with the quad and elk while they walked back. Found it just across the wash from where the elk was headed back.

 

For that evening hunt my granpda went on his own and my uncle came with. I took the quad up the mountain parked and walked through the meadows toward a water hole.It was a Mid October hunt but we started to hear two bulls bugle on both sides of the meadow so we just sat in between the bugles and waited to see what happened. The bugles just kept getting closer and closer and we started to get excited. With barely enough light left I seen a Bull step out of the thicks maybe 120 yards in front of us. Whispered to my uncle not to move raised my gun and took a shot. The bull reared up on his hind legs and spun around ran maybe 10 yards turned back around to come back and stand in the same spot. I racked another one in took the second shot and down he went.

 

That was my first bull, a decent 6x6 and we both just went crazy with excitement. We walked back to the quads to wait for my grandpa and we finally seen him pull up at the bottome of the mountain waiting for us to come down. I got on the radio to let him know that we had a cow down and to come up and help us out. He drove up and he followed us to where he was. When I through the head lights on the bull I thought he was gonna have a heart attack.

 

Well it was my first bull and I wanted to do the cutting my self but my grandpa doesn't really know how to just watch someone else work and two knives inside an elk deosn't work so well. He ended up slicing my middle finger pretty good. Finally got the bull loaded on the back of the quad and it wasn't easy since there were no trees around. On the way down the mountain we had to have one drive and two holding the back of the quad down cause it was wanting to roll over with the weight of the bull on the back. When we got back to the cabin around mid night my Grandma, Aunt and Mother were ready to call in the rescue, but were happy to see the bull.

 

My uncle got a lot of crap from my aunt since he had shot the cow that morning and she wanted some antler to take home and he was a little jealous since he sat and watched me shoot the bull with his tag already on the cow.

 

Well, the night wasn't over. I couldn't stop the bleeding on my finger so they had me go to winslow for stitches.

 

It was a pretty exciting hunt hopefully the story ain't too confusing

 

heres a couple pictures

[youngbuck]

I was in a tree stand fron dusk to dawn for a few days archery hunting coues. One one of the days I saw a small falcon (similar in size to a big dove not sure what kind) in a tree probably 50yds away. I was in full camo and head net. I bobbed my head to get his attention to see what he would do. After a few seconds of playing hide and seek, the falcon had enough. He came over to check me out. Those things can fly fast, real fast. I saw him open up his claws, coming at my eyes. I jumped and hollered and waved my arms. I stopped him in time, but I'm sure all the deer with in a mile heard me. I dang near fell outa the tree. I was laughing so hard after, I almost had to climb down.

[dchamsr06]

Several years ago a buddy and I were on a archery cow hunt in unit 6A. My buddy said he wanted to show me something neat. He took me across I 17 to a look out spot over Oak Creek. It was very cool we were sitting on some boulders looking into the canyon when I see some movement to our right. It was a Mule deer doe. She was right next to us. My buddy reached out and touched her. She wasn't afraid at all. We pet her and hand fed her grass. she followed us around like a lost puppy dog. When we got in the truck she actually followed us a few feet as we drove away. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever experience in the outdoors.

[donniedent]

A while back I was hunting the late archery deer hunt in 21. I was done for the evening and headed back to my truck. I get about 60 yds from the truck and I look to my left to see a small Javalina feeding about 20 or so yds away. I watched for a minute and I remembered someone telling me Javi's would come to a predator call. Well I didn't have a call on me so I decided to do a quazi donald duck sound out the corner of my mouth with my hands cupped for tone changes. Yeah... well thought out right? I hit my little call and all of the sudden 9 or 10 of those stupid things come out of the scenery like a bunch of snipers that decided to show themselves and they're all headed for me!! It didn't take them long to get to me because not one was more than 30 yds away when I hit my call. As these idiots are getting closer I thought "Are they gonna freakin stop?" Then I got the panic! I threw my hands in the air waving and yelling "stop pig stop". I ended up with three of those stupid things surrounding me at no more than 2 yds! Well, they stopped for a split second, realized I was a human and bolted the other way. I stood there for a second with my heart pounding a bit... then I started giggling to myself. Being the tremoundous intellectual that I am, I thought "I'm gonna do that again". But this time I decided to make a noise that they were making in conjuction with my Disney call. So I start the Donald duck then switch to the barking noise they were making. Now... thinking back on my decision to do this sequence of calls, I realize that in the act of having fun, we as humans sometimes put our ankles in danger. It didn't take but a few seconds and I had pigs screaming at me but this time it was the whole crew and they were disinclined to stop at hand waving and yelling. My ankles weren't actually compromised due to the fact that I was high stepping like a reciever celebrating a touchdown and looking back they were only on my heels for a few seconds but they made a lasting impression on me that day. I don't know now many were on my heels and I don't really think it matters, they made their point quite clear. I made it back to the truck unscathed but a little wiser. I have since refined my technique and its a great way to get the kids an up-close look at Javalinas.

[PRDATR]

In 6A about 1990 a buddy and I were archery deer hunting and scouting for an up comming Elk hunt when we wandered into a bedded Elk herd. They spooked but only ran off 30 yards or so. I sat up against a tree and soon a calf bedded back down and the rest came back. A raghorn started heading my way and came so close he was toe to toe with me. This lasted for a few minutes before I movd a foot enough to spook him.

 

Last year in 6A my son spotted movement which turned out to be a 5X that was broken off on one side. He had a few cows with him so my son waited for an open shot but missed his opportunity and they disappeared into the junipers below us about a hundred yards away. So off he goes in pursuit and after about 10 minutes I hear movement and assume it is junior headed back. Wrong, it was the heard and there headed directly to me. I was standing on a boulder so I turn to face away from them and they make their way feeding right up to me, within 5 feet, taking their time because I had the wind to my back they knew something was up but meanderd off. My son was besides himself when I told him what happened.

 

I can't remember how many times I was almost nailed by hawks comming into a predator call. Last time was in Unit 29 while I was calling for spring bear. We were up on the side of a mountain about 10am calling into a canyon when movement caught my eye as I looked straight ahead. It was a Red Tailed Hawk about 10ft away coming in for the kill with wings outstreched and talons in front of him. When it realized I wasn't lunch he veared off at the last second and landed about 30ft away in a snag. I don't know who was more suprised.

 

A few years before that I was back in camp, again in 29, after slipping in the snow and hitting my scope on a boulder which let the charge out when a clump of snow fron a Pinyon branch landed in the bell at the same time making the scope unusable.

I made a sandwich before grabing my spare rifle and was sitting in a chair when I heard what sounded like a dog fight coming from the mountain across from camp a few hundred yards away. As I looked up here comes a black wolf in full stride hauling butt for the canyon. I never did see him again on that hunt which was back in the late 80's.

 

The year before my buddy and I were back in 29 and hike up and over a mountain a mile or so from camp and ended up in the clouds for the last hundred yards or so. When we crested the top we gazed down into a huge bowl shaped canyon and started to class. After a fwe minutes my buddy says, what the heck is that a Corsican Ram? I glass it up and it turns out to be an all white Coues buck that looked to be a heavy 3 or 4 by. Wasn't much we could do as he was close to 800 yards away.

[hookedoncoues]

It was a few years ago, (acutally about 26 years ago) but I was up on Kiabab for the archery deer hunt. Young at the time and not knowing too much about deer hunting. I seen some deer moving up theis draw in the morning. I decided to sit that the draw the next morning. I got up there early and was sitting next to a large pine tree. I thought that I was doing good just sitting in front a large pine tree. I didnt even constuct a blind of any sort.

A lot of critters came up that draw that morning but nothing worth shooting. I was thinking about getting up and moving to another area when another hunter started up theis draw. He was in full camo and just walking up in my direction. He was an older gentleman ( I could see some gray on the sides). anyways, as he got closer to me it appeared as though he seen me and started toward me. He walked up and set his bow down on the ground and leaned against the tree that I was sitting sgainst. he then started to sit down next to me.

It was then that it happened..... I asked him how he was doing. Wrong thing to do!!!!!!! It was at that point that I realized that he had NO idea that anyone was within miles of him. He jumped up and startd to run,,,,, then turned around and started to call me every name in the book!!!!!!! Told me that it was not nice to scare the @#$% out of people. He then picked his bow up and his hat and stomped back down in the direction that he came. I often wonder what stories he has had to tell about that day. Who knows he might read this and have a reply.

[twigsnapper]

I have two:

 

1) I'm chasing Antelope with my brother about 10 years ago in Wyoming. A fresh blanket of snow had cover the ground and it was cold. Mid morning I had to go #2. My brother was driving so he pulls over. I'm leaning against the rear bumper(there are no bushes to hide behind only sage brush) doing my business, when my brother says, "Oh s%%%%% big goat grab your gun!" Kinda tough to grab your gun and wipe at the same time, let me tell ya. I could tell by the sound of his voice that he wasn't messing with me. I didn't even take the time to pull my red long-johns over my shoulders. I grabbed my 7mag and my back pack from the truck, laid down in the snow with no shirt and my red long-johns hanging out and shot the antelope! When I stood up to look back at my brother he had almost fallen out of the truck in laughter. To make the story even better I forgot to put the knives back in the truck from the day before and we had to use an old two blade broad-head to clean the antelope.

 

2) I had an archery bull tag in 2008 for 6a. My brother and I were sitting up high on some rocks eating lunch around noon. Across the canyon was a hunter who must have been practicing his Bugling cause he probably bugled for 20 minutes straight. Drove us nuts! The best part was, this other hunter was calling in a nice 6x6 the whole time and never knew it. We watched the bull come in silent across the hillside from a long-long ways off. After about 20 minutes the other hunter quits bugling and heads down the canyon. Not even two minutes later and the big 6x6 was sniffing the exact spot where the hunter had been sitting! I learned two things, we think we know way more about elk then we do, and you don't have to be a great caller to bring in nice elk.