Almost got skunked
Not that kind of skunked, my freezer is full of deer meat. This kind...
I was walking down this old logging road to my spot the other morning about an hour before light. It is light enough from the moonlight that I'm not using my flashlight. I see something small and white moving on the trail ahead of me. First I figure its a piece of paper or some kind of trash blowing in the wind. Then I realize its not windy today. I freeze and grab my light out of my pocket and turn it on. It's a small animal black and white SKUNK oh no and he is only about 15 yards ahead of me. He stops and turns and looks at me and I'm thinking I have my treestand and a pack on my back and I'm carrying my bow and I'm not sure how fast a skunk can run. Then he just turns and starts walking down the trail away from me.
I keep my light on him and start following real slow keeping about 15 yards behind him. I really want to get to my tree before light and I still have a good ways to go. He is walking real slow and I'm thinking hurry up you little stinker or at least get off the path. He stops and looks back at me so I stop. He starts walking away again so I keep following. This goes on for a couple minutes then he stops again, so I stop. I'm still keeping him in my light because I dont want to loose track of him. He starts walking away again so I keep following. Then he stops again and turnes around and CHARGES me. I must have stood there in shock with my mouth open for about 1 second. By now he is only about 7 or 8 yards away and coming fast.
After that everything happened in a blur. First you should know that I fear no man or beast. I wildly twirled around and blindly jumped off the trail right into a patch of stickers getting helplessly tangled up and I dropped my light. But you better believe I held onto my bow. By now I figure the skunk must be right on top of me so I let out a tremendous roar like a bear. Anyone around would have probably said it sounded more like a scream of terror and panic. Scared every deer for a half mile.
By the time I picked up my light and got untangled I realized that I am bleeding from my face and my arms but at least I dont smell any skunk spray. Never saw that stinkin' skunk again.
It was getting light by the time I settled into my tree.