I'm an avid Pennsylvania archery hunter. I spend alot of time in the woods each year. I hunt many areas but this one area was different.
I'd always get the creeps when I use to archery hunt there. I hunt lots of places but nowhere gives me the uneasy feeling that place does.
I had a weird thing happen there one time. It might have been a bobcat growl at me. I don't know. I've heard a few recordings of bobcats but the didn't sound quite like this. Here's the story.

It was back around 1987. I was archery hunting near some apple trees. I've taken a few does here with a bow in the past.
Just as the sun was setting I heard a rustle in the leaves behind me. I turned slowly and saw three does. I waited for them to work their way in front of me for a shot. It didn't happen. I could still see them but they weren't coming my way. I thought I should stay until they work their way out of sight. I never liked being in those woods after dark for some reason. I didn't want to spook them when I climbed out of the tree. I hoped to get a shot another day. So I held in that urge to leave.

It was getting quite dark when I started to climb down in my climbing stand. I lowered my bow to the ground and dropped the rope I just went down a notch or 2 when I heard a loud growl. ( it was loud and close. it almost sounded like someone saying " rrrraaaaaaarrrrrrrrr"
I instantly growled back for some reason. I was trying to sound bigger and meaner. I was trying to act unafraid. My first thought was that it was someone messing around. As soon as I growled it growled right back. I could feel the fear swelling inside me. I started to rationalize what it was. It wasn't a person. There is only one dirt road into there and I could see and hear any cars from my tree stand. I could hear the gravel poping whenever any vehicle went up or down that road. None went down since I was there. It wasn't a bear. Growl was too loud and higher pitched.

I did see a bobcat earlier in the week from that stand. I thought that might be what this was but it seemed so loud. It didn't have that nasaly snarl type sound that cats make. I wasn't sure it was a bobcat now. As I was thinking, it growled again. I started climbing higher up the tree. I was scared. It growled again. What ever it was it knew I was there. I thought surely a bobcat would have run when I growled back.

I got out my flashlight. It was really dim. The batteries were dead. As I was trying to shine the light it growled again. I considered spending the night in the tree. I waited a few minutes and weighed my options. It growled again.

I decided to make a run for the truck. I worked the treestand down the tree all the while yelling and screaming " get outta here ....get...get outta here..... go on... get.." I got to the bottom and unhooked the stand grabed my bow and ran. I had the dim flashlight in my mouth, my bow in one hand and the stand in the other. When I got to the truck, i had slobbers running down my neck and was out of breath.

I'm not sure what it was. It was probably the bobcat. The growl was odd. It was like you would be saying rrrrraaaarrrrrrrr. Like if you wanted to scare a little kid, how you would say the growl. The few recordings I've heard of bobcats sounded more like it had a snarl type sound. This didn't sound that way. It was quite different I don't know. What do you guys think? I would think a bobcat would leave the area when it would catch my scent. Why would it answer when I growled back? I've always got the creeps when hunting there.