MichaelH

With Saturday being the last day of Black Powder in MD, I had a bitter-sweet outing this afternoon. I gained permission on two adjacent farms from the one I usually hunt this year. The one is around 80 acres with an old Amish house that the guy is trying to fix up. He gave some of the Amish permission in exchange for keeping out trespassers, especially kids who continuously vandalize the house. Over the years, I've grown a group of Amish friends who I sometimes hunt with. With repeated issues with the house, my friend Jacob got me written permission which will expire at the end of September. The other afternoon, I heard kids breaking windows, so I decided to hunt closer to the house today. Called the cops after the kids showed up once again, this time breaking windows, drywall as well as shooting at it. I called the cops, letting them know they were armed as well, which got them there in a hurry! It was great looking through my scope from about 400 yds away watching cops sneak up to the house and yell for them to drop their weapons! Got pulled out of the woods at around 4:30, but well worth it. The house is completely trashed from several years of these jerks. Cops thanked me big time as each of the four or five that they busted had records of vandalism and theft from their neighborhood. This should get my permission extended!
Before the cops came, I had a red fox run right to me, ducked under the downed tree in front of me and then started to leap over the one I was sitting on. As he looked up to jump, he saw me and tried back pedaling, coming to within two feet! I reaching out and smacking him on his ass, but I had a delayed reaction from expecting a fox in my lap! LOL I still got within inches of him with my swat.

cayugad

Its nice when you can do the land owner a good turn. What you did was great help to the police and the owner. I am sure they will remember you next season.

That fox must have been something.

There was one time I was turkey hunting and I had laid down behind a old tree on the ground and was calling. I could see under the tree a little and was watching a field and my decoys. I heard something walking in the leaves, and all of a sudden a hen turkey poked her head over that log and looked me right in the eye. I could have almost kissed her. She squawked and I about messed my camouflage pants. She really startled me.

My buddy was turkey hunting and had a coyote come charging through the thicket right to him, when he was calling. He said it stopped and just looked close at him. The farmer was mad because he did not unload a turkey round at it, but my friend said he was too stunned.

Skopia

Few years back I was perched high in the tree during bow season. Sitting motionless I saw an Owl come gliding through the trees. I couldn't believe how big his wingspan was. And I could not believe that with that wingspan he did not hit any branches as he glided soundless to the ground to grasp a red squirrel. He then glided up to a branch about 20 ft from my stand. I did not move a mussel. It was cool to hear him rip that squirrel apart. You could hear him breaking bones with his jaw and ripping the meat off the critter.
Needless to say, another evening without a deer sighting, but a very succesful and rewarding day in the woods.

MichaelH

Those are some of the reasons that are hard to appreciate for people that don't get out in the woods. I'm sure each of us can come up with several stories as we've mentioned. Most if not all are typically once in a lifetime things to witness. Will have to start an off season thread on things we've seen.

Breechplug

I got a good story....one day I was in my treestand and it is inbetween a thruway on one side and railroad tracks on the other. Well there is about a mile in between the tracks and thruway with a Cornfield in the middle. There are guy's that like to drive the side of the tracks and hunt from there trucks or cars, pisses me off as they'll jump out and shoot at deer out in the corn field, usually too far but it get's the deer spooky and is just not right.
One day a Truck came driving dowm the tracks during a good snow storm, the snow was deep and even with a 4X4 I was surprised he could even get through it, he was looking for deer in the corn field. Well just happened there was a field full of deer, he stopped, the deer ran away and when he went to leave he got stuck. Afetr repeated attempts with no success of getting out and he must have really over heated his truck it started on FIRE! I saw him get out and he started walking away. The truck burned to the rims as not even the fire trucks could get to it. It was almost dark anyway so I climbled down and caught up to the driver, he was surprised to see me as the corn field and place where I hunt is pretty off the beaten trail.
The good part........he wanted me to not say anything if the cops came, wich they did of course, about him being the driver. As he was gonna say his truck was stolen!
He did'nt get away with it..........I hate Road Hunters!!!!
(BP)

spaniel

Buddy of mine found an active meth lab and got the cops there to catch them in the act.

Regarding weird animal encounters while hunting, in younger years my buddy was playing around with cover scents and douse himself in coon pee. Right as the sun was coming up one day he heard scrabbling below his treestand, and a minute later two coons were trying to climb into the stand with him! They were so aggressive he finally had to stab one hard with an arrow to keep them off him.

Breechplug

My Wife had the exact thing happen to her one Bowhunting Season using Coon Urine, 3 coons climbed the tree and scared the crap out of her, she had to kick at them, she sent 2 to the ground and the other finally climbed down. And can you believe she blamed it on ME!!!!!!!! well I did buy it and used her to try it out. LOL!
(BP)

Chasam60

Found a stolen car in the woods once, driven until it got stuck,then battery etc. stripped out. it had been missing for months.
Best critter story was a gray squirrel I had in my scope,when he got grabbed by a red fox. i never saw the fox coming.

Charlie

SWThomas

Good job! Hopefully those little punks will think about what they've done while they're sitting in jail.

nchawkeye

Congrats, glad you had a good hunt...

Please, buy a good pair of binoculars before next season, it's not polite to watch others with a scoped rifle...Can you imagine what would have happend if a SWAT member had of seen you pointing your rifle at the other police officers???