On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

Just needed to hear something funny......so I thought I'd ask....

What's the weirdest animal/thing you've seen coming intp your setup? I've seen cats.....dogs.....and not much else. I watched a TV hunting show where a guy had a donkey come down the trail into his set....lol.

I posted photos of my turkey hunt where the cows overtook my blind......and WAIT....(OMG)...OK...I DID have the mad dumper Poaching neighbor)take a **** 30yds from my tree.

What about you? Horse? Giraffe? Guy in blue undies?

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

a 3 legged feral hog.

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

Back in Indiana I had a hog come up on me one time. It got loose from the neighbors farm. Other than than, not much else in Indiana. Here in Illinois, I hunt a buddies farm that borders a walking trail. One evening I had two kids come in the timber from the trail (I was about 40 yards from the walking trail) and start making it. I figured I would just let them have their fun, I only had about 20 minutes of light left. I decided to let them know I was there when the girl started to take her shirt off. Both of them screamed and took off running, but the shirt was left behind. I don't know how she explained that one to her parents when she got home.

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

Not really "weird" but pretty cool I think. I had a mother bobcat with 5 kittens come into range and they all spent well over an hour close enough to watch. All the kittens were already the size of a small house cats, and were very playful with each other. One of the coolest things I've ever seen in the woods to be honest.

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

Had 2 dogs come running thru one evening. The strange thing is they both had cow bells attached to there collars. I thought a heard of cattle was coming my way. It was LOUD!

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

Shetland Pony

I got all excited as I saw a patch of brown coming[:o]

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

A 190 inch buck that I couldn't shoot cause I already filled my tag:D

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

I've had a pair of fisher walk by at about 50 yds out, not common at all around me, only ones I've seen. Had a neighbor walk under me, he was practically under me by the time he seen me.

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

not really weird but a little different, i once had 5 possums come past my stand in one night. oh and seeing a coyote chasing a yearling doe/button buck was pretty neat

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

I’ve had a couple close calls with skunks through the years. As a kid sitting on a fencerow in the rain I had a skunk come right up behind me. I mean right there too. I’ve also come close to stepping on them when walking out at night from bow hunting.

But the funniest story I can remember was bow hunting a lease in southern Indiana years ago.

It was a small lease around 40 acres or so but one day I had some people trespass through on horseback.

I could have screamed and yelled from the stand and run them off but it was early afternoon and I didn’t want to alert every deer in the area where I was.

They came right by me and never knew I was there but when the horses crossed my path to the stand the lead horse reared up very disturbed.

They calmed them down and went on and out of the area.

I didn’t think anything more of it of it.

Later on that night I came to find out that a bottle offox cover scent had leaked in my fanny pack and drained out. It’s hard to imagine I didn’t smell it as it happened but the pockets were somewhat sealed at least for a time. Unfortunately it drained through my truck seat as well.

I thought back to the horse and I had to laugh.

Can you imagine what was going through that horses mind.

JESUS! THERE ARE FOX EVERYWHERE! RUN! RUN! THERE MUST BE A THOUSAND!

I laughed for a long time about that. After I finally got the smell out of the truck. [/b]

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

ive had a couple chickens come into my setup and ive also had 7 raccons climb up my tree becuz there was baby coons right above me that i didnt see when i climbed up the stand

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

It was the first year I bow hunted. I was sitting in my standonemorning when I heard something I thought was right on top of me behind my tree. With out moving I checked my left and right, but nothing. I keep hearing the leaves crunching and finally turn slightly to the left - nothing, slightly to the right - nothing. I look straight down - nothing. After several minutes of this I turn all the way around - still nothing. When I finally locate where the sounds are coming from, there are 2 turtles under a bush burying themselves.

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

I had a Huge copperhead slither by the base of the tree

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

Peacock

No joke, it was a pet that got loose. other than that nothing really odd. Coons and such.

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

My oddball sightings include a group of naturists, a full company of KKK militia 'on maneuvers' (that was kinda scary!), 3 emus and one camel.

Gotta love hunting on public land. ;)

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

My first year of college it was killing me to not have a place to bowhunt. I found a map of the nearest National Forest and after looking it over I decided on a spot to go scout. It looked damn good. As I was standing in the woods surveying the land I noticed a VERY well beaten down trail just 20 yds to the north of me. Being in college, I was after any deer I could get. I also noticed a very large Walnut tree that had limbs low and large, low and large enough for me to be able to climb up and sit without the aid of a treestand. I was so excited about this place I never went back until opening day. I never even went over to the trailbecause I didn't want to leave scent all over the place, I just backed out and waited until Oct 1.

Opening day I was pumped. I had made it to the tree seemingly without spooking anything. I found a good comfy limb and sat waiting for daylight. As it became daylight I couldn't believe how well the trail was beaten down. I mean it looked like deer HAD to be traveling this thing several times per day. After an hour or so without seeing a deer I started hearing something off in the distance, something like pots and pans clanking together. The sound started getting closer and closer. Sure enough, this freakin' dried up hillbilly comes riding by on a mule, with pots and pans hanging over the back. He rode right under me, looked up, and said, "You huntin?" To which I said, "Yes sir" and he let out a "humph" and rode on down the trail. I didn't know what else to say, those who know me know what a smartass I am and this guy had just left the door wide open. However I was speachless. It was one of those moments where you just can't believe what just happened.

To this day I have no idea where the old man was going. I never followed the trail but by looking at the map it had to lead to a small river at the bottom of the mountian. I did find out thatthere were several horse trailsthere that weren't on the map. I ended up finding several good places to hunt there and taking several deer from those places.

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

Jeff, kinda funny, but i relate directly to the Donkey story. A man that neighbors the land I hunt raises/brakes donkeys/mules etc.... I wasnt hunting but I caught a 10 second video clip of him looking at my camera and then realizing what it was and trying to quickly get away.:D

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

Ouch in every way!!! That would suck!!

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

wow! how did that end up

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

Had a GIANT Hampshire hog come by me last year. Neighbor had all his stuff get out. It was coming through a standing corn field and I could see the path it was clearing. I had images of Hole-In-The-Horn stepping out, and then it was that damn hog.

Had a coon come DOWN the tree I was in a couple years ago.I had felt bark falling on my head, looked up, and the coon was about 8 feet away, lookign back at me. He went up the tree, and I went down, and he came down as well and took off.

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

Close to dark my dad heard a snorting grunting kind of sound about the 1st week of Nov. As it got closer the noisier it got. He said the sticks it was breaking sounded huge, He figured he had the buck of a lifetime coming down his trail when all of a sudden out came a Belgium Horse. It was the neighbors horse, He damn shot the SOB is what he said!! Man he was ticked thinking he had his booner coming down the trail.

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

You mean the militia dudes? I heard a few months later they'd gotten caught and arrested for holding paramilitary exercises on public land. Some of 'em went to prison.

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

I've not really encountered anything I would call crazy, but the one I had to look twice at was a family of beavers. I mean, really.....right there in the middle of the woods comes 5 beavers walking down the trail.....Didn't expect that.

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

I've had every conceiveable animal walk by... but the one I'll remember most happened in Maryland. I was hunting about 100 yards behind a yuppie neighborhood. You know the place, they all have yard crews and don't do anything themselves. So I take my climber and settle in about 20 feet up in the perfect tree/hideout. I'd sat there a couple times before and always had deer come by coming from the fields about 400 yards away. It gets good and light and the nearest house(I can see it)... the yard crew shows up. They break out about 3 blowers and start blowing all the oak leaves on the lawnback into the woods. As they move around to the South side of the house the noise slacks. I see a couple deer coming. Suddenly they do a left face and disappear down the hill. Next... I hear voices. They're getting closer. Hey, I know that guy... he was in charge of the blower crew from Nicaragra or wherever they're from. He's on his cell phone, walking back into the woods talking away. He gets about30 yards from me and stops. Looks around and promptly drops his drawers. He's still on the phone. He dumps a load and with no further fanfare..... pulls his pants back up and walks back to the yard work, all the time talking on the phone. And yup, you heard me right, he never thought of picking up a leaf, finding paper or anything. He just squatted, trotted and took his stinky butt back to the lawn.[:'(][:'(][:'(] I mean, I was right there in not so plain site. He's looking my way, left, right, front and rear but never saw me. I hung in there another hour or so but fnally just had to leave.

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

This wasn't weird or especially funnny. Amusing I'd say. I was hunting in Alberta my first year, and had this white-faced Hereford walk up to my Renzo deer decoy, and sniff it!:D

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

I guess the one thing that was odd for me was when I was hunting about 100 hards from a creek that runs through the property when I keep hearing something crunching the leaves,I finally spot what is making all the noise and it was 2 fresh water otters,just strange to see them so far inland,this past season while hunting overlooking a huge drain ditch had one swim past me then came back,when it got right under me I saw him dive down and could tell he was chasing something and when he surfaced he had a fish in his mouth and he climbed up on a log and ate it,man those things have a mouthfull of teeth,just thought that was kinda cool to see.

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

I had an Alpaca come in bow range. I saw this huge brown animal going thru the brush, and got my bow, thinking, this is going to be a monster 250-300lb deer. Then I it clearly, and pulled my heart back in my chest. Glad I didn't shoot it.

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

Where the heck do you hunt????????? and that would have been kinda cool to see a group of KKK guys running around

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

Yep, anyone who has hunted elk in the Gila area of New Mexico can relate in some form or fashion to the donkeys.There are a lot, and I mean a lot of wild burros(donkeys) within the wildnerness areas of the Gila.

Elk, by nature, are noisy animals and so are burros. There have many occasions where I have "invesigated" rocks tumbling 100 yards down in the ravine only to have a burro make the loudest and most obnoxious sound when he busts you about 30 yards away in thick brush.


They can also startle the beejeebees out of you when you are making that long walk back to camp in the middle of nowhere and you walk into a bunch that let off all the "yeehawing and screeching you have ever heard all around you.

But the craziest experience with them was a few years ago as I was trying to intercept a nice size elk bull going over a saddle. He finally crests the top and is about to walk into a shooting lane at about 30 yards when low and behold, there are two burros following him.

Everytime I would try to draw, they would sense it and look my direction. It was just like having two cows with him. Never got a shot off. They followed the exact route of the bull and no more than 10-20 yards behind hime.

I have never seen it since (elk and burros traveling together) but I can tell you it was no coincidence-they were definitely out to get me.:D

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

That right there is funny as all hell!! :D:D:D:D:DYet it sounds soooo right.;):D

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

Cross country skier. Didn't realize in the dark of the morning, I had chose a tree that was on the inside loop of a cross country ski trail.[&o]

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

Saw an Armadillo in the western part of North Carolina in the mountains (very rare around here). At the beginning of my bowhunting career I saw a doe come over the ridge coming right for me, I drew back and just as it is about to step into a shooting lane a grey squirrel jumps out of a tree and lands on its back! Needless to say I didn't get that one. :D

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

Great post...In 2004 I was hunting a corn row that butted a wood line...it was an evening hunt.....A cat walked out of the corn....a rooster pheasant walked out of the corn....and a 7 pointer walked out of the corn...and there they stood at 23 yards like they were all walking and hanging out together....and then i shot the 7 point....I'll never forget that day.....

Another story....Back when I was about 17 we were hunting a deer carcus at 2 in the morning for yotes......and a object entered andfed on the deer for about 2 minutes...right when I got ready to squeeze the trigger...the tail wagged....it was lassy.....thank god I did not pull the trigger...

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

I was treed by a skunk for about half an hour after climb down time once. It kept circling my tree, just rummaging in the leaves. I tossed my blunt at it but it still didnt move off...I sure was not going to try to climb down untill it was gone.

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

I forgot all about this until I read the above.

The first year I went elk hunting was in Colorado in unit 55 which is north of Gunnison. I had no idea of the area or anything about public land hunting. I went solo.

Its Labor Day weekend and on Friday night, I went as far as an old rocky and rough logging road would take me. I was a good 1 1/2 hours away from the camping grounds I passed on my way up.

I slept in the pick up and headed out about 4:00A.M. down a trail that I THOUGHT was closed to vehicles. I hiked in a good 2 miles and thought to myself that Iwas where few dared to venture. (That is really funny today as I realize how naive I was about the whole mountain hunting scenario)

Everything was good until about 9:00 when I was covered up with cross country motorcycles.
I kept moving but to no avail.

I finally gave up about Noon and as I started back on the trail I had came in on, I met a guy on a mountain bike. He acted as surprised to see me as I was him and he asked "Is it already Bow season?"

I am a mountain biker myself, butI couldn't have gotten where he was on my best day at any age and he wasn't even breaking a sweat. I laughed, said yes and moved to a Wildnerness Area the next day.

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

Many years ago while rifle hunting I had a bobcat stalking me because it couldn't figure out what I was, very cool and very lucky that I didn't want to disturb the woods.

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

I was about ready to enter a tree when I started hearing these weird, almost surreal sounds coming, and lots of them. I turned around and like 5 racoons were making the craziest noises I have ever heard, almost sounding like a video game. They were definitely PISSED and coming toward me, so I climbed that tree like a madman and got out my knife. Those little suckers scared me to death!

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

Early in's hereferd story reminded me of an experience I had several years ago out in Idaho.First off though I have had a skunk literally touching my boot while turkey hunting,and bluff charging,I have had a fisher within 10 yards while muzzleloader hunting on the ground,a bear sniffing my tree steps while bowhunting,happy to say that bear's rug is now on the bed in the guest room.
Back to Idaho,I was still hunting in a thick bottom,probably a good two miles off the road.As I am moving slowly I look out and see a couple of small evergreen swaying a little back and forth,there is no wind so I assume it is a buck rubbing and moving the tree,I am getting pumped up to see the bruiser pushing the tree when all of a sudden I see this big white nose,I started to laugh.Darn free range cattle.It is beyond me why the cowboys don't lose more of the steers to mountain lions or wolves or low life freezer fillers.

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

Cows

RE: On the lighter side...."Weird" stuff coming down the trail?
 

A family of Herrins in the middle of our woods in mid november two years ago. I shoud have taken em out since they ruined my hunt opening morning. just odd to see then in November in Wi. I think they were part of the retarded animal babyfamily