Near Death Experience. (worth a read)
 

The night blankets the land sparing nothing. No moon tonight, nothing to illuminate the woods even for an instance. I click and click on my flashlight to no avail. Should have changed the batteries I thought to myself as I began my decent to the forest floor. Adrenaline pumping. This is one cool cat who hates the dark. Especially without a flashlight. Its been 90 all day and now its dropping faster and faster. the cold starts to creep in and Im begining to question my decision to opt for the ventelated shirt for the evening hunt. The thicket behind me creeps up in the back of my mind and it makes a tough time even tougher. The time spent tonight will not be forgotten.

I get to the bottom of the tree finally and I unhook my harness and mumble to myself a song or two to try to take the edge off of my school girl mentality about the dark. Keep telling myself that theres nothing thats going to hurt me here and theres nothing to be afraid of. Yeah like that helped even for a second. Thats the thing about lying to yourself You always know what the truth really is. Finally I reach the forest floor, and I begin to put things in my pack as I prepare to unhook my treestand. Hearts pouding so loud I cant hear out of my bad ear anymore. Talk about being deaf scared and slightly blind?

Trying to think positive now becomes impossable. I'm only 800 yards from my house. I'll be fine. Just keep saying that over and over and maybe you'll believe it. The treestand is a pain and i strugle to detach it in the dark, Finally i get it off the tree and onto my back. I attach my fanny pack and away I go, bow in hand Heart throbbing. Then it happens. Like an explosion the thicket erupts on my bad ear side, ofcoarse, and I let out a scream that would make a girl scout giggle were talking one leg in the air one hand on the man area and bow infront of my face I look like the #4 in my current position. I about have a heart attack and I was thanking my lucky stars that I wore that second set of undies. I sneak down the trail in the pitch black saying to myself I dont see a deer the entire time im in the tree but soon as i get on the ground where im not comfortable i'm bound to see one. I edge down the trail looking like Ray Charles walking through a mine field. The darkness creeps back in and the eerie scilence of my ear ringing is getting old. I get closer to the pond Sweating like a champ stinking like what happened in my pants and I can start to hear the peepers making their noise.... Then it happens

Out of the grass it erupts right infront of me. My biggest fear is on me right now, I can see the hunger in his eyes and he is mad, its fear that grips me now, I see my life flash before my eyes, I dropped my bow dancing around frantically screaming like a school girl its pure terror mode and utter chaos Im panicing What if it bites me?? Im too far from my house to crawl the entire way back. I cant get it off.... the treestand goes flying, Im starting to shed clothes to try to see if it will just take the clothes rather than me. The dance is still taking place and Im screaming like a child its soo dark I cant tell if its still there or not Im swatting all over myself trying to keep it back from me... I stop as I realize it just took my shirt... breathing heavily now I try to catch my breath and compose myself its freezing now because of the sweat and being topless.

I gather my things and head the rest of the way home. I found my shirt and refused to put it back on after my ordeal incase it was still lurking nearby. I Was lucky to survive the encounter with my biggest fear. The cricket.


(hope you got a laugh out of that I about peed myself when the deer took off through the woods infront of me. I was just glad noone cought that on film cause my position was rediculiously funny. It was freakin dark that night too. I am deathly afraid of crickets/grasshoppers and if one lands on me forget it. So lets hear your stories aswell.

Ryan)

RE: Near Death Experience. (worth a read)
 

Ohh I forgot to mention I want to be an outdoor writer someday, so beyond my horrific spelling what do you guys think about my storytelling ability? I'm having an off night that was one of my lesser stories. I appericiate it.

Ryan.

RE: Near Death Experience. (worth a read)
 

Good story, made me laugh.

RE: Near Death Experience. (worth a read)
 

I think it was really well written. You had my attention the whole time and that's a good quality in writting.

RE: Near Death Experience. (worth a read)
 

Good one! Made me laugh! I'm the same way, (except not with crickets,I still like to catch them and play with them for some reason) only with spiders.

Nothing worse in my opinion then walking the woods in the day or night and walking into a HUGE spider web and then feeling it crawling on your face! I usually flip like a little school girl and do anything I can to get that nasty sucker off my face! YUCK!!!

RE: Near Death Experience. (worth a read)
 

:D:D:D:D

Good story!

RE: Near Death Experience. (worth a read)
 

That was hilarious. That has happened to me a few times before, lol.

RE: Near Death Experience. (worth a read)
 

Interesting..

RE: Near Death Experience. (worth a read)
 

Good story Ryan. Keep up the good work and you will be an outdoor writer someday...

RE: Near Death Experience. (worth a read)
 

Wow great story!!! That is me in a nut shell with spiders!!! Man I hate spiders and if one gets on me look out the death run is on.. Walt

RE: Near Death Experience. (worth a read)
 

Yeah writting is agreat quality.:D

RE: Near Death Experience. (worth a read)
 

I am with all of you guys on the spiders, crickets and grasshoppers are not a bother to me though. I have to say that my #1 at least this year are baby coontail rattlers, I saw plenty enough of them during the day in early season to really make my dark walks well...... I just dont like the thought of em.

RE: Near Death Experience. (worth a read)
 

I'm the same way...

My only life threatening encounter was with my brother walking the 300 yards back to our truck; it had been an unsuccessful hunt and I was looking forward to the long walk back to get my body temp back up. As usual my brother and I were talking about the nights adventure, deer we had seen things we had learned, what we were going to get at Burger King, the usual. Off in the otherwise empty field we see it and it draws our attention like a moth to a flame, like a fly to carcass, like a...I'm out of analogy's; but there it was a black void, motionless in the field, out of place among the cut bean stalks. We walked towards it, each wanting to claim it as our own, 3 more yards and it was ours; thats when it turned and looked at us and bared its distinctive white stripe down its back; uh its all yours bro. We backed off saying nice things about it and it backed off graciously not spraying us with putrid anal spray or whatever it is that they spray. It was a mutual retreat and we walked our separate ways hoping to never cross paths again.

RE: Near Death Experience. (worth a read)
 

Haha that skunk story was pretty funny. Why I thought of this one was when I got out of my truck last night a rabbit ran past doing around a buck fourty. I screamed what the **** and then when I realized what it was I laughed at myself and hoped noone saw it

Ryan

RE: Near Death Experience. (worth a read)
 

Haha great story! I busted out laughing when i read it was a cricket.

I dunno how im still alive honestly: I've had 8 near death experiences, two of which i was too messed up to remember. I've already used 8 of my 9 lives and im only 18! [:o]

RE: Near Death Experience. (worth a read)
 

Good Story Ryan, I'm with Englum and Davey, though, it's spiders for me. Having a bit of night-blindness, I came out of my tree one night all fogged up as it was starting to mist, and I had on HECK of a time finding my way out of a VERY DARK woods that I'd grown up in because I couldn't see a DAMNED thing, not fun at all.

RE: Near Death Experience. (worth a read)
 

Good Story!:D

Dan

RE: Near Death Experience. (worth a read)
 

Good story. I had a Ringneck fly up from in between my legsone time while walking back to the truck in the dark. I also had a bobcat scream, or whatever that noise is, at me from about 15 yds one time as i was walking to my spot in the dark. I'll never forget either of those experiences (edit: not near death but at the time, i thought i wasgonna geteaten by a bear)

RE: Near Death Experience. (worth a read)
 

I'm glad that was only a story, because the way your lungs have been thatWOULD have been a near death experience!;):D Very creative.

RE: Near Death Experience. (worth a read)
 

I hunt where there are wolves and bears. Nothing scares me more then a spider! I had a spider put me in the emergency room one time! :eek:I'll save that story for another day.:)

RE: Near Death Experience. (worth a read)
 

Little things are real scary, I fell asleep at a base of a tree and had a chipmunk run up my arm, i screamed like a little girl.:eek:

RE: Near Death Experience. (worth a read)
 

Your lucky he looked hungry too.

Ryan.

RE: Near Death Experience. (worth a read)
 

thats crazy i was entertained the entire time :D

also when did this happen i mean when does a 90 degree day in pennsylvania happen:Dunless its july?

RE: Near Death Experience. (worth a read)
 

this all took place i think either 2 or 3 years ago? It was i think the 2nd day of archery, whenever it was we had a hot snap. but it was atleast 2 years ago.

Ryan.

RE: Near Death Experience. (worth a read)
 

Ohh man you have to send that in. that was way too good! great story!

RE: Near Death Experience. (worth a read)
 

Your quite the character - pretty funny...
You'll soon be writing stories like GMMAT???!!!;)