worst hunting experience ever! whats yours?
09-14-2006, 04:26 PM
#11
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 375
RE: worst hunting experience ever! whats yours?
My worst was back in the days of perm. stands and spike nails for steps. I was still a newlywed. Been married about 3wks. I was climbing down from my stand and decided to forgo the last few steps and jump the rest of the way. My shiny new wedding band caught on the head of a nail and I hung for a few secs. that seemed like hours. Suddenly, I felt a great relief of pressure and went tumbling to the ground. I grabbed my hand and blood was spurting from between my fingers. I was afraid to look! Finally, after I got up the nerve to take inventory, I could see that my finger was intact but my ring had stretched and actually twisted inside out where the nail was caught. IT had cut off the circulation at that point, severed the arteries and skinned my finger to the bone for about an inch. I drove the hosp. and they cut off the ring, cleaned the wound and the surgeon asked if I wanted him to amputate my finger or try to repair it. I told him to cut it off, then I looked at my new bride...who was working there at the hosp. and could see she didn't like that option. SO, we decided to attempt the repair and if that didn't work then the amp. I am happy to report I still have all 10 digits and that finger is just fine. I did get a replacement ring but I don't wear it. Its a mental thing, I know, but I don't need any distractions while hunting......LOL
My scariest episode was when an owl took the hat right off my head one morning in the predawn greyness. I was sitting in my stand awaiting shooting light. I could hear deer milling around in the acorns nearby but the ground was still "faith" by definition. Suddenly I could hear this wishing sound growing rapidly louder. Suddenly this larger than a bread basket object appeared out of the darkness about 10ft away.....talons first and wings flairing wildly. Before I could react my boonie style hat was gone with the ghost that appeared and disappeared in a flash. When light improved I saw the owl some 30ft or so away perched on a limb with the hat in his talon and pecking away at it with his "hawkbill" nose. I was so tempted to exercise some revenge on him but game laws are not taken lightly in my family so I just threw an old snack cake from my pack that had dried up last yr at him. He flew off with the shredded hat still in grasp. I found that old hat some weeks later while squirrel hunting. Using binocs I studied what I thought was a squirrel when I realized I was looking at my hat hanging from a large hole in a beech tree. My guess is the owl was using it for nesting material or still thought it was edible and took it back to the young'ns.
No, I take that all back, my worst and best and scariest was being knocked off my feet by a momma bear in Maryland during an early August scouting session. She charged from barely 20ft away and I immediately went for the dirt. I made it to my knee when she hit my left shoulder with her left front paw, finishing my trip to the ground in short order. I hit the fetal position, covered my head/face and prepared to be lunch. After a short wait, I looked between my elbows and saw her moving her curious cub along the trail with her paw. Correcting it when it wanted to come back either to see what I was and play w/me or to get some more apples. It was an awesome sight. I will never forget that day. She did scratch my chest and brought blood pretty good on my neck, and left an awesome muddy print on my old T-shirt. I kept it for a few years but getting it in and out to show folks got all the mud off.
Sorry to bore you folks so much.....I will let someone else tell thier experiences.
Dave in WV
My scariest episode was when an owl took the hat right off my head one morning in the predawn greyness. I was sitting in my stand awaiting shooting light. I could hear deer milling around in the acorns nearby but the ground was still "faith" by definition. Suddenly I could hear this wishing sound growing rapidly louder. Suddenly this larger than a bread basket object appeared out of the darkness about 10ft away.....talons first and wings flairing wildly. Before I could react my boonie style hat was gone with the ghost that appeared and disappeared in a flash. When light improved I saw the owl some 30ft or so away perched on a limb with the hat in his talon and pecking away at it with his "hawkbill" nose. I was so tempted to exercise some revenge on him but game laws are not taken lightly in my family so I just threw an old snack cake from my pack that had dried up last yr at him. He flew off with the shredded hat still in grasp. I found that old hat some weeks later while squirrel hunting. Using binocs I studied what I thought was a squirrel when I realized I was looking at my hat hanging from a large hole in a beech tree. My guess is the owl was using it for nesting material or still thought it was edible and took it back to the young'ns.
No, I take that all back, my worst and best and scariest was being knocked off my feet by a momma bear in Maryland during an early August scouting session. She charged from barely 20ft away and I immediately went for the dirt. I made it to my knee when she hit my left shoulder with her left front paw, finishing my trip to the ground in short order. I hit the fetal position, covered my head/face and prepared to be lunch. After a short wait, I looked between my elbows and saw her moving her curious cub along the trail with her paw. Correcting it when it wanted to come back either to see what I was and play w/me or to get some more apples. It was an awesome sight. I will never forget that day. She did scratch my chest and brought blood pretty good on my neck, and left an awesome muddy print on my old T-shirt. I kept it for a few years but getting it in and out to show folks got all the mud off.
Sorry to bore you folks so much.....I will let someone else tell thier experiences.
Dave in WV
10-08-2006, 12:48 PM
#12
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Bosque Farms NM USA
Posts: 375
RE: worst hunting experience ever! whats yours?
Looking @ the topo map ,myhunting partnertook a canyon & I took the other ,after 5 hrs. I headed back towards the truck ,it was 3 or so in the afternoon.I spotted the truck in the trees ,then I spotted horns moving ,a 6 X 5 bull elk was feeding towards me ,2 more steps & I wasdrilling a Super Slam-Mangas tipped arrow in the ribs.My partner slamed the truck door "BAM" sounded like 300 mag. going off..& off the elk ran
.what the heck..I repeated over & over not to slam the truck doors!!..[:@]Some people just dont get it!!
.what the heck..I repeated over & over not to slam the truck doors!!..[:@]Some people just dont get it!!
10-08-2006, 09:26 PM
#13
Typical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 612
RE: worst hunting experience ever! whats yours?
My worst experience was last year. My 16 yr. old son and I were in some high country deer hunting. I seriously misjudged time and we ended up in some small basins after dark. Kept working down to find cliffs at about every turn. After several hours we found a grade that was steep, but navigatable. Only time I've really been scared while hunting. Also the only time I was on the edge of spending the night out there. In hind sight we probably should've just camped out until daylight. We had headlamps, but still scarey stuff in the cliffs.
10-12-2006, 11:38 AM
#15
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location:
Posts: 145
RE: worst hunting experience ever! whats yours?
First shot I ever took at a buck. He was five yards (yes five) and I took a shot. He jumped straight up, kicked his legs, and ran off. I ran several hundred yards back to my house (I was 13 at the time) and got my dad. I told him what a great shot I had made and that we should be able to find my first deer real easy. Got back out to my blind and found my arrow clean as the day I bought it. I only found a couple of tufts of hair on the ground. Found out the next day that my sights were off. Arrows shot six inches lower from the tree stand than on the ground. Rookie mistake. I was pretty embarassed to say the least.
10-28-2006, 10:47 PM
#16
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 11
RE: worst hunting experience ever! whats yours?
It was more goofy than anything. I was hiding behind a brush pile figuring the deer would walk past me one way. The doe I wuz after didn't go in front of me on the game trail but behind me. Between the brush pile and a fence which was a few feet behind the brush pile and me.
When I turned around to face her, drew and released she hopped straight up and the arrow went under her. She called me a dumbass in deer talk and ran off. Missing a deer at less than 5 feet is hard on the ego. Wasn't the first time either.
About 10 years ago I was waiting on the top of a blind hill that I had scouted. The deer would walk up the hill like clockwork every day and it should have been easy. But..... When I was sitting up there I heard a noise behind me. It was a deer standing behind me just about sniffing the back of my head. I didn't even get a shot off at him.
When I turned around to face her, drew and released she hopped straight up and the arrow went under her. She called me a dumbass in deer talk and ran off. Missing a deer at less than 5 feet is hard on the ego. Wasn't the first time either.
About 10 years ago I was waiting on the top of a blind hill that I had scouted. The deer would walk up the hill like clockwork every day and it should have been easy. But..... When I was sitting up there I heard a noise behind me. It was a deer standing behind me just about sniffing the back of my head. I didn't even get a shot off at him.
