Matt in IL

Yes....Bow hunting about 5 years ago, I was cutting through a swamp at about 4:45am. The trail I was on goes down a steep hill then makes a U turn. When I got around the U, I was face to face with a big ass black Coyote, I nearly shat my pants. He took off about 100mph right past me. Never been so startled in my life.

Schobs

oh yea, in general im not too fond of doing much of anything in the woods at night, armed or not. a couple occasions stick out in my mind the most, 1 being somewhat silly and the other being a bit more harrowing.
the first (silly): this last bow season i was headin to my stand after school for some late season bow hunting, and not more than 5 seconds after i got in my stand i heard running through the woods coming right towards me. it was probably about 3:30 in the afternoon, so this time had actually nothing to do w/ the dark. the first thought in my head was FINALLY! im gonna shoot a deer right away after gettin in my stand, but as the noise got closer, i noticed a jingling sound, like metal on metal. it was near xmas, so i thought sweet reindeer! nope they came into view and turned out to be 2 large german shepards. for some, this would be the end of the story, but not me. i have a long history of having problems w/ large dogs, being bitten by the same dog in the same cheek (not my face), on 2 different occasions. when the dogs got into my food plot and were about 25 yards away i whistled and they stopped and laid down. i called my aunt, the land owner, and asked her if any of her neighbors had german shepards and she didnt know of anyone who did. i proceeded to climb out of my stand and was chased back up a few seconds later bya barking dog. i called my dad and he called animal control and they came and got the dogs and rescued a very embarassed me from my tree.
the second: i walk to my stand before it gets light out in the morning, and one afternoon i was leaving my stand only to find large bear tracks in the snow following my own right down the trail that im sure werent there when i walked in, and they turned off into the woods about 40 yards from my stand, and i have a clear view of this road from my stand, so im sure the bear didnt come in while it was light. needless to say i was frightened and walked briskly back to camp. sorry for rambling, i just love to tell hunting stories, and i dont have too many buddies that havent heard all my stories already. Good luck everyone in the upcoming seasons, and watch out for those reindeer!!

TimberCreek

Onlyonce while turkey hunting sitting on the ground, I was half asleep and a ground squirel crawled up my pant leg. Scared the hell out of me. wish someone was there to video tape that one.

huntnma

oh, man, i wish somone had video of that one too.........lmao

RIStrutStopper

Aside from flushing grouse in the dark, there's nothing much that scares me in the woods now... When I was about 10, I was snooping around a dump in the woods looking for good junk to make a go cart with. I knew i wasn't supposed to be there, but whatever, there was some good junk in there. Well, somebody decided that they wanted to plink at stuff in the dump with their .22 from a deck. I didn't want to be caught, so I hunkered down behind a big tree while bullets were whizzing by. I know I shoulda yelled, but you live and learn... Glad I did live through that one.

teamster284

you know what? when we walk into the woods we are all at the top of the food chain. we have a weapon, we are all grown men or close to it and yet the littlest bump in the night scares the shttttttt out of some of us. I have almost stepped on a bedded down buck. He stood up and made just a little noise , that was ok, then when i got within 3 feet or so he snorted ,grunted wheezed, you name it. I coul dhave sworn big foot had my ass and i was carrying my 12ga. i couldnt have gotten a shot off to save my butt. lol lol lol saw that buck when it got light cause he didnt go far, was a pine grove and does were in there. he just didnt come close enogh to get a little pay back........ :-)

Might Mite

I ws bow hunting in WV a few years back. A big sow bear and two cubs would come into the orchard each morning. I could hear the deer snorting up on the bank, not coming in because of the bear. On the third day they came in again. THe cubs first, then the sow. After about 25 minutes the sow went to walk away, but the cubs stayed. I was tired of it so I picked an apple and threw it at them to chase them away. THE ONE MADE A LITTLE NOISE AND THE SOW RAN BACK, LOOKED UP AT ME, RAN TO THE BASE OF MY TREE AND WAS FIRED UP. sHE WAS BREATHIN', SNOT FLYING...IT WS NOT COOL. It was archery, and I could barely get my bow back from shaking. She slowly backed away then, chased the cubs away and then followed, but yeah...that was a little scary.

early in

No, never scared but last year in Alberta on my way out of the woods and walking down some RR tracks in the dark I could hear Coyotes howling in a big circle all around me. I was concerned but they were several hundred yrds from me, so I was OKwith it.

texas8point

I was hunting a buddies place for the first time, right next to a creek bottom about 100 yards into the woods. I hunted until it was pitch black, I couldn't see a thing. At this point I realized I had forgotten my flashlight. I figured its 100 yards down this trail to my 4 wheeler, so I'll just manage getting back. I stood up, had my rifle in one hand and my chair in the other and I hear something coming through the woods.......leaves cracking, coming right towards me.........im listening and it stops, then a few seconds and it starts.....this goes on for a few minutes, closer, and closer and closer, I can't see a thing, not 2 feet because of the dark.......By now the leaves and movement sound like they are all over me thundering through my ears........Its a monster and I doomed......
Finally the armadillo bumps into my foot, I kick my leg, he goes to squeeling, I go to jumping around like a fool and before I know it Im half way down the trail to my 4 wheeler............I stopped, heart pounding, felt like an idiot........got back to camp, told all the guys.........we all laughed our butts off.....and that was it.

Mr E

It seems like I hear every sound in the woods when I'm walking in the dark. I've had the crap scared out of me (almost literally) by a deer blowing, snorting, and wheezing about 5 yards away from me before crashing off through the woods. The only time I've been scared during the daylight was when I was hunting in Texas. It was early in the season and just starting to cool off, as I was walking back to my truck after a morning hunt I stopped to take a break. When I looked down, there was a rattle snake warming itself on a flat rock only about 3 feet from where I was standing.