Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

Saw this topic posted on another board (http://www.aldeer.com) and it generated some funny stories. Here's the specific thread URL: http://www.aldeer.com/al_ubb/NonCGI/...;f=22;t=005268

So, let's hear about your experiences....

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

My brother and I were quite young at the time. If recollection serves, we were 10. Dad turned us loose on evening to hunt squirrels on our own, and I believe that our first trip to the woods w/out him. So there we were, sitting as still and quiet as we could be, frantically searching for that squirrel that would get us home quickly. We kept hearing something in front of us that sounded like something walking in the leaves. At first, we were excited, hoping a big fat grey squirrel would show his beady little head for our .22. Nothing. But the noise didn't stop, either. Well, by now it's getting dark, and we have somehow managed to convince ourselves that surely there was a black bear just ahead waiting to eat us for dinner.

We hightailed it out of there. We made the 200 yard dash across the field to the house and out of breath exploded through the door. Dad could tell we were shakin over something so we told him a bear was in the woods. As you can imagine, he had quite a chuckle, grabbed his flashlight and offered to help us hunt down that killer 1000 lb Kodiak that surely had migrated from Alaska. We head to the oak we had taken refuge under, and sat quietly. We could still hear it, and dad heard it too. OK, now we're like really flipped out. Dad made us follow as he approached the sound. Folks, it was the damn creek that runs through the woods!!! There's about a 5 foot waterfall and the "bear" we heard was of course the water toppling over the falls. Man, what a riot!!

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

The only thing I'm scared of is soap and water and then only if ya mix 'em.

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

Shoot yeah. About 4 years ago I was bowhunting in a hardwood bottom way back in the woods. All I had was my bow and 3 arrows and a little flash light (basically useless). I try to stay about 20 minutes after good dark before I come down the tree. It was time for me to come down so i let my bow down and started my descend. When I got to the bottom of the tree I grabbed my bow and took a step and heard the God awfullest sound I have ever heard in my life. It ran cold and echoed off the trees in the darkness. Well needless to say it scared the bejeezes out of me. I thought about going back up the tree until someone came to look for me but, no one new exactly where I was and it would be at least 2 hours before someone would get worried. I am a at least 1/4 mile from my truck but I have to go right by a 16 ft box stand so I figured if I could make it to there I would be ok and could wait it out. I got about 5 steps and heard it again, this time it seemed louder and closer and it was coming from the general direction I was headed. I had never heard anything like this in my life, it rang cold everytime I heard it. My heart was pounding and I was in a near panic run by now. I am not sure how long it took me to get to my truck that night but, I can tell you I have never run that fast for that long in my life and I was in the Marines. Well i get to camp and I am telling everyone about my encounter and no one can tell me what it was and I thought I was imatating the sounds pretty good.
The next morning I get up and I am going back to the same tree but, this time I grab my .357 and head out. I get up my tree and just settle in when I hear it again still in the same direction and just as loud as last night. I am trying to figure out what all is in that direction and it finally hits me. About 1.5 maybe even 2 miles away there is a house and they have a Jack ass. Well he was baying and I felt like an idiot. I sat there and just laughed at myself. It is amazing the tricks your mind can play on you when you are in the dark and in the woods with a dim flashlight. The funny thing about is we never did find out what that sound came from back at camp. It just misterously disappeard.

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

lmao, Tigerfan! :D(not at you, but because I can relate.) Our family always had horses as I was growing up and when I was in college my dad traded a mule for a jack. If you've never heard one - or just weren't familiar - the sound those jacks make is ungodly.

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

well when i killed my first i was near a trailer park just shot the deer well a darn screech decided to land 2 yrds from and just starts hollerin i was so scared i could have shot him i nearly peed my pants funny but scary and quail scare me pretty often

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

Every time I flush a ground bird like a pheasant before light on my way into the deer hunting woods!! Scares the crap out of me!

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

One night i as i was walking out of the woods i had a young fork practically follow me out of the woods. Was a little worried that he was going to try and mount me! The Tinks #69 worked a little too well that night.:D

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

no real stories from me yet but i dont know why i always feel uneasy in the woods by myself...if i have my rifle im fine but when im bow huntin or scoutin especially im always freaked...too many horor movies i guess....

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

Not necs scared, but wired up and super causious, and only once.
It wasn't at "home" but when I was visiting a friend in Montana.
While we were camping up in the mountains near Beartooth, she stopped by the trail and said "Jim, you remember to pack your pistol?"
I lookedover to where she was looking and saw a BIG pile o' crap on the ground and a tree with some gnarly clumps of brown hair stuck to the bark. (hence the name "Beartooth" maybe)
I was double taking on every sound and shadow the rest of the day.

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

I started bowhunting alone when I was about 14. My grandpa had always told a story of seeing a panther one night when coonhunting on his farm by lantern light. He swore it was true, but no one really believed him. One morning while sitting in my stand beforelight I heard a horrible screaming noise. It sounded like a woman screaming, which is what I have been told a panther sounds like. The noise was coming from across the clearing from me and the cattle over there were going wild. It was still pitch dark-I couldnt even see the base of my tree and it scared the crap out of me. I wanted to leave but I didnt dare move out of my stand. As soon as it got light enough I left, but never did see or hear anything like it again.
This was in northrn Missouri by the way, and about 20 years ago. Bobcats are common around here now and I know that was what it probably was. At the time I was scared as hell, but I consider myself honored today to have experienced that when no oneelsebelieved that there were such things around here.

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

Yes Ive been scared after I fell 20 ftclimbing down out of my tree stand. No one around. I ended up with a broken back but I got myself out of the woods.

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

I got scared a few times walking in and out of the woods when you damn near step on a bedded deer about 1-2 ft away and they jump up and take off running. Or when you spook some turkeys nested in a tree and they take off and all the sticks come falling down.

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

im kinda afraid of the dark haha... but i still get out there before the sun comes up! i always have my gun, and a flashlight, so its all good

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

I am not so much scared but i do watch my back because about 5 years ago me and one of my friends were bowhunting and I was nestled down in a hole watching a wheat field with 6 doe and 1 buck and my friend was only about 75 yards away watching a fence line. Well anyway he was turning to signal to me that there were some deer headed his way and then he just screamed my name when i turned around there was a cougar practically coming right for me only about 60 feet away... I was so scared by the timeI got my bow pulled back he was out of there.. Now as I think about it he may not have ever seen me and was just going for the deer but either way I still watch my back...

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

i hate skunks, lol especially at night when you can see s*&^ and I hate flushing out ground birds in the dark too, and owls will also make you jump at night

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

I was scared once when i forgot my TP, other then that theres really nothing in thewoods that i worry about[8D]

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

oh yeah, many many times......walking in to my stand, water mid thigh deep, dark, don't know where the gators are, where the snakes are, even the thought of walking up on a hog in the dark with just a bow freaks me out....now if i were with someone it wouldn't bother me a bit...
theres been3 times i have been really scared to the point i thought i might cry, lol.....the one time was walking out of the freakzone and theres no bright eyes, someone took them all down...well i was ok, i had my light, then my light went out and i had no clue how to get out, one wrong step and i could of been heading to the river.....i freaked, called fl.huntress and she asked me where i was , i told her, she said look to your left, you'll see this tree and I DID, then she talked me out until i got to the trail, then she told meshe took the brighteyesdown because she was afraid someone might follow them in and find the frk.zone......
the other time i was hunting a friends stand and i heard this heavy breathing, it was loud, i called everyone i could, but they couldnt hear it on the phone, every hair stood upright with each snarly breath..is snarly a word? lol....anyway it did it for more than an hour, took me another couple of hours before i mustered the courage up to climb down....never did see it, but pretty sure it was a bear from audio i have heard.
the last time , i was walking through the marsh, just me and my bow, it's a lil after 4:00a.m., i heard something coming towards me , i yelled at it, it kept coming,i yelled some more, i was at least a mile form where i had to be, so i didnt care, lol...now i know it's not a hunter, i was the first one at the parking area and i hoofed it back,but it didnt sound like a hog or deer and i knew the deer probably would of bolted....well i almost turned and ran back to the road, but i decided to run foward and i made it to my stand....the walk got easier as the days went on, but that first mornign was horrible.

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

on one of my first ever hunting trip a school mate of mine took me squirrel hunting. we arrived at the place and he told me to climb this hill,when you get to the top there is a large field and about 150 yds in the filed is a patch of woods and there are a lot of squirrls in there.i climb the hill and make my way into the patch of woods,being still before daylight i lean against a tree waiting on shooting light,then i hear it. a growling noise off to my right,then it come from straight head.a minute or two later back to the right and then around behind me. my mind is racing that something is circling me for the attack.i flip the safety off the old mossberg 16 ga shotgun.a couple more time i hear the growling.but i hold my ground,as daylight come and i start making out objects around me i realize that a herd of black angus cattle can't be too harmful.the noises i was hearing must have been stomachs churning but it didn't matter theni had already been shaken.

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

yeah im a little leary of the dark also

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

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.

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

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!!

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

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.

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

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

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

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.

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

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........ :-)

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

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.

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

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.:)

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

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.

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

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.

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

I had the poop scared out of me early one opening morning before first light. I like to getin my deer stand atleast 1 full hour before sunrise. So I'm up there buckled in, loading my gun, getting my mind right with the guy upstairs like I always do - nice, quietand peaceful.

Then there's this super loud noise behind me somewhere that sounds like a herd of elephants busting thru the forest that last for about 3 or 4 seconds. Man I practically jumped out of my boots but was strapped in.

I sat there and sat there in the dark wondering what that sound, if it was going to happen again, and could it possibly harm me someway. It started getting light and I really couldn't see anything back there unusual. I was totallyfocused on deer now. I catch a doe crossing the creek, put a slug thru her and tag her. "Great morning", I think to myself. As I'mdressing her out I'm thinking, "I wonder whatthat noise was?"

I investigate the area and fing it was a giant old dead tree that broke off about 30 feet up and crashed to the ground.

I was scared by a tree. A dead tree at that.

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

I know most of you guys are skeptics, but this story takes the cake;

http://www.bfro.net/GDB/show_report.asp?id=8547

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

This story is a runner up for the scariest. You gotta read this one;

http://www.bfro.net/GDB/show_report.asp?id=12959

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

I've had the luxury of stepping on a diamondback's head. I was with my father on an island in a WMAthat had great deer hunting. We took a boat to get there, and the reeds were tall...with you only being able to see the ground as you put your foot forward and seperated the reeds.

Needless to say I froze, and that snake was trying his best to get his head out from under my size 13 Rocky's, and rattlin' like crazy. Unfortunately, in VA where I was at the time, it is illegal to shoot them. I had to somehow get my foot off that thing, which I thought for sure was going to bite me. My old man came back and calmed me down and talked me into slowly raising my boot. I'll be damned if that didn't work. That snake looked like it was running with legs in the opposite direction. I was glad my old man was there, we hadn't hunted together in almost 10 years. He helped me out, and it is a great memory to have.


A very scary story with mother nature:

I got scared as sh!t last bow season during the opener...at 9am in the morning! The sun had been up for hours by that time. It was a nice morning, mostly sunny. The stand I was onfaces due East, and I was enjoying the sunshine. Saw a nice 6 point that was just out of range. As soon as he moved out of sight, I hear a rumble in the distance.

In all honesty, that sound is made 100 times a day, especially in October by the tractors, spreaders, etc. that work the fields on the farm. I'm in a 15-acre woodlot with soy beans, and cut corn on all 4 sides, with the nearest woods 400-500 yards away. So, it is very open, you can see through all four sides from my stand. I paid no attention to it, until the sound started moving slightly from my left to right. It was the biggest, baddest thunder storm I had ever saw coming. When I turned around and looked west, the sky was black. Lightning was hitting the ground in the distance (which I could see far away, and it was impressive), and the thunder was making my ladder stand rattle.

On a metal stand, and 600 VERY OPEN yards away from my truck, I decided I needed to get down and out right then and there. I didn't care about hunting anymore. I ran so fast, I think I only took two or three breaths. Lightning was hitting the open field adjacent to me to the west only 400 yards away. As I was halfway to the truck in the middle ofthecut corn field,I distinctly remember hearing and watching a tree on a hedge line get popped by lightning. It made a big fireball and a loud bang, knocking down the tree.Somehow, I made it to the truck as the rain started to hit, and by the time I had the bow inside, and turned the key, it was storming like crazy.

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

Im sorry, as much as Id like to beleive in bigfoot, i just dont

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

The reason i don't believe in bigfoot is because with so many sightings, no one has ever shot one. But my most scared memory while hunting is when i woke up early in the morning and was walking to my stand along a dirt road. I heard something running at me through the grass and i turned and shined the flashlight at it and itwas a big hog, I froze and he did a 180 and got the heck out of there when i shined the light on him.

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

yes I have, the 2 encounters I had with mountain lions. my first time I had one walk under my treestand I wasnt to concerned untill I began thinking about the 3 mile walk back to the truck. My second encounter I believe it was stalking me, while I was out yote hunting. I heard some noises behind me I got an eery feeling I so looked behind me this 150 lbs tom cat was within about 20 yards of me. I stood up quickly began yelling and popping off rounds to scare it away. That was kinda freightning especially when I began thinkin what if he actually was stalking me.

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

when I was squirrel huntin with my single shot forlem block .22 at my farm in Rhode Island and stepped in bear crap.......


-Travis-

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

hahaha! If that was me, I woulda had to change my pants for sure, I could just picture that, that's pretty scary


-Travis-

RE: Have You Ever Been Scared In The Woods???
 

After I had killed and removed the largest buck of my life, later on the same day I returned to my stand. There were a couple of idiots standing in a field below where I was hunting. I kept hearing shots fired and "things" whizzing by. Come to find out they were aiming up into the woods where I was hunting with no regards for anything. Needless to say I about wet my pants. I had a few four lettered words for them.