What was you SCARIEST hunting experience
 

Ok guys, it's time to tell those stories of something that happened to you on a hunting excursion that caused you to laugh at yourself in the end or something serious that made you alter certain aspects of your hunting routine....

What made me ask this question is that a friend of mine and I were talking and he told me about something that happened to him that made him stop going in the woods before dark. He said that it was about an hour before sunlight when he climb the tree in his tree climber. After about 30 mins of sitting in total blackness he heard something scratching at the base of his tree. He didn't have a flashlight but he knew that it wasn't a deer. All of sudden whatever was scratching was now climbing the tree. He said it wasnt a squirrel because he could actually feel the vibration in the tree. Then whatever it was ran pass him and got into the top of the tree. A few seconds later the entire top of the tree began to shake like a man was in the tree jumping up and down. He said he almost jumped out of the stand, left everything in the woods and ran. To this day he has no clue what it was and refuses to go into the woods before sunrise.....

RE: What was you SCARIEST hunting experience
 

ah, one day i went on a evening hunt, and fell asleep, and when i woke up it was dark, and i didn't have a flash light, so i knew my way back out, so i went to the left until i got to a railroad, and went back to my truck that way. it was scary.

RE: What was you SCARIEST hunting experience
 

Never had anything like an unknown animal spook me... but people.. my experience changed how i choose who i hunt with..if i hunt with anyone at all..
About 8 years ago i went hunting with a friend (at the time) whom i hadnt hunted with before.. was the last day of the season.. still had a tag to fill so decided to do a little drive.. the plan was.. to shoot only forward as we was going to be walking pretty much side by side..about 15 yards apart... well..he didnt hold to that plan.. hear the deer..seen the deer..was running between us.. so i didnt even bother ..next thing i know a shot rings out..i littlerally see the hair fly as the slug exited.. damn thing wasnt ten feet from me.. never again have i hunted with him.. and truth be known..i rarely even have a hunting partner unless its one of our kids... I mean..if you cant trust a man to hold to the plan and be safe.. I know of no other way to test a hunting partner but *field test* wich could prove fatal... still gives me chills.

RE: What was you SCARIEST hunting experience
 

Years ago I was up in a tree before light in my climber. It was early season and I had been in the same tree before. I sate there for several hours and during mid day I had closed my eyes for a couple minutes. I wasn't asleep (thankfully) My bow was in a hanger on the stand. Above me I hear wood splitting and cracking. I reach over and grab my bow off the hanger just before a 3-4 inch diameter limb came crashing down inches from the edge of my stand. I was wearing a harness as I remember but regardless had that hit my stand I'm sure I would have been hanging. Had it hit me, I'm sure I'd have been hurt bad. My guess is wind damage not to much before (a couple days) because it had some green leaves. I guess thats why I didn't notice it. I look alot closer now!! :D

RE: What was you SCARIEST hunting experience
 

I scared some turkeys off the roost before daylight one morning. You talk about a wake up call as I walked through a pine grove......

RE: What was you SCARIEST hunting experience
 

Was bowhunting a few years back in the national forest. I had walked about there or four miles off the main foot trail to this area i found on topo maps. I managed to spike up a tree to get some elevation, saw some does, and saw one massive boar black bear, the bear walked by at about 60 yards, no shot plus i was deer hunting. Got down right at dark and started my long walk down the mountain. got about 100 yards and something snarled at me, turned the flashlight forword and about 20 feet away was the bear, he stepped forward at me and swatted a bunch of leaves and dirt right at me, i put my bow up on top of my head and after a short stand off which seemed like forever the bear took off. Extremely scary ranks right up there with the time i got lost in Yosemite when i was 12 when i went hikingand spent half the night in the woods until the ranger found me.

RE: What was you SCARIEST hunting experience
 

Last year opening day of the 2007 Wisconsin rifle season. I had located a natural corridor along a small ridge that had scattered oak and pine and funneled into an inside corner of a large soybean field. There are a few very talk norway pines mixed in and I had marked one for my climber. My plan was to elevate as high as possible and cover as much of this ridgeline from my elevated perch. Well it was before 5 am still when I had snuck into this area and prepared for the climb up the tree. The climb went great and I managed to get a good 60 feet up and I was all ready to go. I pulled the rifle and pack up and tied in and I was all ready to go a good hour before the first hints of daylight. Well maybe 10 seconds after I finally settled down, bark and pine needles started to fall on me from above. Obviously its pitch dark still and I am now perched 60 feet up in a giant pine tree. I glanced up and didnt see anything and then it happened again. I'm like what the heck is going on when all of a sudden a giant turkey busted off its roost about 10 ft above me. Needless to say, I nearly suffered a heart attack as that thing crashed its way off its roost and got outta there. Definitely an exciting time being in pitch dark that high up with all that commotion going on just above my head. I'm glad it wasnt a porcupine! Certainly a classic in my book.....

RE: What was you SCARIEST hunting experience
 

Yesterday morning had to be my scarriest experience in the woods.Was sitting in the tree listening to owls hollar back and forth and it was pitch black.All of a sudden i feel something grab my hand.I was 20 ft up a tree.It was the owl landing on my hand.I didn't hear or see it coming.Just darkness and i could feel his claws through my gloves.I about jumped out of the tree.I thought bigfoot had me!

RE: What was you SCARIEST hunting experience
 

Thats funny right there! Last year walking to my blind on the edge of a field, had the flashlight pointing down at my feet, I heard something in front of me. Look up and was face to face with a large skunk! He was about 15 feet away! I managed to slowly back up and walk the lonnnng way around this little fella. I dont mind a little cover scent, but I think that would have been extreme!

RE: What was you SCARIEST hunting experience
 

A few years ago my brother shot a doe one evening and me and my dad went out on the 4-wheeler to get it. Well there wasn't enough room for me on the quad so he said he would come back to get me.... at this point it is pitch black and we are at the furthest end of our land... i decided to walk and walked 1-2 miles back to camp with nothing... no flashlight no gun nothing.... it didn't take long for me to walk those 1-2 miles!