We all love close encounters with wildlife. I remember one October night I was 16 feet up in a Cherry tree in a lock on stand. It was a perfect night with Squirrels and Chipmunks running wild. I'm hard of hearing but I heard something climbing up the tree. It kept getting louder and louder. I peeked around the tree at the same time a giant Fox Squirrel was peeking around the tree. There he was six inches from my nose. He let out a bark from He-- and showed me his six inch fangs and his eyes were glowing red. I jumped back losing my arrow from my bow and stood there shaking. The bad part was I couldn't hear him anymore. It took me awhile before I got the courage to climb down. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.lol

Feel free to share some close encounters with the wild things.

I had a bear try to join me in the tree stand. He had his front paws wrapped around the platform, I stepped on his paws a few times until he decided it might be crowded in the stand. Then the time several owls kept swooping down after my hat while I walked out after dark from a deer stand. Or when I walked up on a Mt. Lion on it's cow elk kill. We were 10 yds apart staring at each other. The lion left.

I had a bear stick his head in my blind couple years ago. This was after he was throwing logs down around me he was angry I was in his way to the bait I guess. I wasn't scared just trying to figure out what I was going to do if it got any uglier. I was sitting in my chair and had moved all the way back in blind across back. Any further back the chair would have tipped over and down an embankment I could have fell too.Should I poke him in the eye with an arrow? If I do that then I won't have the shot. As soon as he took his head out of the blind I drew on him and he herd the arrow slid across the shelf and spooked and he was gone and I had to let off. This was all happening in seconds. I don't think I had time to poop in my pants.LOL

Following year I got me a Bowie so if I had to fight him I could but got sick again and couldn't go. I had 2 bear trips to Canada planed and couldn't go. I did finally shoot him and signed my name on his hide but didn't get him. When I got scared on this hunt is when I had him wounded and it got dark and had to walk out. I was relieved after I got back to my truck and inside. I had a lot of thoughts running through my head at that time. What if? LOL

I had a hawk nearly fly onto my head all I saw was talons when I freaked and he freaked as well. I thought what he didn't see me?

I should have been nicer to him maybe he had trouble with eye sight? LOL

I've had a number of close calls with plenty of game and fish as well and especially sharks.

I had a close encounter with a giant black yottie I bet was every bit of 75 pounds when Setter and I were bird hunting. My dog was 61 pounds and she was on point with this varmint as I come around the bush I saw the yotte and her. To close to shoot him dog was nearly nose to nose and I was about 10 feet from them both looking at each other. I was totally freaked then the yotte bolted and I was on it but my setter was on it also blocking my shot. I finally broke the dog and the yotte stopped just out of range and looked back as to give me the middle paw and say ok another day.

Sharks while leadering to boat big makos. I once had a grander short fin Mako which are now protected I had him nearly to gaff 3 times along side of boat. I figured he was 800 plus pounds anyways but thought possibly 1,000.00 pounds. Never seen a Mako that big ever. My father was running boat and was scared but I wasn't and I told him we are taking this fish. Everyone said cut him off Glenn I said no hold on as I wired him up close to boat and just as his head came up nashing at me he turned and I could not hold him and had to leave him go. We fought him back to boat and 3 times this went on I had a hold of him as we nearly got a gaff in him each time. It was like he knew and each time as the gaff went to get sunk he turns and swims away. I had him within 8 feet each time and i could have gotten bitten a couple times but held onto him. On his 3rd run I told guy on road back off on drag fish is tired but have to let him got. Well the real bird nested and backlashed and broke the line. I was sick after that epic battle. I was relieved a lot and so was everyone else they were all scared. Now that I think back i should have grabbed the gaff and sunk it into him myself at least I could have held him to boat as I got another gaff in him.

I been in the water with sharks when I feel into water off the back of boat now you think your scared especially when your getting pulled under from weight of shoes and cloths you have to strip down so you don't drown.

I have had story's and wild ones all through my life since my father first started taking me at 6 years old fishing on boat and out hunting with him.

Another time I had a white marlin in OC MD and as I grabbed the leader to bring fish boat side he jumps and the bill went through my arm. I got the fish and killed it but that fish hurt me for a long time and have the scare to prove it in my arm.

This is just a few episodes I encountered in life.

I've had a few animals charge me I had arrows in as well.LOL

I was hunting in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming, and I had filled my elk tag one morning. After packing and prepping meat, cleaning gear and a good rest, I still had a few days left to hunt. I had a deer tag in my pocket, so I set out to check out the mule deer in the area. I got into a nice bowl that was pretty heavily treed. I heard some noise to my left, and I could tell that elk were approaching pretty quickly. I immediately knelt down and used a big pine as a support. A group of about 20 elk slipped into the woods directly to my left, and when they entered the trees they bedded down. The closest one to me was about 10 feet. A large cow approached on the same path I was knelt on. I was looking down at her legs and she continued to get closer. Her last step was about 2 feet in front of me, and I could see the mud squeeze out from beneath her hoof as she took that step. I had my bow directly in front of my face, and could literally feel her breathing. I thought she was going to step right over me. I heard a "Schlooooop" and my bow rocked back as the string tapped the brim of my hat - she had licked the top limb of my bow!!!! I sat there for the next half our, in the middle of the small group, and just got to see what it was like to be a part of them. I have forgotten a lot of things that happened in the woods, but that one has always stayed with me.

I was hunting whitetail in Montana at the edge of an alfalfa field, in a grassy and sparsely treed hedge. I was kneeling down watching some deer, that after about 20 min of this, decided to beat feat for some reason unknown at the time. I looked left, and there approaching me along the field's edge was another bow hunter. I don't like personal encounters when I'm hunting if I can help it so I backed up a bit on my knees, but had no place to go without being seen. So I lay down prone with my head low, still watching the guy approach. I was in about 6 inch tall grass and basically right out in the open except for my lower legs. He kept coming, from 50 yds to 40, 30, and so on. At 20 yds to my left and coming, I put my head down a bit more but could still see out from under my headnet covered hat. in another couple minutes, he was on me, walking slowly right in front of me at less than one foot. He almost stepped on the brim of my hat!!! He must not have been looking sown, and continued on stealthily without a pause. I was SO tempted to grab his foot as he walked by, but that would have spelled real trouble. I wanted to jump up an scream... :0 REAL close encounter!! He never saw me.

I had two to close for comfort encounters. One was a sow black bear in New Brunswick Canada that had two cubs at the bottom of my tree looking up at me and snapping her teeth. I didn't want to shoot her because she had cubs. Lucky she didn't come up the tree after me and when the cubs ran off she ran after them. The second one was when I was hunting elk in Colorado. I heard noise in some thick timber so I snuck up on it to see what it was. It was a cow moose with a calf. I was 20 yards from her when I seen the calf and she seen me. By her body language she was not happy with me being there one bit. I slowly backed out of there.

Here is a picture of a bull moose I snuck up to about 20 yards on while I was hunting elk in Colorado.

I also had a Grizzly charge me when I was on a horse in Alberta. I was spooked on that trip a number of times especially when we had to walk past where the griz had an elk killed in the dark with horse's. Then his foot prints were all around in camp so I wouldn't go to out house at night in dark.LOL

The horse didn't rear up the guide told me stay on horse best I can. The bear veered off at 20 yards but guide had his gun out following him. That was a rush like none other. I felt helpless with just a bow. I asked guide to carry gun with us while we were in bush on the elk. Those griz don't scare I saw.

I had a horse spook at a rattler buzzing in Yankee Jim Canyon at the Dome Mountain trailhead. It reared up and freaked out but I managed to stay on and not fall on the snake. Rodeoing at its finest.

I was turkey hunting in West Virginia several years ago. Was leaned against a tree calling. I heard something start to approach from my left. very faint sound. Thinking to myself, that's not a deer or a turkey, what the heck can it be. it got so close I couldn't help myself and turned my head fast to the left and there eye to eye was a bobcat about 10 feet away. His eyes got as big as mine before he took off.

Another time I was sitting in my tree stand and had a big fox squirrel run down the tree and hopped right onto my shoulder. Don't know how I didn't fall out of the stand. Before safety harnesses!!!

During college years, 4 of us hiked in the 'dacks to the top of Mt. Marcy and back, and camped under the stars in sleeping bags near the trailhead. In the predawn darkness I was jolted awake by loud grunting sounds right at my head. Then I felt noses in my hair. I freaked out and crawled down in my bag, retracting like a night crawler under a flashlight into its hole. Thought it was a bear cub with mama at its side and I was done for, a mushy human eclaire wrapped in a cloth pastry shell. Instead it was 4 young raccoons and a mama coon, curiously sniffing my greasy and now sweaty head. What a rush to wake up to that.

I had a big barred owl land on a tree limb about 40 yards from me as I was sitting in a treestand about an hour before dark one October evening about 20 years ago. It must have spotted my slight movement and decided I was a squirrel or something in the tree that it could capture and eat because after looking at me for a few seconds, he leaps off his perch and glides straight towards me. When he got 10 yards or so away I saw his talons come sticking out straight towards me and I realized he was after a meal. I jumped up and yelled "Whoa" and at the last second he veered off and kept going out of sight. Almost scared the crap outta me, and almost dropped my bow.

had a doe at 6 inches from the tip of my arrow while ground hunting

Have had squirrels run down my back while against a tree

Hunting in a ladder stand at a waterhole in a dry riverbed in Zimbabwe when my wife spotted a bull Elephant coming in. The legs of the ladder stand were about 6-8 feet from the water. If the bull went to the other side of the water He would be 15 yards but no He came on our side and walked by our feet at 6 feet! Definitely a heart stopper!

I've had Chickadee's land on my arrow and squirrels and chipmunks run over my boot. Pretty cool when that happens. I just hope one does not try to climb me some day!

I was in Cecilton MD on a lease I had back in my early twenty's. I was drawling down on a buck and the buck spooked. I saw the squirrel throw down a nut on the deers back and then started barking at me as the deer looked back he was only maybe 5 yards but no shot in brush. I was up in tree and I never saw squirrel until I saw the nut and deer flinch mand move I then didn't have the shot. It was the darnedest thing. I had some choice words for that squirrel. I was really ticked off.

Last turkey season I had 2 Jakes out of 7 Jakes nearly step on my leg. I had to remain calm so I didn't spoke the monster Tom on his way in behind these jakes. My buddy was behind me calling and these jakes were nervous and I didn't move. I have a Charley horse in leg and I was praying big bird show now I can't take it any longer.

My buddy called to me and jakes dispersed. He said he saw bird go around lets go and get in other set of woods the way he was going.LOL

I peeped out of one eye and the 2 jakes were looking right at me and I didn't move and leg locked up. By the time we got around on the big bird was to late he beat us to the head off point and now in neighbors field and wouldn't call back over he was with the hens.

Sitting for turkey at a well-scouted turkey tree in NM's Zunis I heard something lumbering down the slope toward me...for a moment it looked like a black volkswagen bug...I had moments to decide between my turkey broadhead (bad idea), my .357 (another bad idea) ...and doin'nuttin.

I did nuttin.

Bear on the ground...got within scent trailed me and got within 12 or so yards before I put a stump between us and announced myself.

I was pig hunting around 10pm on a full moon night. Stuck a pig and was walking back over the top of the hill to my truck. Heard a baby crying and screaming at the top of it's lungs about 30 yards in front of me, but I couldn't quite see it. Walked to with 10 yards and realized it was a mountain lion with his chin to the ground pacing back and forth on the road moving towards me. I knock an arrow and drew back, but figured it was not a good idea. I had an old rotten box blind on the ground about 30 yards to my right so I slowly eased over and crawled inside. The lion stayed within 10 yards of me and started circling the blind all the time crying like a baby. I yelled some profanity that would make stormy daniels wince and it ran down the hill. I made my way to the truck and left the pig for the lion. Never will forget the sound of that lion crying and screaming like a baby. Eerie sound.

pig hunting in gulf hammocks Fla by myself about 1/2 a mile from the truck sneaking from tump to tump I heard something & looked down and a moccasin big around as a soda can was going the other way

I was Javelina hunting in South West Texas. A Javelina stepped out behind a big cactus about 12 yards facing me. I shot him in the chest. His eyes turned fire red and here he came. He tried to bite my leg as he passed. He then stopped and charged me again. I reached for my sidearm but he was on me before I could get it out still trying to bite my leg with the arrow still stuck in his chest. I only had one option left..run. I took off about 20 yards and made a sharp turn thinking he would run ahead but every time I would turn he turned with me right on my heels popping his teeth. He finally got slower and slower and fell over dead. These Javelinas are tough animals. I read all the time about how they won't chase you just trying to "get away" and your standing in their escape path. Don't believe it. You get up close and stick an arrow in one and see what happens. We were in a remote area and I was about two miles from camp and the nearest hospital was a three hour drive.

Me and a buddy were hiking out of Cascade Canyon in the Tetons, one moonless night long ago and came upon a few Moose in an open forest area. They were running around and we could not see them util they were way too close! Those were the days before headlamps and we were dirtbag climbers and did not have a flashlight between us. It was a tense 1/2 hour moving from tree to tree, trying to avoid getting stomped

Great encounters for sure as I have had many of the same. One I remember best was on a deer drive I was a stander and hid a step off of the a trail. I heard things coming and a couple deer went by way too fast and only at an arrows length from me. I heard something else coming so I stepped into the trail and two young grey fox pups came down the trail rolling over each other as they played. I set the lower limb of my longbow on one boot and enjoyed the show. They eventually rolled there way right to me and one flipped over and landed on my boot. He looked right up at me as to say sorry and went right back at it with the other one and rolled away at their own pace like nothing happened. While turkey hunting I have had many small birds land on my shoulder or the brim of my hat. It's hard to hold still when critters actually touch you!

Love the encounters, keep ‘em coming.

Darring G I had the same exact thing happen to me except the owl didn't veer off and I literally beat the owl away with my Robertson longbow. After the first attack he tried it 2 more times until I wised up and got outta there. This was a great horned owl and he got a little too close for comfort. This was also before safety belts so I was lucky I didn't wind up falling 20 feet.

In the early 70s I was bowhunting on Skyline Mgt Area in Jackson County, I was slowly walking up Little Coon valley. These were the days before treestands so we stalked up old logging roads. When I came to within about 25 yards of a cane break on the next bench up, the cane started shaking and something in the canebreak started roaring with a thunderous wailing, angry roar. The cane was at least 10 feet tall and I couldn't see what was making the comotion. Suddenly rocks, sticks and leaves came flying out of the cane break in my direction while the wailing and thrashing increased in intensity and ferocity. Next a log as big as my leg came flying out of the cane and landed next to me, what could throw a 40# log 25 yards?. That was it, I looked at my bear recurve bow and little aluminum arrows and thought "NO WAY". I ran like the wind, back down the valley like a scared little girl and am not ashamed to admit it. You can believe it or not believe it but I lived it.

I never saw the critter causing the commotion but have hiked the smokies from one end to the other for over 50 years, I have encountered more bears than I can remember. This reaction in the canebreak wasn't like any bear I have ever come across.

Opening day of PA archery season about ten years ago i climbed into a stand overlooking the Allegheny River. I had just strapped into my tree and was waiting for daybreak when something hit me in the chest. Then, it ran up my shoulder and past my head onto the tree I was in. It wad a flying squirrel.

I was walking out of a canyon in Idaho after chasing some elk down near the bottom when I encountered a small hawk on the ground with a chipmunk in it's talons. It screeched at me then it flew at me with the chipmunk still in it's talons. It came rite at my legs and I kicked it out of instinct to protect myself. I kicked it out of the air and it tumbled to the ground. It never dropped it's dinner.

While bowhunting from a ladder stand I had a close call with a hawk. I had a face mask on so just my eyes were showing and I was sitting very still. A hawk swooped down from the tree tops and came straight at my face. I threw my hands up in front of me and he swerved off at the last second. I guess it thought my eyes blinking was some kind of critter. I'm glad I saw it in time. Hawk talons to the eyes could have ended badly. I've had two different owls land on branches above me and watch me for a while before flying off.

Eric wins...by a long ways!

I second Eric’s encounter. I’ve hear of encounters like this before.

As a kid growing up in Mt was play out in the front yard of the house and nearly step on a rattlesnake. (lived way out in the country side). the next really close incounter with a rattle snake I was bow hunting mule deer in bad snake country in Mt. was crawling on hand and knees try to close the distance on a nice mule deer buck and came face to face with one. I don't know who more scared me or the snake but before I could react the snake want down a hole and I decided the that was enough deer hunting for the day. Did I say I hate all snakes.

As a kid growing up in Mt was play out in the front yard of the house and nearly step on a rattlesnake. (lived way out in the country side). the next really close incounter with a rattle snake I was bow hunting mule deer in bad snake country in Mt. was crawling on hand and knees try to close the distance on a nice mule deer buck and came face to face with one. I don't know who more scared me or the snake but before I could react the snake want down a hole and I decided the that was enough deer hunting for the day. Did I say I hate all snakes.

As a kid growing up in Mt was play out in the front yard of the house and nearly step on a rattlesnake. (lived way out in the country side). the next really close incounter with a rattle snake I was bow hunting mule deer in bad snake country in Mt. was crawling on hand and knees try to close the distance on a nice mule deer buck and came face to face with one. I don't know who more scared me or the snake but before I could react the snake want down a hole and I decided the that was enough deer hunting for the day. Did I say I hate all snakes.

Whitetail buck close encounter. A group of 4 year and half 6 pointers were coming across the open grass hill below me. I was parked up against a tight cluster of basswood trunks, four I believe in that cluster. The group of young buck came up the slope along the edge of the tree line until they were standing around me. i heard the bump of an antler behind me. The one with the crooked horns was right against the tree trunks. I reached through and put my hand on top of his rump. NEVER EVER DO THAT. That little bugger jumped and almost broke my arm between the tree trunks.

Bear close encounter. After a long hot portage getting to Mcniece lake in quetico provincial park, we set up camp on the east end. Around midnight, my smarter than most peo[ple cocker spaniel started a low growl. It was more what i did not hear than actually heard. Muffled steps that competed with the night time white noise and an occasional sniff. Then from the other tent. Sniff sniff, thump scramble crash cuss a blue streak. The bear stuck it nose up against the side of the tent sniffing at a partial role of cherry Rolaids, my wife punched it in the nose and told it where to go.

Another bear encounter, spring hunt in Manitoba, guide brought me right to a ladder stand with his 6 wheeler, I climbed up and waited. After 30 seconds the first bear came in, a nice blackie, after she left in came a cinnamon sow with 2 yearling(60-80#) cinnamon cubs. They fed a while and then the sow became irritated made some chomping sounds that made the cubs come running up my tree. The first came right to my seat and the second to my feet. As the first one came around the tree I punched it squarely on the nose and quickly kicked my feet at the second one getting them down and out of my tree. Thankfully the 3 left the area shortly after. It was a trip to remember for the next 4 nights I also had cubs in the tree at 3 other locations, the last night a shot a nice cinnamon boar without any cub encounters.

Check out these lucky hunters

or this guy

Mountain Lion Encounter - 10 feet: I was hunting elk one evening after a heavy rain. I got into a small herd of elk with one nice 6x6 bull - these elk were acting really strange. I had the wind right, but the elk would come down the area toward me, then turn back up hill, then back down the hill and then moved off up hill. I followed a short distance and tried cow/calf calling softly several times. No elk, but I noticed the tall grass behind me moving toward me in a big sort of way. I turned to face it with a Arrow on the string when out stepped a rather large (to me) mountain lion at 10 feet. He looked me in the eye, then turned and sauntered away with his long tail swishing back and forth. He probably planned on dinning on calf elk, then changed his mind when he saw a grizzled and wrinkled old man. I wouldn't have had a chance!

Last year while hunting from the ground, I had a chipmunk come and sit on my boot to rest and eat. Not too dangerous, but still ;) Got me hooked on ground hunting!

James V, that photoshopped series has been making it's rounds for years...same lion or bear, different guys each time. They are regulars on facebook.

George, stay away from Facebook. Same as crack cocaine. Rots brains. ??

B arther...My father in-law had the same thing happen to him early in the morning a flying squirrel landed right on his face while sitting up against a tree. We still laugh at that one!

I've had numerous close encounters over the years trapping, hunting, running hounds ect...bear, deer ect..

I was muskrat trapping one year and feral dogs were eating my catch. One morning I was wading through head high marsh grass that was swampy, and busted into a small opening where I had a set and there was a big white Newfoundland kinda dog at my set eating my muskrat. He came for me and I cracked him right between the eyes with my trapping club. When I was a teenager feral dogs were a problem in one of the areas I trapped. Often they were in small packs, Some ran when they saw you, some wanted to tear you up. I was treed by them more than once... LOL

Another time when I was real young a rumor was spread around that there was hippies living in an old shack back in the woods. We were instructed to not go near there.

Being a young sheltered backwoods boy I had never seen a hippie..LOL.. So without securing permission from mom, I snuck off into the woods to see if I could see me one of these "hippies".. I laid on the ridge above the old shack, and surveyed the situation, then krept down the ridge with the stealth of an indian, belly crawled up, and peeked cautiously in a window. I wanted to see me one of those hippies. About the time I stuck my noggin up for a look a squirrel come through that window and ran up the side of the shack. Darn near pissed my pants! scared the be jeebers out of me! But Alas it was only a rumor and I shuffled on home not seeing any of those dreaded hippies....LOL

Couple years ago my daughter was 12-13 something like that. We went out for the NY opening evening. We set up in a ground blind. About an hour in she taps me. A deer is coming right for us, we’re kinda brushed in but it doesn’t like what it sees and leaves after coming maybe 20 yards. Oh well it’s early I tell her. A bit later she taps me again and says can I shoot this? A bear is at 12 yards. By the time she gets ready it turns right for the blind and it’s now 4 yards looking in the window hole trying to figure what it’s looking at. I’m in her ear and when it turns to leave I tap her to draw. Unfortunately she got nerved up and can’t pull back. The bear goes to 20, puts his feet on t tree than comes back to 12. I have her draw when it gets to the opening and I turn toward the next hole to check shot. I hear a crack and the bear walks off stopping just over 20 again. Her arrow hit the only sapling in her opening. She never saw it she said as she was concentrating on the bear and it’s slow walk waiting for it to clear. Oh well it was fun

George.........

I don't do facebook. I post pics that I think are interesting and might be of interest to others on here. I admit that I don't take time to research these pics before posting them, but I have an excuse, I have other things going on and don't have the time to patrol all the sites to verify everything.

Maybe I could just post a "disclaimer" saying: "these pictures and opinions are undocumented" and should not be taken seriously.

What do you think George?

James

I am really enjoying these stories. Thank you. Ttt Eric

About 20 years ago, I was sitting in a treestand watching a squirrel sitting on a log eating an acorn across a gully. It was about 40 yards away. Suddenly I felt something brush my head, no sound at all, and a redtailed hawk was whizzing by from directly behind me. He sailed to the squirrel, knocked him off the log with a loud thump, and seconds later flew off with him.

Two cougars spotted at the club this week.

I'll give them a pass.

I've heard of bow hunters getting REALLY fubar'd by great horned owls who homed in on a slight head movement. Thase tallons piercing one's brain stem would be nasty.

So anyway...when the mercury dips out of sight in winter hunts, even November for that matter, I used to wear fur hats. Warm, quiet, and comfortable...good camo as well.

I have one sprawling, huge old oak in my prime rut spot...low branches sticking way out from the main tree. Beautiful old tree.

Years ago, I was perched in it for several hours, sitting dead still except for slow turns of my head. Late in the day I heard a "tick" sound behind me and turned to look. A great horned had his wings set, and on a bee line for my head...looked like a bomber coming in! I waved my arms and tried to look BIG, FAST!

At the last second he swooped under me, and landed on the end of the same branch as I...he did that head turn and stared right at me. I kept up that "looking big" and he decided to move on. Silently swooping from tree to tree, but still looking back to check me out.

I figured he made a rare mistake on his "attack" and snipped a branch with a wing tip, giving me the opportunity to spot him. I've often pondered what the outcome could've been...lol.

It's gotta be damn cold now for me to pull out the fur hats.

I was at my deer stand in Maryland it was just light enough to see. Something was making its way towards me,I had a screw in tree step starter in my day pack.The day pack was hanging on a tree step I reached in and grabbed the tree step starter.It was a fox it was showing me his pearly whites,like he was in a Crest commercial.It held its ground within arms length of me,it had crazy eyes.But had mad ninja skills i swatted at his noggin and he was out for the count.Ended up being a rapid gray fox. I was in West Virginia in the early 80ies ground hunting deer. It was raining not very much I found an old stump by a trail and I set down for a spell.After about an hour to 45 minutes some grouse come down the trail by the stump.I didn't move and they all followered the next feller down the trail right by my boot. Though that was pretty cool !

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