Close or scary encounters in the dark??

[PLB]

Anyone ever have any spooky or scary encounters in the dark while hunting?? Either walking in in the morning or walking out in the evening?? Strange noises, predators etc.?? I guess I never really have but I'm sure some forum members have!

[Dewey]

Had a pack of wolves one night follow me out of the woods up by Boulder Junction late season bowhunting about 5 years ago.

Gun season a few years back near Sugar Camp we were tracking a buck I hit the afternoon of the opener. We lost the blood trail and gave up around midnight and thought we would come back at daylight. When we got back in the morning there were mountain lion tracks over the top of our tracks from the night before and it looked like it was following the blood trail as well. The tracks were easy to identify because there were no claw marks because cats have retactable claws and they were 4" in dia. Don't know if it was following us in the dark or not that night but it gives me chills thinking about it. The same cat was seen chasing some deer in a field around the same time and somebody got it on a trail camera.

One time I was bowhunting in South Dakota and as I was walking in the dark I came across a herd of free ranging Black Angus. I tried to circle around them but ended up along the edge of a 300-400 foot cliff along a canyon. Two very huge angus bulls were very agressive and fighting and suddenly stopped and stared at us as the headed our direction. We had nothing but cliff behind us and wide open prairie behind the bulls for miles so we had nowhere to go. Thankfully after scaring the out of us they lost interest and we snuck out of there. Believe it or not that was probably the most scared I have ever been because I know from experience working on a farm how unpredictable a bull can be.

[PLB]

My buddy hunts up in Price Co. and says the same thing about wolves following hunters out of the woods! My dad a few years back had what he believes were 2 bears growling and or fighting in the swamp! He said he climbed down at dark and literally ran out of the woods that night!! That aint like my dad so it must have been scary sounding!!

[publiclandhunter]

I had a couple of Chupacabras on my bait pile one time.....

PLH

[DropTyne]

In Lake Tomahawk I heard something following me when I was walking into my stand. In the afternoon when I was switching stands I saw three sets of wolf prints that were basically following my direct route. A real scary thing to see. I would like to think they were just curious but who knows. After that incident I often think about what if I shoot a deer and have blood on my hands/arms when I am leaving the woods, maybe the wolves would have a different reaction.

Whenever I hunt the big woods of Northern Wisconsin I often hear or think I hear something following me, I think it's more me freaking myself out more than anything. Im not really scared, but just eerie feeling. And yes It still raises the blood pressure when a grouse takes flight right in front of me!

On Dewey's bull note: One of the farms I hunt is a working dairy farm and usually in fall time they mix a bull in with the other cows. I've had several stand-offs with the bull in the pasture before. On one occassion the bull bluff charged me and I actually knocked an arrow thinking that I may have to shoot it! After that hunt I went back to the womans farm house and was telling her about the encounter. She said to be careful when he's out there because he can be agressive. This was then followed by a story about how her father was stomped to death by a bull in the pasture thus the reason she runs the farm . Needless to say she now makes me aware anytime that bull is out there! Heed caution when your around cattle!

[dan]

Not sure if any of you missed this article? Its about Dan Jr's 1st bear that we tracked wounded in the dark... Pretty close call on that one

Click the link:
viewtopic.php?f=159&t=1347

[U.P. MAN]

Im not sure how i missed that story, thats awesome!

[Treejunkie]

Had a friend of mine stalked by a mountain lion in Wyoming. Thank God he turned around just in time to see it sneaking up on him. Stopped 10 feet from him and hissed. Needless to say, he had to go back to camp to change his underwear.

I have had a pack of coyotes under my stand at dark that has made me stay put for awhile.

Me and 3 other friends where deer hunting in Wyoming when we came upon a set of momma and baby bear tracks in the snow and the followed by a set of mountain lion tracks. It was dark and we were dropping off one by one. Let me tell you, any noise you heard made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up waiting for the sun to come up.

In Colorado, I was video taping for a friend since I had already killed my bull when I bear and baby bear came to a water hole. Momma bear fake charged my buddy who was hunting and was snapping her jaws. Baby bear climbed up the tree and we very very slowly backed out of there.

Dont even get me started on my Bigfoot sighting.

[Schultzy]

Which time? lol!

It was 6 or 7 years ago during our Minnesota bear season. I was hunting a bear bait that had a potential B&C bear hitting It. At dark I got down from my tree stand to make the 1/2 mile walk back to the truck. After I got down I went to turn on my little flashlight, nothing. I thought to myself, SOB! I took about 10 steps trying to walk down our bait trail that I couldn't hardly see when all of a sudden I heard the teeth chopping of a bear about 20 yards away. I stopped dead In my tracks and looked In that direction but couldn't see a thing as It was dark. I knew the direction I had to go to the truck so I proceeded very slowly. I heard sticks crack this time followed by more teeth chopping. This time I'm thinking he's even closer (probably 15 yards from me). Surprisingly I wasn't rattled to bad but I was still nervous. Some how I made the trip back to the pickup without going off of the bait trail that we use every time. It just took me an extra 20 minutes to get back. The bear chopped his teeth a few more times In the next 40 yards out and then that was It.

Another time bear hunting I was walking out to the road at dark. I was half way out when I heard sticks cracking 20 yards behind me. I went to turn around and aim my flash light at the noise and the stupid flashlight quit working. I then turned around and made my way out to the road as It was pretty easy walking on this particular bait trail. I heard the animal behind me the whole time on the way out. After getting to the road waiting for my ride I could hear this animal coming closer and closer so I picked up a rock and threw It In the direction of the noise on the bait trail and whatever It was It took off running 20 or so yards and stopped. I never heard a stick break after that. I'm not sure If It was a Timberwolf or a bear but I'm thinking It was a bear as wolves are usually pretty skittish.

Me and flashlights don't get along It seems. I've had more trouble with lights not working or loosing them on the walk In then anyone I know. Now I carry two of them when I'm out west In the mountains or when I'm bear hunting In northern Minnesota. I could go on and on with more story's. I've had some Interesting ones elk hunting and bear hunting. These expierences have been good character builders.

[Dewey]

Dont even get me started on my Bigfoot sighting.

Let's hear it! I think you may have some believers here that would be very interested!

[cornfedkiller]

Never anything real close that comes to mind, but a couple years ago while gun hunting in northern wisconsin, I had a wolf come walking through about 15 mins before dark, and it ended up passing me less than 10 yards from my stand. I think it was headed towards a gut pile from a deer that was shot earlier in the day, and I had to pass right by that gut pile on my way out. I definitely kept my gun in my hands rather than slinging it over my shoulder for that walk..

[Spysar]

I've never really been afraid to walk in the woods in the dark.

I think some people let their imaginations run wild in the dark....Some folks are just plain afraid of the darkness itself.

There are lots of bears and coyotes where I live and I've never heard of a person actually being harmed. SAme as where I hunt out west. There are mountain lions, but nobody really actually gets attacked.

You have a better chance of getting hurt slipping in the tub, or driving your car.

[PLB]

My Dad always told me, The woods are the same in the dark as they are in the light! You have nothing to be worried about.

[robert richer]

Last year while friend of mine was scouting for deer called me on his cell phone and was giving me play by play of the soybean field I planted. Well over time it got dark out and he started to climb down from our scouting tree and started to walk back through the hay field in the dark. While walking and talking to me on the phone he heard several heavy double foot steps going pararell to him. He said they sounded like Klides-dale horses although much slower as though they were stalking him....here is the scary part...there are no horses around and he has lived up there for 40 plus years and never has heard of this or noise ever....He thinks they may have been wild pigs although there wasnt any snorting........he called it "freakin" weird and he has never used those words before......By the way this is in Vernon county hill tops...he now carries a .44 mag...

[JRM6868]

Well it's not scary just a close call. I was walking to my stand one morning and heard something to my right in the dark pretty close. I turned my light and standing 10' from me was a skunk. Let me tell you I was thankful that thing didn't spray.