Hunting Forum

If this has been done before I'm sorry. Just curious to what others have have happened crazy/funny to them while hunting. I have one I'll start with.

I had just started hunting *less than 3 years* and was sitting in my treestand one morning just at daybreak. I was taking it all in when I saw a large bodied animal coming towards my stand from the North. Wind was out of the South so I didn't think much of it. It walked and then started rubbing on a tree (remember it's daybreak, still a little dark out). It was a nice looking rack from what I could tell. Now keep in mind, I was taught by my grandfather and father to NEVER shoot unless you know 100% what it is. It was still a little too early so I decided I'd wait it out. This animal had the signs of a big buck, nice rack sticking out, brown body, white patches and a white tail. Just when my heart started to pump a lot, what I thought was a deer stood up and it was a guy. My heart stopped for a second realizing that I could have shot him. He was wearing of all things a brown carhart jumpsuit unzipped halfway, wearing a white t-shirt underneath it, carrying a climber treestand with the tree forks up, and white wrapped and fletched arrows. He was bent over when he came into the area (low branches) so he looked just like a deer. I sat there with my mouth on the ground 15' up in the tree. I couldn't believe someone would be that stupid to wear that kind of stuff into the woods. Oh and get this, the guy stayed for an hour (40 yards from me) and left. It was on public ground so there wasn't anything I could do. Sadly he walked right under me and didn't notice I was sitting there. He did though when he came out. He didn't have much to say though.

My dad always told me a true story about deer hunting.

HE WAS just starting to deer hunt. so this is like his third deer he'd ever shot. It was a doe. The doe is still alive after he'd shot but laying down.
He was hunting with his dad and one of his dad's buddies. His dad's buddy, ran up to the deer a with a buck knife. So
he's trys to cut the deer's throat and the deer doesn't like that idea. So these two are wrestling one trying to cut a throat and the other trying to get
away.finally get the deer's throat cut after a while. He did My dad was laughing as harder than i'd ever seen him laugh before as he was telling this story.

Well Andrew ya did good; the third rule of Hunter Saftey is: know what you target is and beyond. As far as the dumbazz, does your state have a dress code? For deer gun, we have to wear blaze orange.

This was during archery season. We don't have to wear orange unless you have a gun in your hands. During the slug gun season we can't bow hunt. We can during ML season, then you have to wear orange.

This was during 2009 bow season. The land owner was getting upset with me (not really) when I would tell him of passing on several small bucks that had been in bow range. "Those are the ones probably doing all the damage to my trees" he would say. I really didn't want to use my only buck tag allowed on a small buck. Had a 6 point come out on sand bar 25yds. and took the shot. I heard the arrow snap when it hit buck in front shoulder and broke off when he jumped. I never recovered that deertracked it through woods to uncut milo field and even had a large pool of blood just 15 yds. in to milo too many tracks in field to follow only a small drop of blood on milo leaves occasionally and finally lost that. Even went back later with 2 more guys and walked field. I then lost a 2nd. small 6pt. stuck arrow in front shoulder tracked him through woods he circled around and crossed river. I got a pair of waders and tracked him another 1/2 mi. through thick scrub trees and tall weeds. never found him either. On a later eve. hunt a small 8pt. came out I took the shot and waited an hr. and tracked him as he had walked a mown trail through woods along the river it had gotten dark and I lost the blood trail when he got to end of trail and went into the grass&weeds so I backed out to return in AM. The next morning I went back and was able to pick up his blood trail. Finally I spotted him laying under a treewith tall johnson grass around I was relieved to find him. As I started to walk up to him he stood up and took a step toward me. I just froze in fear at first then we had a stare down as I slowly backed out a ways. I had left my bow in truck expecting to find him dead. I had cell phone and called my friend and told him I had found my buck and he was standing 30yds staring me down .Now what do I do? I went back and got y bow and when I returned he had layed back down and I put another arrow in him and finished him off. That was an exciting and scary moment when that buck stood up on me. It was also a great relief finding him after loosing 2 before. At least I didn't have to gut a cold deer.
This last season I had a big buck show up 15yds. on sand bar, came up the bank and my heart sank as I saw my arrow stick in his front shoulder (not again). I didn't want to chance pushing him so I left and went to find my friend. I had left cell phone at home. I met him on the road and when I pulled up beside him I told him that I had shot a buck. He asked me how big was he? I was still shaking and replied I don't Know but he had pts. sticking out everywhere!! He had only gone about 50yds. when we went back and found him. Picture in Member photo album 19pt.non typical. Got mount back a couple of weeks. ago.

Back when I only had a couple seasons under my belt my uncle shot a smaller six point (poorly)and I tried to get around in front of it to cut it of from getting onto the neighbors property. Well I managed to get where I thought the deer would travel through to get across the river that was pretty much the property line, Sure enough there he was laying in some brush and tall grass. I was kinda disappointed that I didn't even get a shot so being a typical teenager, I walked up to it and kicked it in the head. Imagine my surprise when it jumped up and stared at me from about two feet away. After a brief stare down he jumped to the side and fell from getting tangled in the brush, here is where it got real crazy, I was dumb enough to jump on its side thinking I could hold it down and finish it of with my knife. Before I jumped he looked pretty well done for on the ground thrashing around, well I can tell you this he wasn't. He went ballistic. now I'm am pretty much trapped since he cant get me when I'm riding him (he couldn't stand but we mowed down a lot of brush just the same.) I'm sitting on his ribs holding one side of his rack but thats pretty much all I can do for several seconds is just hang on. Finally I did manage to cut its throat but it was not something I have ever felt like trying again. Oh, my uncle showed up right after it was over, he and every one else got a heck of a kick out of the whole deal.

As I was packing up to leave during a bow hunt, I heard a bunch of russelling on the other side of the tree, maybe about 75 yards away. It kind of spooked me not knowing what it was. I decided to peer around this wide oak tree and here comes this doe running at full speed right at me!! Scared the crap out of me as I bounded back towards the tree for safety. The doe barely clipped my leg and beat feet! Needless to say i was shaken up some, not expecting anything to ever happen like that. In retrospect, if I would have taken my time and stayed in the stand a little longer, I'm pretty sure a big ole buck is what startled her.

While hunting in Texas, I was climbing into a blind at Oh-dark thirty. Hadn't hunted in South Texas in a long time and forgot a few things. As I was up the ladder some eight feet in the air, I reached to open the door and out flew a "lechusa" or barn owl! Needless to say it scared the hell out of me!  I barely ducked as it clawed at my face. Luckily it only tussled my hair but the fall made me sprain my leg in a very bad way. Oh well, hunted the whole day with nothing to show for it but a story, bruised ego, and a bunch of laughs from my friends.

Naw, nuttin funny but I only been huntin 61 years....maybe this year.....have gone to bed a few times in camp with my sides hurting from laffing, but at my age, cant remember why....

Me and my brother in law were hunting about 15yrs ago and had been out hunting for about 5 days. We had seen couple of animals way out in the distance but never could get close enough to get a shot. My brohter in law desided he had enough and was going to stay in camp and clean out the tent and camp. So I left after bacon and eggs. Hunted my ass off took a 250 yard shot with my 30/30 open sight and missed low badly. But i was frustrated and felt desprate I know i should have never evan tried that distance but, I could at least go back to camp and say I took a shot. Arrived back at camp just after dark and my brother in law had chili from the can warm on the stove so ate and bragged about taking the shot. we settled in and went to bed. Mind you we only have a 2 man coleman tent and we had busted the zipper out of the door the first night. i was fast asleep only to be awakened to something pulling my sleeping back out of the tent. I told my brother in law to nock it off and he replied he was faced the other way. thats when i felt this realy hard tug and as i was sliding out the door of the tent I grabbed the shot gun. I took one shot at the direction I thought it was coming from. With the flash from the shot I could See what seemed at the time the biggest black bear in the world. i empty the shot gun tring to hit the dam bear. My brother in law at this point was standing there saying sorry I asked for what he pointed at my sleeping bag and said that he had spilt bacon greese on it and flipped it over so I would not be mad. Boy was I mad I don't recall all I said to him but could only think now it was not any thing good. So my brother in law would not sleep in the tent any more so he slept in my Datson b 210 he is 6'4 so I think his punishment was done when he woke up and could not stand for almost an hour. that morning i searched for any sign I might have hit the black bear found his tracks and followed up the hill and down the other side and not one drop of blood. I went back to camp just after lunch and the bother in law had packed camp up and loaded it and was waiting for me to show up. I asked him what he was doing we had another week left. He said there was no way in hell he was camping or hunting with me because there were animal out there that could get him. The look on his face I just laughed and i took him home. I did go back out just alot closer to home. To this day he has never went hunting again. He was the great white hunter all his stories he told to every one he'll have to live with the shame. As for me i kill a nice dow on the last day of the hunt.

Once when I was young in NW PA after a bit of a late night I was sitting with my back up against a tree as the sun rose. There'd been about 6" of new snow over night.   Well the sun hit me and it was nice and warm and that is the only time I've ever fallen asleep in the woods. When I woke up, a lone deer had actually stepped right over my legs... From the looks of the tracks I'd guess it was a decent buck...


Sitting in the same woods one morning overlooking a valley with a soft snow falling I saw a mother blackie and two cubs coming up through the valley.  Now, back then in PA bear and buck season overlapped so I could of shot her but decided against it and just watched.  Mom laid down for about a 1/2 hour and they cubs were just romping around playing with each other.  When she got up she shook the snow off and let out a low moan kind of sound toward her rear. I guess that was the "let's go" call.  One cub listened and one didn't.  She didn't give it a second chance, sauntered over to the cub not paying her any attention, and smacked the little fella right across the head, HARD. Cub rolled about 10 feet and smacked up against a tree. She couldn't loose it after that.  Still remember that as if I'd just seen it and it was probably about 40 years or more ago.


Whitetail hunting in northern Maine a few years ago. Again, propped up against a tree.  I'd been watching deer legs in the distance milling around waiting for something to develop.  Maine has a BUMPER crop of red squirrels.  Two of the little rat{1}*******s were chasing each other all over the woods. They kept getting closer.  I wanted to alert them to my presence but to move or make a sound with deer in the vicinity?  I don't think so. Deer up there are few and far between.  Well both of them ended up running full bore right up the inside of my right leg and continued right straight on down the log.   That one had me a bit nervous.   Never did get to see those deer either.

That's probably enough...

Oh wait, no I have to relate this one.   Same woods in PA, same general time period. Now, this area is in Forest County in the Allegheny National Forest.  It's a big place and easy to get turned around if you aren't VERY familiar with it, and even if you are.

I'm pretty far back in one afternoon.  It's about 2:00 and I'm just getting ready to start hunting my way back to the car. Figure I'd hit where I parked around dark.   So I see this guy headed my way so I gestured to him like I always do so he saw me.  Then he proceeds to speed up in my direction.

Comes up to me and says "do you know where you are?".  I kinda looked strangely at him and said "yeah".  He says "good!  So then you know where I AM?"  I started laughing and told him I did. He says "something's wrong with my compass! Look"  (No gps's back then for you youngins) so he sets his gun butt on the ground holding it by the muzzle and puts his compass RIGHT beside the barrel. He says "no matter which way I face it always says north is the same way!!" 

I damn near died laughing. I said "move the gun"...   He just kind of stammered something that I was laughing too hard to hear.  I asked where he'd come in from and he told me - he was even further from where he'd started from than I was. I suggested that he come out with me and I'd drive him to his truck.  He said "no by gawd, I walked in, I'm walkin' out"  I hope he made it. We didn't hear reports of anyone lost so I suspect he did but he sure had a long walk.

When I was younger I read this in a PA outdoor article and my memory is not 100% perfect but the story should be close enough.

A New York and New Jersey hunter from the city hunting with his PA friends in NW Pa. They took him to a stand overlooking a meadow and pond with a few apple trees down 1 side and told him anything with horns gets shot.
He goes back to camp several hours later and tells them he got a buck sio big he could not carry it back, they asked if he field dressed it. He had not so hiked back to try that. Again he arrives back at camp and says the buck is still too heavy to carry back to camp. Now everyone else is curious since this is not a small or weak guy. After he lead them back to his monster sized buck, they burst out laughing. His buck was a prized bull that had gotten out of his stall!

Now for something that happened to my friend when I was there. We were young ( 17 - 18 range ) and not always thinking about the right things so after hiking back a mile or so and talking ( and laughing ) about various cheerleaders and muscle cars and the like, we set up our "deer ambush spot" as we called it. That is when we noticed my friend forgot his GUN back in the car. After laughing my ass off at him and asking how he could be so stupid I realized I forgot ammo ...

Oh well I guess I will put in my part .In 1994 I was deer hunting and did not feel good the first 4 days .Then had to go home for my father in laws funeral .Then went back up to finish my hunt .Kept having the same symptoms as before .After finishing my hunt and then went home I could not finish unloading my trailer as it just wore me out .Then the next day I went to work .Then I spent the next 7days in the hospital with a heart attack .I was having the heart attack when hunting and ignored it .So if your are having chest pains and out of breath get home and have it checked .Don't do as I did .

Holly OUCH! Glad you made it through that!

Same here holly!

I take body signs very seriously after having to have a renal arterial stent put in on an emergency basis. Listen to your body... it WILL "win" if you don't and you'll have to face the consequences of loosing...

A couple of years ago my buddy and I were tent camped out on state land up north at the beginning of
October.
We were up for two weeks to hunt for Ruffed Grouse, Bow hunt for Deer, and to hit some of the Trout streams that were still open. We had already had some luck catching enough trout to put in the cooler
for dinner , and decided to Grouse hunt for a few hours before dinner.
Well the leaves hadn’t dropped yet and were still on all the trees. It was dry so the best bet for Grouse was along the creek bottoms, we put up a lot of grouse, but it was so thick we could hear them take off, but couldn’t see them enough to get a shot.
WE got back to camp empty handed, and my buddy had to answer natures call. So he set his shot gun
against a tree and took two steps to the other side of the tree, and unzipped his pants to relieve himself.
Just as he started to go, about five feet away a Grouse exploded out of the Pine tree on his right side,
and sailed down the old logging road. He looked over his shoulder at me and said , “The only good shot at a Grouse all day, and I was holding the wrong gun !”.........By the way my hunting buddy is 75 years old.

We were hunting one year and took a person on his first deer hunt .We were going to be there for two weeks .We had been hunting for about the first week when the nebie cam back into camp pulling a small buck .We all said he did a good job for his first hunt and how he had feild dressed it .That is when he told the story about how he got it .And yes he did stink .He had put his gun up against a tree and started to do #2 when the buck walked out .So he grabbed his gun and shot the deer .And you know what he did .Yes he sit in it .The recoil knocked him on his butt .

ROTF... I hope there was a shower there holly!

A buddy and I were out on a brutal day. Absolutely nothing, even the squirrels weren't moving. So I decided to do a one man "drive" and make a large circle through some hemlocks and see if I could get something moving. I did get quite a few out of their beds. Usually just saw legs or a$$. But one I did get a glimpse of a pretty good sized rack.

It was headed in the right direction so I gently tried to nudge it toward Ray. A while later, I'd catch glimpses of it way out ahead of me in the hardwoods. It went right past my buddy... no shots.

So when I got up to him I asked why he didn't shoot. He said, "you didn't hear my rifle?!? I shot at it 5 times!!! My scope must be off!!!" I looked down, and in the snow, sure enough there were 5 shells on the ground... none of which had been shot. He had buck fever so bad he forgot to pull the trigger. He never did live that down.

Steve I've seen that senario in CO hunting with some friend there .