SCARYEST TIME IN THE WOODS

[ody45]

THE SRARYEST TIME IN THE WOODS WOULD BE WHEN I WAS 9 AND I GOT UP AT 3:00 AND WENT INTO THE WOODS BY MY SELF AT 3:18.

[Worm Dunker]

Getting into deer stand before light on gun deer openers on state land.

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[watercop19]

The scarest time that I've ever spent in the woods was last year while pat hunting. My friend and I were only going out for a couple hours before class. Since we were not going to be out long i didn't bring my flashlight or compass. Needless to say we got turned around and soon it was dark. Eventualy we found our way back to the truck. There were some times where i thought we might be spending the night in the woods. Lesson learned: ALWAYS BRING A COMPASS!!!!

[Steve]

Getting turned around in the woods in the rain at night without a compass. But the scariest was walking to my tree stand one morning and having coyotes start howling seemingly right behind me. Got into my stand fast that morning :)

[DodgeDad]

Yep! Lost with no compass can make you panic. Been there done that.

[DaYoop]

Deer hunting a swamp up north, just at dusk and having 2 packs of coyotes start howling--one pack on each side of me. Now that'll make the hair stand on end!! (I later found the tracks and they were about 40 or so yards from me)

[Tim Baker]

My wife and I went to Denali National Park in Alaska for our honeymoon. We thought we would do a lot of hiking but after seeing numerous Grizzly Bear droppings we didn’t do much hiking. Something about becoming the hunted instead of the hunter wasn’t that appealing.

Me and a buddy once got lost in Montana after an evening hunt and in the middle of a snow storm to top it off. He had his compass out and we were following it but things just didn’t seem right to me. I was pretty sure I knew where the truck was but the compass was saying something else. My buddy had pretty much given up and said it would be best to build a fire and spend the night. I wasn’t going to have anything to do with that and I figured we couldn’t be more than 300 yards from the truck. So I got my compass out and sure enough it confirmed that the truck was in the direction that I had thought and we walked right to it. I don’t remember exactly but his compass was off because he had either a metallic clip or he had it clipped on to his coat zipper. I always hold my compass out away from body when I use it.

Tim

[rooster]

Tim Baker-
I thought I was the only fortunate one out here that was able to convience my wife to honeymoon in Alaska. It was a easy sell. We also spent sometime in Denlia. We ended staying at a remote fly in lodge. I believe the name of it was the Wilderness Lodge. We took a whitewater rafting trip down the Nenna river (Sp)and spent a few nights in the old Crows Nest, enjoying the view.
After being there, you can certainly see why it is called "the Last Frontier"

[JMesler]

How about when you just about step on a grouse at 6 am on the way to your treestand. That will elevate the bloodpressure a few notches!

[Steve]

Yep, the grouse flush in the dark is always a rush :)

[jimbos43]

I thought I was the only one to ever step on a grouse. Broke it wing. Scared the hell out of me.

[fishandhunt]

My scariest situation occurred while deer hunting as well. I had arrived at my stick blind well before daylight and when I was going in a large bobcat snarled and brushed across my leg on his way out. Note: Do not leave anything in your blind that will attract mice. I spent the rest of my morning looking over my shoulder.

Mike

[This message has been edited by fishandhunt (edited 02-07-2001).]

[shooter921]

Getting in your tree stand before light, and having your dad play a joke(making growling noise's) on you while your out trying to find your seat in the dark at like 12:30a.

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Time to get those reels back in the water, and catch some BIG fish!

[stelmon]

seeing a fresh bear track as I was walking back to the car...probably walked by while I was in my stand

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Stelmon, the only one.
Becareful out there..

[Northbound]

Having a sow and her cub coming up behind me while fly fishing. Luckly, I heard the cub "balling" about crossing the river and got out just before the sow saw me. I saw another bear on my way out.

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[Worm Dunker]

Another scary time was we were turkey hunting up by Mio and the locals were doing so much deer hunting at night I parked my truck in front of the tent for self defense.

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[Banditto]

I finally thought of one! I was bow hunting in Howell in a tree stand on a warm afternoon with sun beating down on my back. I felt something hit my back but didn't think anything of it. Later when I stood up to stretch this HUGE tree spider was on my shoulder right by my mouth. It was probably harmless, but the sheer size would intimidate anybody. It took me by such a surprise I dropped my bow. I still laugh about that.

[DILLIGAF]

10 years old and small game hunting with my Dad in Hale, Michigan. In the pre-dawn minutes we heard what I thought was a truck driving down a gravel road. The noise got louder and louder and louder until - BOOM! A jet from the Grayling airbase broke the sound barier right on our heads. I thought the martians where coming to get us.

My dad still laughs about the way I grabbed his arm.

[JAM]

The scariest experience I had in the woods was my first archery bear hunt. I was hunting all alone on an old railroad grade. I past the last house 7 miles back, and I had to park my truck 1/4 mi. from the bait pile so I didn't block the road. I was sitting in a ladder stand about 10 ft. up and about 10 yds. from the bait. It was approaching sunset and I thought it was time to leave. Just then, a large bear appeared. He slowly walked over to the stand and stuck his nose in the air and sniffed. Then he walked over to the bait and started tearing logs off of the pile. I had my 45# recurve bow - no other weapons. He finally turned broadside, but caught me drawing on him and walked quickly back into the woods. Now it's time for me to go. I started whistling, talking, humming, - anything to let him know I'm not supposed to be "on the menu". I got down from the stand and started back to my truck. I got about a block down the RR grade and looked back to see him standing in the road watching me. I made it back to the truck, but was a little unnerved by the experience. So, the next night I had my husband accompany me. He waited down the road in the truck. The bear came back, but now he was well aware of me. He was circling my stand, pacing back and forth woofing and popping his teeth at me. That was hair-raising! He finally came in to the bait, but knelt down on one front leg and shoveled cookie crumbs in with the other. He never took his eyes off of me. At dark, my husband came and picked me up. That was a much better feeling than having to walk down the trail with the bear watching me. That was the most exciting hunt I've ever been on. I didn't get the bear, who is now known as "Cookie Monster".

Jill

[Steve]

That would be quite un-nerving indeed JAM.

[Dangler]

I had a close call with a skunk in the dark when I was 13 and going into a squirrel woods, but so far the scariest episodes have involved people instead of critters.

Like the time I was 18 and hunting a thick squirrel woods in southern Indiana. I heard somebody popping of with a .22 just over the rise, so I went to check on the trespassers. I walked to the top of the hill and leaned against a tree to look around. It was really thick cover. I took one step and POW! Bark sprayed off the tree I had been leaning against, right about eye level. I hit the deck and hollered, fired my own .22 into the air to make sure I got his attention. I heard running, so I jumped up and pursued. I caught two guys who I knew from school. They were amateurs, shooting at pop cans they had hung in saplings 5 feet off the ground. They didn't know I was anywhere around.

It scared all three of us. If I hadn't stepped when I did, I'm pretty sure there would have been a problem.

Basic safety rules were not observed that day.