Ok, let's see how brave we are...

[bvanzalen]

After reading Steve Arends post about being attacked by a weasle, I got to thinking....after I laughed at him!

Am I the only one that sometimes gets creeped out while walking to my stand in the dark? :eek:

I know I'm opening myself up to some harrassment here but I can't be the only one!

So, lets hear some stories about at least wanting to scream like a little girl while in the woods.... :gaga:

[jk hillsdale]

I can't imagine there's anyone who at least occasionally doesn't let the darkness, shadows, noises, etc. get their imagination running, at least a little.

[Steven Arend]

I like to very alert when walking to and from my stand in the dark. I have to walk through a standing corn field and you never know what’s running down the corn rows at you. :tdo12:

I have seen buddies get run over by deer walking through cattail swamps. I know a guy that got tangled with an 8 point and punctured a lung when the deer pinned him to the ground.

You just never know what’s lurking in the dark.

Steve

[Ron L]

Since you mentioned it, this should be the right time to mention that there ARE reports of Bigfoot having been seen in MI. And that 300 Mag or that 12 gauge slug gun ain't gonna slow him down either.

http://www.michiganbigfoot.org/

http://www.bfro.net/GDB/state_listing.asp?state=mi

So when you're sitting on your stand at 5 am and everything is so quiet you can hear your eyes water and you hear something rustling behind you in the woods, RELAX. It's probably nothing. Or is it? :yikes:

Happy hunting! BOOWAAAAAA-HAAAAAAA-HAAAAA-HAAAAA

[William H Bonney]

Not last year, but the year before last, opening morning of gun season was REALLY DARK,, darker than usual for some reason. I was walking back to my stand, trying not to use the flashlight,, I thought I heard something so I stopped for a minute,,, while I"m standing there, for at least 30 seconds mind you, not making a sound,, this doe "BLOWS" right in my face, snot and all, all over my face. She couldn't been more than a yard away from me. I never saw her. I seriously thought I had died of a heartattack, it took me a half hour to get to my stand, which was 10 steps from me.

[wild bill]

usually walking in the dark dont bother me but when i used to hunt behind the ex inlaws i never felt safe walking to my stand in the dark. the county jail abutted the land i hunted on and you never know who could be out there.

[skulldugary]

It don't bother me but did have a run in with a badger in the dark and busted a flock of turkeys out of thier roost that caused my rear end to pucker up.Pretty unnerving to say the least...

[wecker20]

I don't know why, but I enjoy the walks in total darkness. The only really good scare was when the footsteps I was hearing got closer and closer, then got faster. Wecker almost got ran over by a reindeer.... It was a doe being chased by a buck from what I could hear. She just missed me and I warned the buck with some coughing and waving the arms.

[Termie33]

One morning i was settled in my stand before dark. Its was a gorgeous morning, nice and quiet. All the sudden it sounded like a siren went off on the tree next to me. I almost jumped out of my tree and had a heart attack, and had no clue what it was. After the siren nose stopped i heard a little coooing noise, and i looked....there was a screech owl right next to me. I never knew a bird the size of your fist could make so much noise. After the mornings hunt i talked to my dad who was in a stand about 200 yards away. He laughed and said it scared the crap out of him at that distance so he had no clue why i didnt run out of the woods with it right next to me.

[Joe Archer]

Once I was sitting in my tree stand and mother nature started calling. I tried to ignore it all morning; it was just way to perfect of a morning to ruin because I needed to go have a seat. I think I lasted an hour and a half. I could hardly climb down outa my tree. I literally looked like a cripple as I painfully tried to walk my way up the driveway to the cabin. When I finally got there and made it to the bathroom I s*&t so hard I think I did scream. :dizzy: <----<<<

[Swamper]

'Bout 20 years ago, waiting for my dad at the roadside after the evening hunt. Heard grass rustling about 20 yards away and then footsteps on the pavement of a large animal. Figured it was a deer. When it was about 10 feet away, I clicked on the flashlight to see a man wearing a green trenchcoat, long hair and beard, looking at me wild eyed and deranged. He pulled the coat over his head, turned away, and kept walking. Apparently he had been sleeping along the side of the road for some time, woke up, and then starting walking, never seeing me until the flashlight was shining on him.

That was the longest wait until my dad arrived...wasn't sure if the man was coming back or not.

Swamper

[Munsterlndr]

The thing that gets me, and this happens at least once every deer season, is when you are walking silently to your stand and then darn near step on a partridge. When they take off under your feet I always jump out of my skin. Man, I hate that!

The other encounter I had in the dark was a few years ago, I was almost to my stand and was not using a flashlight and I saw something white in front of me on the ground. I turned on my flashlight and it was a skunk standing there about three feet away from me. Needless to say, I backed away veeery slowly.

______________________
Munsterlndr
Curmudgeon in Training

[spendit]

First one in the woods, best chance right? Setting there in total silence, blacker then black out dead calm and half way falling asleep on a cold morning. Just about to doze off and a Yote lets out a blaring howell. I thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest. Now it's barking and growling, slowly making it's way towards me. Mind you I cannot see a thing, so I just point my gun towards it, should it appear or attack I have a chance. Thing walks past me, I am in a ground blind, about 10 yards madder then hell I am there.

Sure did seem like an eternity for sunrise that day. I now have a hard time catching up on sleep in a dark woods.

[safetreehunt]

Man, what a bunch of wusses. Scared of a little dark, a couple little critters and birds or a goofy deer. You guys ain't too tough now are ya. Not me man. No spooklies gonna bug me at all. So, wanna buy a bridge?

[wyle_e_coyote]

Deer, Grouse, Turkey, Woodcock... Funny how the least dangerous creatures can scare the sh** out of me walking in the dark.

[kenockee_ken]

Last year my brother-in-law and I were on a night hunt for yotes in the western UP. On our second set of the night at around 3:30am I was doing the calling and I thought I heard some movement behind me, so I turned around with the spot light and not 50 feet away was a couple of wolves all crouched down like they were stalking me like a late night snack. Anyways I froze until they ended coming in another 10 or 15 feet and decided that it was close enough so I stood up and started yelling at them and waving the light back and forth. Needless to say we were done for the night had to go back to the cabin and change my shorts. :tdo12:

KK

[Wolfcire]

I am usually not to bothered with walking in the dark. Until recently, We put up a stelth cam that caught a picture of a bear. Two weeks later after developing the film, we put the camera back up. The next morning it was lieing on the ground completly ripped off the tree. Figured the bear got angry with the flash.

So now we watch are steps and listen closely knowing a bear is somewhere nearby.

[Banditto]

Honestly nothing bothers me anymore. I enjoy turning off my headlamp and walking really slow trying to kick something up like a porky or whatever.

[Bwana]

Actually, my scariest encounter happened when it was light out about 12 years ago; I was 19. I was awoke around 10:00 AM in my deadfall dround-blind from a nap (Tim was Sleepy) because of some serious crunching going next to me. As I focused on "the deer" I thought these things are huge in Presque Isle (I was still very groggy). Then I realized very quickly I was not looking at deer. It being my first year hunting South of Onaway just East of M-33 (I always hunted Alcona previously) the camp elders had neglected to mention that there are an abundunce of Elk in this particular area. As the young bull noticed me (he was huge but had a small rack so I think he was probably one year maybe) he approached me to investigate while his three cows continued to forage so I slipped off the safety to my gun. He was within ten feet from my blind shaking his head and he stomped his feet a couple of times in an effort to make me move but I wasn't moving. I avoided direct eye contact with him but stared at his briscut incase he charged. I had my little .44Mag. Ruger Deerfield pointed in the general direction, as it was laying across my lap and lined up good by shear luck, just in case. After what seemed like an eternity he went back to his harem and left the funny looking thing alone (me). As soon as they were gone I got up and left the blind to go for a walk and clean out my shorts:lol: . I know Elk are supposed to be intimidated by humans....but that's not the feeling that I came away with. Actually I was the one who was intimidated. I guess it all matters on the particular circumstance.:lol:

[DrEw8716]

Those darn grouse scare the heck out of me, or walking up on a porky or deer on my bait pile... Or a dieing rabbit....

[Mike L]

Not last year, but the year before last, opening morning of gun season was REALLY DARK,, darker than usual for some reason. I was walking back to my stand, trying not to use the flashlight,, I thought I heard something so I stopped for a minute,,, while I"m standing there, for at least 30 seconds mind you, not making a sound,, this doe "BLOWS" right in my face, snot and all, all over my face. She couldn't been more than a yard away from me. I never saw her. I seriously thought I had died of a heartattack, it took me a half hour to get to my stand, which was 10 steps from me.
LOL........... Oh that was funny ! I'm glad that didn't happen to me though, dam I would have **it my pants for sure. I hate when they do that, and those dam partrige. I about come out of my skin. Ya I think most people are justs ? A wee bit edgy walking in the dark.......... :tdo12:

[Hipskindt]

I was stationed at Fort Bragg North Caolina back in 99. I belonged to a hunting club. I always heard there were Black Bear around but I was never too worried about them. I always hunted further away into the swamp then the other members. One day while walking in I heard footsteps, everytime I stopped I heard whatever was out there also stop. I got to my ladder stand and got set up about one hour before dark. When the sun came up I had a huge Black Bear walk up to my Tree sniffing my footprints all the way. I told the other folks in the club and they all thought I should have shot it. I never felt any need to shoot the Bears and it always made the walk in a little more interesting.

[PITBULL]

I was in my tree stand a few years ago before daylight and a Owl must have
thought my mustash was a mouse. :yikes:

After he found out that mice dont make noises and try to jump out of a tree like that he went to find something a bit smaller to eat. I dont wear a facemask that dont cover my stash no more.


Then there was the time Im walking to my stand in the dark when my flashlight lights up a boot then a leg, then the dude sits up. Im screaming at him whoa, what the ****, I thought you were dead, Then the guy claims "I was just taking a nap". That was real creepy.

[Jacob Huffman]

Walking out for the morning hunt..pitch black..next thing I know I bust a turkey out of the trees right above my head...needed to change my shorts that morning.:yikes: Another time sitting there just about ready to leave for the night.I dont get 10 feet from my stand and 2 coons go at it.If you have never heard it...wow scard the crap out of me.It didnt matter if I had a gun or not still just about s**t myself.:yikes:

[bluedevil]

Well I cant take credit for this one as it happend to my cousin, but we still get a good laugh out of it today.

It was about 10 years ago(he was 15 at the time) and his grandfather gave him this rabbit fur/elmer fud hat that he thought was the greatest hat in the world. He wore it out hunting all the time. Well one night after no luck with deer he was getting out of his blind and heading back to the truck to meet his dad. He only go about 40 yards from the blind and he hears this "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh sound and quickly turns around to try and see what it is and BAM. He said all he saw was a big white thing flying right at him. With no time to react the "creature" hits him in the head, jamming its claws into his scalp, and knocking him down and then flying away with his hat. After a few moments of the fear of death. He could hear something "hooting" in the tree above him. So he shines the flash light in the tree and here is this owl sitting on a limb with his rabbit fur/elmer fud hat under its feet.;)

[kingfisher 11]

Good one Matt

I can tell you the imagination can sure do some funny things if you start thinking about it while in the dark. I have had my moments.

I have had the partridge do the same thing. The only time I have ever been really nervous to the point where I kept shinning my light behind me was in MT last year. We were told the valley we were going to hunt had lots of grizzlies and don't go in there without bear spray. We got into one area where the deadfalls were so bad and it was plain thick. That you could only see at best, 10 feet in front of you. We all got separated and I can tell you I was out of those woods before dark. I can remember walking real fast to get out of there, almost a run. Funny thing was, when we all met up the other guys said " I was not going to be in there when it gets dark" We were all thinking the same thing.

That evening while watching the news there was a report of a bear attack about 50 miles NW of us. I guess the guy walked up to a bear while it must have been dozing. Caught it off guard and it jumped him.

Has anyone follow the story of Bart Schleyer? That would really give you the creeps. I guess he was realated to some in MI.

[lilbow]

I posted a thread about 2 weeks ago or three maybe about the dark...lots of good stories on there..look back a few pages and you will see it...it's titled dark...you will enjoy reading them!:)

[Fred Bear]

I always go hunting on Halloween night because that is when the big ghost bucks are out. I am always bymyself. That long walk out of the dark woods is real scarry to me for some reason. I always think about Jason being there or something.

[warthog]

a few years ago hunting state land I'am walking out of the swamp after dark and I walk past what looks like a large brush pile as I get close to it I hear something growling, shine my light on the brush and it stops, turn my light of and it growls again, turn light on it stops, at this piont I have my hand gun in my hand pointed down but ready for the attack. Seeing now reason to stick around I proceed to walk to my truck. when I get there another truck is parked next to mine and a guy gets out and asked if I may have seen his buddy in the swamp no I have not but will give you a hand looking for him I say.as we are walking back to the swamp he says this friend of his has a habit of falling asleep in the woods I then ask if he snores he says like a big old bear. I then took him to the brush pile were his friend had fell asleep and scared the crap out of me.

[Royal Whaler]

My fright night came to me about 10 years ago while walking out of the woods after sundown. This was in the Tuscola State Game Area in the thumb of Michigan. I usually sit till dark and find my way out with a flashlight. When I was almost all the way out and it was as quiet as it gets, some muzzle loader emptied his gun, I guess so he wouldn't be transporting a loaded weapon. It was dark enough that he didn't know where I was and I didn't know where he was. Because it was so quiet out I think this accentuated how loud it was and I was shocked out of my boots. Good luck to all this fall.:)

[trout]

Flying in Alaska thru a mountain pass has been the scarist thing I have ever experienced.
I've walked in pitch darkness in FLA without the aid of a light,knowing there were snakes,hogs and gators, but that plane ride was even worse.

[Erik]

If feel quite comfortable in the dark as long as I'm familar with the terain. Even to the point that I very rarely use a flash light.
I am actually more afraid of walking around in the inner city. And it doesn't matter whether it's daytime or night. I'm like a fish out of water when I walk down a concrete sidewalk with towering buildings on each side. Other people can tell too. I know because I feel them staring at me :tdo12:

[Garden Bay]

On one of our farms was two open graves in the woods that I had to walk past to get to my hunting spot. The story was that the original homesteaders were buried there when they deceased....they were later moved to a graveyard and the holes were never filled in and there was a two track past these graves which was the easiest way out of the woods after dark. Every time I went past these graves after dark I would shine my light into these holes and of course be creeped out by the thought of something in them.....imagine my surprise when one night there was a owl in that area as I came by:yikes:

[TnRidge]

1)It was a frosty Mi. morning as I approached the swamp trying my best to be quiet while walking through the swale grass ,when all of a sudden the silence was shattered as I stepped on a Rooster Pheasant .
I nearly crapped my pants ,and it took nearly 5 minutes to regain my senses .

2) A friend and I were walking through the same swale after exiting the swamp after an afternoon hunt . It was pitch dark by the time we got out of the swamp . We walked a short distance through the grass when all of a sudden the grass parted for 20 yards on both sides of the trail ,scaring the crap out of both of us . :tdo12:
It ended up being fishing line that another hunter had tied up to follow his entrance trail through the grass . We walked through it at a 90 degree angle .

3) I was walking through the edge of a unpicked cornfield in the darkness ,when I came face to face with a skunk . I did the moonwalk ,as I back peddled away . Luckly he didn't turn tail on me . :)

4) While walking across a Beaver dam on the way to my stand in the darkness ,I disturbed the Beav and he awakened me by giving me a tail slap on the water not 15 feet from me . It sounded like someone doing a cannonball from a 3 meter divingboard .

:yikes:

[serioussportsman]

About ten years ago I was up in the micado/oscoda area for the Bow opener.I got nestled down under a pine tree and just before light a pack of yotes started howling all around me. couldn't have been 50 yards away! and compleatly surrounding me like I set up in there den or something. boy you want to talk about the hair riseing up on your entire body. I was begining to think I was on the yote menu for awile!!!:chicken: :hide:

Michael A.K.A. serioussportsman

[eyemaster]

I feel we have all been there but 2x in one day. on thurs Iwas walking to my stand on the edge of a corn field set my drag turned off my light and ,headed back 1/4 way back and crash. freaked me out on comes the light 2 coons 10ft away . later Iwas looking for a new set up for a climber walked around a oak looked for that straight no branch tree look over coon 10 inches off my shoulder in the croch of the oak talk about wet pants , high heart rate .

[Uzarious]

The only occasion that creates any anxiety with me is walikng to my stand on the morning of the first day of the firearm season. Even though I am on private land, I am always fearful of a neighbor, a neighbor’s guest, or worst of all, a trespasser close by thinking I am a deer and blasting away in the pitch dark.



For this reason, I carry one of those 1 million candlepower spotlights with me when going in, and shine it in virtually all directions while walking to my stand. Plus, (my pals think I'm nuts) I am in my stand, ready to go, at least one full hour before first light, knowing that most hunters don’t arrive to their stands perhaps 10 or 15 minutes before sunrise. Then, when going out at night, I wait until 15 minutes after pitch dark and use my spotlight the same way going out. I could care less if it bothers a neighbor or spooks some deer. I simply don’t want some green-pea, unsupervised 14-year old or slob hunter putting a slug through me anxious to a deer.

[BigJim]

Last bow season I was rushing to my property for an evening hunt. The next day was my 3 year old niece's birthday, so I stopped on the way up and bought her the "Tickle me Elmo" doll she wanted. When I got to the property, I changed into my hunting clothes and threw the doll into the duffel with my work clothes and put it into the back of the pickup. After the hunt I reached into the duffel in the pitch dark to change back into my clothes, when all of a sudden the doll starts talking and laughing - I must have jumped 10' and nearly had a heart attack.

[ih772]

When you're fourteen every white pine stump from the lumbering boom looks like a bear. :tdo12:

And as other guys have mentioned kicking up a pat when your trying to sneak through the woods always makes me jump. :lol:

[hartman886]

Was out Friday night tracking and it was pitch black (full moon but with clouds) and I was totally turned around in the woods. I'm familiar with these woods but the pitch blackness had me creeped out - I thought we had wandered way off track becuase I could see headlights and I was thinking "how the heck did we end up a mile away at Robinson road?" I was following the BF who knew where he was - when I noticed a light coming towards us. I realized it was a flashlight and I high tailed it over to BF and got behind him for protection (haha). I thought it might be another hunter or serial killer or something....

Then there was this voice "CONSERVATION OFFICER. Can I help you find something". Scared the crap out of me! He was nice, helped us look for a while, then checked my licenses and went on his merry way.

See, they do exist! :)

[ArrowFlinger]

Last year I got reall spooked.
We have wolves in the area.
A wolf doesn't bug me too much. I have had one run away while going in.
But last year October 4 I could hear some noised to my left, to my right, behind me, then at my 10 o'clock, my 2 o'clock, 5,7,11, etc.

I hurried up and tied off my bow and climbed my stand.

I really though I had a pack surrounding me.

But as the sun broke the horizon. The frozen dew dripped of the upper canopy. And as each frozen leaf broke off, it would take 2 or 3 more with it and so on and so on.

For 1/2 hour is sounded like a downpour and every leave was on the ground.

When it is dark the mind can play games with you.

[bucknduck]

We have a herd of elk that like to roam and bed down on our property north of Gaylord. I have walked up on the heard bedded down a number of mornings. Walking out when its foggy can be a real challenge because you only hear them get up and start moving, you can't actually see if they are going to charge at you.
My wife thinks there is something wrong with me because one of my dream hunts is to go on a russian boar hunt and hunt down the meanest, baddest boar I can find, and take it down with a bow.

[woodsman rick]

Last saturday morning, I was still as can be in my tree stand all morning, at about 11am I decided I'd go in to camp for breakfast, as I had not seem any deer that morning (first time this season). As I stood up and looked around I thought I could see the windshield of a pick-up, (there is one dead end two track near me, about 300 yds away) I quickly got down from my tree and watched as this truck took off like a bat down the trail. :rant:

Well, I was still cussing at this when I went back out in the afternoon, I was going to catch this jerk, it's on private land (mine), I was waiting all afternoon to hear the truck come back in, every sound I thought was that **** truck, about 30 miniutes before dark I heard noises that sounded like someone unloading wooden boxes from that darn truck, I knew it had to be them, tresspassing and littering. I waited until almost dark, I could hardly see in the deeper woods and started my jorney to meet these guys. I got about halfway to the area where the truck would be, and as I stepped on an old dead branch it broke, my whole world went nuts.... 25-30 turkeys decided I was to close (under that is) to their roosting tree. :yikes: I just about passed out, with all the feathers, sticks, turkey dropings (they must have been scared too) :lol:. It took atleast 5 minutes before I could walk again. I'm thinking about turkey hunting more and more these days.....

The sound I was hearing was the turkeys flying up into the trees, I think.

Needless to say, the truck was not there that night.

Rick

[DEERHNTR]

For some reason I enjoy the walk out to my stand in the dark much more than the walk in from my stand.

[pporonto]

When I was a young teenager, and beginning to hunt, I hated going out to my stands in the dark alone. Dad would walk me to the nearest point and I would walk in about 50 yards. Then one day walking back to the cabin after sunset, I feel something reachout from under a log and grab my leg and pull. It was my dads friend playing a little joke. After a good scream and underwear change, we all had a good laugh about it. I am 38 now and have worked in an ER for 10 years. Nothing can scare me in the woods like some of those crazy people I take care of. :dizzy: :yikes: :tdo12:

[Rupestris]

Just this past Labor day we were camping in the mountains of West Virginia. A good size campsite with RV hook-ups. Not rustic camping by any means.

One night while sitting around the fire my wife, neice, nephew and I decided to go for a walk up the camp road (2 lane blacktop). It was probably 2 AM. We walked about a mile armed with only flash lights but didn't use em. It was a beautiful night with no clouds so you could see pretty well.

On the way back to the camp I was walking along the right shoulder of the road when I heard something big moving through the grass and leaves about 10 yards to my right and comming up from behind me. I thought it was my nephew being his usual practical joking self. I looked to my left to see him on the other side of the road.:tdo12: I quickly turned around with the flashlight to see nothing but the treeline.

I don't remember how I got to the other side of the road but we stood there looking for the deer or coyote, that we were sure it was, for a few seconds when a Jeep Cherokee pulled up and asked if anything was wrong.

I told the driver, " I had something run up behind me just inside the treeline and was looking to see what it was"

He then said " Its probably just a black bear. They get pretty bad around camp grounds. You might want to get back to camp."

...ummm... JUST a black bear?