Strangest, weirdest, coolest thing seen in the woods?

Cougars. At one time, the North Kiabab Plateau had the highest concentration of them on the planet. Still lots of them there. Another ranger and I were assigned to patrol the North Bright Angel trail. This is a back country trail that's little used and requires a permit to hike, so there's no telling what you're likely to encounter. Now this was late July, and anybody that's ever backpacked inner canyon will tell you that, unless you're part camel, you find someplace shady to hole up mid day till the shadows get long again. We were several miles down at about 11 am and found a nice pinion pine to siesta under till things cooled down. We dumped our packs, and I decided to hike down to the next bend in the trail to see what awaited, while Bob propped himself under that tree and closed his eyes. It was only a few minutes later and I heard Bob let out a yell loud enough to start an avalanche. I ran back and arrived just in time to see a shadow flit back up among the rocks. Bob was sitting there breathing hard, eyes as big a saucers . I asked him what happened and he said he was almost asleep when he got "that feeling" of being watched, opened his eyes, and found a cougar sitting right at his feet, looking at him with it's head cocked. He said he yelled without thinking (I think I might have said something profound, like "eep!" ) and the cat jumped straight up in the air, did a 180, and was off with movements that would've done the US Olympic Gymnastics Team proud. Well shoot Bob! He probably would've only nibbled on you just a little bit .

Cougars have a home range of right about 50 miles, and you can live in one's back yard for a decade and never even know he was there. Back country cougars are really shy; it's the ones that have gotten used to people that are becoming a problem. I lived at 8200 feet at the Canyon, and it wasn't uncommon to get a couple of inches of snow several times during June and early July. It would usually melt off in a few hours, but there were numerous times we woke up to find cougar tracks in the snow on our porch. They've got big feet, sort of like Wilt Chamberlain, and the tracks make it seem that they're a lot bigger than they really are.

Another cougar story...

The scariest thing that ever happened was getting stalked after dark by a cougar.

The funniest thing was seeing a friend of mine sneak up begind a moose while it was drinking and toss a big stick onto it's rear. We laughed all the way back to the truck.

The weirdest thing was when the same freind and I were out scouting for deer. It got to be almost completely dark when we were heading out, and we heard a deer snorting at us, not too far away down a slope. He blew back at it, and then picked up a dirt clod, and threw it down in the direction of the snorting. We both distinctly heard the sound of the clod hitting a hollow object, like an empty steel drum. Intrigued, he chucked another one. Again, a hollow thump. We went down with flashlights to find what it might be, and found... nothing at all. Went back later, in the daytime, and searched again, and there is absolutely there nothing that would make that hollow sound.

joebogey said:

I used to haul food products out of Stuttgart. I considered it the mosquito capitol of the world.
We soon learned to never roll the truck windows down or open the doors before daylight. No matter how loud Mother Natuer called. LOL

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That's why they made 32 oz coke bottles
My funniest is also an Arkansas story- Deer hunting over by El Dorado, three of us pretty much in a line about 60 yards apart. We are all ground hunting; at sunrise, I suddenly hear a scream followed by two shots... next thing I see is a 6 point buck hauling tail from right to left in front of me at about 40 feet. I get lucky and drop him as he goes by (ONLY running shot I've ever tried, guess I was too stupid to know that was a bad idea back then). Start moving over to check on the other guys, middle guy is not at his position, but I hear laughter from the guy on the far rights position. I get over there, find out he had apparently gone to sleep, the deer had walked up on him and "sniffed" him, waking him up. He screamed, the deer jumped straight up and came down in high gear, my buddy tried to shoot him, but was shaking too bad to hit the side of a barn. He also had to go change pants afterwards.

Strange to see this

About 2 weeks ago I came across this in the woods. Don't know how it got there. It's on private property ( which doesn't mean anything to some ) about 1/2 mile from any road or buildings.
I have checked with the local law no reports of a buffalo / bison missing. DNR say's it's not their business. Closest buffalo ranch not missing one either.

Looks like someone is making a European mount.

Was camping a few years ago on one of the San Juan Islands. This is a private one that someone years ago tried to turn into an exotic hunting retreat- didn't work out but left the place literally crawling with exotic deer. So the wife and I are just out wandering around looking the place over and I grab her arm. She was within inches of stepping on a tiny fawn, probably only a day or two old, that was lying in the grass not moving a muscle. I teased her for a long time after that about doing her own version of "Bambi vs. Godzilla". Wandered on and found a place private enough for what we set out to do... .

Yes, good point, a European mount has been suggested. What we don't understand is why so far away on someone elses property, unless it is illegaly acquired? Also this is in Michigan and the weather just turned cold and so there will probably be no deteriorating activity for many months.

In 1990, I spent the summer working in Yellowstone National Park. To understand this story, you need to understand something. Many of the park employees are college students. Some of them have never been outside of a city before in their lives.
One morning, in mid-June, I was hiking down a trail when a couple of girls (both from Washington D.C.) came running around a bend in the trail yelling "Moose! Moose!" Well, I thought they probably had been spooked by a moose in the woods. Considering it was outside of mating season, and that they had probably scared the moose when they ran, I kept on going. I round the bend and come to the top of a rise, and there is Bullwinkle staring at me in the middle of the trail. I look to my left, he looks to his left, and we pass each other 3 yards apart.

Then there was the time I was hiking along the Yellowstone River. I come to a spot that I could nearly walk across on the backs of all the trout. I then looked up, and there is a no fishing sign. I swear the trout were laughing at me.

I've also seen snapping turtles eat ducking. It's pretty neat, since I like turtles more than ducks. THe only weird thin I have ever seen outside was a box turtle scaling as low brick wall to get over to the other side. He would literally pull himself up and over two sacked bricks.

weirdest: my brother and i were in the woods in the mid 80's and found a hidden cooler full of methamphetamines, called the police and they came and took it.

coolest: watching my cute little wife firing her rifle at a target, there's just something about a gal with a gun... hhmmmm.

scaryest: hunting up in the colorado mountains. i came over a rise and looked up to where a 14,000 ft mountain should be and all i saw was a huge, dense, angry looking wall of dark grey cloud coming at me. i caould tell it was a blizzard and i figured i had about 20-30 minutes to get back to my non- 4X4 car and high-tail it outta there.

-Eric

coolest and scariest thing I ever seen !
I was walking a spring run off creek in the valley of the river. I was walking through cane along the bank scouting for my fall deer stand location, but got off track after finding an arrow head in the sand. looking in the creek rather than in front of me. The cane was 3' tall I almost sh**. my pants when a young doe jumped straight up 3' in the air and bolted when i got my breathe I realized she was bedded down hiding until I got too close I was only 2' from stepping on her

my best one was on a hike, i was walking along the side of the verde river at its headwaters in far northern arizona when i came across a rattlesnake. I pulled my 357 and reloaded it with shotshells, then just as a cocked the hammer to remove the snakes head swoop! a big redtailed hawk dove on him and promptly removed the snakes head for me with his beak, then just like that he was gone. Keep in mind this all happened 5 feet from me.

My story1

I thought I had replied to this thread, but can not find any record of it.


It was January and I was snowmobiling by myself through some county land near Bloomer, WI. I was on my way to see an ex girlfriend who lived in a town a few miles away. This was in 97 if I remember correctly which was a huge year for snowfall. The trail had been groomed that day and was well packed, but it was snowing again. I was on a section of the trail that was extremly curvy but I was 19 and was still really cruising very fast. I came around a corner and saw a large doe walking the same way I was going. She must have thought I was going to go in a differant direction becuase she was walking until I got about 30 yards away from her. She started to run down the trail and boy was she moving fast! The only problem for her was my sled could easily do 100 mph so I was easily catching up to her.

As I pullled along side her I was kind of laughing to myself because I never imagined that something like this would happen. For some reason it occured to me that I should knock her off the trail!! I lifted up my sorrel boot ang gave her a good kick in the rump. She tumbled in to the soft snow, got up and then ran the opposite way down the trail. At this point I was laughing so hard I had to stop the sled and just laugh for a few minutes.

A very large black dog that won't die!!! aaaahhhhhhhhhh

I was around 12 years old when I was fishing for dogfish in a river off of Lake Michigan. We caught little perch and used them as bait. The line was only about 1 foot down from the bobber and I was watching about 6 geese swimming slowly along. It didn't dawn on me until it was too late. The last one looked down and saw a nice tasty fish. I grabbed the rod and for the next 5 minutes I was reeling in a goose that was angry as hell and flapping it's wings as hard as it could. It almost looked like it was skiing as I was reeling it in. I asked my brother "What do I do?" when the hook popped out of it's mouth when it was about 15 feet from me. That was a hoot.

My thanks to whomever revived this thread; I think I was on the 4th or 5th page, reading ALL of the posts before I realized how old it was, but it was worth reading. I got quite a few belly laughs, and I realized that someone was right: this thread brought back a lot of my memories, and I'm going to write them down NOW, before I forget them again! Here's a couple of my stories.

The neatest thing in the woods was last Labor Day weekend, the family and I were scouting for moose. We were camped near the edge of a lake, and on the other side was the boundary for Yellowstone National Park. I'd cooked breakfast and my wife & daughters were cleaning up while I was making a meager attempt to not fall asleep on the cot. I awoke instantly when my wife said "Sam, bears!" I jumped up, grabbed my rifle and popped out of the tent to see the girls in the Suburban and my wife halfway in and pointing.
Measured later at 30 paces were 2 grizzly bears, I believe it was a sow & her almost-grown cub. They seemed oblivious to us and the mom stood up & began to scratch a forest service sign, the top of which was as high as the top of a house's doorframe. I wish I'd grabbed the camera and snapped some pix, but I just yelled & waved my arms. The sow dropped back to all fours & looked at me like I was from Mars, looked at the cub & if a bear can shrug its shoulders & say "Whatever", it did. They walked off into the brush toward the lake. I walked down the road to the next campers, about 60-70 yeards from us & told them because they had several kids with them. 2 hours later, they'd broken camp & were pulling their tent-trailer home.

The coolest thing was about a month-and-a-half later, my wife shot her very first animal ever, an 800# moose!!

The funniest thing ever for me thus far, was when my nephew & I were elk hunting about 10 years ago. We were meandering through the woods with me about 10 yards ahead of him. As I stepped up over this fallen tree blocking the trail, I broke wind. As I got about that 10 yards on, my nephew quielty calls out "Uncle, Uncle."

It was one of those instances where you know EXACTLY what's happening before you realize it; I'm immediatley trying to hold back my laughter. I turn around and there's my nephew right at the fallen tree, breathing in as deeply as he possibly can, slowly turning his head side-to-side. He says "I smell something different here-it's a really weird smell!" I've never laughed so hard, and yet so quietly in all my life as I explained to him what he was sniffing.

Sam

tootsie roll

10 years ago i was hunting with some friends it was deer season, after the morning hunt i decited to take a small look around by myself,befor we ate. well the sighn started to look better and better needless to i was miles away from camp,thats when i spotted a buck he was on the next canyon over it was probly a 200 yard shot by the time i got my shot off,bang, he didnt go down and a second shot wasnt going to happen,but he flinched and now i was going to have to go over there to look for blood, it was only200 yard shot but it was 200 yards straight down and the another 200 yards straight up, no big deal but iam a diebetic and i started feeling bad 2 hours ago. when i got to the spot where i shot at the deer there was not blood it was a clean miss, so i started my hick back to camp feeling sicker by the step,i started to colapes every 2 to 1 feet, the lack of surger in my blood was making me see tunnal vission and i knew i didnt have much longer befor i couldnt go on,and i still had another mile to go,it couldnt get bader, i finaly told mysellf i have to get up and not stop this was it make it,or die? i got up took 2 steps and right infrount of me was a tootsie roll?i put it under my toung and started to get my vision back and wasnt feeling as bad,the thing was i came back the same way i went out and i didnt see it on my way out?simce then i never leave the camp with out preying and a tootise roll in my pocket...

Wierdest:
Bra attached to tree.

"Wierdest:
Bra attached to tree."

Trophy?

"Wierdest:
Bra attached to tree."

Trophy?

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I wonder what the tree did to earn that trophy?

Good wood(ie) maybe???

My story is both funny . . . and not so funny . . .

For many years the furniture chain I work for would have some executives and corp. managers get invited to go to a pristine hunting spot on the Missisippi/Alabama border. The spot was six miles long, along a river and had been in the ownership of a furniture-making company founder's family for fifty years.

The spot was a gorgeous mix of hardwood bottoms, planted pines and huge/long food plots. Shooting rules were bucks with racks of eight points or more, beyond the ears . . . and we'd always seen tons of deer.

Then one year the factory's rep was asked by some store managers to let them come too so that year we took two groups. Sadly, a lot of the managers were NOT hunters and just used the three days to drink and . . . "hunt." Unfortunately, I went with this group.

"JOEL'S TWELVE POINT"

One manager, in particular, had never shot a deer and he really wanted a good one. So, we set him up in an established stand overlooking 400+ yards of view next to a powerline. That evening was perfect . . . a low front moving in with a slow drizzle starting.

Near dark . . . "KA-BOOM." I heard Joel's borrowed 7 Mag go off from a ways off. Joel was the last one to be picked up, and when we arrived, he was shaking.

"Man," he excitedly started, I had a HUGE 12 point buck come up behind me and after about five minutes of feeding, he came out on the road to my right." He continued, "I finally got a shot and he went RIGHT DOWN!!!" Then he said, "I put the rifle down to look at it . . . and it RAN OFF and I can't find him!"

It was now very dark and the rain was pouring. We had him take us to where he shot it . . . and scant 35 yards away, and there was a LOT of white belly hair from where that mighty 7mm Mag hit the huge buck . . . in the GUT! The guide said, "It didn't go far and I know exactly where he ran. Let's go back and I'll get him at first light."

ALL EVENING . . . Joel paced the lodge, comparing that 12-point's rack to other wall hangers on the walls and telling us the differences. Poor guy! I can't imagine shooting a really huge 12-point trophy like that and have to wait until first light to get it.

THE NEXT MORNING, except for Joel, we went hunting before light. Returning to the lodge for a late breakfast, we saw how glum Joel was and we knew not to bring it up.

THE HUGE TWELVE POINT WAS FOUND . . .

It actually turned out to be a 35-yard away, gut-shot 90 lb. spike . . . with one antler already completely broken off . . . a tiny ONE pointer!!!

The story is true . . . and quite funny . . . but I surely never want to be around a "hunter" like that again . . . he might think I'm a grizzly! The thought of people like that stomping through the woods with a 7mm scares the crap out of me. Those kind of people get folks killed.

Tom

the one that made me the most un-easy:

me and my family go tubing down the guadalupe river from time to time, at this one little joint in san antonio. we float down the river and there is always this little vendor that sells ice cold beers and the best tex-mex you've ever eaten. wanna know how he keeps the beer cold??? a natural spring! he just ties a string to the bottle and chunks it in the water. its a really cool experience. but back to the point. at the spring, there is a little runoff that you can go down, at the end there is a really cool set of water falls that are fueled by another natural spring. me and my brother are the only ones that go down it because it is so freaking cold. plus the girls just want to eat tacos and dad likes the beer. LOL. but back to the point again. so me and my bro are fighting the ice cold current, and this HUGE cotton mouth just casually swims right in front of us and it looks at me like its saying "hey bill". not that exciting, but freaky none the less.

Whilst Fox shooting out on the Nullabour Plain some years ago. I watched as 5 Wedge tailed eagles attacked & downed a Good sized Buck Roo ! Their methord was to dive bomb the roo for want of a better describtion! The first would hit the Roo & then gain altitude again followed by the second & so on until they had knocked it over for the count ! They then proceeded to land on it & finnish it!
Funniest thing I have evr heard was a mate who was Rabbit shooting ,his 4x4 had the front windscreen removed & one prticular morning whilst sleeping in the rear of the vehicle his dog started barking & growling .THis of course awoke Doug & to hs supprise a Wild camel had stuck it's head right through the front & was haveing a bit of a look around the inside of the 4x4! With out thinkng Doug slowly pulled both feet back & kicked the camel in the face as hard as he could He reckons to this day he has never been so scared in his life as the camel reacted & tried to (a) Bite back & (b)try & get his head back out all at the same time ! When asked why he did'nt shoot the damned thing & be done with it ? it turns out that all he had was his .22 & that was on the front seat right under the camels head & neck at the time

Dave

Hunt that sucked so bad!

About 6 years ago, on a deer hunt in MN I got about 60 yards close to a deer on an fide open corn field. As I raised my rifle,the 6 pointer lifted his head up. Then I puled the trigger, NO BOOM. I was not loded! He was super alart then but I managed to load the gun ( super slow motion Just imagine the stress) Then I pulled the trigger - No Boom! the deer took off! I fund-out later it was a bad primer! I saw him on top of a hill about a 1000 yard away. I almost waited for him the give me the finger!