Strangest, weirdest, coolest thing seen in the woods?

I've lived a sheltered life. The coolest thing I've ever seen in the woods was a medium-sized black bear I came across while mountain biking in the Pisgah National Forest (it was in the middle of the trail, I stopped about 50yds away from it). It was the first time I'd even seen a black bear, in the wild, so far from civilization (saw a lot in the Smokey Mtns National Park). I watched it for a few seconds, turned around, and did a fast walk with my bike to meet up with my buddies before they all came storming into the area. It was gone when we got back to that spot.

Chris

 

I have no good stories like everyone else but my second night hunting there was this dern weasel that just wouldn't leave me alone.

 

Walking point, rested left foot on a log to take a compass reading. Stupid me! Big rattler slithered and decided to slither around my ankle...after an eternity, he finally slithered away...about the time I shot him with a 45 ACP, I heard eveyone behind me exhale.

Canada as teen, we had placed a couple of the canoes inverted on some fallen logs. I had slept under oneof these and upon awakening I 'sensed' something. Perched atop the canoe about 4' away an American Bald Eagle. Magnificent! I still can't believe how big those things are.

Flooded timber, duck hunting around Stuggart AR. We had the rain, and temps dropping all through the night and early am. Shooting time and its snowing , I mean its snowing huge flakes and coming down hard. The Greenheads drop in by the droves. I unload my shotgun , my 2 friends unload thiers, the retriever gives us a funny look. We never fired a shot! We just sat there in awe and watched, took pictures, and a video. I huddled with the dog with an old army blanket shared some chicken broth with him. The most spiritual, quietest, beautiful hunt I've ever been on.

Had to break ice to motor out, drove through 4 + " of snow to get home, but worth it.

 

Great Thread!

Probably the coolest thing I've ever seen while hunting...

Bowhunting in a swamp, I was sitting in a ladder stand with my bow propped on my knee, nocked arrow about 4 inches from my face, a hummingbird flew right up to my face a tried to suck from the fletchings on my arrow. They were purple and pink. He wasn't 5 inches from my eyeballs. Flew away and then came back to try the fletchings on the arrows in the side mounted quiver. It was incredible.

 

We had some really funky weather one fall and the tempature dropped 35 degrees in 15 minutes. News that night said it was the biggest tempature drop in the least amount of time ever recorded in the state.

Went squirrle hunting the next morning bright and early. Walking along a trail I came up on a box turtle. No big deal, as I see them quite a bit. What made this one different was the fact that he was dead. But he didnt look dead. He actually looked like he was froze solid. His legs were extended, his shell was up off of the ground and his head was extended like he was just walking and looking around. He was in perfect form, other than the fac that he was dead. I figured being a cold blooded animal, that maybe he couldnt adjust quick enough to the tempature drop and just froze to death...even though the tempature went from the low 80's to the mid 40's.

 

Didn't happen to me.

A teacher in high school told the story. He was sitting in a tree stand all camo-ed up deer hunting. All of a sudden he hears a whoosh and some flapping wings and there is an owl perched on his head. He was wearing a hat, but feared that if he startled the bird it would did its talons into his noggin. So after a few minutes he simply began to lean to one side...slowly. The owl kept scooting its footing at first but eventually flew away without injury.

He said he didn't know what he was going to do if it just kept scooting.

 

Stupidest thing:
Was meeting my hunting buddy out at our favorite WMA for some next day turkey hunting. I didnt have the truck so I took the Thunderbird. He has a truck so I wasnt concerned using the T-bird. Besides, the dirt road from the highway to the camp ground is in great shape, that is as long as it didnt rain. Well, I thought that since it rained about 3 days ago I would be alright. I got to the hunting area just before dark and at the pull off from the highway it drops down a bit. There was water built up there but its not usually that deep. I remember this from deer season when we hunted there. SO I figure that I would be ok in the T-bird. Little did I know that there was alot of activity during the wet season between deer hunting and turkey season. So as I proceed cautiously in the T-bird thru the water I feel the vehicle slip and bamn, right down into a rut. Bottomed out and the eng quits. Great, now Im here alone stuck in a damn water hole in the wifes T-bird, water coming in and no one to pull me out. So I climb out the window, onto the roof, slide down the trunk and open it without getting wet. Pull out my hip waders (always a part of hunting gear in the lowlands of South Georgia), slide them on and wade into the water to assess the situation.

Thank God my buddy was already at the campground. I fired off around 3 shots with my 12 guage and he came to see who was shooting after dark. Found me, pulled me out and the rest was history. Funny thing was, bout the same time he came to pull me out a highway patrol noticed me there and asked what the hell happened. His comment, "shoulda went to Winn Dixie and bought a damn turkey instead of going thru all this trouble to hunt for one"

 

Funniest thing:

As a kid I remember going duck hunting with my step father and his friend. It was my job to stay in the blind and cook breakfast while they were out setting the decoys. I remember later in the day as they were out retrieving them my step pops reaching out to try to retrieve a decoy and over he went. Water was cold and it was around 15 degrees (Winter in Ohio). Laughed my butt off at him.

Another time, we had just taken three greenhead mallards and step pops just got back from retieving them. Bout 5 minutes later pops friend (Mike) gets up and opens the door of the blind to take a leak. One of the mallards decides to make a break for it and runs out the blind. Mike grabs his shotgun and rolls him. Never took the time to put away his member the whole time.

 

A month or so ago I was trying to call in a crow.

I look to my left, and about 30 feet from me in a bare tree it a pygmy owl. Bout the size of a softball. Looking at me like I'm nuts.

The attached picture was taken less than thirty feet from my back door. How many Elk can you count in the picture??

 

The coolest thing for me was when I was stationed at Ft. Sill, OK. My buddy and I were out for a run in the woods of one of the training areas and we turned a corner and almost ran right into a herd of elk crossing the road. Two bulls on the side stopped in their tracks and looked at us making us stop in our tracks, before they took off. Kinda scary at the time but a cool experience.

 

Coolest: Floating down the Deschutes River one hot summer afternoon, my family and I spotted a Bald Eagle grab a large trout out of the river less than 50 feet in front of us.

pax

 

A mental image I carry around, from a scene witnessed on the Penobscot River in Maine: A bald eagle soaring across the backdrop of a huge grey thunderhead.

 

I've seen a lot of animals up close when bow hunting. Watched flying squirrels one day (didn't even know they were around here), had an owl land about 6" from my head and sit till sunrise. The funniest thing was when a pair of chipmunks ran up my legs, screamed horrible little screams, and jumped about 3' in the air when they realized what I was.

 

As a younster I had three separate close encounters with bears -- twice with black bears near Lake Louise in Alberta and once with a grizzly in Waterton Park in Alberta. This past hunting season I had a ruffed grouse walk to within ten feet of me. Went out an bought a .22 pistol after that one.

 

Most memorable...

was not in the woods really, but while running along a road one day saw a hawk with a 2' wingspread try to get a squirrel out of a tree. The tree was about 15' tall and had a roughly circular grouping of branches maybe 8-10' in diameter with very few leaves. The hawk landed in the top branches and tried to walk down to where the squirrel was, but was not very manuevrable in that mode. The squirrel could easily avoid him but when it tried to leave the tree the hawk took to flight and forced Mr. Squirrel back into the tree. Watched this drama for about 15 minutes until the hawk got the message and left for easier prey.

 

re1973

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

 

I was out walking in the jungle in Panama. Just following a creek to see where it would lead me. I heard some noise up ahead like leaves rustling so I froze in my tracks to see what it was. The noise got closer and quite a bit louder. There are not many large animals in the woods in Panama except for the Giant Anteater and the Jaguar but there are very few of these. I was beginning to wonder whether it was a good idea to let whatever it was walk up on me. The vegetation was pretty thick so I couldn't see far. Soon though a troop of coati mundis came into view. There were about 10 or 12 of them foraging for food. It was very cool. They turned over every rock and stick they passed and stuck their paws in every nook and cranny that might be hiding something good to eat. They evidently don't see very well. The troop kind of split in the middle and they passed within a couple of feet on both sides of me. There was even a female with a baby riding on her back.

Also in Panama, I was snorkeling and a little fish swam up to my mask and started pecking at them. I was later told that this fish actually cleans the teeth of larger fish such as sharks. I swatted at it to chase it away but it wouldn't leave. It was determined to "clean" my mask. I tried to swim away from it but it was too fast. I finally had to get out of the water and go 50 yds down the beach to get away from it.

 

Had a critter or two perch on my leg, touched a doe deer, & have caught a few rabbits by hand here 'n there ...

Seen a few critters do things I'd never thought they would. Funny enough sometimes.

The really best thing I ever saw though was coming around the bend, trout fishing, & the two young thangs sun-batheing, sans-a-cloth on a big rock.

A friendly "howdy-do," & subsequent smiles & conversation made my day. Catching a nice trout under their rock just put a cherry on top.

We're friendly, out west.

 

Labgrade, I always wanted to try trout fishing. Next time get pictures! Of your catch, of course.

 

Anybody want to remember their first night patrol? Strange things the eyes and ears will do.

 

What was that about a cherry, Labgrade?

 

Deep off trail in the Chugach range, during the fall when the vegetation is impossibly thick, I pushed my way through a mass of devil's club into a clearing. In the middle of the clearing was a heap of sticks. On top of this pile stood a child's toy truck. Keep in mind this is not a frequented area. No trails, no way to get in unless you push your way through.

On that same trip, I found a few big steel cooking pots that had been perforated by the teeth of a bear, like some sort of industrial metal punch. It's possible the truck had come from a roadside dump miles away. I don't know. It appeared to be undamaged. If a bear brought it, the bear must have been pretty gentle with it.

Maybe it was some bruin's toy. If so, I'm glad I didn't touch it ;-)