Close encounters

[30inchbuck]

What this thread to give some close encounters while hunting that got messed up for whatever reason.



One of mine last year went like this.


Pulled into hunting area at 2:00am after driving all night. Leaned seat back to get a little sleep. Awoke only to find the sun already up. Hurried and changed clothes. Walked up ridge above truck only to hear a good bugle coming from opposite ridge across road to where truck was. I did one cow call on a Hochie Mama. The bull was on the opposite ridge and walking in my direction. I could now see the bull was on a hillside with not much cover he was a decent 5X5. When he went behind a tree I had a Montana decoy ready and set it up quickly in plain view of bull. Then gave another call. He started down the ridge BUT then a truck started coming down the road. He then went to the tree line not 50 yards off the road and stood still while the truck drove by. The truck rounded the corner and the bull started my way again. When he got to the bottom by the road I gave another single cow call. I then made my way about 20 yards in his direction. I looked up and seen antlers. Instincts said ?Draw now!? but a second thought said wait. Anyway bull quickly came into full view an offered a nice broadside shot with me standing in his full view. Waited for him to go behind some brush. Then drew but he knew something was not right when he no longer could see a cow. He did not scare but walked off. Not giving me an opportunity for a shot.


So what I learned from this encounter is trust my first instinct. Other leasons have been - make sure you start watching your backside when you have been cow calling with a bull answering then it gets quite. Had one sneak in on me last year by circling and coming to my backside.

 

[archerelk]

In 2001 I was on an archery elk hunt in Az unit 8. My brother in law was calling for me, and it was the second day of the hunt. We called up a nice bull (6x7 340 class) to about 60 yards, and a satellite bull behind him about another 70 yards.

The big bull decided to chase off the satellite bull, so we pursued them, calling every few minutes to maintain their location. After about an hour, we found the bull on a trick tank.

I got set up in some junipers and my brother in law dropped back to a wash and began calling again. I could hear the bull racking the junipers as he came around to my right. When I saw horn through the juniper I drew back as the bull was about 12 feet away on the other side of the trees. When he stepped out I was at full draw, and he was 4 feet from me broadside.

Wouldn't you know it? It was the satellite bull, the herd bull was still just standing there knowing he could steal any cow this dink chased around. Needless to say, I passed as this bull was only a dink 6x6 probably 260.

Ended up taking a 300 class bull the next morning right at sun up, he gave a 30 yard broadside shot with a similar calling set up. All's well that ends well.

Archerelk

 

[huntindudley]

Last year during the archery elk hunt I hadn't seen much and had moved to an area where I had hunted in the past. I was walking down through some young pines and aspens and stopped in a small opening and was doing some cow calling. A few minutes had gone by when I noticed a tree top shaking. I just knew that it was a bull rubbing on that tree and he was not far away. It soon stopped and then I could see movement coming my way. I stood ready to draw... and then about 15 yard away out walked a black bear. He was walking down the trail that I was standing on and soon was 10 yards or less. I didn't know quite what to do, but I knew I didn't want him getting any closer so I decided to move and let him see me. So I stepped out from the tree I was by and we just kinda stood there and looked and each other for a minute. Then he stood half way up and then lunged at me, made loud hhoooff sound, and scraped his paw in the dirt towards me. He was close enough that a pine cone hit me. At that point I was scared spitless. So I just started walking slowly backwards down the trail with my bow at full draw. The bear relaxed a litte and headed the other way until he was back into the trees. I got outta there as fast as I could and found a stump to sit on and calm down. I know that bear ment me no harm; we just suprized each other. Now looking back that is one of my favorite hunting memories.

 

[HUNT]

I was out scouting for elk on July 2nd. Found a nice spot in some oak brush watching a draw and hill side. after about a hour I hear something comming through the oak brush to my right about 20 yds. away. I am trying to see through the brush but it is thick. Then out stepped a large bear about 15 yrds broadside. I thought great good time for a pic. I pull my camera out hit the zoom button and the bear stops 10 yrds in front of me just behind a small bush and looks right at me over the bush. All I can see is his big head over the bush. I take the pic and the auto flash goes off. He stood up came through the bush right at me for about ten feet then fell to all fours and ran off to the left down the draw. After cleaning my shorts out I thought that was cool and close. Thinking about it after how close to danger was I ? Could he I know he could but would he of kicked my arss. It was a fantastic encounter that I will never forget. I am now going to get a digital camera that will be silent.

 

[lone_hunter]

Several years ago I was archery hunting with my brother. One evening we got into a canyon where there were about a dozen bulls bugling from all around. On the ridge above us I heard a good bugle. I moved slowly to the top of the ridge. As I came to the edge of some quakies I saw a very good 6x6. I believe 350+. I crouched down and watched him. He began to feed, and every few minutes bugle back at the other bulls. I wish I had video equipment. It was the perfect picture. Neck out and steam coming from is mouth and nostrils as he bugled. He kept feeding slowly. Then he began to feed right at me. I was "hiding" behind my bow, as there was not much cover. He came closer and closer. He got within about 5 yards from me. He took a few more steps, until all that was between us was a small quakie, and he was just a few yards away.

Well before you think otherwise, I was in a spike only unit. I stalked him out thinking that he would surely have other elk around him. It was early in the rut and the spikes may be close by.

Back to the story. I thought to myself, "self, if he comes to my side of that quakie, perhaps I should be concerned". He did. Knowing now that there was nothing between us, I was nervous to spook him, looking at those sharp antlers. However, I though I must do something before he was on top of me. I moved my bow to the side and looked right at him. He looked back at me. To my surprise, he put his head back down to feed! I moved my bow again and this time I quietly yelled "hey". This time his eyes got real big, and he turned and trotted about 15 yards. He stopped and looked back one more time briefly. Then crashed off.

As others have stated, what a great memory. What hunting is all about.

 

[outtabreath]

I was bow hunting once and came out of the trees into a big meadow. I made for a patch of trees out about 75 yards from the treeline. As I approached I saw a cow about 150 yards up ahead, so I got down on my knees quick and started to glass. I nock an arrow. Suddenly a slight movement catches my eye at around 40 yards. A tail. Then another. A little pup coyote sticks his head up and takes a quick look around and the the head goes back down. He comes trotting right to me more concerned with bugs and stuff. 10 yards behind is his sibling. Well, he runs right to the tip of my arrow before I made a little noise. Man, was he surprised! He lifts his head up and laser-eyes me for about ten seconds before running off a few yards. The other one never saw any of that and ran right up to my side before I said, "whats up dog?". They took one last look before tramping off. Pretty cool. I 'd have to say that one ranks right up there in my book.

 

[Elmacho]

January 2000

Hunting mearns quail in southern AZ. Man are those scary when they take off.

Not quite as scary as when the dog went on a weird point near a rock outcropping. I walked up behind the dog and see a big hole in the rocks and yell over to my brother about it, then walks half way out- a very large headed mountain lion 5 feet in front of the dog, 7 feet in front of me, just staring right thru me...........yikes. I just threw the dog out of the way and backed up real slow. knees shaking and the whole bit......

Didn't even bother to clean the shorts, just left them on the dirt road next to the truck when I left.