What the closest face-to-face encounters you've had with animals while hunting?

[Magnus777]

Had a chipmunk scamper between my legs whilst sitting against a tree. Nearly stepped on more than one snake.

 

[crich]

Fell asleep at the base of a tree hunting when I was 16. Woke up to a 1.5 year old doe sniffing the half eaten apple that fell out of my hand. I think we scared eachother about equally

 

[flyovercountry]

Technically not hunting, but…was belly crawling in canary grass with a fly rod to drop a bead head to some wild brookies in a narrow stream when I lifted my head and was staring dead into black and white striped fur not more than a foot away. I locked up dead, waited about 10 seconds and crawled backwards with my head down and eyes closed so the skunk spray wouldn’t blind me if he decided to dose me.

I made it back a few yards, jumped up and ran. Upon further inspection from a safe distance, turns out Peppie LaPue was actually a black porcupine with white quills. Either way it could have been a bad day.

Good thread - great stories!

 

[oldman]

Had foxes set at my feet while bear hunting on Kodiak Island several times.

My brother-in-law hit what he thought was a large dog on I-70 by Thomson Springs, UT. He pulled over and saw it rolling around behind his pick-up in his rear view mirror. He got a big wrench from behind his seat and got out to go put it out of it's misery only to have it turn into big mountain lion which charged him. It limped off but seemed nearly okay. That area is dessert, who would ever think of a lion out there.

Had a lion scare me bad while turkey hunting in Kansas.

 

[ReddingArcher]

I stalked a few does one time to see how close I could get, ended up about 6 feet from them. We’ve caught fawns and piglets a couple times. The fawn was while my brother in law and I were fishing and bumped a doe and the fawn and the fawn got tangled in some ivy so I don’t know that that really counts. I bumped a good boar on the other side of a log. I had a bear sow and cub walk within about 10 yards of me while glassing for deer once. That’s about it.

 

[Snowcrest6]

Had a squirell sit in my lap for almost an hour while in a tree stand once. That was pretty cool.

 

[Button]

Large Bull Shark took a pass at my fin. I shot a large spade fish and it was drawn into the blood and commotion. Water Visibility was about 15’ that day. I didn’t get back in the water that day despite plenty of fish and prefect water temperature.

Had a large wounded sow feral pig charge me. I drop her at point blank with buckshot.

Monster boar hog came within arm reach while turkey hunting. It was still dark.

Had a 4’ blacktip shark rear up and bite my finger as I was reaching down to get the hook out. Luckily it let go. Bit through my fingernail. It was bloody but could have been much worse.

Called in a group of 3 jakes to a few feet away. They never saw me

 

[(NOP)]

I was bowhunting whitetail from a tree stand. I was watching this hawk gliding around the forest. I'm wearing a face mask and being super still except for slight head movements. The hawk must have mistaken me for a squirrel and proceeds to lock eyes on me and deploy it's talons. I of course put my hands up to protect myself, causing it to take a hard left as felt the wind of its wings blow pay my face.

Another time I was on my way to the stand and ran into a doe and fawn. I crotched down got an arrow ready stayed still. The fawn saw me and couldn't figure out what I was. I had my back slightly turned to it and could hear it sniffing the back of my neck 6 inches away. When it finally figured out I was no good, it jumped back a little. Mom came in hot trying to figure out what the heck was going on. We had a moment, eye to eye at about 15 feet where I could see the rage in her eyes. She decided to snort and bust on out of there, but for a second I could see she was contemplating stomping my butt.

 

[orionsbrother]

Had a simple minded young buck whitetail feed toward me while I was on the ground. I stayed still and he ended up feeding within six inches of my left boot. I thought that was fun.

Had a rutted up bull moose come through camp and pass within a few yards of my tent. That made me a little nervous.

After driving late into the night to meet up with a friend, I arrived in camp at about 3:00am. I headed to the outhouse. An ermine had made a nest on the bench next to the seat. When I opened the door, a white blur leaped from the bench, hit the doorframe to the left of my head and scrambled out a hole up by the roof. It was amazing how fast my brain processed what had happened, but I almost didn’t need to use the outhouse anymore. Tiny little animal... and that one almost, literally, almost scared the chit out of me.

 

[(NOP)]

Thought of another one. Few years back rifle hunting whitetail, I notice a substantial amount of deer sign to one of the stands I hunt. It's the rut so I'm thinking this is going to be good.

I start hearing branches breaking, deer chasing all around me in the dense willow swamp. I'm getting pretty pumped hearing all the commotion. Finally the big deer make thier appearance, but instead of a giant buck chasing does i imagined, it was a three some of fawns who decided to make make my woods a race track. I watched them for over an hour playing tag running full speed around the woods. Running under my stand at least a dozen times. It was so damn funny it hurt because I couldn't stop laughing.

 

[ccthomasjr]

Charged by hippo in Tanzania. Hit it in the right eye from 20yds, went up on back to legs with jaws wide open and came down full charge again.

The bottom metal of my .375 came open from the recoil somehow and my bullets lay scattered on the ground. PH saw my problem and opened up point blank (maybe 4ft from the tip of his 500 nitro) with both barrels in the side of the head. All it did was knock it off course from the percussion as it blew by him barreling down on me. The force of his shots turned its head and body just enough for to blow by me at 2ft jaws wide open trying to split me in half.

Even wilder part is it took 4 more shots and over a mile of tracking to finally bring him down, despite having 3 in the head.

My first shot missed his brain by maybe 1”. I had a scope on my gun but didn’t use it, it charged so fast and was so close I just pulled up and reaction shot.

I’ve had close encounters but that one was 2ft from ending in my death.

 

[cuerro viejo]

I field goal kicked a possum, does that count?

 

[Ucsdryder]

I spent 2 hours throwing rocks at a bull moose that wouldn’t leave a dead cow moose this year. I was close enough to hit him with almost every rock. He charged me a couple of times, probably 10 yards. We played peek a boo around a tree.

I had a flying squirrel try to attack my headlamp on the hike in one more a couple hours before sunrise, I truly thought I was a goner.

I’ve stepped on 2 rattle snakes.

 

[AndrewMT34]

I’ve about stepped on some Huns while hunting deer. Scared the crap out of me.

This year I had a group of does come about 10 feet from me.

 

[wapitibob]

Shot my 1st NM Bull at less than 2 steps.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

2 buddies and I were doing some preseason turkey scouting on a wildlife area in MO one year and just regrouped and were giving reports. We're all together not a yard or 2 from each other and hear some commotion. The sun was getting high and a doe running right into the sun comes screaming towards us and goes ass over teakettle right between us. There was some colorful language at that point. Most of it starting with HOLY...

 

[rodney482]

black bear 7 yds while calf / cow elk calling… busted out of brush and I yelled and went to grab my glock but the yell scared him/her.

 

[Pharmseller]

My backyard. She kinda counts because it was the first time (but only twice).

 

[Pharmseller]

Another backyard

 

[Pharmseller]

One more