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

[amassi]

Smallish ~75# black bear climbed the tree I was sitting in and got to the bottom of the stand before backing down.

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[TripleJ]

I have had multiple encounters while elk calling. I've had calves walk up to within a few feet more then once. I was calling for my buddy and a calf walked so close to him that it knocked his arrow off his bow string. I have also called in black bears at least 5 times when cow calling. The closest one was at less then 5 yards and I shot that one.

I was sneaking through the reprod during a November storm a few years back and snuck up on a bedded blacktail buck. I shot him in his bed at a distance of 5 or 6 yards.

Last year, I was tracking a blacktail buck I had spotted through some heavy reprod in the snow and ended up in a stare down with a head on cougar through the brush and limbs at less then 10 yards. Of all days to not pack my pistol.

 

[go_deep]

Had a wounded black bear run me over when the hunter made a follow up shot on it. Tore my shirt and pants up, guessing with its claws when it ran me over, pretty good time.

 

[Reddirtrifleman]

Still hunting an ATV trail for whitetail, misty breezy day. Coyote just come prancing onto the trail from my right about 15 yards in front of me. He didn’t look my way until I raised my rifle and my sling made some noise. We stared at each other for a few seconds and he resumed walking into the brush on my left.

Not the closest encounter in this thread, but a very zen moment for me. This was a few years ago before I’d even gotten my first deer. kind of reminded/confirmed to me that I’m out there to be with nature, not just kill something because it’s legal to do it.

 

[Kevin Dill]

Run of the mill stuff. Many whitetails at pouncing distance. Turkeys at my feet. Killed a sleeping black bear at 5 yards. Have had several blackies check me out up close. Caribou bull sniffed my boot. Called in a bull moose and his cow a few years ago. He was 4' from me when I punched a wood arrow in him. But maybe the neatest short-range deal....

I spotted a doe bedded in a field next to a woven-wire fenceline. I circled around through the woods and approached her from inside the trees. I found her bedded just a couple yards from the fence. I snuck in crazy close and couldn't find a hole in the fence to get an arrow through. I knelt down to get a different look and noticed I could see under the fence. I ended up laying on my right side and shot under the fence into her ribs. She jumped and ran 20 yards before somersaulting over dead. Heart-shot with a wood shaft. I cleared the fence like an Olympic hurdler and claimed my prize.

 

[Alaskan89]

I've had several, had a female grizzly with 2 cubs so close I could have touched her, had a black bear climb up the tree that our stand was in while hunting over a baitsite and could have touched it as well. I've also had several bull moose within spitting distance that were coming into calls but they were not legal, they can be difficult to run off if they are ready for a fight. Shot a mule deer buck in Idaho one time, went to go grab it and it was still alive but luckily for me his neck was broke and I finished him off with a round through behind the ear.

 

[Haggin]

This year, Idaho on my first black bear hunt. Little bear stuck his head in the blind i was in from my right (the door didn't quite close all the way). I was busy watching the bait and felt his breath on my neck. First thought was "where is momma". He proceeded to come around front and we were eye to eye at about 2 feet. Cute little bugger, maybe 50 lbs, about the size of a labrador.

Several whitetail bucks come in close while turkey hunting. Some sniff and run, others sniff, huff and stomp like they're ready to fight.

Mostly, just coyotes and 1-2 yards while hunting. They usually get the shotgun if I'm hunting with a partner.

 

[TheGDog]

Then there's the time I had to take a break at my D15 deer spot. Took the 20yd walk from my sit area to leave my pee a ways away from the main trail line I observe from this spot. On way back, bow in hand, I see a yote bouncing along the trail. He notices me a few milliseconds AFTER I noticed him so I was able to freeze where I was and he felt satisfied that he was safe.

He was about to go behind this very large Oak, so I drew back and hoped. But... unfortunately he went that other way you can elect to go when behind that large tree and picked the other trail line that criss-crosses right there. Was upset with myself that I didn't attempt making the shot before he passed behind that oak.

 

[elkyinzer]

When I was about 18 I slapped a little basket rack buck in the ass as he back cut through a drive we were doing, I was tagless and unarmed. He was doing a slow trot and rounded the corner of a cluster of trees and thick brush right in my lap. I gave him a light whack and he took off about a million miles an hour.

 

[Fitzwho]

Glassing from a caprock rim, cold windy day, so I got myself squeezed down behind a rock just about as tall as I am while sitting, feet stretched out in front of me. Had a javelina come around the rock and just about step over my leg before our eyes met and we both just about messed our britches. Pretty sure he turned inside out he changed directions so fast.

Lots of rattlesnakes just about stepped on. Found a small porcupine while out hunting he let me walk up to him. Didn't even notice him until I was just a step or two away. And been inside of 10 yards from several Coues Deer.

 

[roadrunner]

Spike elk at 5 feet

 

[mck71]

I nearly stepped on a large black sow while looking for a downed mallard in chest high grass. I don’t think I ever jumped as high in my life as I did when it spooked and jumped up to run. I’m just glad I scared it as much as it scared me, and it hightailed it out of the marsh.

 

[chutinlead]

I walked into the rear end of a cow moose on campus in Alaska looking down to find my first class on the first day. Standing in the middle of the sidewalk.

 

[Idaho_Potato]

1st or 2nd year hunting as a kid. My best friend and his dad took me whitetail hunting. For whatever reason my friend slept in that morning and his dad and I were driving to a hunting spot in the dark. I was half asleep and he slams on the brakes and says "did you see that buck in the ditch?!". We get out and there is a crippled buck with a massive rack laying next to the road struggling to get under the fence. My friend's dad yells "get on his back!". I bear hug this buck on the ground and he grabs a handful of rack and bleeds this buck out through both jugulars....we load him up and head back to camp and get ahold of the game warden. He issues an extra tag and we take all the good meat off we can. He was pretty mangled on one side. I think my friends dad still has that euro mount on the wall, it was a notable buck for the area. Still hunt with those guys 25 years later.

 

[AZmark]

I was varmint calling in high desert in AZ, pinyon and juniper country, had a whietail doe come in and start running around crazy. I think it thought I was a wounded fawn. I was hiding in a small juniper and it jumped right over me and never saw me.

Another time in the desert I found a small cave and as Im always looking for indian ruins I crawled in. Came face to face with a coiled rattlesnake, luckily it was cold out and I think it was sluggish. I backed out real slow. I was about 14-15 then and didnt know any better.

 

[Tbonespop]

Predator hunting and had a damn fox attack me. Little guy was pi$$ed off when he realized I duped him with my calls. He damn near jumped in my lap. Had to kick him off my hunting boot as he was going after it like a fat kid eating cake. Eventually got him off my boot but then he tried to come after me again, that's when I had enough and put him down.

I've also been up close and personal with at least 50 Diamondbacks in the AZ desert. They're really docile until you try and mess with them. So getting close isn't a big deal - just don't piss them off. I'm always amazed at how few of them actually rattle.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Nothing too crazy. I fell asleep one evening while I was moose hunting, I woke up to a porcupine sniffing around by my feet. Was squatting down doing my business and realized I was eye level and about 3 feet away from a spruce grouse.

 

[TheGDog]

Oh yeah! Regarding how often you see some that don't even Rattle. They just don't even care that you're there, it's so hot they just wanna get over to that area of bush and rocks that's closer to the creek water line. So they can finally sneak a drink before nightfall and cold temps come. And it's still hot enough that the Raptors aren't even all that keen on patrolling at that particular time of the PM, like about 4pm in early fall. When it's still like freaking 88+F. It's like all these animals have figured out these times of day they gotta make their particular move during the day or night.

Early-ish am... had taken Mama and the boy on a just a regular hike-in. Nearish to the D15 spot. When we got back to the trailhead... I wanted to walk them both over to where I was planning to take the boy to go for rabbits.

So as we're walking along this ashpalt road right beside the field I'm wanting them to turn into and follow me into just up ahead, as I look up to verify that little turn-in exit spot, my eye noticed a nice size Rattler was calmly moving along the bush-line that was bordering this ashpalt. Figuring they hadn't seen it yet.. I'm all like "Mama... Connor... I need you guys to come over here for a second! Ok? Thanks. Ok, now don't be alarmed but I wanted to point out that we were about to be walking up upon him!" (like.... about 4 ft modest sized rattler that must be doing Ok for himself. ) It was cool. It creeped them out! After having seen him, they were both like "Nope!" to the idea of walking thru that field now, HaHA! So I had to just let it go at that time. We've since been back in there a few times now with the boy and he's done great with the Rabbits!

 

[GSPHUNTER]

I have a friend who lives in NM he was hunting Elk in bow season a big bull Elk came up oh him his right side and before he knew it the Elk landed in and sniffed him. He said he felt kind of bad shooting it, not real bad just kind of bad.

 

[nodakian]

Took a break while snowmobiling, spruce grouse wandered over and climbed onto my partner’s arms and head for at least ten minutes until we left.