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

[Pharmseller]

This guy wanted to know what I was doing.

Listen carefully, you can hear him inhale.

 

[AKSandman]

Had a bull moose wake up and charge me after going down with 6 shots in the marble carrier. Key take away: A 60” bull looks a lot bigger at 3 yards with an empty pea shooter than at 3 yards with a full one!

 

[*zap*]

Had multiple whitetail walk up on me while hunting on the ground.. had one coming while I was walking and I laid face down on the ground she walked right over me.

 

[CodyAK]

This was pretty close.

 

[COJoe]

Long time ago, when I was about 12-13 yrs old while hunting with my dad, I had a squirrel climb up and sit on a log looking right into the end of my 30-30 Winchester I was holding. With a smirk, I slowly looked back at my dad and asked, Can I pull the trigger? That was one lucky squirrel that day.

 

[COJoe]

Once again, a long time ago, while hunting for bear in PA, I was walking a game trail through a laurel thicket when I saw a really nice whitetail buck screaming down the trail right at me. Being in that thicket, I had to step back into it so he didn't run me over. Never knew what caused him to run at me with no care about me. Of course, whitetail season didn't start until the week after and no one saw him that season.

 

[Jpsmith1]

I have 2 encounters where animals literally jumped into my lap.

Both were many years ago in the north woods of Pennsylvania.

While deer hunting and sitting under a tree, I had a weasel come hopping through the snow and jumped up onto my boot and look over the toe at me.

Another time, hunting fall turkey, I was sitting and had a Grey squirrel jump in my lap, it hung out for a minute, even looking down the barrel of my rifle.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I was sitting in a make shift ambush site watching a trail while deer hunting and a flock of turkeys walked right over me 4 days after turkey season. 10-12 of them basically flowed around the rock I was sitting next to. Leafy camo suit. Bow rested on my knee. One gave my broadhead a half hearted peck.

 

[AHayes111]

One morning I was setting on one of my favorite glassing points when I hear something moving below me. I looked down expecting to see a deer, but instead it was badger looking for breakfast maybe 50 yards away. It was cool just setting there watching him go about his search for food. The badger keep getting closer and closer, two yards was close enough for me so I stood up quickly. The badger was as surprised as could be, but he didn't turn and run. Instead he puffed up and snarled. After a good 15 seconds he started to back off acting tough, when he had put another five yard of distance between us, he turned and ran.

 

[Yoder]

I was trout fishing on a beaver dam in PA. It was almost dark and I heard splashing behind me on the trail I walked in. I looked back and saw a black bear that was about 300lbs walking toward me. I yelled at it and threw a stick and it just slowly backed off. I got my stuff together and pulled out my 9mm. When I walked out, it was still there. The bear stayed within 30 yards of me. Finally I got to where the trail split and I headed toward my truck away from the bear. He walked the other direction. For some reason I kept my gun in my hand. I'm not normally that concerned about black bears. I walked about 5 minutes and heard something behind me. I turned around and the bear was running right at me. I yelled and he stopped maybe 15 yards away. At this point I thought I might have to shoot this thing. I aimed my gun at the bottom of a big tree and shot. Luckily, he took off.
I had another one walk up to me in the dark one time while I was hanging off a tree taking down my tree steps. I'm only 5ft off the ground, hanging from my lineman's rope like a piñata. That one was about 10 ft away. I turned on my head lamp and it took off. I was a little freaked out walking through the thick brush that night.

 

[omicron1792]

Had multiple whitetail walk up on me while hunting on the ground.. had one coming while I was walking and I laid face down on the ground she walked right over me.

Same. Had a buck at 12 yards while ground hunting. Watched him for 20 min until he walked off. 5 minutes later a second buck came to same spot. Shortly the first buck circled back and they started fighting basically in my lap. They never knew I was there.

 

[Boarmaster]

I been as close as under 10 ft from Whitetail. As close as Five from wild boar and turkeys. My Golden retriever jumped out of my jeep once and retrieved a armadillo which he proudly dropped on my lap. That thing ran right up my chest and over my shoulder. I dang near busted the steering wheel off trying to get clear of the thing. My buddies however ,thought it was hilarious.

 

[JMan08]

He wins!!!!

Without a doubt!!!

 

[TaperPin]

A mule deer we were trying to kill, spooked and ran right at us, passing about 8’ feet away going full pogo stick out of the country. It’s amazing how much power they have. Lol

 

[Corvus Corax]

Twenty years ago I was walking back to the truck in the dark. I had a junky AA mag light flashlight that I was using to check the logging road ahead of me intermittently to save the battery. I heard the gravel crunch right in front of me so I shine that dim light in front of me. I was confused as to why there were trees in the road. Panned the light up and I saw the “trees” were the legs of a cow moose with her ears back. Too close! I got back really slowly and she eventually left me road. Another time a buddy and I were grouse hunting in some alders that were taking over an old road. We heard what sounded like a bulldozer coming through. About twenty yards from us came out two rutted up bulls locking antlers and kicking the crap out of each other. They were oblivious to us, so powerful. We watched in disbelief for a while as they eventually moved off. Okay one more. I was sitting a clear cut for deer when I feel the ground subtly vibrating. A mole popped up maybe a foot to my left. If he would have been a foot right he’d have tunneled right up my butt.

 

[Pharmseller]

If he would have been a foot right he’d have tunneled right up my butt.

That usually costs extra.





P

 

[Taray787]

Poked a bobcat with gun barrel while turkey hunting this spring. Scare myself and it. Had to check pants when I got home

 

[ndbuck09]

Napping on top of a timbered ridge in Idaho during archery elk season, laying on my back, head resting on my backpack. Heard footsteps coming rather quickly and my thought was, "dang it, here I am laying down and I'll never be able to get my bow picked up, arrow nocked and drawn to get these elk coming towards me." This thought was occurred for split second and then the next split second I opened my eyes while turning my head sideways to look toward the footsteps which had gone from fairly good distance away and now were coming into 30-25 yards and closing. All in a single motion did I leap to my feet when my eyes registered a mountain lion now 15 yards from me. I yelled and that thing dug it's front feet in the ground 10 yards from me, leaping sideways taking off down the steep mountainside. That was an adrenaline rush you simply can't replicate.

 

[MallardSX2]

I had a deer knock me down one time while I was grouse hunting.....knocked the wind right out of me too. Little button buck and we were both terrified in the moment....

 

[taskswap]

I can't remember if I posted this or not. I wish I had gotten a video of it - I thought I had pressed record, but had only hit the photo button and was so focused on the porcupine that I didn't notice. This one came straight up to me and sniffed around my pack sitting next to me for about 20 seconds or so before slowly wandering off. I was just sitting there on a stool next to it. Not that you'd ever pet a porcupine, but I could have. It was one of the coolest experiences I've had hunting, and I've had a few.