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

[74Bronco]

With my youngest son (15 at the time) on the Montana Idaho border hunting mule deer. Not seeing much, but walking a trail and stepping out at overlooks to take a peak. We are being very quiet as its solid trees. At an overlook, and he says he wants to go up and look on the other side of the ridge. He takes 10 steps, stops dead in his tracks and says mmmph lmmph. I say if its a buck shoot it. He literally has gone 4 vertical feet up from me, maybe 10-12 feet total, what can he see? He turns around again ready to shoot and says muffin lynn. I can't hear for shit. Finally I put together mountain lion. I prepare to defend myself and him, take 2 steps, and there, standing on a rock outcropping 30-40' away is a mature mountain lion. As soon as it sees me it takes 2 of the most athletic leaps you can imagine never to be seen again. We were a fair bit noisier on the way back, but it was a reminder they are probably more afraid of us than we are of them.

Many years ago, before there was ever a rumor about wolves in ND I was pheasant hunting a tree row near a lake. I got to the end, and up stands a wolf, looks at me and trots away. 3-4x bigger than I ever imagined. It was huge. It hadn't snowed for a few days and all I could find for tracks was the ones leaving. It may have blown in on his old tracks, but kinda weird regardless.

 

[Szwampdonkey]

In 2019 spent 10 minutes in a stare down with a mature buck at only 5 yards in a cattail swamp. Yup, 5 yards!

I heard him coming grunting the entire time so i sorta rose up slightly and nocked an arrow. As i looked up from nocking the arrow he just materialized out of the head high cattails and our eyes locked instantly. He froze dead and i didn’t dare move an inch. We stared at each other like this for 10 minutes waiting for the other to say uncle. Well, he eventually had enough and went from statue to a blur of brown fur and cattails and was gone. I was left there to deal with the ensuing adrenaline dump.

Never saw him again but it’s one of my top hunting experiences in 38 years of hunting.

 

[Justin (Raz) Rasmussen]

A grizzly bear chewing on my arm…..


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Do you happen to be one of the dudes who stuck their arm down a griz's throat? I've heard of at least two that did that an lived to tell the tale.

 

[Justin (Raz) Rasmussen]

Dang near stepped on a cougar crouched and ready to pounce on me as I rounded a tree. We were both real surprised to see the other.

 

[MNGrouser]

Way less exciting than most of yours, but my closest by far. The first time ever turkey hunting we were set up at first light with my back to an oak tree. gun rested on my knee for support. Buddy calls in a flock of about 8 hens. I sit stock-still but eyes scanning for something with a beard. One of the hens walks in front of me and has to duck her head down to get under my gun barrel.

 

[prm]

Twice I’ve elk walk by close enough to touch. 6 inches max.

 

[canthitbombz]

Almost too many to count. Countless birds landing on me, Had a squirrel run down the back of my shirt while i was in a tree stand once. Sitting on the ground waiting for " Mid-day madness " and had a badger walk across my feet. I have pulled hair from 2 separate Elk also.

 

[Redmammut]

Wolverine.

I was standing just above the brush line after field dressing a moose. I was covered in blood because i'm not very good at it. The brush next to me, about 5 yards away, starts erupting and shaking violently. I hear my dads voice in my head: "better lift up your gun." So I did.

Out of the brush jumps a wolverine. We both stare at each other dumb founded, trying to figure out the next appropriate action. I told him it was my moose, and I threw some rocks at him. He got the idea.

 

[307]

Do you happen to be one of the dudes who stuck their arm down a griz's throat? I've heard of at least two that did that an lived to tell the tale.

To elicit gag reflex?

That would be truly legendary.

 

[mike.adams.467]

Do you happen to be one of the dudes who stuck their arm down a griz's throat? I've heard of at least two that did that an lived to tell the tale.

I didn't deliberately reach down it's throat, but I threw up my arm to keep from getting bitten on the head or neck.

 

[Geewhiz]

I lip squeaked in a coyote to about 8 feet and got a video of it as I wasn't coyote hunting and didn't have a rifle with me.

Shot a bull elk with my bow at 6 yards once. Also had a calf elk feed within about 2 yards of me, looked me in the eye, and then just carried on munching.

 

[Amos Keeto]

Sitting on a creek bank waiting for ducks.
Less than 5 feet away, a beaver crawls out on the bank and begins grooming.
Interesting show.

Sitting under a youpon along a fence, a doe and yearling came towards me across the fence.
I sat extremely still. The yearling began to browse on the youpon I was sitting under. Couldn't have been more than 3 or 4 feet away!

Had a big ol, fat red squirrel try to get in a ladder stand with me! Wasn't about to let THAT happen.

Had an armadillo root around my feet while sitting under a pin oak squirrel hunting.

 

[simplepeddler]

I played peek-a-boo with a big Louisiana black bear two years ago. He was roughly 40 yards from me. I was walking out. He walked on all fours and then stood up behind a tree and would peek his head out looking at me. Cool experience. Eventually he got bored and walked off.

Then had a rattle snake on a limb about six feet from me while in a lean too, about 15 feet up.

Makes you think for sure.

 

[ashtont]

I was in my tree stand deer hunting late season and i had about 6 grouse roosting maybe 10 feet away. Had a weasel chase them away, It was awesome

 

[QuickTrigger7]

Was in the Yak bear hunting. Hiked out after sundown. Pitch dark. Had a 30 min razor drive on my buddy’s open door razor. I was alone driving 40 mph on a 1 track road middle of no where near a mountain lake. Had a giant wolf jump across the road right in front of me. It jumped over the hood and skinned the windshield so close I could smell it. Pulled my G20 out the rest of the drive home, changed my pants back at camp that night.

 

[JCS271]

9 1/2 yards......





Frontal brain, one round .450 Nitro.

 

[np307]

One time I had a great horned owl scare me half to death while deer hunting. I was 20ft up a tree before grey light and I turned my head just in time so see this monstrous bird fly in and land on the branch next to me. He stayed for a second and then decided I wasn't good company.

I hunt mostly from the ground now, not because of the owl but because I like to be mobile. Well this year during muzzleloader season I was watching a very fresh scrape about 30 yards away. I had already seen a buck cruising through with no shot when I heard another deer over my left shoulder. I cut my eyes and saw a little 4pt. I was ready to turn and blast him but he was in the open and there was no way I would get my gun up quick enough. He turned to look behind him and I made my play for the gun.

He knew something wasn't right and slipped into the thick pines on the opposite hillside before I could shoot. I could hear him meandering around over there and I knew he wanted to check the scrape so I just sat there, waiting for him to step out.

All of a sudden, I hear a deer coming quickly down the hill behind me. I realize I'm sitting on the trail this deer is running and just freeze, hoping he'll clear me and I'll shoot him. He gets to within 10ft behind me and completely turned inside out. I hollered at him and he turned to look back and I shot him at 30 yards.

When I went to track him, I could see where he churned the ground up when he spotted me. He was directly in line and just a couple steps away.

A different time, back in bow season, I heard a deer running full clip through the woods. I turned and saw a fawn, tail up, booking it. She ran by me close enough I could have tackled her. I figured something had to be chasing her but nothing else ever came by.