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

[omicron1792]

Nothing scary but cool. Hunting a tripod stand yesterday and a doe walked out at 50 yards. She looked at me for a second then walked toward me. She literally walked right by my stand. I could have jumped off and wrestled her. I was only 8 feet in air. Was just cool.

 

[Wildone]

Put a turkey to bed the night before and got in position in the dark the next morning. 20 minutes after sun up he starts going off in the tree and I start working him. 2-3 minutes later I catch movement on the edge of the field a 200 yards in front of me. Turkey is still going off in the tree and I'm playing along because I'v been trying to kill this bird for a while that season and he is finally not henned up. Dam black bear is comming in on a string . When he hit 5' I had decided I better standup otherwise he is going to walk right into me. Turkey is still gobbling and the bear and I are having a mexican standoff. I'm trying to be as quiet as possible to not spook the bird and the bear has no idea what I am yet cuz I'm camo head to toe. Bird is to my left still in the tree and I start waiving my right hand at the bear while keeping the shotgun anchored to my shoulder with the left. Bear bounds to my left side and stops again still tring to figure out what I am. He then takes two steps forward and gets my wind and hauls tail out of there. Never heard a peep out of the turkey for the rest of the morning but wound up getting him the following weekend. Took out the bear that fall.

Bowhunting Caribou in Quebec had them passing on both sides of the tree I was hiding behind and had a small bull knock the arrow of its rest had to put it back on to shoot the bull I wanted that was 25 yards behind that one.

Bow hunting elk in NM Had two bulls heading up and I'm below them ( yes I know ) Started cow calling and sidehilling back and forth a couple of yards. One of the bulls kicked his cows and a spike right to me. I am literally right in them 10-20' all around me again I'm backed into a tree. The bull finally comes down and turns broadside at 12 yds screaming his head off. When he puts his head down to bugle his eye is covered by a leaf on a shrub between us. I wait for him to bugle and draw the bow. I squeeze and the knock explodes and the arrow lands 2' in front of me. The spike and the cows are so close. I wait for him to bugle again and slowly reach for another arrow out of the quiver and put it on. Feels like 5 minutes have gone by and he's still going at it. I wait for him to bugle again draw and fire. He runs off 40 yards and stops and keeps bugling for what felt like 20 minutes. Watched him tip over. When I came out of the scub the spike and cows turned themselves inside out to get out of there.

 

[PNW bow hunter]

My buddy and I got on a bull bugling shortly after daylight.

It only answered bugles, and was working up the hill. After trying to catch up for about an hour we hit an open meadow in the timber. There was a small rise on the far side of the meadow, and I thought I could see horn tips sticking above it. After I saw the horns move I told my buddy to back up 60 yards and cow call.

The bull came running right to me. I cow called right before it got to me in the timber, and he stopped so close I wasn’t sure if my arrow wound get off the string before it hit him!

Pretty sure it was within 3 ft of my bow when I shot the bull!

 

[longspeak74]

Lots of squirrels within arms length in the tree. Birds landing on end of my arrow. Had a fox in Colorado this year following us up the trail.
Years ago shot a decent basket rack 8, knew it was a good shot so got down after 30 minutes and starting following blood. Not paying much attention as I had my focus on the blood. Turned a corner and a legit 170" with a huge drop tine was standing over my dead buck at near 5 yards. About shit my pants.
He casually walked away into the woods. He was shot later in rifle season by the neighbor.