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

[Geewhiz]

2025 early October, rifle elk hunting NW WY.

Power hunting through rolling sage brush foothills and Come up to a creek bottom. Working my way through when 20 yards to my right and slightly behind me my dog starts going ballistic. Standing 5 feet, face to face with Buck (my dog) is the biggest grizzly boar ive ever seen with my own eyes.

When this all went down I was walking with my thumbs tucked into the front of the shoulder straps on my pack. I had spray on my binos and pistol on my hip, just due to it being right there next to my hands I pulled spray.

Buck is barking non stop right in this guys face. Hes looking at me and looking back at Buck kind of frantically. Im screaming at him to "go on and get out of here." The bear spins and assume hes taking off, but instead of running off he just does a 360 and squares up on us with a pretty agressive posture. At this time Buck got even closer to the bear and is litterally right in the bears face. The bear locks eyes with me for a solid 3 seconds, then looks back Buck, turns and starts booking it uphill towards the timber, with Buck right on his heels for about 100 yards, then Buck turned back and met me back in the creek bottom.

In the moment I was pretty convinced he was going to either go after Buck or me after he spun around and didn't leave. But looking back im pretty sure Buck walked right up to that bear while he was napping in that creek bottom and that bear was groggy and disoriented which is why the whole thing lasted as long as it did, probably about 10 seconds.

That’s a good puppy you got there.

 

[ScottinPA]

Bowhunting elk in WY. Outfitter told us not to waste time on mule deer tags as there weren't many around so we didn't. I was set up at a fallen tree, kind of a natural blind, watching trails. A nice 160" 5x5 mule deer buck comes in and feeds just on the other side of the fallen trunk. I watched him eating from under the trunk. Eventually he feeds away then turns broadside looking the other way at about 12 yds. I was not happy with the outfitter but it was a cool experience.
The next morning I went to the same spot and there was a mountain lion track in the dust where I was sitting. Was looking over my shoulder a lot the rest of the morning.

 

[Pony Soldier]

I shot a cow elk one time charging me. I'm guessing it was at about 10 ft and then I had to dive out of the way to escape getting run over. She ran about 50 yards before collapsing due to a lung shot.

I don't think she ever saw me. It was much closer to self defence than hunting.

 

[Robster]

Spot and stalk black bear hunting horseback. Easing up an old logging road in shitty weather. Decided to call it a night. Turned around and within 100 yards ran into a curious grizzly that was spot and stalking me lol. About 30 yards away and it was a Mexican standoff. I had to wait for him to clear out as I couldn't go around either side. Too steep and brushy. He was not aggressive at all. More curious as to what I was.

https://imgur.com/HD6eTDp

https://imgur.com/ZXvunNd

https://imgur.com/m99nexg

 

[Weldor]

I was sitting a water hole back in early 2000, inside a blind. I was getting a little sleepy about 0900, heard something right outside behind me. Rubs the side as it is coming around the front, about 120 lb. Black bear poked his head in. Scared the crap out of both of us, he bailed with a good Woof. 20 minutes later I could hardly stop laughing.

 

[grfox92]

That’s a good puppy you got there.

I have no fear when hes with me and I am alone ill tell you that. He saved our ass that day.

 

[omicron1792]

I was whitetail hunting on the ground back up against a tree. Camo on but not in ghilles suit or anything.

A buck came up and started eating. He walked within 5 yards of me and never saw me. Stayed 15 minutes and walked off.

5 minutes later a second smaller buck did same thing. I could almost touch him. Well first buck came running back and started fighting the young buck. I was literally in spitting range.

I shot the bigger of the two simply because i didn’t want to catch an antler to the face. Was cool experience and have no idea how neither one ever knew I was there a few feet away from them.

 

[Geewhiz]

I was whitetail hunting on the ground back up against a tree. Camo on but not in ghilles suit or anything.

A buck came up and started eating. He walked within 5 yards of me and never saw me. Stayed 15 minutes and walked off.

5 minutes later a second smaller buck did same thing. I could almost touch him. Well first buck came running back and started fighting the young buck. I was literally in spitting range.

I shot the bigger of the two simply because i didn’t want to catch an antler to the face. Was cool experience and have no idea how neither one ever knew I was there a few feet away from them.

You must have been using Dead Down Wind.

 

[Toneloc]

My first Elk kill, we busted up a big herd almost like a flock of Turkeys in the fall. My brother in law was cow calling for me. One of the calves got confused and came running in mewing. She walked by me at arms length with Momma stopping 15 yds in front of me giving her a scolding. A satellite saw his opportunity and came crashing in to 8 yds between calf and Momma elk. I shot him and the calf came walking back towards Mom on same path. She stopped where I could have literally reached out and touched her. Unreal experience.

Next a whitetail rut hunt. Was probably 2 miles back in for evening hunt….forgot my flashlight and flip phone days so nothing useful there. Heading back by the moon light, got almost back to my truck, was on a bench in some hemlock and heard a buck chasing…grunting about 50 yds down the hill below me. I decided to pull my grunt tube out and call at him. He instantly snort wheezed me and start stiff legging towards me. When I could see his shadowy figure less than 5 yds I jumped to the side to and put at 4” sapling between us, lol. The movement startled him and he jumped back and snort wheezed again. He turned and went on chasing/grunting. Definitely a pucker moment, lol.

3rd place, another whitetail rut hunt. Boy was with me. Had hang on with steps packed for him and saddle for me, so was no too stealthy…lol. We got onto some smoking fresh rubs and were contemplating where to setup. Boy wanted to keep going up the hill…. took about a step that direction and saw a buck standing above us looking down the hill. Thought for sure we were busted, then all the sudden he starts down the hill right at us. Boy was perfectly behind a big oak tree. Yanked an arrow from his quiver, loaded it and set him to one side. Could hear him walking closer and closer but wasn’t appearing and realized he was going to be on wrong side of the tree. I grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him to the other side. My view was blocked by the tree, but I knew had to be right on top of us. I no sooner was about to say you better shoot, and boy let it rip. Full frontal hit him perfectly, buck came running by less than 10 probably closer to 5 yds spraying blood. Boy was crying he was so excited.

 

[JustABritCrazy]

Have had bunch over the years. Some of the more memorable:

Have stepped on six rattlesnakes. Something feels weird under your foot then the rattle starts. Then you jump back very fast. Lost count of how many I have had within several feet.

Twice have had small black bear cubs within 5 yards. Once feeding my homing pigeons, came around the corner of the shed, there stood the cub looking in the bird pen. Then mama bear woofed. Other time on a bench with large living room sized and larger rocks. Same deal walked around a rock and almost stepped on the cubs.

Was sneaking along a bench edge in rifle season on a deer trail. See something moving about 100 yards in front of me coming the opposite direction down the trail. Turns into a fisher bebobbing along. I leaned against a tree and let him come. Ended up tapping him on the nose with my rifle barrel. Looked like the Tasmanian Devil from the old cartoons as it bailed out of there.

Have stepped on about a dozen or so few day old fawns. Also hit a doe with a snowball once. As I throw like a girl, it was close.

 

[Ucsdryder]

A long long time ago, I had a flying squirrel try to land on my headlamp at 3am hiking into an elk spot. I was alone and still hadn’t conquered my fear of the dark and being alone in the woods. I didn’t shit my pants but that was about the closest I’ve ever been. I thought I was a goner.

Killed a buck antelope at a couple steps with a rifle. That was exciting.

Frontal on a bull elk at a few steps that was coming down the same trail I was standing on, trying to get to my wife honking on her hoochie mama. Not sure what he thought he was coming to check out, but I still find it hard to believe he thought that was an elk noise.

 

[HuntHarder]

The hoochie mama has killed soooo many bulls it's insane. I cant believe it works but I have seen it first hand. In Az, I swear the proper way to use it is to drive 30 mph in your SxS, stop and within 5 seconds let out a hoochie mama call. Elk are like turkeys, they can't resist screaming back.