What’s the gnarliest situation you’ve been in while hunting?

[Fatcamp]

South Caroline = Gators.

Innertube fishing in Chicken Creek. To get to the river I had to wade through about 100 yards of 4 feet deep tangled water weeds. Popped out into a 4 foot wide channel that would take me to the main flow. As the current pulled me toward the main channel I spotted a 20 foot gator about 20 yards ahead. My guess is that he heard me thrashing through the weeds and was hoping I was a nice deer he could drown.

I was instantly on full alert. Pulled the only weapons I had, my trusty 5" Rapala in one hand and fishing pliers in the other, realizing that trying to go back through the weeds might trigger an attack. When I looked back up there was just a growing ring of ripples where the gator had been.

The next few minutes were a bit scary, but by the time I floated out to the channel I was convinced the gator had lost interest, so I started fishing. Did I mention that I was young and stupid? After about 10 minutes I noticed two huge gators side by side about 150 yards away. They were taking turns taking deep breaths, which makes them float high in the water for several seconds and then sink back down to their iceberg floating height. It is a dominance display ritual between males. I wasn't worried.

But after a few minutes I noticed they were swimming side by side directly toward me. Between me and the shore was a hundred yards of deep muck. In there I wouldn't stand a chance. Down river a bit was a cut that fed a chemical plant, so I started back stroking. The closer I got to the cut the closer the gators got to me. I wasn't sure if I would make it. I reached shore and they were about 30 yards away. I climbed the fence and just layed there for a good ten minutes, my legs to weak to stand. One of the few times in my life I have experienced real fear.

Here is a shot of the little creek feeder that took me too the main channel. The little channel coming in from the right.
View attachment 324172

Here is where I finally escaped! See the lower right of the photo.
View attachment 324173

Well, did you catch anything?

 

[Mike Islander]

Well, did you catch anything?

Nothing but my breath after I made it to shore.

I am sooooo glad I actually didn't catch a fish before I saw those two dinosaurs heading my way. Could have ended very differently. I don't think they were coming to eat me, but you never know. Even just checking me out could have been enough for them to have a taste. And I don't wear sunscreen or cologne, so I'm pretty sure I am delicious.

The only other time I was this scared, literally weak kneed, was when my girlfriend's divorced dad came home to find me sleeping in her mom's bed. Totally innocent (well, mostly), but it took some splainin!

 

[505Wapiti]

bump for a good thread.

 

[coloyooper]

Fell through the ice into a river up to my chest in mid-teen weather in Alaska doing a fly-in caribou hunt. Luckily my cousin was there to help me get out. I don’t think my feet ever touched bottom. Boots never did quite dry out after that.. made for some cold days the rest of the hunt.

 

[Pacific_Fork]

Last year 3rd season CO I was solo 4 miles in through deadfall. I knew a storm was rolling in but figured it would be like any other storm. I had the titanium stove rippin when the lightening started going off all around me and a down poor of hail/slushy snow for hours. 7:00pm-4:00am. Couldn’t get the stove out hot and couldn’t seek other shelter. On top of that the winds were dropping dead standing giant conifers all around me. One dropped 20 yards from my tent. I was on this bench and trees were ripping out giant rocks from the cliff and tumbling below. Over 20 trees were heard falling all night. I picked the safest place for camp I could find but still had a couple sketchy trees around me half alive. Felt like a true near death experience in those late hours.

 

[Pikespeak]

Slid down a cliff face and managed to stop myself 30 yards down by clawing the side like a cat and kicking my boot toe repeatedly into the wall...stayed there face first against the wall for 10 hours until I was rescued via ropes.