Good story! Made me think of the time I was turkey hunting and came across a nesting Goshawk. Anyone know what I mean:)?

Really enjoyed your story Steve. I really don’t have anything that comes remotely close. I had a squirrel come in very close in a treestand once, it was all fun until he started to take little bites at the tip of my recurve.

Bruce

I was bowhunting about 15 years ago and had a similar experience. With a Coopers Hawk, I was sitting under a cedar tree on a scrub Oak Range, one afternoon, and after a while birds scattered, squirrels disapeared, and it was real quiet for what seemed like a long time. After a bit, a Junco flew down from a branch in front of me about 4 feet away, in a flash, the coopers hawk swooped in, grabbed the bird on the ground, wings spread out and adjusting his talons in the unfortunate bird’s body, and then flew awy with it.

NOW… it may sound like BS, but I swear it is true. I was sitting in my ground blind about 5 years ago, watching a small Oak Flat in front of me that had a few hemlocks mixed in. About 2:30 in the afternoon a small basket racked six pointer came feeding in, he was relaxed and feeding, I was about to draw waiting for him to take a couple more steps into my shooting lane, and this bloody red tail hawk swoops down and nails this gray squirrel in one of the hemlocks! They both made an awful racket and surprised the crap out of me and the Buck. Needless to say the buck jumped backwards and departed for friendlier territory.

The most profound thing I saw in a different area a few yeaers back, again I was deer hunting in a ground blind and watching this gray squirrel eat an acorn on top of a field stone fence. Here comes a redtail swoops down and carries the little guy away. Five minutes later, another squirrel, another acorn, same spot. Life goes on as if nothing happened.

I do quite a bit of sea fishing and a few years ago i was putting in an all nighter on an isolated shoreline near where i’m from here in ireland. It was a pitch black night with only the sound of the breakers for company. After a while i thought my ears were playing tricks when i could hear a shuffling of feet on the sand further up the shore. I’d peer into the distance, scanning with my headlamp, see nothing, and convince myself i was going nuts. But i kept on hearing this shuffling of feet. Now around my parts there are plenty of ghost stories and banshee tales that fit the circumstances but i never was one for superstition, although my nerves were starting to fray with the approaching feet. Eventually, while doing my best to ignore the shuffling sound and convince myself of my own sanity, something stepped into the beam of my headlamp resulting a string of expletives from my mouth and a near heart attack on a beach in the middle of nowhere. A young lost guillemot sauntered past my light beam and on in search of his colony! His black plummage must have stopped me seeing him but while i cursed him i was glad it wasn’t the banshee!

Wexbow wrote: I do quite a bit of sea fishing and a few years ago i was putting in an all nighter on an isolated shoreline near where i’m from here in ireland. It was a pitch black night with only the sound of the breakers for company. After a while i thought my ears were playing tricks when i could hear a shuffling of feet on the sand further up the shore. I’d peer into the distance, scanning with my headlamp, see nothing, and convince myself i was going nuts. But i kept on hearing this shuffling of feet. Now around my parts there are plenty of ghost stories and banshee tales that fit the circumstances but i never was one for superstition, although my nerves were starting to fray with the approaching feet. Eventually, while doing my best to ignore the shuffling sound and convince myself of my own sanity, something stepped into the beam of my headlamp resulting a string of expletives from my mouth and a near heart attack on a beach in the middle of nowhere. A young lost guillemot sauntered past my light beam and on in search of his colony! His black plummage must have stopped me seeing him but while i cursed him i was glad it wasn’t the banshee!

Great story Wexbow…keep him out of Limerick, they will think he is a banshee down in that neck of the woods!!!

Ireland

This Febuary I was packing my gear into our crew truck outside of Red Earth Creek in Northern Alberta. We were parked on the outskirts of town when this yearling Whitetail comes busting out of the brush at full speed, followed immediately by a large Grey Wolf! They crossed the highway no more than 50 yards from me and less than 30 yards from the camp, and then into the woods on the opposite side. I stood there speechless wondering if it had really happened at all.

Also one time I was sitting in a Spring blind for Black Bear when a Chipmunk scampered up my boot and pants and stopped at my knee. We made eye contact and he froze stiff, probably thinking “Game over man, game over!” Eventually he regained enough courage to scurry away. Never shot a Bear that day, but it sure was memorable none the less.

A few years ago I was hunting with a friend he had worked his way through a small orchard surrounded by a low hedge, I was in the adjoining field about 50 yards away. I looked over to see him approaching the gate at the end of the orchard but he was walking backwards and looked very uncomfortable, so out of curiosity I headed in his direction, as I got closer I could see he had his gun pointed purposely at something as he backed toward the gate, a sheep had taken exception to his presence in the orchard and had butted him twice and it wasn’t going to happen again.

All ended well the sheep returned to grazing but my friend had a large bruise on his leg that took a while to go.

Two weeks ago the same friend shot a squirrel, the squirrel hit the deck on all fours hackles up, tail up and bit his boot.

Another friend hunting waterfowl on a Scottish sea lock sat his yellow lab amongst some reeds whilst he took cover in a shallow channel, nothing much happened not a shot was fired and eventually he made his way back to the dog who appeared to be covered in goo that he assumed was from the black mud in which the reeds grew.

When he eventually got back to the car and had a light to see by it was clear this was no ordinary goo, grease like and stinking all down the dogs chest it was obvious he had eaten something.

About this time the dog, Barney, started to be sick, Allan is now getting concerned so heads back to the scene of Barney’s banquet to find what he had eaten, a decomposing seal, now both ends are working overtime.

After a while things calm down, the dogs looking sorry for himself but non the worst for a good helping of seal blubber, but Allan still had an hours drive to share with a stinking lab.

Then there’s the time I wore one of those flowery looking welders caps with short brim while stump shooting and chasing rabbits at my daddy-in-laws near Datil NM. and the hummingbirds nearly drove me nuts.

Steve Graf wrote: Dogs are a hoot! I bet if he had the chance, he’d do it again 😯

Yep, had brittany that loved any kind of excrement and would immediately find some and roll in it upon being turned out. She rode in the dog box, needless to say.

Nothing gets the blood going like a big redtail free falling through the tree limbs after a squirrel. Had Cooper’s hawks try to take my headnet a time or two, too close for comfort.

Steves experience with the hawk and cardinal is the best I’ve heard yet.

I was bear hunting in Quebec once and we had to wear orange vests even hunting with the bow. My vest was the net type. One evening I kept hearing a really loud buzzing, louder than the continual sound of the local insects. As I sat very still trying to locate the source it appeared in front of me, a ruby throated hummingbird was “working” the holes in my vest and had started in the back where I could not see him. He came to the front and poked his little beak in all around on my chest. Guess I can say I’ve been examined by a hummingbird. Did’nt get my bear though.

Yep, had brittany that loved any kind of excrement.

I had a springer that would do the same I was told hose down and wash in plenty of tomato ketchup to neutralise the smell, works to.

I was hunting a swr in Mi after a very very dry summer and fall. Hunting the edge of a very large marsh on the ground seemed to be the thing to do to be close to the only probable source of water. Weather was very hot but it started raining steadily and continued for the better part of the afternoon. Because it was so hot getting wet was not such a big deal. The rain fall soon inundated the many burrows , dens, and nests that had been built in the previously dry marsh. As the rains continued the critters began to leave the marsh heading for higher ground. Voles, mice shrews and all kind of little four legged critters were on the move. They ran over my boots, backpack and any manner of equipment on the ground, never looking to stay or for shelter but only heading for high ground. It reminded me of the stories of the lemming migration in the arctic. Never saw anything like it before nor since.

I was walking with my dog in a Minnesota state park and heard a godawful racket nearby. It sounded like a large animal might have been tangled in some fence wire. I kept the dog close to me and approached very cautiously. It was two gobblers, doing their dead level best to beat the crap out of the other. Until I saw them, the sounds had me looking for something the size of a deer.

Would give a whole new meaning to a “hoe-down” Steve 😆

Steve Graf wrote: Those turkeys are crazy this time of year.

We’ve seen turkeys every day for the last 5 days or so. On Sunday I was puttering in the garden and a gobbler came out of the woods and started strutting right there in the yard. I could have whacked his head off with the hoe. I wonder if that would have been a “traditional” kill?

I don’t see a hoe listed as a legal weapon for taking wild turkey in the NCWRC regulations under “manner of taking” 😀

Last year ,while I was bear hunting, I had a raven flying around and trying his best to spot me in the tree stand. It was like he knew I was there but couldn’t quite see me or tell just where I was.Anyway, after about 2 hours of flying around me and landing in about every tree in the immediate area looking for me, he set down on a branch only about ten feet above me.Now at this point, I was pretty sure he either never spotted me or had just plain given up his search so I didn’t even move to look, I just sat motionless.After several minutes I heard a strange noise.And then again, and again. It was almost like air whistling through a hole and it seemed to be coming from where the raven had perched.My curiosity got the best of me so I slowly craned my head around to look up where the raven landed earlier.

It was now clear to me that he never found my position because he was sound asleep and SNORING directly above me!! Of course I had to try and get this on video so I reached for the camera but in my haste, he awoke and crowed his displeasure as he flew off.

I may not have gotten a bear last year but I sure am glad I went to that stand , that day !

This whole thread was a great read. Anyone ever think of getting together and writing a book of short stories? Or at least making it a new section in TBM? Just a thought. One day I hope to have my own story. BTW, I really wonder about the gar. That just seems TOO intelligent for a dinosaur.

Alex

😀

I went out early one morning last spring to cut firewood and brought my bow just-in-case. My turkey call was in the pickup so when I got to where I was going I stepped out and gave a little call. Two gobblers answered from a creek bottom and the stalk was on! I closed the 200 yards between us quick style, scratching my call on the way there. The gobblers weren’t moving. I got to within 15-20 yards and could hear them purring. Knowing they were just over the creek bank I slid from tree to tree, my mouth open to avoid catching the sound of my own breath in my ears. Three steps more and… I suck down a mosquito! I tried as hard as I could not to cough but two splutters came out. Now, I don’t think my little noise would have run those gobblers off but what happened next surprised us all. Out of the silence, crows erupted all around us! I just about jumped out of my skin and the turkeys bolted. Those crows ratted me out! I had no idea they were there. There must have been at least 20 of ’em and they all seemed to start calling in unison. Sneaky! Smart! I have a lot of respect for crows. 🙂

Prairie Prowler wrote: Sneaky! Smart! I have a lot of respect for crows. 🙂

Crows seem to be one of nature’s lookouts. Been busted by them before too 🙁