hunted becomes hunter?
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Will Beararms
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Yes. Once at age 16, I was in the woods with a guy who later became a US Army Ranger Officer. I shot a squirrel that wasn't dead, picked it up and it crawled up its tail and bit all the way through the mid point of my left index finger. My friend calmly grabbed my hand unloaded my three-shot piece of junk Winchester 1400 20 gauge semi-auto and used the butt to crush the squirrel's skull against the base of a tall old cypress tree in the Saline River Bottoms of South Arkansas. The brains of the squirrel were sent in for lab analysis to the state and thank God no rabbies was present. Moral? If an animal has its eyes closed it's still alive.
I also hunted in a deer camp as a child and teenager with my father. An older guy shot an eight-point buck and approached it while it was still alive. The deer bolted and knocked him down on a gravel road. He survived but the deer did not.
I also hunted in a deer camp as a child and teenager with my father. An older guy shot an eight-point buck and approached it while it was still alive. The deer bolted and knocked him down on a gravel road. He survived but the deer did not.
Well there was the time my father and I tried tracking a rather large black bear across a willow flat with a bow. The willows were dense - couldn't see more than twenty feet and at times they formed tunnels you would have to crawl through. A couple of the the piles of scat we found were still steaming. Burned a lot of adrenalin during that hour long stalk. But we never saw him - he moved out the other side while we were trying to sneak close...
Another time I was out hiking (.22lr on hip) and found some mountain lion tracks near a cabin I was staying in. They looked fresh, and being the curious sort and always testing my woodmanship skills, I started following them. I never heard, saw, or smelled anything, but suddenly the little hairs on the back of my neck started to stand up. I had been concentrating on the tracks, but I looked over my shoulder and into the eyes of the lion crouched on the trail about thirty five yards behind me. I remember thinking "those sure are green eyes" and then he was gone. I don't even remember seeing him go - he just dissappeared without a trace.
Another time I was out hiking (.22lr on hip) and found some mountain lion tracks near a cabin I was staying in. They looked fresh, and being the curious sort and always testing my woodmanship skills, I started following them. I never heard, saw, or smelled anything, but suddenly the little hairs on the back of my neck started to stand up. I had been concentrating on the tracks, but I looked over my shoulder and into the eyes of the lion crouched on the trail about thirty five yards behind me. I remember thinking "those sure are green eyes" and then he was gone. I don't even remember seeing him go - he just dissappeared without a trace.
Art Eatman
Staff in Memoriam
A fair number of events of close encounters with mountain lions, down here in southwest Texas' "Big Bend".
Howsomever, I still remember my startlement when walking up to a wounded buck. I had shot him running, out maybe 150-175 yards, and hit too far back, breaking the spine behind the shoulders.
As I neared, he got his front legs under him and made as close to a "Roar!" sort of noise as ever I've heard, even from an irate bull! He lowered his head and made hooking motions, as if eager to do some serious damage.
Definitely an attention-getter.
He wuz tasty, though...
, Art
Howsomever, I still remember my startlement when walking up to a wounded buck. I had shot him running, out maybe 150-175 yards, and hit too far back, breaking the spine behind the shoulders.
As I neared, he got his front legs under him and made as close to a "Roar!" sort of noise as ever I've heard, even from an irate bull! He lowered his head and made hooking motions, as if eager to do some serious damage.
Definitely an attention-getter.
He wuz tasty, though...
, ArtMolon Labe!
New member
This one is a scarey, better empty out in the toilet now. I was riddingo of some black birds with my Benjiman Sheridan G397 pelelt rifle, I set up about 20yards from where they go and eat all day long. As the first bunch comes in I line my sights on a mature male one. I fire and end up wounding him in the left wing. So i go and grab him then he gets away and stops about 5 yards away, big mastake, or was it? I fire off one shot at him and saw a bunch 'o' feathers flee into the air, I think, ok hes dead, right? I walk off to set up again, then get 2 more black birds, then the time comes to collect them, I go walknig about pick up the others, tehn i get to 'the one' I pick him up and see hes alive still and I grazed him, so I think I'll give him to my pup to play with, let him have fun. Well I decide to tie him up and watch him a bit to examine him and see where exaclty my pellets hit. As I pick him up, he screams bloody murder, he keeps screaming for a minute or two, then I notice at least 200 or so black birds on the telephone wires. I think, how odd. Then, they send in some recon birds, then some birds come by and I start seeing new poop marks near me, then he screams even louder, thats when all the birds heard 'that last shot for the last breath.' The reason I decided to finally shoot the brat was because he attacked our barn cat, he grabbed on and I had to cut the hair away from the cat. That made me mad. Just hearing that story makes me gotta go to the bathroom!
Two weeks ago I was bowhunting in a beautiful set of hardwoods. I was hunting a draw with a small creek running through it. I set up just a few feet away from the creek. I was more worried about mosquitos than snakes. At the end of the evening I get out of my treestand, and put my bow on the ground. Its pitch dark. I realize that I need to move my bow to get my climbing stand off the tree. I can barely see my bow in the dark. As I squat down in the dark and reach toward my bow with my hand I hear HIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!! I froze. My hand is about 6 inches of the ground and the hissing is so close I can feel it. In fact I COULD feel it because it was a can of bug spray going off in my pocket. When I squatted down my cammies pushed against the spray nozzle and set off the bug spray. It took me a few minutes to start laughing.
My buddy was in stand a couple of years ago and an owl landed on his head. He didn't want to spook the bird for fear of great big talons ripping through the sock hat and into his scalp. So he thought for a moment and then began to lean little by little hoping the owl would fly away. He said it eventually did but he doesn't know what would have happen if the owl just kept sidestepping to counter the lean.
Legionnaire
New member
During archery season a couple of years ago, my father-in-law was in a treestand in full camo and face mask with only his eyes showing. We're guessing it was the movement of his eyes that attracted the attention of a red-tailed hawk. Dad saw him coming, but didn't realize he was the target until the last minute. Threw up his hand and the hawk veered off. Gave him quite a rush.
Went to the range (pvt range in a friend's pasture) to do some shooting with my father, who was already there. Came around the corner of the berm and found my dad reloading his new Browning High Power .40, and reholstering. Behind him, stalking stealthily toward him, was a large emu! I gestured, but Dad didn't see. He suddenly saw the movement in the corner of his eye, and wheeled to see a black, scaley head atop a serpentine neck, 5' tall, and leaning toward him from about 10 ft away. The look in Dad's face was priceless. Had the bird been just a little closer, or managed to peck at him, I know with a certainty that I would have seen that Browning go to slide-lock in a hurry! 
As it was, the bird, now spotted by its "prey," took off across the prairie. We got on the cell phone with the owner, who we asked about it. He was surprised that the bird was still alive, having figured that coyotes would have gotten it by then. He said that it had just showed up on his ranch a couple of weeks before. He said we could do what we wanted with it.
Now I've always heard that emu tasted just like beef, and was curious. Out came the .257 Roberts with 100g. S.P. One shot from about 150 yds to the body just behind and below the neck put it down.
Made the biggest damn drumsticks I've ever had, which indeed did taste surprisingly like brisket, when smoked over hickory.
As it was, the bird, now spotted by its "prey," took off across the prairie. We got on the cell phone with the owner, who we asked about it. He was surprised that the bird was still alive, having figured that coyotes would have gotten it by then. He said that it had just showed up on his ranch a couple of weeks before. He said we could do what we wanted with it.
Now I've always heard that emu tasted just like beef, and was curious. Out came the .257 Roberts with 100g. S.P. One shot from about 150 yds to the body just behind and below the neck put it down.
Made the biggest damn drumsticks I've ever had, which indeed did taste surprisingly like brisket, when smoked over hickory.
Maybe some of the florida boys can attest to this story.
While I was fishing the intra coastal while on vacation in south fla. I was up to my waist in the water late one night.
All I could hear was the sound of the water breaking on the shoreline nearby when I looked about 5 feet to my left and saw the massive head of the worlds most stupid and worthless creature on the face of the earth.
MANATEE!!!!
I know it sounds ridiculous but it scared the#$%^&#%& out of me!I was born and raised in the city and I have never seen any thing like it in the wild.
I ran like hell only to be saved by a 9 year old who explained to me what I had just encountered.
Needless to say I felt pretty stupid!
god bless ,and beware of the MANATEE!!!!
While I was fishing the intra coastal while on vacation in south fla. I was up to my waist in the water late one night.
All I could hear was the sound of the water breaking on the shoreline nearby when I looked about 5 feet to my left and saw the massive head of the worlds most stupid and worthless creature on the face of the earth.
MANATEE!!!!
I know it sounds ridiculous but it scared the#$%^&#%& out of me!I was born and raised in the city and I have never seen any thing like it in the wild.
I ran like hell only to be saved by a 9 year old who explained to me what I had just encountered.
Needless to say I felt pretty stupid!
god bless ,and beware of the MANATEE!!!!
Molon Labe!
New member
That manateee sure should be glad that I wasn't you, I almost always am packing
I agree with Art, after a few encounters with mountain lions over the years, you realize that you're not the only one out huntin' in the woods.
The funniest I was being hunted story that happened to me was on a Mule deer hunting trip about 15 years ago. I was hunting a big basin that had a lot of scurb oak, when I came on a bunch of cows. These were wild range cows, that might see a cowboy 2 or 3 times a year. This one old cow took a big dislike to me and started chasing me around and through a patch of scrub oak! This da*% cow wanted my a$$ hooked on one of it's horns! It would chase me for a minute, stand there and eye me, and then circle the oak patch and come at me again. It was like I was in a bullring. I bounced a branch off it's head, which only made it charge further into the oak patch. Well enough was enough, and I fired a warning shot into the air. I think it finally figured out that I wasn't a bear or something, and I was pi$$ed off enough that the next shot was going to be into the cow. It took off downhill towards the other cows, and I decided that I needed to be in another basin.
I still get grief from my cousins (it was a family hunting trip) whenever I'm with them and we spot a cow! "Look John - it's a cow - Run Away! Run Away!"
The funniest I was being hunted story that happened to me was on a Mule deer hunting trip about 15 years ago. I was hunting a big basin that had a lot of scurb oak, when I came on a bunch of cows. These were wild range cows, that might see a cowboy 2 or 3 times a year. This one old cow took a big dislike to me and started chasing me around and through a patch of scrub oak! This da*% cow wanted my a$$ hooked on one of it's horns! It would chase me for a minute, stand there and eye me, and then circle the oak patch and come at me again. It was like I was in a bullring. I bounced a branch off it's head, which only made it charge further into the oak patch. Well enough was enough, and I fired a warning shot into the air. I think it finally figured out that I wasn't a bear or something, and I was pi$$ed off enough that the next shot was going to be into the cow. It took off downhill towards the other cows, and I decided that I needed to be in another basin.
I still get grief from my cousins (it was a family hunting trip) whenever I'm with them and we spot a cow! "Look John - it's a cow - Run Away! Run Away!"
Only once.
I shot a squirrel out of a tree and tried to pick it up, only to find that it wasn't dead. The little booger didn't like being picked up so he violently wiggled when I grabbed it by the tail.
Being shocked, I threw it in the air. It tried to crawl away, but it wasn't very mobile, so I stepped on its head to finish it off.
Okay, so it wasn't life threatenning, but if he had rabbis and bit me, I would have been terrible sick. And then I would have gotten a whole mess of shots in the stomach.
That was the last time I ever hunted squirrels with a 12-gauge shotgun. I now shoot them in the head with a .22. Since then, I never picked up a living squirrel again.
I shot a squirrel out of a tree and tried to pick it up, only to find that it wasn't dead. The little booger didn't like being picked up so he violently wiggled when I grabbed it by the tail.
Being shocked, I threw it in the air. It tried to crawl away, but it wasn't very mobile, so I stepped on its head to finish it off.Okay, so it wasn't life threatenning, but if he had rabbis and bit me, I would have been terrible sick.
And then I would have gotten a whole mess of shots in the stomach.That was the last time I ever hunted squirrels with a 12-gauge shotgun. I now shoot them in the head with a .22. Since then, I never picked up a living squirrel again.
Speed,
I'm originally a Florida boy (go Gators), and I have had many encounters with manatee, since I had a skiing boat. We called them sea cows. I lived near the St. John's River and manatee would graze in the shallow water. They are very big.
Many have been killed or injured by propellers. Most that I have seen have propeller scars on their back.
They will become your best friend if you give them fresh water from a hose. The St. John's is brackish, and they remember where they got the fresh water and will show up from time to time to see if you're there. I used to work at NAS Jax and we'd give them water from the dock, which had a hose. It became a routine, and it was pretty fun. We started recognizing them by the pattern of the propeller scars on their backs. Otherwise, you couldn't tell them apart.
I went wade fishing a lot when I was a boy, on a lake called Doctor's Inlet. It fed into the St. John's. The water was shallow for a long ways out. I was supposed to wade fish with a buddy, for safety's sake, but sometimes I was hard-headed and went by myself. One such time, when I was fourteen (I think), I found myself separated from the shore by a large alligator. It must have been twelve feet long. I knew that I saw that one before. I just stood there quietly until he swam far enough away, and then I rushed ashore. It's a good thing I didn't catch any fish. It might have gotten a bit nasty if he noticed them. I settled for dock fishing for a while after that.
I'm originally a Florida boy (go Gators), and I have had many encounters with manatee, since I had a skiing boat. We called them sea cows. I lived near the St. John's River and manatee would graze in the shallow water. They are very big.
Many have been killed or injured by propellers. Most that I have seen have propeller scars on their back.
They will become your best friend if you give them fresh water from a hose. The St. John's is brackish, and they remember where they got the fresh water and will show up from time to time to see if you're there. I used to work at NAS Jax and we'd give them water from the dock, which had a hose. It became a routine, and it was pretty fun. We started recognizing them by the pattern of the propeller scars on their backs. Otherwise, you couldn't tell them apart.
I went wade fishing a lot when I was a boy, on a lake called Doctor's Inlet. It fed into the St. John's. The water was shallow for a long ways out. I was supposed to wade fish with a buddy, for safety's sake, but sometimes I was hard-headed and went by myself. One such time, when I was fourteen (I think), I found myself separated from the shore by a large alligator. It must have been twelve feet long. I knew that I saw that one before. I just stood there quietly until he swam far enough away, and then I rushed ashore. It's a good thing I didn't catch any fish. It might have gotten a bit nasty if he noticed them. I settled for dock fishing for a while after that.
That's a pure D fact re manatees tanking up on a hose. Used to work the boats in The Keys (& general stompin' grounds). First time I saw a manatee tank up, I couldn't believe it. They'll take the hose right in their mouth & tank for a long time - 20 minutes with the hose on full isn't unusual. They'll munch whole heads of lettuce till you're sick of it.
They've marine crocodiles down there as well. Saw a bunch of gators, but never a croc although an 18 footer was caught not too far from where we used to hang out in the waters.
Never an encounter with land-based critters, but while spearfishing, the stinkin' 'cudas'll hang right off the back of your fins - it can very unnerving - & I've had 'em take fish off the speer before. Those suckers are so damned fast, you can't even see 'em.
They've marine crocodiles down there as well. Saw a bunch of gators, but never a croc although an 18 footer
was caught not too far from where we used to hang out in the waters.Never an encounter with land-based critters, but while spearfishing, the stinkin' 'cudas'll hang right off the back of your fins - it can very unnerving - & I've had 'em take fish off the speer before. Those suckers are so damned fast, you can't even see 'em.
Friend was hiding behind some shrubs, bow-hunting for moose. He had the bright idea to use skunk "juice" on a scent pad to cover his smell. Mrs Skunk walks by, thinking there's a buddy in the vincinity, just about stumbles upon terrified friend, fishtails a 180 and generously sprays the poor guy.
His wife had him to sleep on the porch that night...
His wife had him to sleep on the porch that night...
Keith Rogan
New member
Many years ago on a long boring "Duty" weekend at a Coast Guard station, me and a buddy started messing with a 6' foot alligator that was laying under the dock. We didn't have anything in particular in mind, we just wanted to relieve the tedium, so in that spirit we fashioned a noose and started trying to lasso him. That failed because as soon as the rope would hit the water he'd submerge and dodge it.
Well, I had a box of Church's fried chicken stashed away for dinner so I sacrificed a drumstick and while my buddy dangled it from a string, I positioned the loop in the rope so that the gator would have to go through it to get the chicken.
And it worked like a charm! The gator lunged through and I snugged the rope and then we both hauled him up on the dock with him whipping his tail and snapping in every direction. And we somehow ended up with the angry gator up on the pier between us and the shore, while we held a slack rope feeling really, really stupid...
The Gulf of Mexico is a warm body of water and we both ended up in it about five seconds later.
Well, I had a box of Church's fried chicken stashed away for dinner so I sacrificed a drumstick and while my buddy dangled it from a string, I positioned the loop in the rope so that the gator would have to go through it to get the chicken.
And it worked like a charm! The gator lunged through and I snugged the rope and then we both hauled him up on the dock with him whipping his tail and snapping in every direction. And we somehow ended up with the angry gator up on the pier between us and the shore, while we held a slack rope feeling really, really stupid...
The Gulf of Mexico is a warm body of water and we both ended up in it about five seconds later.