Sunday night, I had a bit of time and decided to take a trailcam out to the woods and setup on a trail I've been itching to setup on this season. It was late, probably around 7:30pm when I got to the woods and began the trek to this area. I got there and light was starting to fade pretty quickly so I setup the camera, turned around and began the half hour trip back to my truck. I went maybe a 100 yards when all of a sudden, across the hollow from me was the loudest, nastiest scream I've ever heard in the woods. Whatever this was, made the same scream again, almost immediately after it did it the first time. Then, behind me, down the hollow from where I came from, the coyotes started howling. Everything in the woods it seemed, started squawking and raising a ruckus when this thing screamed. The hair on my neck stood up on end. I stood there for a minute then double timed it the heck out of there. Whatever this thing was, it "sounded big". It was a big scream, if that makes any sense. I've heard about everything, I think, in PA. Bobcat screams, fishers, yotes, you name it. In my 20+ years of hunting, I have never heard anything like that in my life and was never freaked out like I was Sunday. All I can say is the batteries in that cam will probably go dead before I venture back to check it. That and I'll be packin a side arm next time in. Any thoughts on what the heck it could have been? Oh, and I already ruled out Bigfoot. I know what he sounds like and see them quite a bit. Harmless buggers.
Gray Fox. I've had them do that several times and it will make the hair stand on your neck. Yotes get very territorial with them as well, which is likely why they responded. I actually had one do this while dropping my canoe in the water when it was barely light enough to see, and he was only 30 or so yards away and stood his ground. Had another do it while hiking into my stand one morning, and I was able to confirm it a few minutes later when it was finally light enough to see the little bastard. It's amazing how scary/loud a little critter like that can sound.
I have never heard a mountain lion in real life and we supposedly don't have any here in PA so I can't say it was or wasn't one. Never seen one here in PA either, though there have been "reports" or "claims" of them north of where I am.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVLvw-LhWyQ&feature=related or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cPg7_nyoBc&feature=related
I had something similar happen when I was on stand one morning. I heard a scream then another and something tearing through the woods about 60 or so yards out. It was the craziest thing I have experienced in the woods to date. Made my hair stand on end as it did yours. I thought it was a bobcat. There was another hunter out here a couple years back that shot one and we found tracks of one near the creek. I am guessing thats what I heard.
I was removing a dead (Thought it was dead) Bobcat. Did not bother to check the vitals on the thing,just tossed it in the back of my buddys truck. I thought it was nice and was riding in the back of the the truck. We were cruising down a back road and the bobcat had a miracle ressurection. It made a noise that sounded kinda like the MGM Lion. It was understandebly pissed off at directed its anger at me. From my new vantage point atop the cab of the truck, I noticed that my buddy was taking great pleasure in the whole thing and had actually sped the truck up. I also learned how fast wet pants dry on a cool night. Not sure what made the scariest noise, the Bobcat or me, but under duress, both make unholy noises.
Neither of these sounded quite like what I heard. If anything, the first one was closer but still not a match. Of course the acoustics in the woods where I was could have distorted the sound too. I dunno, maybe it was a bigfoot.
Are there hogs in PA? I was watching this show called hogs gone wild and this one hog that was screaming would have sent me packin if I did not know what it was. My other guess wouldd have been that fox after watching that video that GFY posted.
I lived in the Pocono Mtn area for 36 years and i have heard Grey Fox scream like you had explained....... its funny how your hair can stand up , i was walking down the road to my deer stand once early in the morning and i had got a weird feeling that someone was walking behind me when i got down past the bridge where the trees go over the road like a tunnel , and in that general area years ago a Indian Tribe use to live there my neighbor the old farmer told me and a bunch of them got killed there .......yeah talk about making the hair stand up on the back of your neck .......lol
If someone would have told me that story here in SC I would say that it was a hog. A hog growling can make a Rottweiler sound like a squeak toy. I've had them come in silent while night hunting them over a feeder (legal with permit). Never hear them until they get right under my stand and start to fight. I've had a boar growl so deep/loud one night that I felt the vibration 12ft up in my stand.
A panther has a scream like no other! The most terrifying scream you could think of x 10! A bobcat has nothing on a panther on fight or scream. Dunno if yall have them but if you do, a sidearm is smart. Maybe two of them! Lol
