Stalked by a predator while hunting?

That video brings back memories from a few years ago for me. I was stalked not once, but twice in a span of a week by a bobcat while turkey hunting. The first cat I had no idea was there. He was sneaking in behind me. I was done at the set and rolled over onto my knees to gather up my things. Just as I did, I caught something crouching down not 10 yards behind the tree I was sitting against. No sooner did we make eye contact, he bolted. Thank goodness I was done and moving on, because a few more minutes would have been interesting.

Then later that week, I had one come in from in front of me. It circled around me trying to find the "turkey". This time I kept a close eye on the bastard....lol.

 

That's true! Wolves hunt in packs. By the time you see one, the rest are close by.

 

I definitely feel uneasy when I encounter people in the woods, which thankfully for me is very rare. Most of the times I have my dog with me.

 

Seconds turned into hours, when the neighbor's Holstein bull ran thru a 4 strand barbed wire fence to get at me...as I was walking to my stand before daylight. I started loading my Remington 700 chambered in 35 Whelen while making evasive maneuvers in the pitch dark. No time to climb into my treestand the "politically safe methods". I wasn't sure, what was pounding harder my heart or his hoofs in the pitch black!

A few years back, I had a red fox running in at me, for a second, I thought she was going to take my turkey box call right out of my hands, she stopped just short and proceeded to bark at me! My brother and I still laugh about that one.

 

Just this video gives me chills like you wouldn't believe... I got surrounded by a pack of howling yotes on the walk in to a bowhunt one morning... that was sketchy enough. This is like my worst nightmare lol

 

Ground set one late fall morning had a group of animals run in on me. Before dawn, light out, dark. Very close. Flipped on the light-pack of dogs. WT..? Start barking their fool heads off.

No side arm till gun season starts..

 

In CA you can not hunt with a side arm during archery season. Just gotta man up and carry a big knife. I have only ever seen one mountain lion, and he was a ways off, and that was almost 10 years ago. so the only thing to worry about in the souther california mountains are coyotes trying to snack on your animal.

 

Iv heard of other hunters being stalked by coyotes, It happened to a coworker. all I have to say is you guys are lucky. I cant get a single yote to come within bow range, let alone a whole pack. haha. I dont know about Illinois, but where im at. Coyote arent very big, they are just annoying little ankle biters that snack on neighborhood dogs .

 

Hey, I want to thank everyone again who shared their stories and provided input. Some cool stories definitely, and learned a few new things!

 

Not stalked, but just this spring season I called in a nice coyote while turkey hunting. I tried to get it into range but once it realized there wasn't a real turkey in the field it ran.

I have also called in birds of prey before, but surprisingly not many turkeys. I can fool other critters just not them LOL.

 

Not stalked but 3 wolves came in 50-60 yards of us while we were doing a little preseason turkey scouting. It was not a comfortable situatuon.

We had been doing some early morning gobbling in a few different spots to try and locate some birds. The back side of this specific piece of land butts up to Camp Ripley (for those of you who know MN, knows Camp has a growing wolf population). We were doing some gobbling on that back side and across this tall grassy field, 3 wolves came trotting straight to us. Stopped 50-60 yards away once they realized we weren't birds. They stood there until we hollered but they only went to the line of pines on the other side of this field and watched us.

My initial thought was coyotes but for how tall this grass was and for how much of their body was above the grass, they were far too big to be yotes, plus they packed up when they heard us calling.

Needless to say, I will probably carry a side arm this season while bow hunting that specific chunk of land.

 

My situation creeped me out. My dad and i were on a very small plot of land, we had a short walk from the truck to the stand, about 300yds or so. We got out of the truck well before daylight on a bitter cold day where the snow was extremely crunchy. About a half mile away a lone coyote howled a couple times so we listened then started for our stands. We were crunching away making all sorts of noise and when my dad got to his stand i paused to take a breath and listen. Not 50yards in front of me a coyote went off, then 75yards behind me another, then a third chimed in where the first was still howling. Needless to say i hauled *** to my stand they were silent as soon as i started crunching. I got to my tree and started to climb and no sooner did my feet stop crunching that they all went off again, a couple more in other directions as well. I counted at least 5 different coyotes howling around us. Never saw one, never heard one come in, just sat there with goosebumps and chills as all these coyotes went nuts around me. I wasn't really scared more than i was just creeped out that a whole pack was so close to me and that they only howled when i stopped moving. I had an arrow nocked and i was hooked up with my release for the next half hour just hoping one of those things would come in but i never got the opportunity. A month later one came in to the same tree before first light and i put an arrow right thru it's pump station. That made me feel better!

 

A buddy of mine had a scent drag tied to his boot while walking into the stand during the rut one morning and heard walking and heavy breathing behind him. He quickly turned around and shined his flashlight only to have an 8 point buck with his nose to the ground huffing and panting like Brad spying on a hot neighbor in a bikini.

The same friend also almost got run over by a 4 pointer that was running full speed away from something (no idea what) but he had to dive out of the way. He was again putting scent on a scent wick but the deer was spooked from something else.

 

two seasons ago my gf and I were sitting against a big Rock bout 20 yards from a stone wall. had a group of five does in front of us for like ten Mins. wind was in our favor, then all the sudden they took off blowing and stomping. couldn't figure out why... then we see a big Bob cat walking on the stone wall. it was past doe shooting days so we wernt mad, what a great experience tho.

 

We don't have much to worry about here in NW Missouri. Bobcats and coyotes are our only real predators of any concern. I've never felt like I was being stalked but I've had some pretty awesome encounters with bobcats.

One morning on stand, before first light, I heard a blood curdling sound coming from less than 50 yards behind me. Scared the crap out of me and I had no clue what it was. A little later that morning I heard some movement behind me. It was two bobcat kitten that were catching and releasing a mouse over and over again. I assume that sound was mama kitty telling them to get out and hunt.

Another day, I was up in a stand that sits right on the edge of a drainage ditch. Had a bobcat come walking in that drainage. Stopped on a log and got a drink of water from a little pool. Then she continued down the drainage until she got to the base of my tree. She proceeded to stretch her legs up my tree. Not sure if she was just stretching her legs or just about to head up my tree. Either way, I stomped my stand and she went off like a bolt of lightning.

 

In Maryland, we have some black bear, but they are mostly in the western portion of the state.. so I never had a dangerous predator encounter. I have seen a wild hog with piglets tree 2 guys. From all that I have heard, a wild pig with piglets is as dangerous as a grizzly bear with cubs.

 

I see a bunch have said they carry or will start carrying side arms.. make sure to check you local game laws. In at least some states, it is illegal to carry a firearm during bowseason. They could possibly consider it poaching or attempting to poach..