Ever been scared in the woods?

A couple of times.

Once when walking out to a deer stand I had to cross a small clearing about 2 hours before daylight in a heavy fog. All at once I was attacked by a furry creature with about 30 hairy arms......or so I thought, as the covey of quail that I had stepped into flew away

Another time I had drawn a draw hunt tag at the Salt plains National Refuge for an archery deer hunt the first week in October.
I drove to my spot and did a quick scouting job and found a brushpile where lots of big logs and brush had been pushed while making a right-of-way for a fence. Lots of deer tracks coming in this area, so I got into a hole in the brushpile big enough to draw my bow and waited. About an hour later I heard movment to my right, actually at my right foot as it turned out.
I watched and sweated blood while a 5 1/2' western diamond back slithered about 6" from my foot as he exited the brush pile. When he was gone, I looked around for his daddy, or brother, and then left the area looking for a private place to clean out my shorts.

I was walking into the woods for opening morning of muzzloader a few years ago and got into a bad deal. I had walked about a half mile down the railroad tracks and climbed off onto the bluff above a old slough. I walked a little ways down the bluff and all the sudden had a BIG sounding dog barking right in front of me in the dark. I know my neck of the woods so I dont carry a flashlight :. I stood beside a big tree waiting for light and trying to see the dog. All the sudden I can hear 2 more animals walking in the leaves, 1 on either side of me. I could see the railroad but had a big row of green briars between me and it. I stood there a couple minutes debating and then made a dash for the railroad. I figured I had 1 shot in the gun and then I would need some room to use it for a bat. I made it to the railroad, bleeding from the knees down and turned around to nothing, the barking stopped and everything got real quiet. I hiked back to where we parked, rounded up my hunting buddy and the 45 out of his truck and back we went. Never found the dogs but did see some huge paw prints. This permenently changed the way I hunt down here on the river. I WONT be undergunned again!!

Was calling turkys one spring and hear something comming from behind me in the leavs, thought it was some turkeys. Nope it was a 'yote putting the stalk on the "Hen" it was listening to. Neither of us knew we were wrong till it peeked around the tree I was sitting next to. YIPES!

Buddy of mine and I were calling in 'yotees with a digital rabbit call. I was set up with the 22-2fiddy and you know how you get that feeling something is comming with out hearing or seeing it. I slowly turn my head and at about 15ft is a young bobcat stalking my way. I didn't move and the cat didn't stop till it stepped on my lap. I figgured one of us was going to start bleeding really soon so I froze except for my heart that jump out of my chest and ran to the truck. Cat finally went behing me and just disappeared!

Been chased up a tree by a buck that was standing at my truck sniffing acorn scent and wasn't thru appearantly. Other than that there is one stand location that I get the willies going back to my truck at dark.

Back in early 90's while in college,I had one hell of a night.
I just got done with my game warden class,It was around 10:00 p.m.
Their is a trail from the college campus to the apartment complex where,I lived at the time.
This trail is around 400 yards long & no lights what so ever on the trail @ night.
The moon light is all,I had to go by to navigate on the trail that night.
Cause,I left my flashlight @ the apartment."Bonehead move of the night" !!!

Well,I hit the trail and started the some what long walk back to the pad.
I was all by myself on the trail that night.I had a very erie felling something had been watching me & tracking me @ the same time.
It was time to pick up the pace and get going ...double time back to the pad.
Being very cold outside around 30 degrees that night,It was not so easy walking fast.
I was about one quarter of the way on the trail & started to slow back down but not for long.
Looking over on my left hand side was a Mt.Lion .
O' great!!!What do,I do now ???.......RUN !!!
I was off like a bolt of lighting,I could hear the cat was right on my ASS.
Nothing else was on my mind but to keep running like the wind.
Finally,I was back to the apartment complex with lights...YES.
Well so,I [email protected] the time.The Mt.Lion had taken the higher road & was still on my ass like a deer.
Well,I started screaming get a gun...get a gun.My room mate & friends were outside BBQ'n & heard me.
My room mate ran inside & grabbed my S&W 629 44 Mag & came a running to me.
When he got to me the Mt.Lion was at a stand still about 20 feet high on a ridge that was above the road we were now walking on.
I grabbed my 44 from my room mate Chris @ shot off a warning shot @ the cat.
Nothing,He just jumped back & then got pissed off & was screaming @ us.
My buddy @ the bbq had called the local game warden.[ I had just left his class but minutes earlier.]
He showed up about 5 minutes after,I had shot off the warning shot.
He asked what was going on? I said get out of your truck & look up on the hill,Bill.
So he did just that.When he layed eye on a "Hugh" 'Tom Cougar'.That just now was in mid air he unloaded a full clip of 40 cal into him.
It was a close call.

Needless to say, we had around 200 college kids attention that night.
The following week in class,I got to case skin that cougar for a full body mount.
My professor & local game warden, Bill had only put 3 rounds in the chest of that cougar.
Not to bad of shooting for a cougar that was about to have him for din din.
I guess it scared the crap out of him as well as it did me.

The following year the cougar was mounted & put in the classroom.

Ive had 3 things happen that gave me the willys. #1: New Mexico, first Antelope hunt. After a dinner of hot links and beer, My gut woke me up at midnight. It was all I could do to get outa my sleeping bag and the tent. We had our portable toiler set up in an old grain bin, which had a very small submarine type door. I was headed for it when I heard a noise. I turned and shined my light in the direction of out skinning tree and saw yellow eyes glowing back at me. I was about to [email protected]#$ on myself and continued to the toilet. When I got done, I shined my light back over to where I had seen the eyes and they were gone. I went back to bed. The next morning when i got up, I went to the tree to haul off the remains we had left there from the previous days skinning and gutting. They were gone, but I did see claw marks on the ground. Then I found the remains close by, buried under leaves and limbs. I immediately thought "bear" since they have been seen in the area. Well it wasnt a bear, it was a cougar. Luckily I had to go so bad I didnt go to investigate first. I had to go so bad, I didnt grab my Glock 10mm. Its with me always now. My buddy sleeps with ear plugs in, so if the cougar would have got me, he never would have heard me screaming. Can you imagine waking up on a trip and getting out of the tent and finding your buddy dead and have no clue what happened while you slept? Im just glad it didnt decide to come in my makeshift bathroom with me. It might have gotten a bucket full of blue water in its face. #2: I was walking to my stand in the morning. All the sudden I heard a "whoosh" go by my head. I instinctively ducked and saw the dark shape of a huge Owl souring skyward after trying to take my head off. What unnerved me about it was a buddy of mine had recently been attacked by an Owl and almost lost one of his eyes. He was bow hunting in his treestand, when all the sudden he had an Owl on his head. Dont know if it just landed there thinking he was part of the tree or if it actually saw him move and thought it was an easy meal. When he started flailing around it evidently hung on good and almost clawed out his eye. #3: I had just walked across an Alfalfa field in the pitch black morning and just reached the base of my stand. Just as I was fixing to crawl up, I heard something very close walking up behind me in the leaves. I turned around and was ready with my muzzleloader, but it was so dark I couldnt see a thing. I sat at the ready, whatever it was it was prob 10 yards from me. Finally it blew, it was a deer, and you know how that sound can startled you, just add close range and pitch black. It went out into the field and kept blowing. I still dont know if it was a buck or doe.