Unforgettable experiences in nature while hunting

Not hunting but yesterday the wife is in the living room and hear a crash and she starts yelling. A big bird just hit the picture window. Outside in the flower bed I find a sharp shinned hawk that has been using my feeder for the last 4-5 years(keeps the sparrows wary LOL).

He is on the ground splayed out and not in very good shape. Gather him up into a cat carrier and get in touch with the local wildlife rehab place. They tell me to keep it quiet and bring it over in a couple hours as they are just doing a surgery. Couple hours later and after a quick check and shot, by the bird guy I am in possession of a smaller than a chicken bird that has the attitude of an eagle.

Did my good deed and released him back at home and saw him do a fly by this afternoon. People seem so shocked when a hunter like myself goes out of their way to help injured critters.
 
Driving on an ancient logging road overgrown with brush in Northern Ontario. Absolutely no tracks on the soft dirt, so we must have been the first people there in years. Finally cleared the tunnel of branches and made it to an open aspen field. The instant we cleared the branches, some older guy clutching a .22 appears out of nowhere and stumbles across the road, no more than 5 feet in front of the truck! Buddy had to slam the brakes to miss him...

He goes maybe another 5 feet in from the road, turns to face us and "hides" behind a 6" diameter aspen! We stop the truck, roll down the window and ask if he's OK. He decides to keep "hiding" behind the tree and doesn't respond. About a minute later, he tilts his head sideways and asks if we are MNR... He's relieved to find out we're no,t so with glazed eyes and a stumbling gate he continues on his way. Absolutely tanked in the middle of nowhere!
 
Ravens in Iqaluit. They would...each in turn...perch on a hydro wire, flip upside down hanging on with their claws then let go and drop like a dead stone, only to recover just above the ground, fly back up to the wire and do it again. Or when two would deke out a dog for its food. One would distract and the other go in back for the kibble.

Or the time at the very back of a farm in Prince Edward County with nothing around for miles. A beagle with something in his mouth appears out of nowhere. He drops a recently caught groundhog on my boot, looks up wagging his tail, got his pat and a 'good boy" after which he picked up his prize and trotted off. He just had to brag to somebody.
 
Had a memory jumpe t'ween me ears.
Nawt shure oww old I t'was, maybe early teens, late singles?
Dad's buddy came'n picked me up at the house.
Ventured back to Annacis Island tuh hunt pheasants.
Farmers fields with him and his two pointers.
I saw'im x the field, then he disappeared.
No chit.
Maybe it t'wuzz me that disappeared as I remember fawl'in down.
Me bawlzs were wet'n I wuzz stuck.
I hawlller'd hizz name.
Took'im ah while tuh find me.
Good thing that fruck'in mote wuzz'in full oar I woodawf drown'd.
He pulled me out by me bawrill.
Never new 'bout them irrigayshun ditchizz they had owt there...……………..:sok2
Scarey chit.
 
bogusiii said:
Ravens in Iqaluit. They would...each in turn...perch on a hydro wire, flip upside down hanging on with their claws then let go and drop like a dead stone, only to recover just above the ground, fly back up to the wire and do it again. Or when two would deke out a dog for its food. One would distract and the other go in back for the kibble.

Or the time at the very back of a farm in Prince Edward County with nothing around for miles. A beagle with something in his mouth appears out of nowhere. He drops a recently caught groundhog on my boot, looks up wagging his tail, got his pat and a 'good boy" after which he picked up his prize and trotted off. He just had to brag to somebody.
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We watched crows sliding on a shed roof in the snow one year. Pretty awesome! They would flop over on their sides and slide down the roof, flip back up and fly up to the top again.
 
Bowhunting for spring black bear once, was driving up the mountain when I saw what I thought was a nice boar cross the logging road in front of me and go into an overgrown cut. Decided to keep going and circle back and try to put a stalk on it. It was in tall growth and berry bushes, I crept along where I saw it enter the cut when all of the sudden I heard some movement and a big black silhouette with a white chest patch appeared in my peripheral, and here is this bear at eye level, within arms reach. We both froze, until 2 things became apparent, it was a sow, and its cub began to cry 20-30 yards away with me in the middle. Still face to face she lost her mind, smacking her teeth, throwing her head, making every bear sound I could've ever imagined, i started slowly backing up with my bow up as a shield, with a can of spray in the other hand, she reared up and started thrashing trees, then started running and pacing around. Eventually we both put some distance between each other and she was able to run in front of me and get to her cub. Never really been very concerned with a black bear attack before, but I've also never been within swinging distance of an angry sow.

Couple years ago, morning turkey hunting. Set my blind up and was just watching the sun slowly start coming up in the horizon, when a nosey doe began stomping along 100 yards away. She eventually left me alone, I thought, until 15 minutes later when she circled around and stuck her head in the window of my blind. I said "hey there" and she blew so hard my ears were practically ringing before almost completing a backflip.

My first sit of archery season this year, ended up sitting on the ground on a field edge in a leafy suit. After a few hours a fawn came flying out of the bush 20 yards to my right and into the corn. Shortly later another fawn and two does came running out, and stopped in my shooting lane. I was debating taking one of the does when I heard a grunt from my 5oclock. After a few seconds a buck was standing at arms reach to my right. I could see him staring at me from the corner of my eye, all I could do was sit still and try to calm my breathing, as well as close my eyes. I thought for sure I was busted, I could smell him, how could he not scent me. For an honest 2 minutes he stared at me, occasionally glancing at the does. He grunted in my ear several times. Then he cautiously steps forward, then again, and again until he circles 5 yards in front of me, pausing with each step to stare me down. Eventually he ended up 15 yards away, quartered towards me in my shooting lane, still staring, until one of the other deer rustled in the corn, which gave me enough time to put one in the lungs. Never thought I would've ever got a chance at that deer, but somehow it just worked out. My hands didn't stop shaking the entire 15 minutes I waited after the shot before recovery.
 
Think I’ve posted this before but on a deer hunt near Green Lake in BC I had a Great Grey Owl dive bomb my toque and then land 3’ from me. Not sure what to do I started talking to it and after a couple min said let’s go and it hopped down the road with me. Good 500’ to the trucks with us all meeting (two trucks ,6 people and one idiot walking his owl) at “ the spot” .i asked how everyone’s day was , they just stared at my new friend, I got some pics with owl by them and then wondered off with owl while there was still daylight to hunt. All total it was with me for nearly an hour, I whispered to it and it cocked it’s head blinked a lot and made quiet little noises to me. One of the neatest days of my life and still talked about by some great friends and one idiot.
 
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I was sitting on the side of a logging road one late afternoon during moose hunting. I could hear an owl above me in the big spruce tree I was sitting under. All of a sudden, out comes a rabbit and sits on the side of the road. I hear a whoosh, and the great horned owl (I think it's the English name?) swoops down and nails it. It took a good 2-3 minutes to kill. I wish all these Disney lovers and Circle of lifers could see this.

This may sound a little corny, but my most treasured moments in the bush are early morning, sitting in my deer stand, when the forest wakes up - you start hearing and seeing the squirrels, mice, the chickadees come in to feed (I almost always have some see for them on my stand). The peace and quiet are awe-inspiring. It's when I say my most heartfelt prayers, and, being a story-teller, when I create some of my best stories.
 
mbogo3 said:
Their wings are silent.
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No, they're not. I've had several fly near and over me, and they do make a whooshing sound. When we were kids and had snaring lines for rabbits, we used to come upon them quite often, and you can hear them, almost the same as a crow/raven flying by.
 
They're pretty quiet. Had one go right by as it went for a crayfish.Barely heard a thing and 5 seconds later the owl was back by my head then ripping it apart.

Will share one: in a boat with wife whale watching and saw one (a whale) by another boat closer to shore. Guide killed the motor and our boat ( a large zodiac ) drifted toward it. Whale came to our boat and started scratching his back on the rubber. Amazingly gentle for a 40 foot whale just moved with the waves. Guide said okay to touch it so I was over there checking it out. Whale blew his ( or her) blowhole right up my nose. Think about it : 8 foot long mouth, rotting little sea creature bits and no such thing as a whale tooth brush. I had that horrible smell in my nose 24/7 for SEVERAL months. An unforgettable nature encounter.
 
Papaclaude said:
No, they're not. I've had several fly near and over me, and they do make a whooshing sound. When we were kids and had snaring lines for rabbits, we used to come upon them quite often, and you can hear them, almost the same as a crow/raven flying by.
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Having some owls live in the trees on my property I can say that they definitely do not make almost the same noise as a raven flying by. I can hear a raven flying before it clears the 100' tall trees 200 yds away, but I don't hear the owls flying 20 yds from me.
 
Bfranklin said:
Having some owls live in the trees on my property I can say that they definitely do not make almost the same noise as a raven flying by. I can hear a raven flying before it clears the 100' tall trees 200 yds away, but I don't hear the owls flying 20 yds from me.
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I think you’re both right , I’ve heard Owls flying by and I’ve ( only) seen Owls flying by when hunting. I believe they spend a great deal of time preening in preparation for a hunting flight and this alignment of feathers makes them almost silent.
 
broadhead67 said:
I think you’re both right , I’ve heard Owls flying by and I’ve ( only) seen Owls flying by when hunting. I believe they spend a great deal of time preening in preparation for a hunting flight and this alignment of feathers makes them almost silent.
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The owls I was referring to are the "grand duc" - I don't know the English name, but AFAIK, they're the biggest of the owls. And you can definitely hear them taking off, both from trees and from the ground. But hey, if some of you don't want to believe me, it's no sweat off my nose.
 
while on a ridge looking for caribou in northern quebec i was with 3 hunters looking for caribou when we heard suddenly geese. they rested there for the night and they flown away from us without leaving us with droppings of blueberries. 4 of us covered of blue berry like goose dropping. a story to never forget...
 
Had a Great Horned one year that roosted close to one of my stands when I was bow hunting years ago. In the evenings he would quite often land within feet of me and wait until dark to go about his business. You could hear him just as he landed and took off but from 20 ft you wouldn't hear anything. Bugger would see every twitch and blink no matter what way he was looking but those talons close up are nothing but impressive.
 
Papaclaude said:
I was sitting on the side of a logging road one late afternoon during moose hunting. I could hear an owl above me in the big spruce tree I was sitting under. All of a sudden, out comes a rabbit and sits on the side of the road. I hear a whoosh, and the great horned owl (I think it's the English name?) swoops down and nails it. It took a good 2-3 minutes to kill. I wish all these Disney lovers and Circle of lifers could see this.

This may sound a little corny, but my most treasured moments in the bush are early morning, sitting in my deer stand, when the forest wakes up - you start hearing and seeing the squirrels, mice, the chickadees come in to feed (I almost always have some see for them on my stand). The peace and quiet are awe-inspiring. It's when I say my most heartfelt prayers, and, being a story-teller, when I create some of my best stories.
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Several years ago I was rabbit hunting in January with easily knee deep snow northern Alberta boreal forest.
And in some places thigh or even hip deep.

I heard a commotion that turned out to be 20-25 yards away. A single cry of small animal branches letting loose thier burden of snow then nothing.

Ten minutes later I get to the spot where a large bird of prey swooped down and literally picked up a rabbit I had disturbed from its snowy enclave.

The whole episode evidenced by the wing marks in the snow right next to medium size spruce tree and other disturbance from brief struggle. Pretty sure it was an observant owl taking advantage of an opportunity presented by my snowy walk.
 
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