Scariest moment in my life....
- Natenlsn2
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Scariest moment in my life....
So just last night I started the thread about preadator sign near bedding....little did I know that several hours later I would be standing in a buck bedroom and have the craziest, scariest experience of my life to date. Here is my story!
I wanted to go out in the woods scouting in this new area that I’ve never been before. It is on an oxbow of a river. I was just watching Dans newest YouTube video and he talked about Oxbows so it got me interested to do some scouting! It was a very cold -8 degree morning. I took my dog Leo out with me and we were searching along the river for buck beds. We were about a half mile walk back in the woods when we got to the spot where I wanted to get. We started looking around and found 3 nice buck beds in the snow on the oxbow just as Dan said it would be, so this was a nice predictable deer bedding area. We went up onto the hillside a little further away from the river towards the main body of water and turned around and I heard some noise coming through the snow about about 25 yards away from us at this point. I saw flash of something coming through and I thought it was a deer initially (which was confusing to me because a deer wouldn’t be 20 yards away from me out in the woods since they are so afraid of humans in big woods areas), but then out steps behind the tree the biggest wolf that I’ve ever seen in my life....and he is standing 20 yards away… And it just so happens that I decided that morning not to bring my pistol with me Dummy mistake. Luckily Leo was standing right next to me and I reached down and grabbed his collar. Leo didn’t bark or do anything he just sat there and was probably just about as scared as I was. The wolf was standing over our back trail sniffing where we had just walked. Come to find out later Leo had a small cut on his foot and was leaving little drops of blood in our trail every seven or 8 feet. So this wolf was standing 20 yards away from us following our blood trail, I don’t have a pistol, and it is the biggest wolf I’ve ever seen in my life. The wolf was a grey, white, tan mix with a huge barrel chest....absolutely massive...it looked like a mountain dog. Not exaggerating, he was at least 140 pounds, he looked bigger than me....And so I did the only thing that I could do...I yelled in the nastiest fiercest way I could and it didn’t move....he wasn’t even afraid of me!!! He kept sniffing the blood trail...I yelled again and it looked up at me, and then it slowly trotted back from where it came.
At this point the danger was far from over because we needed to get back a half miles to the truck. For all I know, we might have been part of an ambush with a pack of wolves. After a few moments of waiting and processing what to do next, I decided to keep hold of Leo’s collar to head back....but Leo didn’t want to move… He was pretty scared. Very thankful though that he didn’t go berserk because that could’ve resulted in both of us getting attacked by the wolf. So I finally got Leo going took about 10 yards at a time...stop...look around....wait then move another 10 yards stop...look around....wait. We did this for a quarter-mile and then we felt comfortable enough to run 30 yards stop and wait. We did that the rest of the way back to the truck. Made it back safely. I learned a pretty valuable lessons this morning. Bring your stupid gun with you! It does no good sitting in your gun cabinet, and it is not a fun feeling to know you are being hunted!! This experience gives me some serious respect for deer who live under incredible stress with cold hard winters and predators hunting them 24/7. Just my one experience was absolutely terrifying...imagine what these deer go through on a daily basis....Welcome to the Northwoods!
Nathan Nelson
Still Water Outdoors
I wanted to go out in the woods scouting in this new area that I’ve never been before. It is on an oxbow of a river. I was just watching Dans newest YouTube video and he talked about Oxbows so it got me interested to do some scouting! It was a very cold -8 degree morning. I took my dog Leo out with me and we were searching along the river for buck beds. We were about a half mile walk back in the woods when we got to the spot where I wanted to get. We started looking around and found 3 nice buck beds in the snow on the oxbow just as Dan said it would be, so this was a nice predictable deer bedding area. We went up onto the hillside a little further away from the river towards the main body of water and turned around and I heard some noise coming through the snow about about 25 yards away from us at this point. I saw flash of something coming through and I thought it was a deer initially (which was confusing to me because a deer wouldn’t be 20 yards away from me out in the woods since they are so afraid of humans in big woods areas), but then out steps behind the tree the biggest wolf that I’ve ever seen in my life....and he is standing 20 yards away… And it just so happens that I decided that morning not to bring my pistol with me Dummy mistake. Luckily Leo was standing right next to me and I reached down and grabbed his collar. Leo didn’t bark or do anything he just sat there and was probably just about as scared as I was. The wolf was standing over our back trail sniffing where we had just walked. Come to find out later Leo had a small cut on his foot and was leaving little drops of blood in our trail every seven or 8 feet. So this wolf was standing 20 yards away from us following our blood trail, I don’t have a pistol, and it is the biggest wolf I’ve ever seen in my life. The wolf was a grey, white, tan mix with a huge barrel chest....absolutely massive...it looked like a mountain dog. Not exaggerating, he was at least 140 pounds, he looked bigger than me....And so I did the only thing that I could do...I yelled in the nastiest fiercest way I could and it didn’t move....he wasn’t even afraid of me!!! He kept sniffing the blood trail...I yelled again and it looked up at me, and then it slowly trotted back from where it came.
At this point the danger was far from over because we needed to get back a half miles to the truck. For all I know, we might have been part of an ambush with a pack of wolves. After a few moments of waiting and processing what to do next, I decided to keep hold of Leo’s collar to head back....but Leo didn’t want to move… He was pretty scared. Very thankful though that he didn’t go berserk because that could’ve resulted in both of us getting attacked by the wolf. So I finally got Leo going took about 10 yards at a time...stop...look around....wait then move another 10 yards stop...look around....wait. We did this for a quarter-mile and then we felt comfortable enough to run 30 yards stop and wait. We did that the rest of the way back to the truck. Made it back safely. I learned a pretty valuable lessons this morning. Bring your stupid gun with you! It does no good sitting in your gun cabinet, and it is not a fun feeling to know you are being hunted!! This experience gives me some serious respect for deer who live under incredible stress with cold hard winters and predators hunting them 24/7. Just my one experience was absolutely terrifying...imagine what these deer go through on a daily basis....Welcome to the Northwoods!
Nathan Nelson
Still Water Outdoors
- Tim H
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Re: Scariest moment in my life....
Scary experience for sure! I think an experience like that might happen to me in my set of bigwoods when I bring my dog with. So I’m hesitant to bring her with. Glad it all worked out alright for you.
- Babshaft
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Re: Scariest moment in my life....
Man that’s a crazy story! Glad to hear you guys are alright. Makes me think I should bring one scouting more often!
- JAK
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Re: Scariest moment in my life....
Very scary that is one thing that scares me to death about being in the woods glad your un harmed. Where I hunt hear in Wisconsin we seem to have more and more encounters every year. They don't seem to be scared of humans. Guy in my gun hunting group had a run in with one on a drive said it charged him he. He was almost in tears telling us about it he was so shoken up by it. Scouting and bow hunting I've always got my pistol.
- Jackson Marsh
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Re: Scariest moment in my life....
Being tracked by a wolf doesn't sound like fun. Glad you made it out okay. Wolves really do a number on dogs I've heard.
- Dewey
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Re: Scariest moment in my life....
Cool encounter but scary at the same time especially since you didn’t have a gun. I’m sure the wolf wanted to kill Leo so good thing he was close to you and not running out of sight because it could have gone real bad really quick.
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Re: Scariest moment in my life....
I've had several run ins with wolves up in Manitoba including a pack of 7 while on a multi day hiking trip. Their numbers have really grown in recent years and I get them on trail cams all the time. The chance of a human attack is extremely low, but having a pet with you completely changes the dynamic. Glad you and your dog made it out OK.
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Re: Scariest moment in my life....
Glad we don’t have wolves around here, that would be scary for sure!
Few years ago I had a estimated 300 pound black bear face to face with me on the ground, I started video taping him on my phone and could not believe he just kept coming toward me until he was about 5 feet away, I started talking to him and he just held his ground for about 10 seconds until he turned and ran, then he came back a few minutes later, I stood up and yelled he ran a ways and started coming back again, I was hunting for a doe on the ground in the edge of standing corn, I decided that I didn’t need a foe that bad when he started back the third time.
I was scouting a frozen swamp yesterday and jumped a nice buck out of a bed, I followed him hoping to learn where he felt comfortable to move through that public swamp, he took me to what I’d call a micro island maybe 8-10 feet in elevation higher than the rest of the terrain with a handful of swamp oaks on it, I smelled a musky skunk smell when the wind picked up, I continued to follow the buck tracks and came across a fresh set of bear tracks in the snow, I back tracked them to this what looked like a nest in the red brush about 18-24 inches down in the ice and snow, it was roughly 2 feet around and the sapling next to it had the bark peeled aprox 3-4 feet up from the nest, I always thought bears hibernate under ground and have never found anything like that in NW PA especially in February, funny thing is I always carry bear spray when hunting or scouting this swamp and before I left my girlfriend said don’t forget your bear spray and I told her how bears are not out this time of year, got the I told you so for that one.
Few years ago I had a estimated 300 pound black bear face to face with me on the ground, I started video taping him on my phone and could not believe he just kept coming toward me until he was about 5 feet away, I started talking to him and he just held his ground for about 10 seconds until he turned and ran, then he came back a few minutes later, I stood up and yelled he ran a ways and started coming back again, I was hunting for a doe on the ground in the edge of standing corn, I decided that I didn’t need a foe that bad when he started back the third time.
I was scouting a frozen swamp yesterday and jumped a nice buck out of a bed, I followed him hoping to learn where he felt comfortable to move through that public swamp, he took me to what I’d call a micro island maybe 8-10 feet in elevation higher than the rest of the terrain with a handful of swamp oaks on it, I smelled a musky skunk smell when the wind picked up, I continued to follow the buck tracks and came across a fresh set of bear tracks in the snow, I back tracked them to this what looked like a nest in the red brush about 18-24 inches down in the ice and snow, it was roughly 2 feet around and the sapling next to it had the bark peeled aprox 3-4 feet up from the nest, I always thought bears hibernate under ground and have never found anything like that in NW PA especially in February, funny thing is I always carry bear spray when hunting or scouting this swamp and before I left my girlfriend said don’t forget your bear spray and I told her how bears are not out this time of year, got the I told you so for that one.
Persistence pays!!!
- tgreeno
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Re: Scariest moment in my life....
Wow, What an encounter! I rarely carry a firearm with me while scouting. Usually have a couple knives on me though. I don't believe there are any wolves in my neck of the woods anyways.
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It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid, than to open it an remove all doubt
It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid, than to open it an remove all doubt
- wolverinebuckman
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Re: Scariest moment in my life....
Hey Nathan, I don't think the wolf would have come after you with that smell coming from your pants...
Glad you and your dog are OK!
Glad you and your dog are OK!
Bummer of a birthmark, Hal.
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Re: Scariest moment in my life....
I'll take the snakes and gators here... wolves are on a different level of scary.
Make It Happen
- Dewey
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Re: Scariest moment in my life....
tgreeno wrote:Wow, What an encounter! I rarely carry a firearm with me while scouting. Usually have a couple knives on me though. I don't believe there are any wolves in my neck of the woods anyways.
That cougar pic I posted earlier today was taken near Rosendale. I would say that’s pretty close to you and just as bad as a wolf.
- tgreeno
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Re: Scariest moment in my life....
Dewey wrote:tgreeno wrote:Wow, What an encounter! I rarely carry a firearm with me while scouting. Usually have a couple knives on me though. I don't believe there are any wolves in my neck of the woods anyways.
That cougar pic I posted earlier today was taken near Rosendale. I would say that’s pretty close to you and just as bad as a wolf.
I didn't see that. I know there's been big cat sightings around this area for the last couple years. That's why I carry 2 knives
I'm too old and tough for them to bother with
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It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid, than to open it an remove all doubt
It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid, than to open it an remove all doubt
- Stanley
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Re: Scariest moment in my life....
Always carry a gun and change of underwear.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
- Net Guy
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Re: Scariest moment in my life....
Wow what a scary experience. I had a wolf follow me out of a woods once. Of course, no gun either. talk about an adrenaline rush. I can still vividly remember that long walk out hearing them follow me.
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