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Scary or Weird Experience while hunting.

I was in stopped traffic on the interstate on my way to Montreal to watch my buddy pitch. Couldn’t see anything causing it so I rolled my window down and ask the dude next to me what was up. “Moose in the road” was his answer. “Can’t we just get it out of the road?”, I asked. “Moose does what moose wants to do” was his reply,
 
I have two, one mine and one my best bud growing up, both back home in AK:
First, his, weird.
One summer during high school he was wanting some side money so he helped out a guy in our church who was a hunting guide. This guy used to do guided hunts deeeeep in the interior of Alaska, the fly in and camp for a week kind. One hunt they were around the 66th parallel scouting for potential hunting grounds when they came upon a high black fence topped with razor wire. Literally in the middle of BFE nowhere. Understand this was Call of the Wild big woods miles from anyone. Before internet and gps. They started walking the parameter of the fence for what my bud says was probably 10 minutes when they hear a helicopter. Then multiple helicopters. As they get closer they see they’re black helicopters with no markings. The helicopters circle them and then land with black clad troops spilling out and running at them with rifles. They were put on the ground and then questioned as to their intentions and how they found the installation as it was called. My bud told them they were hunting guides and literally found it on accident. Understand folks this was in the early 90s, no internet, no gps, no nothing and the guide plan hadn’t seen the installation from the air. After being questioned for what my bud said was prolly close to 30 minutes they were bagged and then placed in the helicopter and flown for an indeterminate amount of time to around the 62nd parallel slightly north of Palmer. They were deposited on the ground and told to wait for their guide plane to pick them up which it did a few hours later. My bud said the guide plane shop got a call from an unknown number to pick them up. They were issued strict instructions to never return. No threat, no ultimatum, just don’t return. I’ve know that guy since elementary school. He’s not given to story telling or embellishing and is a tough dude. When he told me that story he was scared. I’ve heard stories of military intelligence installations deep in the mountains as well as HARP project installations and listening posts. We always figured it was something like that.
Next is mine, scary.
My cousins and I were bear hunting off the resurrection trail off resurrection pass again back home in AK. We had been in the woods for a couple days for a week hunt and were in good spirits. We were at about 2k feet IIRC, right around there and were looking for a late summer bear. We spotted what looked like a boar on a mountainside across the valley from us early morning so we spent the rest of the day working our way towards it. Brush and woods and be thick in those parts so we were pretty tired by the end of the day but the boar hadn’t gone too far so we set up camp for the night with the intention of picking up his trail the next morning. Evening went uneventful and we set off the next morning looking for fresh sign after breaking camp. After an hour we had picked up the trail of a good sized brownie and were closing in or so we thought. The bear seemed to be taking an almost drunkenly course up and down the mountainside and haphazard.
After half a day of tracking sign we came to the realization that not only had this bear led us in a circle, it had led us in a circle BACK ONTO OUR OWN TRACKS and had been tracking US for the entire day while we were tracking it. Once that dawned on us we had a group powwow and decide that yup, we didn’t really need to harvest a bear this season and sure, we could I’ve with that decision and yes, we could probably start our hike out right now. So we hiked out with glances over our shoulder the entire way. After about 4 hours? maybe? We came up on top of a rise and looking back down the trail behind us prolly 2 miles back was the brownie, just moseying along munching on berries. Not the biggest brownie I’ve seen but prolly a 700-800lb boar and not to be trifled with for sure. We kept pushing until almost dark and then broke cold camp well off the trail, didn’t see that brownie again. I haven’t been bear hunting again since then. I like to think I’m a fairly level headed and tough individual but that unnerved me to my core. There’s something primal about knowing you are being hunted and knowing it’s an apex predator that is hunting you. Bears don’t engage in that type of behavior because they’re curious.
 
I've hunted black bears and been around a few while fishing but elk hunting in western Colorado, I was sitting in a stand about 7' off the ground when the biggest black I've ever seen strolled out of the timber about 75 yds away. He walked over to a camera that someone had over a stock tank and grabbed hold of it in his mouth and completely smashed it. He proceeded to the tank and crawled in like a big kid. When he got out he came to the tree I was in and sat down looking up @me. I don't mind saying I was really nervous at this point. I kept talking to him hoping he would decide I wasn't worth it. My Black Widow seemed really insufficient now. Finally he just walked off but left a real impression on me. I don't care if I ever shoot another bear!
 
I was fishing a very large private pond that was loaded with huge largemouth bass and slab bluegills, from the bank. The weeds were pretty tall and most of the bank wasn't attainable to fish, but the fishing was awesome. :) It was windy, but not so much that I couldn't make a decent cast.
Suddenly the wind shifts and increases....a lot. o_O On a clear blue sky day, this wasn't even close to being normal, so I'm looking up and around in the sky. That's when I see an Army Apache helicopter "parked" (in whisper mode) hovering above and behind me about 150 yards. I notice the pilot and co-pilot are waving at me. I turned and saluted them, then they gave me a "thumbs up" and flew off. :cool:
 
BowhunterXC said:
I was fishing a very large private pond that was loaded with huge largemouth bass and slab bluegills, from the bank. The weeds were pretty tall and most of the bank wasn't attainable to fish, but the fishing was awesome. :) It was windy, but not so much that I couldn't make a decent cast.
Suddenly the wind shifts and increases....a lot. o_O On a clear blue sky day, this wasn't even close to being normal, so I'm looking up and around in the sky. That's when I see an Army Apache helicopter "parked" (in whisper mode) hovering above and behind me about 150 yards. I notice the pilot and co-pilot are waving at me. I turned and saluted them, then they gave me a "thumbs up" and flew off. :cool:
Click to expand...

How in the world do they do that? Them things are so dad blamed loud when they fly over here I've wondered how they sneak into anywhere. Those and the big dual rotor chinooks fly over alot.

BT
 
Was out WAY early one morning about 30 years ago. Had just started bow hunting, and knew nothing much. Was sitting in my stand, heard a scream in the far distance. Kinda ignored it, then heard it again, but closer. Pitch black out, and eventually I heard walking in the leaves. Can't see 10 feet. The walking stops at the base of my tree. Then another scream. I grab some arrows and start climbing as fast as I could. Figured I could at least stab the hell out of whatever it was once it got close enough. Something climbs the tree, then stops. I hear my tree stand creak. I'm about 10 feet above it now. Next thing I hear is a "tink...tink....tink". Eventually I hear whatever it was climb down. Waited about 10 minutes, climbed back down to my stand. Daylight finally arrived, and I start looking things over. Find 3 separate, light claw marks on my bow limbs. Bobcat had climbed up, and was swatting at my bow like a toy is all I can figure. Managed to keep the underwear dry and streak free somehow. Since then, I've shot 3 of them off that same property while bow hunting.
 
Only other scary thing I've had happen was hunting with an outfitter in B.C. about 8-9 years ago. Was chasing elk around the mountains and not having any luck. Was lucky and had 2 guides with me that day. Guides decided to take me to an area they hadn't hunted for a few years. We make about a 1 1/2 mile walk uphill through some of the nastiest stuff I have ever seen, and about 10-12 feet tall. Can't even see the guide 10 yards in front of me. Get up to where we are going to set up, above the nasty. I start looking around, and there are caves everywhere. I can count 13 of them from where we're sitting. Guide tells me those are grizzly dens. In hindsight, that explains the name of "Grizzly Basin" that we are hunting. See a few cows and a spike come out at about 450 yards. Bullet bulgling out of the trees. Keep waiting him out. Gets darker and darker. Finally too dark to shoot, so we head out. Get about 50 yards back into the nasty brush, and hear walking off to our side, about 40 yards away. It's walking parallel to us. Guide stops and waves me to him. He says "That's a bear. It's tracking us. If you see brown, even if it's on one of us, just start shooting at the brown". I said "What if the person the bear is on gets hit?" His answer "That bullet is not going to hurt half as much, or do half the damage that a grizzly will. JUST SHOOT." The bear followed us the entire way back down the side of the mountain, stopping just 20-30 yards short of coming out onto the trail we had to take back to camp. The first day of being in camp, we went out to scout from a good vantage point. When we returned, there was a grizzly track right about 150 yards down the creek from our camp. We had crossed that creek on our way out, and the track wasn't there then. I wear a size 11 boot, and that track was a good 2 inches longer than my boot print. Kinda set the feel for the entire hunt. lol
 
I spent a few years in SE AZ, near the Mexican border. Found a bunch of mining artifacts- near Bisbee and Douglas, old copper and silver mining area. Found dead border crossers twice, and one abandoned by her coyote very close to death; saving her life was a good day. Found other abandoned aliens in better shape on several occasions, Border Patrol was usually pretty close and picked them right up. I always left the house armed, and always carried a long gun into the desert or mountains.

Found some old Mormon graves in the desert, from the 1800s. These are always well-kept. If I remember the history, the Mormon Brigade passed through AZ on their way to Utah, and not everyone finished the trip. I assume the local congregations come out regularly to keep things in order.

Hunting javelina north of Tombstone, circled back on my track and saw mountain lion tracks on top of my own.

Found a few abandoned campsites in Northern MN, collapsed tents, scattered camping gear, etc. I've always been leery of these - people come to Lake Superior to die, and finding one suicide victim is enough for a lifetime. Also, a lot of people come to the North Woods of living like Grizzly Adams, only to find that living off the land is much easier said than done. There are a number of unresolved missing persons cases in and around the BWCA.

Found an abandoned singlewide in the National Forest, busted-out windows, full of busted-up trash, holes in both roof and floor, uninhabitable by anyone, with a healthy boxer puppy tied up on a logging chain by the "door". Gave him some water and jerky until the deputies came with a catch pole. IIRC he was adopted pretty quickly.

Found a fair number of remote camps, but those aren't too exciting. Sometimes a hearth suggesting maple syrup production. Sometimes the frame of an old wigwam or sweat lodge, likely from people keeping the old ways alive.
 
ChudBrockToon said:
Just found this headstone today turkey hunting. Way out in the middle of the forest. Creeped me out. View attachment 116205
Click to expand...
I found a single marker all by itself once way back on state land. It looked too new to have been from before the state acquired the land. I must admit it freaked me out a bit. They've recently logged all that area, I may have to go look to see if its still there this spring.
 
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BTaylor said:
You better leave they/them's hobby horse alone.
Click to expand...
A lot of Finns in the UP. From what I understand, there's something of an enduring tradition among Finnish conscript soldiers on winter field exercises. Apparently the instructors mentor their charges in the proper military procedure to use issued military cutlery to turn ordinary firewood into a "Leirikyrpä"- a "camp (rooster)". So maybe you stumbled into an unfortunate Finnish veteran's abandoned improvised military equipment.


I swear I'm not making this up:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Military/comments/23wec5

https://www.reddit.com/r/Finland/comments/t1za78
 
Iron_llama said:
A lot of Finns in the UP. From what I understand, there's something of an enduring tradition among Finnish conscript soldiers on winter field exercises. Apparently the instructors mentor their charges in the proper military procedure to use issued military cutlery to turn ordinary firewood into a "Leirikyrpä"- a "camp (rooster)". So maybe you stumbled into an unfortunate Finnish veteran's abandoned improvised military equipment.


I swear I'm not making this up:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Military/comments/23wec5

https://www.reddit.com/r/Finland/comments/t1za78
Click to expand...
I dont want to know how you come to find that tidbit. :tearsofjoy:
 
BTaylor said:
I dont want to know how you come to find that tidbit. :tearsofjoy:
Click to expand...
Varusteleka is a Finnish milsurp (and new manufacture) company, a bit like a European version of what Sportsmans Guide was in the 90s. Their social media game is pretty good, and they sponsor a really impressive winter 2-gun competition called Finnish Brutality. Lots of jokes about this piece of Finnish military culture - they have a conscript Army, and a strong culture of civilian military training in peacetime, so these jokes aren't uncommon if you watch enough Finnish content.

www.varusteleka.com

Varusteleka - Military and outdoors specialists

Varusteleka is one of the largest tactical gear and military surplus stores in Europe. Fast worldwide shipping from Finland.
www.varusteleka.com www.varusteleka.com
 
Exhumis said:
I have two, one mine and one my best bud growing up, both back home in AK:
First, his, weird.
One summer during high school he was wanting some side money so he helped out a guy in our church who was a hunting guide. This guy used to do guided hunts deeeeep in the interior of Alaska, the fly in and camp for a week kind. One hunt they were around the 66th parallel scouting for potential hunting grounds when they came upon a high black fence topped with razor wire. Literally in the middle of BFE nowhere. Understand this was Call of the Wild big woods miles from anyone. Before internet and gps. They started walking the parameter of the fence for what my bud says was probably 10 minutes when they hear a helicopter. Then multiple helicopters. As they get closer they see they’re black helicopters with no markings. The helicopters circle them and then land with black clad troops spilling out and running at them with rifles. They were put on the ground and then questioned as to their intentions and how they found the installation as it was called. My bud told them they were hunting guides and literally found it on accident. Understand folks this was in the early 90s, no internet, no gps, no nothing and the guide plan hadn’t seen the installation from the air. After being questioned for what my bud said was prolly close to 30 minutes they were bagged and then placed in the helicopter and flown for an indeterminate amount of time to around the 62nd parallel slightly north of Palmer. They were deposited on the ground and told to wait for their guide plane to pick them up which it did a few hours later. My bud said the guide plane shop got a call from an unknown number to pick them up. They were issued strict instructions to never return. No threat, no ultimatum, just don’t return. I’ve know that guy since elementary school. He’s not given to story telling or embellishing and is a tough dude. When he told me that story he was scared. I’ve heard stories of military intelligence installations deep in the mountains as well as HARP project installations and listening posts. We always figured it was something like that.
Next is mine, scary.
My cousins and I were bear hunting off the resurrection trail off resurrection pass again back home in AK. We had been in the woods for a couple days for a week hunt and were in good spirits. We were at about 2k feet IIRC, right around there and were looking for a late summer bear. We spotted what looked like a boar on a mountainside across the valley from us early morning so we spent the rest of the day working our way towards it. Brush and woods and be thick in those parts so we were pretty tired by the end of the day but the boar hadn’t gone too far so we set up camp for the night with the intention of picking up his trail the next morning. Evening went uneventful and we set off the next morning looking for fresh sign after breaking camp. After an hour we had picked up the trail of a good sized brownie and were closing in or so we thought. The bear seemed to be taking an almost drunkenly course up and down the mountainside and haphazard.
After half a day of tracking sign we came to the realization that not only had this bear led us in a circle, it had led us in a circle BACK ONTO OUR OWN TRACKS and had been tracking US for the entire day while we were tracking it. Once that dawned on us we had a group powwow and decide that yup, we didn’t really need to harvest a bear this season and sure, we could I’ve with that decision and yes, we could probably start our hike out right now. So we hiked out with glances over our shoulder the entire way. After about 4 hours? maybe? We came up on top of a rise and looking back down the trail behind us prolly 2 miles back was the brownie, just moseying along munching on berries. Not the biggest brownie I’ve seen but prolly a 700-800lb boar and not to be trifled with for sure. We kept pushing until almost dark and then broke cold camp well off the trail, didn’t see that brownie again. I haven’t been bear hunting again since then. I like to think I’m a fairly level headed and tough individual but that unnerved me to my core. There’s something primal about knowing you are being hunted and knowing it’s an apex predator that is hunting you. Bears don’t engage in that type of behavior because they’re curious.
Click to expand...
There may or may not be a fiction book out there about a group of Americans operating out of an unmarked base in Alaska in the nineties that were taking Russian fighter jets, refurbing them and then using them to fly into Russian airspace for certain purposes. Fiction books are great.
 
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