Odd things you have seen on stand

[smnduck]

Just would like to see what other things people have seen while on stand.

Some of mine,

A chickadee sit on the end of my slug gun barrel.

An owl try to land on my my head.

A turkey crap on my hat while he was roosted above me.

A squirrel jump from a tree and land on my wifes head, she just about fell out of the tree.

A squirrel sit on the toe of my boot and chew on my coffee mug.

A possum try to bite me in the face as I got to the seat in my stand.

[TrophyEyes]

I had a guy shoot my decoy during bow season. I was in a treestand right above him. Oh yeah, he wasn't supposed to be there either.

I have also had a owl try to land on my head.

Last, I had a close encounter with a spike, where I touch him with the end of my barrel. He could not figure out whan just happened.

[paceman]

A few years ago a buddy and I were headed out on public land. We had to cross a small field. When we got to the field we were surprised to see a tent in the middle of the field and a doe and fawn were feeding not to far from it. We looked in disbelief as a couple soon emerged, packed up and left. Strange place for a nap or whatever they were doing.

[c&amagn]

I've also had an owl try to land on my head, also had a red tailed hawk swoop in and go for my eye-balls with it's tallons, I was in my bow stand adn was wearing a camo head net deal so that I'm sure it could only see my white eye balls moving around. Also a few years back I went to climb into my box stand and found a pokypine in it waiting for me and wouldn't leave. Also never fails when ever a coyote or fox comes through, the minute a persons scent catches them they look right up at you. I've only had a coyotes go by that don't find me or see me.

[Scott K]

I had 3 years in a row the nieghbor sitting in my stand during the week, on private land, and posted, and he was personally told he couldnt be on the land, and even had the game warden come and warn him . He hasnt been in my stand since, but he built one a hundred yards away from mine, and not on his own land, but on the same land he was told to leave .I gave up and left him alone!

[glenn57]

i heard a cougar, and after what seemed like eternity, i did get a glimpes of it. what a rush that was, listening to it growl etc.

[finnbay]

Watched two snowshoe hares playing (?) for about 45 minutes one day right under my stand. They would sit about 10 feet from each other, and after a minute or so, one would take a run at the other, and the second one would jump straight into the air as the first passed underneath. They'd sit, and the other one would take his run. They had not completely changed to white yet and it was easy to see that they were taking turns. Any ideas as to what they might have been doing?

[HuskerBen]

Saw a red-tailed hawk swoop out of the sky and kill a cottontail rabbit about 20 yards from my stand.

Watched a couple of coyotes playing with a freshly killed squirrel for about 20 minutes... they never gave me a clean shot.

Last winter, I saw a young doe running across a frozen river. Just before she got to land, she totally biffed and slid a few yards across the ice. I had a hard time trying not to laugh out loud.

[tealitup]

In Ripley when I was younger. Drank too much and fell asleep on the ground. Woke to pounding hoof beats - yup jumped right over.

[Ely Lake Expert]

Both my dad and I saw some funny stuff out of some newbies from the cities. We do most of our hunting on our private land, but we have 1 stand on public land because it is such a good spot we couldn't pass it up. It is right on a ridge that covers a big area and a logging road a ways away.

So anyway, I am sitting in this stand (which we have had up for a couple years now) opening morning last year. As it is getting light out I am looking around and off in the distance 1000+ yards away I see what looks like several orange bloches up in a tree. Confused I pull up my binocs to look and what do you know, there are 4 guys sitting in one deer stand I laughed to myself all morning.

So the next day, my dad is sitting in that stand. Its mid-morning and there is only 2 people off in the distant stand that day. So he hears these guys talking somewhere and 30 seconds later he looks at the logging road 500 yards away and sees 8 guys walking together all blaze orange. The 4 in the front are all carrying rifles to their shoulders (army style I think) in step like the deer were going to come out and attack them, then the 4 guys in the back no guns at all yapping away so the whole woods could hear them. My dad laughed all season about this one. We don't use that stand on the weekend anymore.

The reason I know they are from the cities is they were here for bear hunting this year, Im sure it has to be the same crew, 8 of them sleeping in fish houses at the end of a dead end road. I bs'ed for a while, they are all from Minneapolis and they said there will be 14 of them for deer season I'm staying on our land this year.

ps, no offense to good hunters from the cities, but these guys are clowns

[96trigger]

Had an owl perched on a limb 20 yards away. I looked at the owl for 20 minutes thinking that it didn't see me. Then it blinked and I realized its head was turned all the way around and he had been looking at me the whole time.

Had a flying squirrel land in my tree deer hunting last year. I have never seen a flying squirrel in the wild until that happened. It was really cool. I've had plenty of squirrels come up the tree, I've touched them with my arrow to make sure that they know I'm there.

[DonBo]

Years ago in another state where baiting is legal, I had a button buck take over my corn pile. Everytime I was there, he was there. Whenever another deer would come in, he would hunch up, bristled hair, the works. He kicked other deer and chased away every other thing he could.

One morning he was there, I saw a big buck comeing in. I could have shot a couple times, but wanted to see what would happen. He held his ground. The big buck walked right up to him, lowered his head and shook his horns. That little button buck was gone so fast you wouldn't believe it. I almost laughed out loud. I then proceeded to miss the big boy...twice.

[Nova]

I saw a bobcat for the first time last year while muzzy hunting. He was on a ridge making a screaming sound. I thought maybe it was a bocat and it started getting closer. I was hoping it wasn't a cougar. Sure enough 15 minutes later he walks by my stand at 20 yards without a clue I was there.

[Ely Lake Expert]

Quote:

---

Years ago in another state where baiting is legal

---

Michigan?

[Johnny_Namakan]

I watched a grouse from about 100 yards away slowing walking around. After an hour or so was starting to get real close. He eventually walked right under my stand. I have a wood burning stove in my stand so I grabbed a log and was contemplating dropping the log on him and having a nice lunch cooked ontop of my stove. I decided not to because there weren't many birds around our area and figured I'd let this one go to reproduce for next year. He then walked about 10 yards away and went to sleep. He stood on a log right where the sun was baking down on him and sat there for over an hour without moving. Then he spread his wings, stretched out, went to the bathroom and continued on his way.

Also had a Pine Martin climb up the tree that my stand is built on and almost climbed into my stand. I made a movement to show him I was there, cause them boys can get big. He showed his teeth and hissed at me. Then he ran down my tree and went over to a tree about 5 feet away, climbed up it to my level and just stared at me for the longest time. I don't think he could figure out what I was.

Also had a huge owl, not sure what kind, but he was huge and had a face like an old man's. he landed a few yards away and just did his owl head bob stuff. I made sure to turn my head and lift my arm slowly a couple times to make sure he knew what I was. The size of that thing was ginormous. When he flew from the branch his wingspread must have been pushing 5-6 feet. I saw him almost everyday for the whole season. He hunted during the day and landed int he same branches almost everytime. Then I finally got to see him get a squirrel. He was watching the squirrel for some time. Then he glided to a tree just above where the squirrel was foraging on the ground. He then basically just jumped off the branch and landed on him. Two bites and 10 seconds later and the squirrel was history. Pretty cool to watch from only 20 yards!

[jbdragon17]

Definitely last year while sitting in a remote stand. I glanced across a dried up pond to see a Cougar about 150 yards away. I watched it cross the pond and make about a 12 foot leap over a dead fall then disappear into an area I needed to walk through later that evening.

[CodyDawg]

I watched a grouse for a long time. Pretty soon, here came a doe walking along, right towards the grouse. Sure enough, the grouse exploded when the doe about stepped on it...almost tipping the doe over backward. I had a hard time not laughing out loud at that one.

[JDM]

One year, about a dozen timberwolves ran down the logging road near my stand. Another time, a huge black bear ran full speed through the woods, again, right past my stand. I also witnessed, at a great distance through the binocs, a buck mount a doe.

I am still waiting for Big Foot!

[Sorgy]

2005 rifle season. My friend had shot a nice 8 point buck the night before but hit it a little back. We let it lay overnight and recovered it the next morning with a very deliberate tracking job. We were very proud to have recoverd the deer. We had lost the trail multiple times. My friend had just finished field dressing the buck and was wiping off his knife. I caught movement thru the woods. Here comes a pine marting trailing the buck on the downwind side of his trail. He came right into the pile with the two of us only 12 feet away. He was a little nervous at first but he could not pass on a hot meal. Cute as all get out. It would grab a piece of "dinner" and head off then return shortly. I did have a camera sitting right next to the pile. I have some cute pics of him trying to drad off the liver. He disapeared and we were picking up some of the ribbon that I used to mark the blood spots when we notice it heading our way. This time I had the camera as it ran up to my buddy and sniffed his pant leg. Photos are a little blurry.

Good Thead

Steve

[Ely Lake Expert]

Quote:

---

I am still waiting for Big Foot!

---

Me too, he may be somewhere in MN.

[Coach1310]

No super odd, but in 1991, the year of the Halloween blizzard, I was sitting with my Dad in a stand(still too young to hunt) and we could hear this crashing coming....low and behold a huge black bear steps out into the swamp just plowing snow as he went...pretty neat....also saw a bobcat the same day...only one I have seen to this day...didn't see any deer that day though

[vister]

watched an 8 pointer mount a doe last year rifle hunting. in some cases, he went longer than myself. which didn't last all too long. after dismount, BANG! Well, at least i let him finish.

[Grant Pearson]

I had that happen a few years ago. I was taking a cousin out deer hunting for the first time. After I shot the buck, I looked at him and said "see, sex will kill ya." He laughed so hard!!!! At least the buck died happy..........

[McGurk]

Not odd, but one of my favorite experiences on stand. Morning post on a cool morning with no snow down yet, and had been hearing movement in the leaves. A couple of grouse materialized and continued to work their way along a ridge from left to right. Continuing to watch, I saw more in a couple of small groups. After they had passed but I could still hear them, I heard more rustling to the left, about 50 yds behind them. I assumed it was another couple of grouse, but couldn't see them. I kept watching the noisy area, and there, walking along the top of a downed log, was a bobcat stalking the grouse. It was a little louder then I expected, but a bobcat sure enough. Big paws, bob tail, and a beautiful coat. I watched it through my scope for a couple of minutes, and shifted my weight. It heard me and turned its head to look at me instantly. I saw 2 yellow eyes looking directly at me throuh my scope, and it turned and fled faster than I could have thought possible. An awesome sight.

[brassman]

I have the owl occurance every year it seems like. Although one day my dad and I were sitting about a half mile apart and we both saw an owl first then a pine martin second. we laughed for awhile after that. In 2005 I shot a doe on saturday night. Gutted her in the shooting lane. Then sunday morning I saw what might have been a big pine martin or even a fisher, come in and eat some "pile" then walk passed me, then another one from the same spot the other one came from does the same thing and walks pretty much the same trail the other one did. Odd

[MnHuntinKid08]

OK, so im sitting in my deer stand last season, (im not usually a deer hunter, but my dad made me go) and this squirrel is millin' around in the trees all around me. so this thing ends up walking out on this branch, and you know how squirrels do... they make incredible leaps from one skinny branch to the next all the time... well anyway, this thing comes walking out on the brach, scopes out his upcoming jump for about 30 seconds, and goes for it. and OMG! this stupid squirrel came up at least 2 feet SHORT of the branch and fell about 25 feet to the ground. I laughed 'til my sides hurt. To this day it ranks in my top 5 funniest things iv ever seen!!!

[Ferny]

Big Scary owl every year trying to land on my face (or tree) just when it's almost light enough to shoot. Scares the heck out of me every time. Chickadee's hopping on my arm and hat. Mouse running over my boot. Mink trying to catch a red squirrel that jumped to another tree. 2 grouse sitting on a tree branch 20' off the ground diving into a brush pile over and over half a dozen times.... very noisy. I can't believe they didn't break a wing! Sitting on a tree across a creek fishing as a kid and had a coon come running across the other side of the log. I'm not sure who crapped first?

Sister in-law had a loose cow come up and sniff her boots fox pee scent. She konked it on the head with her barrel and it left!

Buddy had a domestic pig come through the woods one year.

Fox, Weasel, Mink, Fisher, grouse, turkeys, pheasant, LOUD MICE...

Every year there's something memorable that's a first.

Ferny

[Mr. B]

This was not in a deer stand but in a duck blind. My brother and I were in his boat me in the front. With the blind up in the bow I could not see all the much as was dependent on him to tell me when to stand up and shoot. He looks at me and says get ready here comes a goose. I can here the wing beats, this goose is going to fly right down the middle of the boat. My brother tells me to take him. I stand and start to take aim but this is not a goose. It is a Great Blue Heron with its legs out getting ready to land on the bow of the boat. From a distance of three feet all I see are huge scaly feet come right for my head. I do not know who was more shocked me or the Heron. As I calm down the heron is flying away and my brother is laughing hysterically. He could see it was a heron the entire time from his seat in the back of the boat.

[tunrevir]

Saw an 8' gator while on stand down south a couple years back, I've seen coyotes, t-wolves and bobcats. I think the most interesting was a mink that followed the trail of a wounded deer and licked up the blood as it went along. No wonder why sometimes those blood trails just disappear!

Tunrevir~

[Deitz Dittrich]

While hunting with a friend on some farm land up by bemidji... I was sitting on the edge of a cow pasture. One of the giant beasts decided to use the tree I was in as a scratching post... that is the closest I have ever been to falling out of a tree!!!!