Tales from the deer stand

[leadeye]

Post up any observations from the hunting stand that don't concern what you are in the stand for, like other wildlife and such.

Thought about this when I was out hunting yesterday evening, was not seeing any deer, but watching a squirrel eating an acorn on a branch of a tree about 15 yards away. Heard what I thought was a puff of wind above me and saw an owl silently swoop down and grab the squirrel without even slowing down. Away it went through the trees until out of sight. Walking back I thought, well somebody had a successful hunt this evening.

[Wolfer]

While hunting between the Jacks Fork river and a slough I had an otter come by my stand. Pretty cool I thought.

[richhodg66]

I had that happen to me, only the squirrel was maybe ten feet above my head and annoying me when hawk swooped in. The hawk missed, and the squirrel raced down the trunk stopping right next to me chattering and raising all kinds of sand. Startled me real bad and apparently scared him out of ten year's growth. It rained all kinds of twigs and leaves and stuff down on me. Pretty cool experience once I'd calmed down enough to appreciate it.

[Moleman-]

36 years of deer hunting, finally had a DNR officer walk out to check if I had a deer tag and hunting license.

[725]

Long ago, while in Canada hunting bear, I had a young one climb my wooden ladder and reach my "floor" level before I stomped my feet and shoo'd it away. Even the rather young one looked real big to me at the time. Probably 125 ~ 150 pounds, or so. Have to admit, I almost launched a 7mm Mag on him as the more my knees progressively shook.

[Wolfer]

One cold morning I was setting on a small bluff overlooking a bench. About 20’ in front of me was a hollow tree with about a 2” hole. After daylight a squirrel comes out and goes down and starts gathering leaves. He goes to a lot of work to place these leaves so he could get them in his mouth.
When he comes back up the tree he has a wad of leaves at least 10” across. The hole is barely big enough for his head but he tries head butting the leaves inside. 99% fall to the ground. He goes inside where I can hear him arranging them. He repeats this process many times. Just couldn’t seem to learn you can’t head butt 10” of leaves in a 2” hole.
I didn’t see a deer that morning but it was entertaining.

[Hickok]

All camoed-up for bowhunting, I climbed into my stand before daylight.

As the sun rose, and shooting light appeared, I look over and sitting on a limb a few feet away is a Red-tailed Hawk. Both of us were hunting out of the same tree. After eyeballing each other, he flew away.

These hawks are pretty good size!

[Hossfly]

Sitting in my ground blind 100 yards from my corn feeder, I watch squirrels feeding everyday. 2 days ago was watching thru my scope and one climes up the 1” leg to reach the motor spinner and hanging on reaches over and spins the plate that throws the corn, while his buddies wait for manna from up above. I was hoping it would come on while he was up there. Very entertaining.

[ole_270]

A few years ago I was sitting in a tree stand wearing a faded orange "sock" hat. As light started fading in the evening I happened to look to the south and spotted an owl gliding my direction. About 20 feet out it dawned on me that he was aiming at my hat! I started waving my arms and jumping around and he flared off. Glad I spotted him in time, might of been painful.

[WebMonkey]

this year i saw the usual squirrel picking through the food plot.

the interesting part this year, a big 'ol crow dive bombed the squirrel and ran it out of the plot.

[MT Gianni]

I have had birds land on my shoulder while looking at ridges. That is a good check of your cammo.
Two out of the last ten days I have spent 6 hours in a ground stand watching 50-60 head of deer willing them to clear the pivot line within 300 yards. A 3x3 buck and 2 does have done that I am done for the year. I held out the first day trying for the dominate buck as my buddy wanted him out of the breeding pool. He never got within 350 yards and stayed next to fence lines with the neighbors. I dumped a doe then when someone opened up 1/2 mile away and the herd got skittish. Last week I dumped the buck and another doe when they got close enough.

[Winger Ed.]

I was in a blind once and had a squirrel climb out on a not to distant branch and start barking at me.

When another animal is mad, loud, and sounding a danger alarm, deer will tend to move away from the sound.

The squirrel wouldn't shut up. At least not until I tagged it on the end of its nose with a .30-06.
Then a 1/2 hour or so later, the deer came back.

[Pipefitter]

A few years back I saw something on opening morning that reminded me of my elderly Grandfather. Got out to the woods well before daylight, was sitting on a log when it got light enough to see. About 20 feet in front of me a possum comes out of it's hole, looks around, stretches and yawns, scratches it's butt, takes a leak, and goes back in it's hole.

[Wolfer]

A few years back I saw something on opening morning that reminded me of my elderly Grandfather. Got out to the woods well before daylight, was sitting on a log when it got light enough to see. About 20 feet in front of me a possum comes out of it's hole, looks around, stretches and yawns, scratches it's butt, takes a leak, and goes back in it's hole.

I resemble that remark.

[ChristopherO]

Was coyote calling over a farm field years ago. Tall grass and the wooded creek line was behind me as I was resting against the fence line. A Redtail Hawk was being attracted by the squeals of the mouth call so I kept toying with it as it came ever closer. At one point he was lured to land in the field I was overlooking about 100 yards out. Some more calling and up he flies, coming my way. As this marvelous bird was making a banking maneuver to swoop down on me, which I was beginning to become concerned about, a Cooper's Hawk, that was previously unseen, Came from the creek line and dive bombed the Redtail, causing to flair off to safer parts unknown. That was an incredible experience.

[WinchesterM1]

I’m blessed to have 14 acres that I can hunt, for about 4 years I watched a chipmunk in a tree that snapped about 10’ high, I got to watching it for long enough that I would but 10-12 pieces of corn out every time I hunted.. then one year he just stopped coming by.. I dont know why but it really made me sad.. that’s what I like about the hunter mentality.. we love and respect nature so much that we aren’t bothered if we don’t kill a deer, that’s just icing on the cake

[chutesnreloads]

Last year heard some movement sounds behind me. Little later I hear what sounds like a chihuahua doing a kitty imitation or maybe vice versa. Little later this grey fox steps out not 5 yards in front of me... Pretty sure it's same one I caught in a box trap few years back and turned loose after niece and nephew oohed and ahhed over him. Twice since I've walked right up on him napping in a warm patch of sunshine... He hops up on a log looking right at me stretches his tail straight out behind and hair rises down his back and lets out that meow-growl then hops down and saunters off back into the woods like he has no care in the world. Guess that means he got the last word in. Yeah.... I laughed out loud... made my whole season

[elk hunter]

Once, in Africa, we watched a hawk or eagle land on the side of a tree then holding on with it's beak and one foot it reached into a hole on the tree with it's other foot. You could tell that it was feeling around inside the hole. It then few to another tree and repeated the maneuver. It moved from tree to tree doing this as we watched from fifty yards away. Never saw it catch anything but it was very interesting to watch. Unfortunately I didn't think to ask what species it was.

[koger]

Me and a buddy were hunting on a small property that borders a huge piece of property, owned by rich oil/gas/coal guy. His wife is a treehugger/bunny hugger so no hunting on that property. They also take in exotic animals that have been abandoned etc. They have two huge barns converted to a zoo of sorts. One of the animals they have, is a small elephant that was the product of inbreeding, a stunted animal about half size.They have a high fence around a large part of the property, and we were hunting backed up to it. My buddy carries a flask full of liqour from time to time, and has been know to take a nip or two to fight the cold. I was sitting there and down the fence line comes the elephant, trumpeting, walks right on by me. Headed towards my buddy when it dawns on me that I had not told him about the exotic animals that could possibly be seen. I sat still for about 2 more hours, no deer were moving so I headed back to the truck, anxious to see what my buddy had seen. He came out shortly with a weird look on his face, so I chuckled as I asked him what was wrong. He pulled out his flask, poured out it contents, and pitched it to me, said I could have it, he was done drinking. I asked what caused this sudden change, and he said" I have heard all my life about drunks seeing pink elephants, and thought nothing of it, but today I saw a little elephant real as heck, after taking 3 snorts, and I aint going to keep at it till I see a pink one"!!I about peed my pants laughing at him, then told him the truth

[Thumbcocker]

I have seen a few things that struck me as neat over the years. One morning setting in my stand I heard a ruckus in the leaves. A red fox was being chased by 2 coyotes right past my stand. Another morning I watched a mink come out from the creek bottom , climb a tree, crawl in a knot hole and come out with a baby squirrel in it's mouth. Once while I was sitting in full cammo a wren landed on my head for a second. Another time I watched a squirrel climb up the next tree over. I heard him cross over into my tree and start moving around then I heard him climbing down my tree. I sat real still until I felt his little hand touch the top of my head. I giggled like a school girl and he launched up the tree. He sat there for a long time cursing me.

Another time I was sitting in my tree with an arrow knocked. There was a small tree about 3 feet from my tree. A squirrel climbed up the neighboring tree and stopped even with my arrow. He paused and sniffed the end of the arrow and went on his way. Another time a crow landed in the tree I was sitting next to. He looked down and saw me and dropped what he had been holding. It was the back half of a gray squirrel.

I love being in the woods.