FREEZE!

[WapitiTalk1]

Although you have the wind, relatively decent cover, it seems that we're always required by situation to become "the human statue" at least a few times every year. It is normally salad snacking cows, sometimes a wayfaring satellite or rag horn but it always seems to happen. One leg on each side, wishbone position, over a 3 foot downed log, one hand slowly moving the bow over the log, and the other hand in a pile of mountain milk duds or whizz as we creep ever so slowly towards the feeding herd is when it seems to happen a lot. You look up at the precise moment she or he moves into a position to see you and the beast locks on as if playing the "who blinks first" game. One of my most memorable "hey I see you but have no idea what the heck you are" moments was when a very tall spike came from my side and stood, looking "down" on me as was hunkering down on an elk trail through a alder/huckleberry thicket. His front hooves were perhaps three feet from me. I think his curious gaze, and, nervous looking away and then back down at me again tactic, went on for what seemed like minutes. He won this one as I finally purposely twitched and he nearly soiled himself crashing off in the opposite direction. The herd was on their way to bed and my morning hunt was pretty much over anyway.

Please, share one of your memorable stare down moments with Mr. or Ms. Wapiti (or any other game critter for that matter).

[Tigger]

3 of us decided to scramble up a little rock outcropping as it gave us a great view of where 3 different drainages came together. No reason an elk would come close to us, but it gave us that great vantage point and we could drop off either side easily. After awhile, we let our guard down and I had a sandwich in my hand and the other guys weren't ready either when a spike came running up within 25 yards of us and looked at us. We all looked at each other and said, "No way did that just happen. Why would that elk come running over to us in this stupid location??"

[Swede]

Perhaps my most embarrassing moment was not quite the same, but close enough. I had climbed into my tree stand, hung my pack, and opened it up so I could take things out quietly. I sat down and looked around. Right below me was a nice 5X5 bull! He had walked silently up to the water hole while I was getting ready. OH BOY: What do I do now? By bow was still near the ground at the end of my drop line. I tried to reel it in ever so carefully, but it was no use. He caught movement and slowly walked off offering me a rear only shot at about 35 yards.
Note to self. Bring up your bow first dummy, then take care of the other things. Experience comes from making mistakes. I certainly have a lot of experience.

[Lefty]

Ive had all kinds of cool encounters, squirrels mice, birds stopping inches away, running across my boots,.. but there is something spooky creepy about mice on pant legs.
In Washington state the last day of the hunt a little 3 inch spike buck walk up to me and nuzzled the end of my rifle. Even had witness's on that one.
I had a mink in the woods, that was weird enough, walk up to my wiggling toes in my shoes under some leaves. The mink after looking up at me seemed way more embarrassed than afraid.
A neat incident with my wife, we were swan hunting in Utah, just kicking back in a couple chairs. I lip squeaked a fox and was telling her the story about the mink, my wife wiggle her boots when the fox was 3 feet out. The fox pounce: In mid air the fox realized we were there. Again the fox seem more embarrassed than scared, Talked to any predator caller,.. all sorts of things happen.
While goose hunting out of a pit I had a red fox poke its nose at my gun barrel. my face was eye level, and I wasnt moving. The fox was startled it jumped a bit, turned, then barked, than it must have figured out I was human,.. he left( yep it was a he) 300 yards about as fast as any fox could run.

Dozens of times Ive had ducks geese, even a few times swans land or lay down less than a couple feet from layout blinds or pits. Ducks dont think, they just react, they are gone. Geese greak out. Swans are more polite. They seem to think,.. "oh was I intruding,.. maybe Ill just fly away".
I squeak a lot if eagles or bids of prey if they are around, some bird will hang around,mostly owls, they come back over and over. of the four or five times eagle spot me they leave in a hurry.
Ive had 4 coyotes enter the goose spread the past 15 years . Each time was a bit comical. While I was calling a flock of geese one coyote was less than three feet away when I sat up to shoot,. the coyote bolted about 20 yards then tucked its tail and did the coyote side lope, away.
Naw it couldn't have been the same coyote,..and not really a freeze moment. Two years ago a coyote on the same farm was harassing the geese ( good for me) the birds would jump fly a few hundred yards and land. I shot a single goose that had bombed in from up high flying way too fast. I killed the bird, it crashed 60 yards from the pit. Another group of birds were coming to the field. I just waited, the geese decoyed perfect and I killed my last bird for my limit. I put my knee down and my dog charged out of the pit. She barked once as she ran towards the first goose. Now a long ways out was a coyote with that goose in its mouth. And my dog right behind her. I was able to call my dog back(fired my gun) I let the coyote have the goose.

As a kid, maybe we were bored, or thinking I was Danial Boone, ( before Jerimiah Johnson) or may just a strange kid: every so often we got some heavy rain in Southern Minnesota I would go out on the river bottom and track deer. I followed a big track one day right up to a downed tree, with a few does and a big buck in velvet. The does never saw me. But I walked to within 6-8 feet of that buck, both of us looking at each other. Maybe I was small enough at the time the buck didnt worry too much. What ever the reason the buck stayed bedded even as I walked away.

The last day of shotgun deer season I was trapping a farm where I had visited with the deer hunters on the property. The farms corn was managed/cut so the hunters would build a deer population than drive the standing corn. I had made a catch of two raccoon where a big cottonwood tree had blown down. As I was taking one raccoon out of the trap just feet away an eyeball blinked. I thought of that buck I tracked 15 years previous.
The big buck the group had been looking for. I placed the raccoon on a tree branch to drain the water. I remade the 2nd set. That buck wasn't flinching. As I stepped towards and grabbed that first raccoon the buck bolted.

This year a yearly cow elk, I dont think she had seen a human before,.. 8 yards, and elk sound kept coming from my strange figure.
Wow, evey yer a few really good encounters,.. I wonder how many I forgot

Oh,.. one more Prince of Wales; I was walking on a huge down fall, and this book bear crawled up on the other end. I froze ( I saw him first) Now this bear was way too close and he was huge. The bear jumped off the tree and ran a short distance,.. that poor old bear I think I nearly gave him a heart attack ( my heart was racing too) he was whezzing and gasping for air. Poor bear

[wawhitey]

Oh man, it doesnt matter what im hunting. Elk, bear, deer whatever. I always get in these situations with whitetail does. Theyre the worst!! Their patience in these stare downs is insane. And when you crack, and you will, a 5 minute blowing session ensues. Great, every animal within a mile or more knows something is going on here now. Story of my life.

[Tigger]

This wasn't really a freeze moment, but I was helping my dad and cousins on a moose drive in Northern MN. I was in the middle of three guys walking this chunk of woods. I was in the thick stuff and got behind a little so I saw this tree that had fallen down with a big root ball facing me. I wanted to see where the other guys were, so I jumped up on the root ball but overshot my mark a little. Down the other side I went....only to land both feet on the rump of a sleeping whitetail doe all curled up tucked into that tree. She made a squeak and I about shat my pants. I did have to stop and sit down for a few minutes to collect myself.