Strangest Human Encounter During an Elk Hunt?

[WapitiTalk1]

I've had more than my fair share in my more than a few years in the elk woods, and, at elk camp. My current home state of Washington is a virtual hot bed of "unique" folks out in the woods during September (oh yeah, you wouldn't believe it). Post up one of your really odd encounters that pertain to a human encounter either at a base camp or way, way up in the sticks..... good, bad, or just plain wierd.

[elkohalic]

If you ever ran into my uncke larry it would top any story you have ever heard, he looks like grizzly adams. PS He also comes to a bugle. Let me know if you see him in central Colorado. LMAO

[Swede]

In the early 1960s Dad, my brother and I were out hunting. We were traveling to a place where we would go for our afternoon hunt, when we happened upon this old guy, hiking along a gravel road . He was not a hunter. He was just out for a hike. We talked to him a few minutes, and thought it strange to find him out there by himself. We had no idea where his car or truck was parked, but we wondered. It just seemed odd. Considering where he was it seemed a little strange, but in a day or two we saw his picture on TV. He was missing and folks were out trying to find him. Dad called the sheriff's department and reported where we saw him. Apparently he died very shortly after we left, as he was found quite near.

On another hunt about 1974, dad and I headed into the timber where we had seen fresh sign the day before. It was about half snow and half rain coming down at that time. As soon as we were well into the timber we saw the elk out in front of us. We formed a plan on how we would get a shot opportunity. After about half an hour we got back together where the elk had been. Dad told me they took off shortly after I got into the draw, I went down to get under the elk. I thought that strange as I knew they could not have detected me. From where we met we decided to hike on down the ridge. Dad would go down on one side while I took the other. As soon as I got on the side of the ridge I was supposed to start on, I ran into another hunter. He asked me if I had seen the elk. I told him that I had. He asked me if I had seen any bulls, to which I said no. I then asked him if he saw any bulls. He replied that there were two. He then asked me where I was headed. I pointed down the ridge to the southwest. I said "dad and I will follow that out to the road below. He pointed to the northwest and said the bulls went that way, then he turned and headed away in the same direction I had just told him I was going. I started to follow, but decided to go back to where the elk had been and to cross to a ridge that paralleled the one we were on. When I crossed over I saw an elk. At first I was not sure what it was, but when it lifted it's head I saw it was a raghorn bull.
Well when I walked up to the bull, I removed its head. Then I started heading out to the road to get dad and some help. As soon as I got to the Forest Service road below, I saw a pick up truck with a woman sitting in the passanger seat. When she saw me, she got out to admire the bull. In the ensuing short conversation I determined her husband was the fellow I ran into up above, so I told her to be sure and thank him for telling me exactly where to find this bull. Later as dad and I were preparing to carry the elk out, that same man came up to look over the bull. He was not a happy camper. The next Monday at work I relayed the story to some coworkers. One of them told me he had almost the exact situation play out for him on the previous year's hunt. Both incidents happened on the first day of elk season and it happened to the same hunterl.

[WapitiTalk1]

2002 I think, my hunting buddy and I had noticed a raggedly old canvas tent in a turn off from a hardball road in the Lewis River GMU in WA State. We parked a bit from there every few days to access a secret squirrel game trail we knew about which cut miles (5 or 6) off a hike/MT bike ride on gated roads to a very nice meadow which consistently held elk and some decent bulls. This same canvas tent/camp was always quiet as we passed it, but, for three days we could see a skinned blacktail hanging from a tree. Well, at this time of year, the deer was probably rotten after the first day with the temps climbing into the 80s. One evening, we drove past the turn off to the camp on our way back from hunting the meadow trail and and a rig pulled out (mini van..) flashing it's lights. We stopped and the woman driver said "we've got a lost hunter". It appeared the lady's husband had gotten lost after their radios died (LOL) in an area that was pretty small and surrounded by trails and roads. He was hunting directly across the road from their camp.. yikes. Joe and I told the gal if he didn't show up in a few hours to come find us (we told her where we were camping) and we'd help. Nothing further that night. The next day, we hunted the same general direction (base camping that year) and happened to drive by the camp on our way back from our hunt. What did we see on the side of the road at 9:30 at night? A 10 year old blonde girl in a white T shirt walking down the road about 300 yards from the camp We stopped and asked her what she was doing. She said her parents hadn't returned from hunting yet and she was looking for them. After a brief conversation, we convinced her that she should not be walking down the road and return to the campsite. She turned around and we followed her to the campsite and her 12 year old brother came out of the tent as we pulled in. He said he'd tried to stop her but she wouldn't listen. I told them both to stay put and wait for their folks. We checked back the next morning and the camp was gone, rotten deer and all.

[POk3s]

I've got one from this year. It was the second week of September and I was archery hunting elk (naturally). I was following an elk trail I had never been on before when it merged with three other trails. It was an elk highway. It led right to the head of a spring that had been beat to death by elk. PERFECT. It was about 3:00 so I figured I would sit there and wait that night. I looked around trying to find a spot to set up when I noticed a small group of trees about 40 yards away....again, PERFECT! I took two steps toward the trees when I saw a black dog slipping through the trees in front of me left to right. My hand instinctively went to my pistol and I saw the black wolf come back right to left. It was then I heard a bell and then saw people walking. I immediately just sunk my head in disbelief. I was only 2 miles in but one steep canyon away from everybody...or so I thought. I figured it was the same guy I saw hunting with his dog last year. Nope....out pops 2 ladies in their 50's or 60's. After they noticed me I heard one of the ladies say, "oh no it's a hunter" LOL.

About that time the dogs (ended up being 2 of them....and no not wolves) go absolutely bananas. Barking, growling, the whole 9 yards. Meanwhile these 2 old ladies are trying to get ahold of them. Finally after an easy minute and a half of barking and them screaming I'm sorry I just started to laugh. One of the ladies finally comes up to me and is expressing how sorry she is. She didn't think she'd see anyone back in here (during archery season in September in Wyoming ) . I could tell she was kind of scared and so I just calmly said, "it's ok what can you do". I then proceeded to have a small conversation with this lady as she went on her way and I went mine but I won't bore you all with that.

The other side of this story is I figured well it's 3:00 and there's not going to be anything here tonight so I'll climb 1,000 feet up to a high vantage point and if nothing else spot some elk for in the morning. It takes me 2 hours to climb to the top of this bald ridge and what do I see.....A heard of 25 elk with one 320" 6 point pushing his cows about 60 yards from the head of that spring where all of this went down. I know him and all his cows just got a drink and he was pushing them back into the trees. The next evening I missed that bull at 58 yards at 3:00 in the afternoon drinking from the head of that spring. I had planned to be in there at 3 and he was already there as I came strolling in. He busted me and left and I guessed for 70......whiff.

[Indian Summer]

I was guiding a rifle hunter late season in the middle of nowhere when I noticed a guy below me. I was heading that way so I figured I'd pick his brain a bit. I noticed he was dressed in army camos from about 1969 so I figured he was a vet which he later told me. He said he really didn't hunt much til the season was over. "Then" said with strange look in his eye, "I hunt dead things" He hiked around looking for birds to get skulls from wounded animals. I was thinking that can't be too productive way the heck back here. And Lord he must be an animal to have hiked in here..... we came from a pack in camp. He did the same thing in spring after winterkills. That's fine.

But then without hesitating he goes right on to say that he also hunt meteors. 0K. My client & I are now getting a crash course on meteors. About how they are worth thousands and he has them all over his living room with the skulls. Buys & sells them on the internet too. He looks at my hunter and says "if you got a lawn chair in yer yard and it gets hit by a meteor it's worth 10 grand." lol 0K. Then he says "If you were smart you'd do like me and cover yer entire yard in furniture and stuff in case one hits there"

0K dude well good luck hunting. L0L

I hunted out toward the trailhead and to my surprise there was no vehicle there. I'd sure like to know where that guy came from!

He was actually a pretty nice guy. Fairly intelligent too. Just out there a bit.

[Lefty]

This years strange enough
http://www.elknutforums.com/Hunting/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=763
http://www.elknutforums.com/Hunting/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=751

A couple years back I had been glassing all day,.. I was hot and worn out. I did something I normally don’t do. I walked to the top of a lava dome to catch the bit of breeze ,.. suck up some water,.. layed against a rock and took a nap. After a nap I started glassing before I moved off. About 800 yards out I see this guy running from place to place snapping up his gun and pointing towards some target,.. Just like we did when we were kids with sticks.
180 yards out he spins and swings and sights right on me. I wasn’t sky-lined but he picked me out of my sleeping location,.. me staring right at him thru my binos,.. and off he was running towards his purple and lime Scion xB
I had never seen such a vehicle and had to look it up, and the guy drove out of there like a B.O.H.

[>>>---WW---->]

I know many of you aren't going to believe this story but I'll swear on the Bible every bit of it is true. I used to manage a national forest campground. Kind of a jack of all trades and campground host. And believe me you see a lot of strange people. The story I'm about to tell is a meeting I had with one of the weirdest people I've ever seen in my entire life. No fooling, for a while I thought it was going to turn into a wild West shootout.

One morning during the rifle elk season I was on my way to check out the campground. Just before I got to the entrance of the campground there was a guy standing there next to one of those rhino side-by-side four wheeler things. He was walking circles round and round the rhino and flailing his arms in the air. I just thought the guy was getting ready to go hunting and had probably lost something and couldn't find it and he would not even be there when I got back. So I headed on up to the campground to make my rounds. I was at the campground for probably about an hour doing my every day chores.

After completion of my rounds I got in my truck and headed back down the mountain. As I got to the place where the guy was walking circles around his rhino, he was still there. Not only was he there, but he was still walking circles around the rhino and waving his arms in the air like a crazy person and talking to himself. So I figured the guy had some sort of the problem and I pulled over to assist him.

The guy had on an orange hat and orange vest but I didn't see a rifle anywhere. So I ask him if he had a problem and if I could help him. When he replied he started pacing one direction and then the other while waving his arms in the air and he said," Nope! Nope! I'm just here to help my brother on going up in the woods and walk around and try to chase an elk to him". This guy was beginning to act really, and I mean really really weird.

So, during our casual conversation I figured maybe I'd better check him out a little bit. So I ask him things like where are you from, what do you do, and just general conversation trying to pick up any information I could about him. I found out he was from Ogden Utah. And then he said one of the strangest things I've ever heard a guy tell anyone. Remember now all the time he's pacing back and forth waving his arms and acting like a real loony tune.

Finally, he said," You know what I do? You know those cruise missile things? I build them. If one don't work we just send them another one ha ha".

And I replied," And I'll bet your brother works for NORAD"!

He looked at me with a puzzled look and said, "How did you know that"?

By now things were getting just a little too strange. But the worst was yet to come. I thought he was going to start walking circles around is machine again but this time he stopped by the front seat reached in the glove compartment and pulled out and M-9 Beretta pistol. Then he walked around to the back of the rhino where I was standing and laid the pistol on the tailgate and put his hands on his hips. I immediately stuck my hand in my front coat pocket and grasped the 40 SW that was in there. And I kindly ask him to please step away from his gun. I was sure glad I had my gun with me but I also knew I didn't have a round in the tube. Boy! I'll never make that mistake again! I think he realized that I had my hand already on my gun even though I never actually cleared the pocket with it to where he could actually see it.

At this point, I'm not kidding you one little bit I wanted out of their real bad. I never said another word to him I just backpedaled my way to my truck, got in it, and got the heck out of there as quick as I could. So help me if I ever see that guy again it will be way too soon.

[Swede]

When I worked for the Forest Service we were told the percentage of people in the forest that had a criminal record. I do not remember the number, but it was well up in the double digits. As a camp ground worker I do not know if WW was informed about that problem, and maybe they had no stats on the matter in Wyoming. I know this is not the tip thread, but I would advise anyone out in the forest to be careful. Not everyone you will run into out there is just having a good time.

[dreamhunter]

Nothing like a little twilight zone before I call it a night ,lol I'm glad those are your stories and not mine,lol

[WapitiTalk1]

I know many of you aren't going to believe this story but I'll swear on the Bible every bit of it is true. I used to manage a national forest campground. Kind of a jack of all trades and campground host. And believe me you see a lot of strange people. The story I'm about to tell is a meeting I had with one of the weirdest people I've ever seen in my entire life. No fooling, for a while I thought it was going to turn into a wild West shootout.

One morning during the rifle elk season I was on my way to check out the campground. Just before I got to the entrance of the campground there was a guy standing there next to one of those rhino side-by-side four wheeler things. He was walking circles round and round the rhino and flailing his arms in the air. I just thought the guy was getting ready to go hunting and had probably lost something and couldn't find it and he would not even be there when I got back. So I headed on up to the campground to make my rounds. I was at the campground for probably about an hour doing my every day chores.

After completion of my rounds I got in my truck and headed back down the mountain. As I got to the place where the guy was walking circles around his rhino, he was still there. Not only was he there, but he was still walking circles around the rhino and waving his arms in the air like a crazy person and talking to himself. So I figured the guy had some sort of the problem and I pulled over to assist him.

The guy had on an orange hat and orange vest but I didn't see a rifle anywhere. So I ask him if he had a problem and if I could help him. When he replied he started pacing one direction and then the other while waving his arms in the air and he said," Nope! Nope! I'm just here to help my brother on going up in the woods and walk around and try to chase an elk to him". This guy was beginning to act really, and I mean really really weird.

So, during our casual conversation I figured maybe I'd better check him out a little bit. So I ask him things like where are you from, what do you do, and just general conversation trying to pick up any information I could about him. I found out he was from Ogden Utah. And then he said one of the strangest things I've ever heard a guy tell anyone. Remember now all the time he's pacing back and forth waving his arms and acting like a real loony tune.

Finally, he said," You know what I do? You know those cruise missile things? I build them. If one don't work we just send them another one ha ha".

And I replied," And I'll bet your brother works for NORAD"!

He looked at me with a puzzled look and said, "How did you know that"?

By now things were getting just a little too strange. But the worst was yet to come. I thought he was going to start walking circles around is machine again but this time he stopped by the front seat reached in the glove compartment and pulled out and M-9 Beretta pistol. Then he walked around to the back of the rhino where I was standing and laid the pistol on the tailgate and put his hands on his hips. I immediately stuck my hand in my front coat pocket and grasped the 40 SW that was in there. And I kindly ask him to please step away from his gun. I was sure glad I had my gun with me but I also knew I didn't have a round in the tube. Boy! I'll never make that mistake again! I think he realized that I had my hand already on my gun even though I never actually cleared the pocket with it to where he could actually see it.

At this point, I'm not kidding you one little bit I wanted out of their real bad. I never said another word to him I just backpedaled my way to my truck, got in it, and got the heck out of there as quick as I could. So help me if I ever see that guy again it will be way too soon.

Yikes.

[T/H]

i happened across this odd fellow sitting on a sheep trail of all places. funny thing is he is one of the best elk callers i know

[POk3s]

I found out he was from Ogden Utah.

That explains it




In all honesty......what in the hell!?

[WapitiTalk1]

i happened across this odd fellow sitting on a sheep trail of all places. funny thing is he is one of the best elk callers i know

OMG! What did you do when you came across this guy? Back away slowly and say you were sorry to interupt his hunting area? Good photo of the elk caller David. Tell him I said hello. RJ

[bullelk]

Many years ago we were hunting the general bull season on the edge of the Frank Church Wilderness in Idaho. We were camped at the top of a mountain that had one of the worst switch-back roads I ever drove leading up to the top. At mid-day some guys in a pick-up with a camper on back pulled in; they said they had been steelhead fishing down on the Salmon River, and wanted to drive up to do some elk hunting.

It became quickly obvious that none of these guys should have been driving. Every one of them was very intoxicated. We wanted to suggest they park and sleep it off, so my buddy tells them "you guys should go around the next bend and camp, that is a real elk thoroughfare and you should see something". They readily agreed and took off. We could actually hear them pull off. We had a good chuckle over it once we knew they were safe.

Our hunting had been slow so we decided to check out a new area for the evening hunt. On our way back from another unproductive session we drove by the other guys' camp. There on the hood of their pick-up was a spike bull head, and the rest of it was hanging, whole, near-by. Oh well...

[easeup]

i happened across this odd fellow sitting on a sheep trail of all places. funny thing is he is one of the best elk callers i know

ROLOL

[Da White Shoe]

My brother and I were elk hunting in the black hills a few years ago. We were taking a break at about noon, sitting 5 steps off a logging road when we heard people coming down the road toward us. It was a man and woman hiking. Without saying a word between us, we both froze... just to see if we would be spotted. Of course, they didn't see us... we were in head to toe camo. That was funny enough... and we were snickering, but then they stopped 5 yards past us and the man walked up to a tree, broadside to us, working on his zipper! Luckily, we burst out laughing before "it" emerged! The guy jumped 3 feet off the ground... which didn't help us quit laughing at all.

Oregon wilderness area, hunting elk 5 miles in... same thing. We see a guy walking down the trail we were sitting right beside. This guy had some kind of book right up to his face, reading and walking at the same time. He walked right by us without looking up once.

[In-S-Heart]

Yeah, I saw that same guy ... reading and walking ... not looking around.

It was Paul proof reading his next "Play Book"

Sorry Paul, couldn't resist.

[Freebird134]

I never had any weird encounters elk hunting, but if anyone asks about during a deer hunt... well, I'll tell ya'll about the nudist land I used to hunt.

[BowKill]

I never had any weird encounters elk hunting, but if anyone asks about during a deer hunt... well, I'll tell ya'll about the nudist land I used to hunt.

That's funny, in 2010 I was on a spring bear hunt in Manitoba and I hunted in a stand one night that the outfitter had nicknamed Nudist. The guide said there was a nudist camp about a 1/2 a mile away.

[WapitiTalk1]

I never had any weird encounters elk hunting, but if anyone asks about during a deer hunt... well, I'll tell ya'll about the nudist land I used to hunt.

Were trail cams involved in this particular area you hunted?