How close !!!

[Lefty]

Ive made some longer shots on lots of game.

However, I really like getting up close to game. Some got killed and put in the freezer, wall or streatchers ,, some never were shot at, and some was just viewing pleasure.

What are some of your close encounters?

A buddy got bowled over by a bear.
Ive had owls and coyotes uncomfortably close
Another buddy took a big whitetail buck in the corn on a windy day, he actually backed up to clear the arrow from his bow, 40-inch shot.
Over the past 9 years, my daughter has been run into by cow elk three different times.
Last season: Andrew was pinned down , a cow elk nosing his boots, and a yearling with her nose three inches from his face.
Ive had small bucks nuzzle the barrel of my rifle
Ive poked Red Fox with my boot and gun barrel,
And Ive likely killed more geese under 25 yards than over 25 yards

[WapitiTalk1]

Great thread Lefty! I’m anxious to hear some more great close encounter stories. I been in very very close proximity to elk many times during hunts over the years but oftentimes either I didn’t have time to draw my bow back (came in too close, too quick), or… it was too thick to thread an arrow through. I’ve shot a handful of elk under 20 yards. Way back in the day in the Big Sky state I set my pop up just off a small opening at a convergence of active elk trails, backed up 30 yards and called. The night before, we had done some location calling and had multiple hits in that general area. Back to a few minutes after legal shooting light this morning. I called and all hell broke loose. There was no less then ?? bulls screaming within a 150 yards. LSS, pop came up to where I was set up 10 minutes later dragging tail… he lifted up his shirt and showed me the nasty long scrape mark up and down his left rib cage. Till the day he passed a handful of years ago, he said he couldn’t be sure if it was the bull that ran him over, coming to my calls, or the alder brush he had to throw himself into to avoid being steamrolled I’ve always had an affliction for throwing caution to the wind and getting into those elk holed up in alder fields, it’s a curse.

[saddlesore]

I have had cow elk sniff my boots
Calf moose came up to me with a yard and then mama came out of the brush. Tense moment indeed
I climb up a hill that was made from an old tree blowing over, a bear had a den on the other side. I was within 2 feet. It opened it 's eyes and we were both surprised.
Spike bull elk followed me and the mule up a trail for a few hundred yards.
Owl swooping down on me while I was in a blind.
I have killed more than a few elk at less than20 yards.

[Swede]

I have had deer and elk both come right under my tree stand. I dropped a small, short piece of a tree limb about the diameter of a regular pencil between the ears of a doe as she was sneaking up to the water hole I was watching. She was very spooky and just about turned herself inside out getting away from there. I don't remember ever seeing a more nervous doe. I wonder what had her so leery of the area. Maybe she had seen or smelled a cougar.
On elk I have spine shot several of them at a strong downward angle. I top pinned them but don't think it mattered which pin I chose. The windage on my sights was more important.

[RanchoSueno]

I seem to almost get ran over every season first year the herd circled back for the cow my brother shot and came barreling down the timber almost taking me with them. Second year, a 6x6 came tumbling through the oak brush to my cow call and pelted me with rocks as he swapped ends lol. Last year, I set up a little calling sequence near the same oaky bench. Started to trek forward after 20 minutes and walked between two dead pines that Eiffel towered each other. There was a raghorn I met nose to nose as I passed through who about clipped me when he did the dog splay-legged take off.... I either need to slow down or quit hunting thick shit

[7mmfan]

I've had a few that I could have touched, those were exciting. A doe and fawn came up a trail I was sitting on a rock next to. Walked within inches of me. I was archery hunting elk in WA during a spike/cow season and had a big 6 point bull come out and walk right to the tree I was sitting under. His chin was literally over my head. If it hadn't been for the logs I'd stacked right in front of me as a makeshift blind I think he'd have tried to step over me. Many deer and elk killed at sub 20 yards, quite a few at sub 10.

I killed a spike bull 10 years ago or so that I walked up on in big timber on a windy day. I had stopped next to a thick line of fir saplings, trying to ID a route through when the wind died for a minute and I could hear the crunch crunch munch munch of an animal grazing grass on the other side of them. I knelt down and could see his legs from the knees down and his head. I waited for the wind to pick up again and him to turn his head away and I sat down and brought the rifle up, shooting him in the head the next time it offered a clear shot. That shot was about 7-8 yards.

I once had a squirrel take refuge under my orange vest from a weasel that was chasing him down the mountain. Him and I were close friends for about 5 minutes.

[six]

One night in the wee hours of the morning we heard the croaking sound of a bull moose. It kept getting closer and closer until we could her the footsteps right outside the tent. Pistols were drawn and we were both frozen waiting for him to hook the tent. Then he took one big sniff and not liking what he smelled he walked off.

[Elkhunttoo]

My wife had a cow walk by us at 3-4 yards a few years back.

The first season my wife hunted we worked in on a bull. I knew we were close to him but I didn’t realize we were only 20-25 yards away when I gave a soft cow call. He was on the other side of the willows and came crashing through them. I had told my wife not to take a frontal. We both dropped down and my wife drew as the bull stepped out and about 10 yards. He lowered his head and looked right at us but kept coming slowly…he came into just a few steps away and then just looked at us for about 2 minutes…I couldn’t believe how long my wife was able to hold her bow back…when he busted I couldn’t get him to stop before he was out of range…he was a solid 6 point bull…the second he busted the herd bull that was only about 50 yards away came screaming in…we quickly set up on him but couldn’t get him to come out of the willows for a shot. He tore things up for a few minutes though and was only 15 yards or so from my wife the whole time…she was immediately hooked!!!

[Lefty]

right outside the tent. ff

A tent it is easy to hear what's happening outside.

Well over a couple dozens times I've had cows and bull announce they didn't like my tent and me a few times elk have gone between the tent and truck
And the local coyote will hang up 50 -140 yards out and raise a ruckus.

A couple w3ks ago my wife and I were camping at a site from years back along the Continental divide.
A neighboring camper mentioned bears
I told the gal we had a small black bear on out outside tent rug

My wife started to comment that I had said it was a cow at the time.

I didn't remember that part of the story.
I peaked through the tent door and a little bear was sniffing our shoes, two feet away from my nose.