Harriest predicament you've ever found yourself in while in the woods?

[Lost Lake]

Mine are pretty tame compared to some here. Got chased up a tree by a boar once, after he dropped off a ridge looking for me.

Got stuck in my tree stand with the onset of hypothermia once, and almost just sat down on my stand platform and went to sleep after having difficulty working my hands and figuring how to descend the tree. It was way more serious than I thought at the time. Took a few days to get over.

Got lost at LBL in my late teens, hunting by myself in a light rain. No compass or gear other than my bow. Stayed lost from an hour after first light til an hour after dark. Finally stumbled onto the Trace and a gentleman was nice enough to give my drenched person a ride to my truck a few miles away.

I survived some stupidity on my part, and learned some valuable lessons.

 

[Ski]

Were you able to restring and still use the bow or was it trashed?

Other than random burn marks from arcs, it was fine, which was good because it was a brand new RevoltX. Didn't last though. A couple months later I was about to lower it from my stand and the pull rope broke, dropping the bow 25ft to a dry creek bed below. Busted the cam & cables. I was fortunate the shop owner had the same bow & swapped out parts from his personal bow so I could keep hunting. Like I said, God pities fools. Apparently my local shop owner does, too.

 

[Ski]

Got stuck in my tree stand with the onset of hypothermia once, and almost just sat down on my stand platform and went to sleep after having difficulty working my hands and figuring how to descend the tree. It was way more serious than I thought at the time.

Yes that sounds quite serious. By the time confusion and sleepiness sets in, you're in bad trouble.

 

[Lost Lake]

Yes that sounds quite serious. By the time confusion and sleepiness sets in, you're in bad trouble.

It sure was. I was at Ft. Campbell, bow hunting the river bottoms of the Old Clarksville Base in December. It started raining with temps hovering just above freezing. I'd seen a big buck in there, and didn't want to quit. I didn't have rain gear on, and stayed too late.

I can remember laughing out loud and looking at my hands in amazement, as I couldn't force them to work properly. Then I felt a warm sensation and almost just sat down to rest and sleep. Something snapped me out of it though, and I managed to get my butt in gear.

 

[fairchaser]

I was bow hunting alone out of a baker climber and had a loose fitting safety belt, I leaned against it and it simply slipped open. I knew I was headed to the ground. I pitched the bow and hit the ground feet first (18 ft) but went forward on my hands. My wrist snapped and was not compound but crooked. I walked a half mile to the truck and drove myself to the hospital where they set my wrist. Later that day on pain pills I went back with some help and retrieved my gear. I was climbing back up later in the season with a cast. Thankfully it wasn't worse.

 

[ronnycl]

Years ago a buddy and I went into the MS River Bottoms to squirrel hunt. 18 miles from a paved road and we are the only truck. We walked in a logging road early that morning and a guy steps out with a crossbow. Shocked us! He looked dirty, nasty. He asked a few questions and asked to see my squirrel rifle. So I proceeded to unload it and hand it to him while concelaing my 9mm on my side and he said nice rifle and was checking it out. He gave it back and asked if he could have our squirrels he had not eaten in a coupe days. gladly gave them to him & he said he was deer hunting and someone dropped him off from a boat days back. we went on and my buddy and I thought maybe he was on the run, the lesson never hand your loaded gun to a unknown. My buddy said I am glad you didn't hand over that rifle loaded! Reminded me of the movie MUDD and not far from

 

[KPH]

The two things that I can think of happen when I was squirrel hunting. One was this fall I was squirrel hunting when I saw a hog coming at me as I told before the first shot was about 20 yards, The next was about 10 yards and the last was at point blank between the eyes . I still had to steep aside and let it fall a few feet past me. All this was with a 28ga #6 shot not what I would pick for hogs. The other was when I was a teenager I was squirrel hunting in what is now LBL. I was walking a ridge when I saw a man with a gun I thought he was another hunter went up to him and talked letting him know what I was doing. He was very polite and told me about a good squirrel woods not far and asked me not to go any further down that ridge. I took his advise and later figured out he was most likely a guard on a whisky still.

 

[7mm08]

you win for possibly the "harriest predicament"

Maybe yes, maybe no

 

[gladesman60]

Coming from south Florida I hunted where there were a lot of gators. I have stepped square on the back of 2 of them. Both of them knocked me down but thankfully blew out of the shallow ditch into deeper water. Another time I was wading back to my 4wheeler on a trail I had made through the sawgrass the week before. I came to a wide spot in the trai that i didnt remember being there. It was just light enough that i wasnt using my light but dark enough that i couldnt see into the water. I sidestepped to go around the wide spot and just as I did an 8footer blew up out of that hole. All i remember was the white of that big wide open mouth and me screaming as he hit me on the back of my right calf. He was just far enough from me when he launched to allow me to twist around and it threw his aim off. I fell down somehow with the gator between my feet pushing myself backward just as he struck at me again. I guess he realized i wasnt the meal that he was expecting and backed back into his hole. I got back to my feet and fished my old Knight muzzleloader out of the water. It was about 18 inches deep outside that hole and i wasnt sure it would even fire but i was pissed. i grabbed my light and shined it into the water saw the gator and let it rip. The gun actually went off and the gator blasted out of the hole and was gone. Water was pretty deep in that hole and not sure if I even hurt him but it made me feel better. I was soaked from being in the water and adrenaline was pumping so i wasnt sure if or how bad I was hurt. Walking back to my bike my leg began to hurt a little but I wasnt stopping till i got back there. When I did i found out he had got the back of my pant leg slashed it, ripped my rubber boots and about a a 5 inch gash in the back of my calf.Thankfully it wasnt deep enough for stitches and my buddies patched me up at camp. Too close for comfort.

 

[Kirk]

I have been fortunate that none of my hunting mishaps have has caused me any harm. The one that caused me the most concern started as simple deer hunting trip. I placed a friend of mine on a heavily used game trail in a pine thicket. It was the last day of the MZ season and he had never killed a deer with a muzzle loader and I was determined to get him a good opportunity. I told him to take a seat (on this cheap ass little stool he was carrying) and watch the trail in front of him. This trail ran through a big clear cut that had overgrown and I knew it had deer bedded in it.

I walked up the road another 100 yards and through another pine thicket and started to push the the big clear cut. Deer were running everywhere. I know for a fact they had to run in front of him. Still no shot. I walked up the spot I left him and he was gone. I walked out into the logging road and took about 10 steps and I could hear a big boom and the limbs about 5 feet over my head were cracking a popping. I hit the dirt and started yelling.

WELL...........he decided to move to a better spot about 10 minutes after I walked off. He had crossed the logging road and walked up a small pine ridge.
He set up his cheap ass stool, and set down. He said he had been there for about 15 minutes a couple of big does ran up from the spot he had just left.
He twirled around the stool and it collapsed and his Hawken rifle went off when he hit the ground. I told him he nearly shot me. He thought it was funny and I cussed him all the way back to the truck. Never hunted with him again after that stupid move. have never done a deer drive since then either.

 

[Bushape]

Coming from south Florida I hunted where there were a lot of gators. I have stepped square on the back of 2 of them. Both of them knocked me down but thankfully blew out of the shallow ditch into deeper water. Another time I was wading back to my 4wheeler on a trail I had made through the sawgrass the week before. I came to a wide spot in the trai that i didnt remember being there. It was just light enough that i wasnt using my light but dark enough that i couldnt see into the water. I sidestepped to go around the wide spot and just as I did an 8footer blew up out of that hole. All i remember was the white of that big wide open mouth and me screaming as he hit me on the back of my right calf. He was just far enough from me when he launched to allow me to twist around and it threw his aim off. I fell down somehow with the gator between my feet pushing myself backward just as he struck at me again. I guess he realized i wasnt the meal that he was expecting and backed back into his hole. I got back to my feet and fished my old Knight muzzleloader out of the water. It was about 18 inches deep outside that hole and i wasnt sure it would even fire but i was pissed. i grabbed my light and shined it into the water saw the gator and let it rip. The gun actually went off and the gator blasted out of the hole and was gone. Water was pretty deep in that hole and not sure if I even hurt him but it made me feel better. I was soaked from being in the water and adrenaline was pumping so i wasnt sure if or how bad I was hurt. Walking back to my bike my leg began to hurt a little but I wasnt stopping till i got back there. When I did i found out he had got the back of my pant leg slashed it, ripped my rubber boots and about a a 5 inch gash in the back of my calf.Thankfully it wasnt deep enough for stitches and my buddies patched me up at camp. Too close for comfort.

You have "guts" bigger than me my friend. Not a chance I'd get anywhere near gator infested waters much less go walking in/out at dawn or dusk.

 

[utvolsfan77]

I was bow hunting near a persimmon tree one afternoon when one of the landowners wives - who hated anyone hunting there started picking up persimmons and she squatted and peed . She never saw me but I saw more of her than I wanted to.

Geez, how many wives did that landowner have?

 

[13pt]

I'm guessing I was probably 7 or 8 years old…now 48-49 years ago. My dad always took me hunting with him, and that day we were out squirrel hunting. We had sneaked up to a huge beech tree that was full of squirrels. He told me to stand still while he walked closer to the tree with his double barrel 20 gauge. He went about 5 yards and stopped and raised the gun straight up and shot. That shot caused him to lose his balance because he was shooting straight up. A second later I'm staring at the double barrels of a 20 gauge as he's falling backwards and his finger accidentally pulls the trigger again as he trying to stop the gun from falling toward me. There's no way they wad of pellets missed me by more than inches. Needless to say it was incredibly scary to both of us, but it scared him so badly he broke down crying just thinking how badly it could have ended. Before we got home he threatened me to never say a word about it to anyone, and to this day I've never spoken a word of it until now, except to my wife. He passed a few years back, and he and I never mentioned it again to each other after that day.

 

[Pilchard]

You have "guts" bigger than me my friend. Not a chance I'd get anywhere near gator infested waters much less go walking in/out at dawn or dusk.

I think it's a factor of being raised around gators… not necessarily guts. Being raised in South Florida I was never scared of gators or moccasins. I don't want to speak for gkadesman but I'd bet he would say the same thing. Most kids that were interested in the outdoors grew up catching gators and snakes.

Here is one I killed with a pickaxe using a headlamp and a snatch hook.

 

[TNTreeman]

Geez, how many wives did that landowner have?

Oh, I never mentioned he was Williamson counties only polygamist, forgot that part. . It was owned by 3 brothers, only 2 were married. I can't spell or use grammar correctly .

 

[WestTn Huntin man]

Most Recent had 3 does down .Went to start cleaning the 1st one on a hillside with some Frost still clinging on the hill . She slipped sliced my thumb. Had to clean and disinfect bandage and some duct tape . Finished the 1st one got the other 2. then loaded all 3 got em too the processor . Then to the ER for stitches.

you win for possibly the "harriest predicamen

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Coming from south Florida I hunted where there were a lot of gators. I have stepped square on the back of 2 of them. Both of them knocked me down but thankfully blew out of the shallow ditch into deeper water. Another time I was wading back to my 4wheeler on a trail I had made through the sawgrass the week before. I came to a wide spot in the trai that i didnt remember being there. It was just light enough that i wasnt using my light but dark enough that i couldnt see into the water. I sidestepped to go around the wide spot and just as I did an 8footer blew up out of that hole. All i remember was the white of that big wide open mouth and me screaming as he hit me on the back of my right calf. He was just far enough from me when he launched to allow me to twist around and it threw his aim off. I fell down somehow with the gator between my feet pushing myself backward just as he struck at me again. I guess he realized i wasnt the meal that he was expecting and backed back into his hole. I got back to my feet and fished my old Knight muzzleloader out of the water. It was about 18 inches deep outside that hole and i wasnt sure it would even fire but i was pissed. i grabbed my light and shined it into the water saw the gator and let it rip. The gun actually went off and the gator blasted out of the hole and was gone. Water was pretty deep in that hole and not sure if I even hurt him but it made me feel better. I was soaked from being in the water and adrenaline was pumping so i wasnt sure if or how bad I was hurt. Walking back to my bike my leg began to hurt a little but I wasnt stopping till i got back there. When I did i found out he had got the back of my pant leg slashed it, ripped my rubber boots and about a a 5 inch gash in the back of my calf.Thankfully it wasnt deep enough for stitches and my buddies patched me up at camp. Too close for comfort.

NOPE! NO WAY! I'm already terrified of snakes. A gator - HELL NO! I'd be an easy meal. I'd probably pass out and land on top of him

 

[Pilchard]

NOPE! NO WAY! I'm already terrified of snakes. A gator - HELL NO! I'd be an easy meal. I'd probably pass out and land on top of him

Ha. I'm ashamed to admit this but one of the things I did to "earn" some extra cash when I was younger was to raid gator nests. It was done legally but looking back it was a terrible thing to do. It might even be illegal now.

I would go out in an airboat with a guy who would collect the eggs, my job was to stand guard and run off the momma gator if she was around. About 1 out of every 4 were aggressive and needed to be swatted on the nose with a piece of bamboo to get to leave.

 

[Grainger]

I think it's a factor of being raised around gators… not necessarily guts. Being raised in South Florida I was never scared of gators or moccasins. I don't want to speak for gkadesman but I'd bet he would say the same thing. Most kids that were interested in the outdoors grew up catching gators and snakes.

Here is one I killed with a pickaxe using a headlamp and a snatch hook.

View attachment 125857

That look in your eyes....

 

[gladesman60]

I think it's a factor of being raised around gators… not necessarily guts. Being raised in South Florida I was never scared of gators or moccasins. I don't want to speak for gkadesman but I'd bet he would say the same thing. Most kids that were interested in the outdoors grew up catching gators and snakes.

Here is one I killed with a pickaxe using a headlamp and a snatch hook.

View attachment 125857

Gators and snakes were never an issue for me. When the state opened gator season the limit was 15 so I got used to handling them and many were 10 ft plus.It wasnt unusual to catch smaller gators while bass fishing with top water lures. You could land em up to about 4ft. Anything bigger and you lost your lure. The glades was a special place. I have had bears scent trail me where i had dragged a buck to the 4 wheeler. Had a panther at 30 yards watch me carrying a buck on my shoulders. It just sat there watching me, never moved. Never had a run in with a python down there and now never will. Good times great memories.