Dangerous hunting sitituations?

[missjordan]

Not a dangerous hunting situation but still worth sharing. We bought an older camper (96 Dutchman) from a friend that had some minor water damage and needed a new floor. Bought new flooring got it all installed but noticed when we were fixing it the camper kept blowing the breaker on the house. We replaced what we could for electrical but needed to pull the fridge out to get to the AC/DC converter but still wanted to take it out for he weekend. The first night we slept good no problems but by the second night the converter shorted out and the camper caught on fire at 1:30 in the morning. We had no smoke detectors or fire extinguishers with the unit either. I am a light sleeper and we had a space heater going so all i was thinking at the time was "why is that space heater making snapping and popping noises". We couldn't smell or see the flames from the bedroom but noticed it when I got up to turn the heater off. Needless to say campers burn extremely fast and we worked hard to get what we could out of it but still lost a lot of items, especially personal ones you can't put a price on!

After the incident we went out and bought a brand new keystone hideout and I still don't feel comfortable sleeping in it. The heater kicks on and I'm always checking things. Things we learned are make sure your campers have all the right safety equipment and that your detectors work. A method of putting out the fire are a must because running around in your pajamas throwing water on flames doesn't get you anywhere, and always carry insurance!!! We didn't have the older camper insured but our insurance was still able to cover the loss of the unit and the loss of our stuff. Which was the most positive thing to come out of the whole situation.

This is what was left the next morning when we went back to clean up what we could

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[Colorado Cowboy]

Wow that was really lucky for you! I have been rving for 30 + years and one thing I habitually do is check all the alarms before every trip...eg. smoke alarm & co alarm. I also replace the batteries in the alarms every 6 months. Never had a problem yet, but you never know.

 

[s8mdevo]

Loving these

 

[go_deep]

Miss Jordan you were lucky.

 

[Horsenhike]

Three guys duck hunting in a 1436 alumacraft. Calm as glass before sunrise. 30 mph winds by 10. That one could have been bad.

A morning hike in the Arizona mountains turned into 5 miles into the wilderness. No supplies. As I entered my destination it allowed me to see out onto the desert where a massive black storm was rolling in. Pouring rain mixed with hail. Horrible. By the time the dog and I mad it back to the truck we were both shivering uncontrollably. I was actually scared I was going to die because I couldn't get the key in the lock for the topper. Once I did we covered up with every blanket we had and made hot food. We recovered quick, but it really scared me.

Then the time when we went pheasant hunting after they closed school due to windchill. That was stupid. Ended up leaving our guns and hitching a ride.

Great topic. I now rarely leave the truck without the basics, even if it is only for a short walk. You just never know.

 

[labahertd]

About 3 years ago we were hunting out of big sandy mt and it was late in the afternoon and the temps were around 10 below and a 15 mph wind. My partner got on a big buck and the chase was on. We trailed him until it got dark. We headed back toward where we thought the pick up was. Needless to say it wasn't there. After 2 hours in the dark we found the truck. The thermometer in the truck said 21 below.


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[Mr Drysdale]

We were hunting in the Uintas a few years ago. It was the third day of our hunt and I had hiked about two miles up into the mountain range before day light. It was in the same area I had hunted the previous two days. It started to snow at sunrise and continued all day steadily getting harder and harder. Me being from Mississippi, this was beautiful. I had never seen snow deeper than six inches. I was dressed for the weather and stayed until dark. When I got ready to hike back to camp, I realized everything looked different. No landmarks I could recognize from the previous two days. So I pulled out my very entry level GPS and hit the camp location as I had logged it when we arrived. It was snowing so hard I couldn't see the screen. I ducked under some evergreens to solve that problem and lost signal. I repeated the above several times and was about to panic when finally the signal locked in when I could see it. I arrived at camp safely but the situation scared me. I have noticed that most of these replies are weather related and so was mine.

 

[ivorytip]

weather will kill you faster than your own smarts will. be careful this year guys. and miss Jordan, wow. so sad. count those blessings

 

[buckbull]

Well, this happened today. We were working on our farm today preparing to plant some alfalfa in a small field. I had the sxs loaded down with a sprayer and I had a stihl pole saw on setting on top. My son was sitting in the back seat hold it and I guess he got tired of holding it so he tied some rope around the saw and roll cage. somehow a tag end of the rope got around the rear axle and all hell broke loose, pole saw knocked my sister out of the front sea and broke my sons arm. Was only going maybe 5mph. Accidents can happen in just a blink of an eye.

 

[hoshour]

I was climbing a pine tree with my climbing stand. I have a rope that ties the top and bottom parts together and I always check prior to climbing up. What I failed to check was the distance between top and bottom. I did not wear a harness to connect myself to the tree because it seemed like too much bother to carry it, strap it on, tie it on, etc.

I got to about 20 feet up and planned on going to 25 feet. I was sitting on the rail of the top section, and as I moved off the rail and put my feet in the bottom section to pull it up, my feet slipped out. The bottom swung vertical against the tree and I suddenly dropped through the top. In that split second, I caught my elbows and forearms on the top of the shooting rail and hung there with my feet in midair. I kicked my feet toward the tree but I was unable to reach the bottom section that was flat against the tree.

The adrenaline spike was enormous and as I hung there 20 feet above the ground, I wondered how long I could do that before I would just give out. I asked myself, could I live if I dropped that far and rolled? Would I blow out my artificial knee and cut the artery in my leg? Would I break my break my back and be a paraplegic or bang my head too hard to survive? I cursed myself for not keeping the rope short enough to reach the bottom section.

I lowered myself through the top as far as I could and still keep a grip, stretched out and managed to snag the top of the bottom section with my toe. Eventually, I got it up far enough that I could catch another part of it with my other foot and got it horizontal again far enough up the tree that I was again connected to both sections.

The first thing I did was undo the knot on the top section and shorten up the rope. Then I got set up and watched for deer until after dark and came on down.

I take a harness now and keep it on and I have two ropes connecting the stands, one at the back, one at the front and I check the rope and the knots every time I hunt. I thank God I survived that but I've never told my wife.

 

[25contender]

How to start this post?? I finally have a few moments to sit down and make a post from my two week solo Elk bowhunt.As I have mentioned before this is my 20th Season elk hunting in Montana. I have never carried a side arm during all my trips. I have always thought that the extra weight would be to much. I also thought it would be awkward carrying it with a pack on all the time. The hunt I just returned from might have changed my mind. Over the years I have always seen Bears and a few skiddish wolves and never had any encounter that I felt uncomfortable with.

I had been doing some glassing and finally found a few nice bulls to go after. I hunted them hard a few days and found a trail below a large rock slide that they had been using every other day early in the morning . Sort of a pinch point. One morning I decided to go in early and set up in a good spot I had cleared out between two trees to see if they would pass through. As the sun started to come up I heard a very light sound behind me on a rock trail not more than 10ft behind me. I turned to look over my shoulder and there was the culprit a pretty good size Tom MT lion. He was crouched down facing me with his tail wrapped around the front of him!! This dude had totally snuck up on me and I have great hearing. Instinctively I turned and faced him my bow on the ground and tried to scare him of by giving him a generous shout. All he did was to inch a little closer and let out his own displeasure by growling and hissing at me. By this time only a minute or so had passed by and I am thinking Mark Chops for breakfast!!
Now a little flustered and my bow on the ground to far to reach, I un-clipped my sheath knife and opted for a good size rock while keeping my eye on him. With a good grip on the rock I threw the rock hitting him square in the chest. I know I know a rock!!! Anyway at that point he jumped in the air and vanished into the timber.
After all the years I have been doing this I have never really considered Mt Lions as a threat as they are so elusive but this one was so stealthy and snuck right up on me getting so close!! He definitely got my attention and has me thinking about carrying my side arm from now on.

Anyone need a pitcher!!

 

[ivorytip]

THINKING ABOUT A SIDE ARM????? geez man! that's some crazy crap right there

 

[missjordan]

How to start this post?? I finally have a few moments to sit down and make a post from my two week solo Elk bowhunt.As I have mentioned before this is my 20th Season elk hunting in Montana. I have never carried a side arm during all my trips. I have always thought that the extra weight would be to much. I also thought it would be awkward carrying it with a pack on all the time. The hunt I just returned from might have changed my mind. Over the years I have always seen Bears and a few skiddish wolves and never had any encounter that I felt uncomfortable with.

I had been doing some glassing and finally found a few nice bulls to go after. I hunted them hard a few days and found a trail below a large rock slide that they had been using every other day early in the morning . Sort of a pinch point. One morning I decided to go in early and set up in a good spot I had cleared out between two trees to see if they would pass through. As the sun started to come up I heard a very light sound behind me on a rock trail not more than 10ft behind me. I turned to look over my shoulder and there was the culprit a pretty good size Tom MT lion. He was crouched down facing me with his tail wrapped around the front of him!! This dude had totally snuck up on me and I have great hearing. Instinctively I turned and faced him my bow on the ground and tried to scare him of by giving him a generous shout. All he did was to inch a little closer and let out his own displeasure by growling and hissing at me. By this time only a minute or so had passed by and I am thinking Mark Chops for breakfast!!
Now a little flustered and my bow on the ground to far to reach, I un-clipped my sheath knife and opted for a good size rock while keeping my eye on him. With a good grip on the rock I threw the rock hitting him square in the chest. I know I know a rock!!! Anyway at that point he jumped in the air and vanished into the timber.
After all the years I have been doing this I have never really considered Mt Lions as a threat as they are so elusive but this one was so stealthy and snuck right up on me getting so close!! He definitely got my attention and has me thinking about carrying my side arm from now on.

Anyone need a pitcher!!

I would of s*** bricks!!!


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[ivorytip]

I had to check my britches just from reading that story.

 

[boiler]

Had a very similar encounter with a grizzly while moose hunting in Alaska. While watching an open drainage, I just happened to look into the brush directly behind me and not 20 yards away was the first grizzly bear I had ever seen! I jumped up, spun around, and threw my rifle up as the bear continued slowly walking towards me oblivious to me and my buddy! Saftey off, finger on the trigger, and shaking like a leaf, my buddy very slowly turned his head and whispered "Is it a bull?" Needless to say I didn't respond, until finally at 13 yards the bear stopped, slowly raised his head, saw me, and thankfully huffed and ran past at a 45 degree angle. Thats when I involuntarily screamed "IT'S A F---ING GRIZZLY BEAR!!!" The bear ran about 50 yards into the opening swung around and stood on his hind legs to look at us, dropped back down ran another 20 yards, stood-up again, then finally ran off. We called it a night and headed back to the tent for a bottle of courage...at that point we sorely needed it!!

 

[25contender]

Still haven't carried a side arm since that trip. But I have had someone else along the past two seasons.

 

[B&C Blacktails]

25contender that was a good story. I too have had encounters like that with mtn lions.

A couple years ago it was a hot rifle season here in California and the place I was living at was down low in elevation on the sacramento valley. On the ranch there was a large creek, it was the only water source for quite a ways which I thought there would be deer feeding and drinking along the creek. Well they weren't the only critters who had that idea.

This creek was fantastic smallmouth fishing so I fished and hunted my up the creek constantly glassing every likely area. Now I had fished this stretch of the creek while carrying my rifle over my shoulder boulder hopping a couple miles upstream every weekend and had only seen a couple does. With the hunting not so good and the rifle being cumbersome. I invited a buddy to come fishing with me. We opted to leave the rifles and just fish. We brought along my little mixed breed dog that loved fishing as much as we did. As we fished our way upstream doing more catching than fishing, (I mean almost every cast, as you could see how distracting that would be) I glance up the hill and see a deer sized animal run through the brush and I think dam I should have brought the rifle. Oh well we keep on fishing up the creek swimming and fishing as it was getting later in the day the sun started to creep down low in the sky we decide to turn around and fish our way back. We were approaching the area where I had seen the animal in the brush and I hadn't really thought anything of it I noticed my dog was gone. I hollered upstream to my buddy, is Lilly up there with you and he said no. I think dammit she must've went after that deer. My buddy and I round the bend in this creek, I hear my dog barking as we approach I saw it was a huge F**king mtn lion with my little dog running circles around this cat as it was making huge long swipes trying to grab my dog. We were only 15-20 yards away I think if only I had my rifle! So I grab a baseball sized rock and throw it hitting the cat but it didn't faze it. The cat was more focused on my dog than us, The only thing I could do while screaming at the cat was run up to it and kick water in its face as my dog had bayed it up next to the creek. That worked and the cat ran off with my dog in follow. Along this creek there are massive live oak forests and that is exactly where the cat went. I grab my dog as quickly as I can and get back to my buddy and head home. That cat was only a hundred yards from where I seen it earlier in the day, he must have been waiting for us. I wonder how many times that cat had let me walk by it.

I had another situation in the high country during bow season right in our camp, like 10 feet from our tents. I wasn't there but my brother got back to camp before me. We set camp on this little bench just big enough to hold our tent. As he approached from the downhill side his head was about eye level with bench and also was eye level with a mtn lion at less than five feet crouched down. I'm not sure what the cat had planned but he raised his bow in the air and hollered at the cat and it ran off. I just could not believe the cat was in our camp! And there was proof, I could see where the cat was crouched down in the dust where it left its tracks and you could even see where it had been twitching its long tail as it was waiting for one of us to get back to camp.

I never worry about mtn lions or bears but every once in awhile they get a little more brave than the next one.

 

[PacWestUL]

Good stories.

My closest calls were both duck hunting with friends in montana.

First one was on flathead lake in a small aluminum boat with an outboard. The lake was glassy, sunset was beautiful. We just finished shooting close to a mixed bag limit, and then we looked over to the mountains to the west. Clouds were rolling down quickly and you could feel the wind pick up. Our dogs instinctively started retreiving decoys when they saw us hustling to beat the storm, as we had to cross a bay to get back to camp. The dogs never did that before. With the boat loaded, waders still on, we started across open water. It went from glass to 3' swells, tossing our heavy 12' boat around easily. Every time we hit a trough, water splashed over the bow, and the gas line wasnt working right - our engine stalled with every dip. We cat and moused the waves back to the dock, starting to capsize with the weight of our gear and water. Once ashore, my buddy kissed the grass and thanked God we made it.

Second one was even worse. Floating the bitterroot in a small aluminum boat with no motor, chasing ducks. Early fall so the river was barely floatable, and with waders we could walk through much of it. Took plenty of shots at passing fowl but couldnt connect. My dog was not used to this first time strategy and kept jumping ship when he got excited. All was well until we rounded a corner and out of nowhere came a quick drop through some easy rapids. Rapids, no problem, but three big branched, gnarly trees, snagged together at the end of them? We were f*****d. My inexperienced rower buddy went with the current trying to get us away, and we slammed into them. A big branch caught me at stomach level and pinned me into the back of the boat on my back, which sunk underwater. I was looking up at the sky, water flooding down the back of my waders and into the boat, thinking this is it. My only instinct was to pull myself and the back of our sinking boat under the branch pinning me. When I did that the current pushed us forward, the boat righted itself, we bounced off a few more branches, and exited the death trap. Immediately we pulled over and unloaded the boat so we could drain it. It was half full of water. To this day, thar was my closest near death experience and I dont float rivers for ducks unless I scout from shore first. Even worse, we went home empty handed, but being alive is better.

 

[ivorytip]

Damn man. wow