Predator encounters while hunting?

[TylerMulie]

didn't feel in imminent danger, but very cool predator experience. This year mule deer hunting, from a glassing point 3/4 up a ridge at a pinch point in a burn. heard some noise below me on the same ridge. put up the binos, noticed a body walking towards me up the hill, thought it was a deer at first then it stopped about 80 yds, it was a wolf, noticed movement behind him and from each side moving up to him. I started counting and final count, had 13 wolves between 80-95 yds, 2-3 yearlings. the wolves stuck around staring at me for about 1.5 minutes until the wind switch and off they ran. really cool experience to have in the woods.

[Humptulips]

I don't know if this fits in exactly with the theme of the thread but it's kind of funny so maybe some will enjoy reading it.
I was trapping on Joe Cr near Pacific Beach years ago when we could use foothold traps. I set a bobcat set on a fire trail in front of a hollow log facing the trail. A nice piece of beaver meat stuffed back in the log. Across the trail from the set was a wall of brush. OK, that's the picture. There happen to be that year a tremendous crop of shot berries/winter huckleberries and even though it was December and a little snow on the ground there was a bear out working them. Checking the set, the bear had come in and stepped in the trap. Of course, it couldn't hold the bear but opposite the set it looked like a bucket of blue paint had been fired out of a cannon. It makes me laugh to think of the surprise that literally scared the **** out of that bear.

[wadu1]

All on Vancouver Island. While glassing downhill in clear cut we had the feeling that we were being watched. When we turned around to head back to the truck the outline of a cat in the snow less than ten feet behind us. Had a deer hanging in camp when one of the locals came by saying he was watching a cat sneaking into our camp. Last one, I was coming out through a deer trail in a dense alder thicket when wolves started growling around me, my guess at least 5. Close enough I could hear them breathing between the growls. They took off when my guide honked his horn

[Cylvertip]

These aren't exactly what the OP was after, but in the general neighborhood....

 
Archery hunting up the Suiattle for deer and had a short tail weasel stock in on me while I was eating lunch.  Watched him come in from about 10 yrs away.  He actually climbed up on my knee while I was seated and popped up on his rear/hind quarters and tried staring me down before scurrying off.   

  Had a bobcat stock in on me one night to less than 10 yds while setting a beaver trap watched me for a bit and then skedatled.  That was just below Twin City Foods in Arlington

[blackveltbowhunter]

Have had several encounters with predators. Mainly big cats, have never had one that raised any significant concern. Lots of snow trailing, they always  peel off once they get close enough. Chalk it up to curiousity more than actually hunting me. Did have a mama calling to kittens while shed hunting with a dog. My lab was getting real wound up which was somewhat out of character for her. Called her back and leashed her up till it faded out. Had a stud cat stand in a road at 40 yards, watch me stop my bike, doff my pack, unload a bow, nock an arrow, then hightail it like it was on fire as soon as I started to draw  . That one was cool. Another time had an adolescent sneak in to 15 or 20 yards while working a bull, i assume mama was around and had actually bumped the herd prior to the encounter. Probably should have killed it, but it was real small maybe 40 or 50 pounds.
   Every black bear I have bumped was packing the mail to the next county once it knew what i was. I treat the brown ones with due respect.

My most" scared by animals in the woods " moment was not predators at all but free range cattle. Got caught in between two black Angus bulls on a steep hillside in the dark with a large herd of cows scattered around and they were  hell bent on fighting. That one had me puckered up for sure.

[dylan34_36]

The first time I drove up a new road near mt baker I was scouting for bear, I turned the corner on the logging road and a gorgeous blonde bear walked into the road and stopped less than 20 yards from my car. I stared for what seemed like a couple minutes and once I remembered to get the phone out for a pic it had shambled off into the skunk weed. It'll always be memorable to me since it was my first trip out solely looking for bears rather than stumbling on them while hiking/backpacking/climbing. New to hunting, not new to the outdoors.

 

[baldopepper]

Have had several encounters with predators. Mainly big cats, have never had one that raised any significant concern. Lots of snow trailing, they always  peel off once they get close enough. Chalk it up to curiousity more than actually hunting me. Did have a mama calling to kittens while shed hunting with a dog. My lab was getting real wound up which was somewhat out of character for her. Called her back and leashed her up till it faded out. Had a stud cat stand in a road at 40 yards, watch me stop my bike, doff my pack, unload a bow, nock an arrow, then hightail it like it was on fire as soon as I started to draw  . That one was cool. Another time had an adolescent sneak in to 15 or 20 yards while working a bull, i assume mama was around and had actually bumped the herd prior to the encounter. Probably should have killed it, but it was real small maybe 40 or 50 pounds.
   Every black bear I have bumped was packing the mail to the next county once it knew what i was. I treat the brown ones with due respect.

My most" scared by animals in the woods " moment was not predators at all but free range cattle. Got caught in between two black Angus bulls on a steep hillside in the dark with a large herd of cows scattered around and they were  hell bent on fighting. That one had me puckered up for sure.

Growing up my father always told us only things you gotta be careful of in the outdoors are rattle snakes and range bulls. Has turned out to be true for me.

[chukardogs]

Bobcats are fairly curious critters. Every time I see one, they seem to show no fear and have an aura around them that says, you're not bothering me. A few years ago, right after getting my deer camp set up for the night, I was standing on the corner of a closed road, pretty near dark, not far from the camp where I could see in both directions. About 100 yards away, a Bobcat walked out of the brush. It stopped in the middle of the road, turned, looked right at me and sat down like it didn't have a care in the world. I slowly started to walk towards him with really short and slow steps. He sat there while I cut the distance in half and then stood up and just meandered back into the brush. 

[JJJ]

Bobcats are fairly curious critters. Every time I see one, they seem to show no fear and have an aura around them that says, you're not bothering me. A few years ago, right after getting my deer camp set up for the night, I was standing on the corner of a closed road, pretty near dark, not far from the camp where I could see in both directions. About 100 yards away, a Bobcat walked out of the brush. It stopped in the middle of the road, turned, looked right at me and sat down like it didn't have a care in the world. I slowly started to walk towards him with really short and slow steps. He sat there while I cut the distance in half and then stood up and just meandered back into the brush.

They're quite strange critters..... Once, I was sitting in knee high brush next to a trail... noticed something out of the corner of my eye about 10' away headed towards me..... Bobcat walked right by me... Pretty sure he brushed my pack that I was wearing as he walked by...

[Kola16]

I had a big dark cougar wait for me when I was walking to my stand one year archery hunting. I came through the trees and it saw me and I saw it at roughly 25 yards. It scampered off immediately. I think it heard me before it saw me and thought I was a deer. Didn't see any deer that day

Later that year, I was cutting firewood with a chainsaw in the same general area. I ran out of gas and drove the quarter to half mile back to the cabin to grab gas. I then returned to the downed tree I was cutting after being away from it for about 15 minutes. Fresh cougar tracks in the fresh snow all around where I was just cutting. I must smell good to that cougar

[Jason]

On my Brown Bear hunt in Alaska this last spring I had this guy sneak in while I was reading the inside of my eye lids. I hear my buddies who were directly behind me quietly yelling my name, I opened my eyes and this fox was 3 feet from my boots. Honestly it startled me at first, could have been a bear. He was very curious, he stuck his nose right up the end of the gun barrel.

[nwwanderer]

And the wind was up not letting his nose help ID stuff

[boneaddict]

That’s cool.

  I woke to a black bear cub tugging on my pant leg once.  I startled, cub bawled. I assumed I was toast.  Got eyes on mom. She was a long ways away with a couple other cubs so paid no attention.