Post by: TimberMuleys on December 28, 2024, 09:02:28 PM
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Post by: Ridgeratt on December 28, 2024, 09:20:28 PM
Post by: TimberMuleys on December 28, 2024, 09:25:47 PM
Will you share what the chain of events were?Hiking to a spot in the dark on a trail and stopped to shed a layer. After shedding the layer, I looked behind me on the trail and saw a cat following me up the trail. I tried scaring it off but it didn’t care at all and kept stalking. Ended up shooting at it once around 10-15yds and it went in the brush. I don’t know if I hit it and I didn’t go any closer to it to find out. Didn’t walk that direction back.
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Post by: Westside88 on December 28, 2024, 09:26:39 PM
Post by: MADMAX on December 28, 2024, 09:26:54 PM
It’s a blast
:chuckle:
Post by: jrebel on December 28, 2024, 10:12:02 PM
Post by: kodiak06 on December 28, 2024, 10:35:56 PM
Post by: boneaddict on December 29, 2024, 06:36:54 AM
Post by: String Bender on December 29, 2024, 07:09:44 AM
Post by: boneaddict on December 29, 2024, 08:23:29 AM
I have been running into a big cat track in one of my shed hunting spots for many years and although I felt he was watching me or by me sometimes, I had never seen him. A couple of years ago, it was very late in the day and I was making my way down the mountain. I stopped underneath a large pine tree to spot. I looked to my left about 20 yards away and seen some garbage from someone. I stood up and went over and picked it up. When I turned back around I was facing the big pine tree and a cougar jumped out of it. He stared at me for a second and calmly walked away.I killed a cat doing that. I was hunting him, trying to walk him down. I was tracking him, under this big pine tree, tracks kept going. I looked down and realized the tracks were going back towards the tree. I turned, just as the cat came out of the tree landing “behind”me. I hit him with the 30-30. Not quite fitting the theme of the OPs post as I was after the cat but….
Post by: boneaddict on December 29, 2024, 08:29:31 AM
https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,13206.msg148736.html#msg148736 (https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,13206.msg148736.html#msg148736)
Post by: Okanagan on December 29, 2024, 09:12:19 AM
A grizzly sneaked around me in an inch of snow as I boned out a buck in the Canadian Rockies. I heard him a few times and looked with binos but never saw that bear. I stopped by the spot the next morning and he had gathered the remaining deer parts into a pile and covered them.
Was stalked by a lion in the snow when hunting mule deer. It was 21 feet from me, crouched behind a bush above and behind my right shoulder when my hunting partner saw it and shot at it. On the Peninsula I had a cougar follow me in the dark and kind of cry at me. Have had cougars follow me a number of times, apparently a curious cat kind of thing, based on 2-5 minute old tracks in mud or snow. Anyone who has hiked in WA woods much has probably had a cat follow them, though it is rare for the person being followed to ever know it.
From a hill above I watched a coyote stalk four golfers till he was crouched 30 feet from them in a weedy ditch and they on a green. In snow I tracked a lynx that sneaked up on a party of snow mobilers roasting hot dogs on a logging landing. He circled around them and they never knew he was there.
Post by: String Bender on December 29, 2024, 09:35:42 AM
Post by: Okanagan on December 29, 2024, 10:14:19 AM
About 15 years ago, my Dad and I were working out a open basin. He called me on the radio and told me he was going up to the top and and build a fire and eat lunch. I let him know I was 45 minutes to an hour behind him as I was way below him but that I would head his way. As I started climbing up, the snow was getting about a foot deep and when I got to the top, I cut my Dads tracks in the snow and began following them. Well about 50 yards later, there are 2 sets of cat tracks in his. I called him on the radio and told him to watch his backtrail and why. I followed them and at about 30 yards out, they had laid down in some small trees and watched my Dad for a while and he didn't even know they were there.
Excellent story, String Bender, and classic cat behaviour!
Post by: baldopepper on December 29, 2024, 10:31:10 AM
Only sketchy encounter was with a lion that wanted to debate ownership of a deer I had shot and field dressed-little hollering and arm waving and he gave up. Never felt any need to carry a sidearm in the woods, other than a 22 pistol to plunk grouse with. Only really aggressive animals I encounter are the occasional badger that is pretty sure he has the right of way on the road or trail. Might feel differently if I was hunting in grizzley or brown bear country. Much safer feeling in the woods than on the freeway.
Post by: jstone on December 29, 2024, 10:49:22 AM
Post by: jstone on December 29, 2024, 10:51:57 AM
Post by: kodiak06 on December 29, 2024, 11:11:56 AM
Post by: builtfordtough on December 29, 2024, 12:04:32 PM
Post by: boneaddict on December 29, 2024, 12:24:21 PM
When people see cougar tracks following their tracks, they're not always stalking the individual. At times they just follow out of curiosity. We've had a mom and 2 kits around since last February. The 'lil ones are actually almost as big as her and I would think getting kicked off the tit soon. This past elk season I know of two times they simply leisurely followed behind bow hunters at a distance of 70-100yds in an open field. Had they not seen them but for example found tracks in the snow, they'd have thought thy were being hunted.
Wolves do the same thing. Have been followed , stalked and hunted by them. I chalk it up to some of its curious and some of it is legit hunting behavior.
Post by: pianoman9701 on December 29, 2024, 12:40:10 PM
Post by: chukardogs on December 29, 2024, 12:45:24 PM
I was about 10 when that happened. I'm 62 now and I don't walk twenty yards in the hills without looking behind me. If I sit on the downhill side of a tree, it's never wider than my shoulders so I can lean over and look up hill. I actually prefer to sit with an undercut rock face to my back. I've had coyotes, wolves and cats follow me in the hills over the last 40 years. Some I've seen, some I found the tracks after the fact and one, a very large wolf, I came face to face with.
It seems as though they, (predators as a collective) are out there in greater numbers than at anytime in my life.
Be vigilant, safe and hang your meat high!
Post by: Skyvalhunter on December 29, 2024, 12:50:07 PM
Post by: ShedHead20 on December 29, 2024, 12:52:32 PM
Was shed hunting in a heavily timbered, smaller canyon that always held bulls in early march. I had been slowly entering the canyon from the top for maybe 10 minutes or so trying not to blow out any bulls that were still packing. I stepped out in a small opening in the timber maybe 40 yards wide by 100 yards long. Had this weird feeling to look up above me on the hill. Not a hair standing up moment or a fearful moment, it was almost like I picked up some movement subconsciously. I stop and look and at about 30 yards there is a small bushy grand fir and within seconds a black lone wolf steps out from behind the tree starting right at me. I immediately pull the pistol and all within a couples of seconds my mind went from seeing no collar and wanting to dump him to deciding not to due the possibility of getting in trouble. Wolves were somewhat new on the scene there at that time and was afraid of getting in trouble. I strangely enough didn’t feel threatened. So I waved my arms and yelled “get out of here!”. The wolf did not run but slowly walked off and gave me a couple looks over his shoulder as he left. I think he was more curious than anything but sure freaked me out. Didn’t really feel “nervous” until I hiked out was on the road maybe 45 minutes later after it kinda set in. Went up to where is was standing and backtracked him for a little ways and he had be paralleling me for about 100 yards. Found one side of a 360in. clean six that day not far from where I saw the dog and picked up the other side the next weekend.
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on December 29, 2024, 02:38:51 PM
Post by: chukardogs on December 29, 2024, 03:00:17 PM
I spread his ashes in July 2004 and was surprised to see an actual Forest Service trailhead sign there. That was it for me. I took the bird dogs up after grouse once mid-week, September 2010 or so and got lucky to not run in to any hikers (or grouse). That was the last time I've been to the peak. I guess I should go again before getting up there is beyond my capabilities.
Post by: chukardogs on December 29, 2024, 03:28:46 PM
Post by: dmoua on December 29, 2024, 10:45:30 PM
Post by: RileyH on December 30, 2024, 10:56:26 AM
The most baffling "predator" encounter I've had was pre-dawn hiking into one of the lakes in Manastash during archery elk, and a guy in running shorts/shoes and a puffy jacket with a pistol came hauling ass down the trail, no light, no pack, no water, no nothing besides his clothes and a pistol in hand, finger on the trigger. Dude looked like he had just killed someone, didn't say a word, I stepped off trail and he just kept going, never looked back. Seen a lot of weird sh*t in Manastash now that I think about it...
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on December 30, 2024, 12:36:20 PM
Post by: TylerMulie on December 30, 2024, 02:35:34 PM
Post by: Humptulips on December 30, 2024, 03:46:24 PM
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.
Post by: wadu1 on December 30, 2024, 05:34:26 PM
Post by: Cylvertip on December 30, 2024, 07:03:08 PM
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
Post by: blackveltbowhunter on December 30, 2024, 10:32:33 PM
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.
Post by: dylan34_36 on December 31, 2024, 10:01:37 AM
Post by: baldopepper on December 31, 2024, 10:40:59 AM
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 :chuckle:. 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.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.
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.
Post by: chukardogs on December 31, 2024, 01:29:56 PM
Post by: JJJ on December 31, 2024, 04:25:57 PM
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...
Post by: Kola16 on December 31, 2024, 04:32:10 PM
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 ;)
Post by: Jason on December 31, 2024, 11:00:31 PM
Post by: nwwanderer on January 01, 2025, 04:12:54 AM
Post by: boneaddict on January 01, 2025, 07:20:43 AM
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.