[Geoff40]

This is a true story. You should turn back now, before its too late.
This is a thread about animals that live outside the box, so to say. Animals that don't act or behave like they are supposed to. Game we hunt that are different in some way, maybe retarded, drain bamaged, or just plain demented. For example I once shot at a deer about 30 yards away that was looking at me, and I missed cleanly, the deer held it's ground and then began to walk toward me, curious. It continued to approach even as I began to talk to it, telling it to smarten up using some pretty choice language. I had a mental struggle over the idea of shooting it, I chose not to. I was too flabbergassed, too rattled by this reaction.
Or the bear that walked out of the woods, sat down in front of me and scratched an itch, then sat there for a few minutes looking at me looking at it. That one was a no brainer-I don't care for bear meat, and I passed. That was back before they had a bear permit.
And now this. Why I have to put up with this stuff I don't know. This is a partridge that lives in the woods along a road in the town I work in. A partridge like no other. He chases cars, trucks, and busses. I've watched him do it, running down the middle of the road, or along the side, even flying to keep up with, or catch up to what he is chasing. He will walk right up to you if you are walking by, or stop and get out of your car. I've allowed him to peck my fingers and he sometimes coos at me while fanning out and trying to sound tough. Take a swing at him-with hand, foot, or hat-it doesn't phase this bird a bit. He jumps away then comes right back in for more.

So, for some fun, lets hear about your experiences with animals we normally hunt that are just too stupid to shoot, or otherwise strange and funny experiences with game animals.

 

[Cush]

Ahh, another brazen partridge story. Before Julie and I were married we lived in an apartment on the outskirts of Lewiston. Just off the parking lot there was a stone wall where a male ruffed grouse would sit and drum. We really enjoyed watching and listening to this handsome bird. However, the next year he turned a bit too brazen. When we would pull in to the parking lot he would quietly sneak under the car and peck at our legs just as we stepped out. One day, while carrying two bags full of dirty laundry out to my truck, the bird crossed the parking lot and fly into the bags beating his wings into them in full attack mode. It was then that I thought that this bird needed to be eaten.

When I returned from the laundry mat (my soon to be mother-in-law's house) the bird was gone. It turns out that the neighbors, tired of living in fear, took a smelt net and caught the wild fowl and relocated him. It's a good thing. I was very close to relocating him to our stove.

 

[azmick]

We have a pretty stupid {?} pair of dove making a nest on the car port. A couple days ago, I was walking out to the mail box and the pair fell from the tree, engaged in,,,, making fertile eggs. They continued, on the ground, while I was sorting junk mail and good junk mail. I walked over to them and suggested they 'get a room'

 

[onenut58]

I was hunting one time walking down hill on a game trail and the trial went right next to a big fur tree where the branches had to be walked through and there was a steep drop in the trail.As I stepped toward the steep section and started to brush past the fur bows .
A tiny squirell started chirping at me. He was not three feet in front of me and at eye level. He was standing on a branch on his hind leggs and reaching up with one arm he was holding the branch above him and his left arm was thrust out toward me. He looked like a human almost the way he was standing and he was extremely mad at me and chewing me out like he was going to kick my butt.
It angered me at first because squirells drive me nuts annoucing my arrival when I am hunting.But this little guy was the bravest little creature I ever saw and had no fear what so ever of me.I lowered the muzzle of my rifle right at him and looked down the sights at him considering vaporizing him and it seemed to make him even madder.
I felt a tinge of humor and ended up just standing there teazing him by lunging at him and spitting at him. He didnt back off a bit stood his ground and kept chewing me out.I finaly had to walk around through the brush and back on the trial on the other side of the tree. I walked another ten minutes before he finaly shut up.I think if I had tried to brush past him the four inch tall little monster would have bit me in the face.

 

[Geoff40]

Yeah, the squirrels. I've had one or two fun experiences with them. I usually sit on stands in full camo, sometimes a squirrel will get within touching distance before it realizes something is there, and then the fun begins, doesn't it?
Not game, but how about the Black capped chickadee? These little birds are about the most fun of all while hunting. I've had several close encounters with them while out after white tails. One time on a stand a small flock surrounded me, scolding loudly, I mean within arms reach, and one of them landed right on my rifle barrel and hopped up toward my hands pretty much inches from my face. scolding all the while. I froze in place with a huge grin on my face.
Another time the same surrounding, this time one flew back and forth from branch to branch, crossing over my shoulder as it did, and it very deliberately brushed/smacked a wing against my neck as it passed over my shoulder each time, trying to push me away I guess. That too was a lot of fun. He gave up only after several tries, but hung around for a few minutes after. If deer pay attention to the scoldings we get from other creatures, there wouldn't have been one within a mile after that encounter. But I don't care, its all part of the fun of being out in the forests.
I can't be the only one of us who has had this sort of experience with these birds while sitting on a deer stand.

 

[onenut58]

One time my ex wife shot a white tail just off a game trail and it fell in a sort of hole made where a tree had blown over and been up rooted.It was the first game she had ever shot and I was trying to talk her through the process of gutting it. This blue jay landed with in arms reach of us and started trying to run us off.He stood on the lip of the shallow hole sqauking at us to get the hell away from his meat he had decided he was gonna claim.
He would jump up and down and pop his wings open and shut and showed no fear.He stayed the whole time it took to gut the deer and as I rolled the gut pile out and it rolled a few feet down the hill. He jumped up on it and made his claim and never left the gut pile.He was so funny and out ragous my wife and I thought he was entertaining and let him go on and on.
He was perfectly happy with his treasured gut pile and didnt seem to mind when we dragged the deer back down to the trail. But he stood fast on his gut pile and never once ceased to keep the evil eye on us and his constant squaking as we moved on with the deer.I imagine a raven eventualy came along and kicked his little butt off the gut pile.They usualy show up after a guns shot for there gut pile feast.
Sometimes we humans get sucked into the life and death struggles wild creatures have on a regular basis when we are out deep into there enviroment.Sometimes it is funny like with the bluejay or squirells etc.and you just watch in amazment. I am sure the bird thought he had won a significant battle and claimed a juicy prize.
But it can also be more than you want to deal with like comming on a sow bear with cubs or a old cougar that is hungry and cant chase down a deer any more.To some animals you can be a threat to be attacked or even food.Try to imagine what a squirell would be like if they grew to a couple feet tall or the blue jay was as big as a eagle.
I dont think I would find them as funny personaly.

 

[rewster]

My first year bowhunting for deer in VT I went with a married couple and it was her first time also. The 3rd or 4th day we were there, we went up the hill, through the fields and each took a stand in or around the edge of the woods. Just after sunset, when it was starting to get dark, I heard a lot of noise to my back left in the woods. The crashing kept going on until it was directly in back of me and then it stopped and I heard something that sounded like a groan. It was now dark so I walked to the field and the couple were talking loudly. The women had shot at a deer and thought she hit it. Her husband suggested we go back to camp and come back in the morning to look for it. I said, no need for that, just get your flashlights and follow me. I took them right to the spot about 50 ft in back of my stand and there was her deer !!!!

 

[jspick]

A few years ago I was in a tree stand bow hunting for deer. A squirrel was out and about making noise. He ended up coming up the tree I was in. I sat still listening. He went right up the back side of the tree and next thing I knew I felt his nose on the back of my ear. I sat still. Pretty soon he decided that he better leave.

John

 

[onenut58]

To funny.Wouldnt suprise me if he had decided to just take big bite out of your ear though.

 

[jspick]

Yea, well when I live in Denver several years ago.
I was in our front yard watching a young squirrel. He came out of the tree cautiosly came over to me crawled up my jeans, stopped at my pockets----my wife hollered that he might bite me. I replied, How does he know where the nuts are!!! :lol: :lol:

He crawled back down and went back up the tree.

Animals do the strangest things sometimes.

John