Author Topic: Critters under a deer stand (Read 8225 times)

Ranger J · « **on:** April 17, 2006, 04:24:40 AM »

If youÂ’re like me you spend a lot of time in your tree stand Â‘just lookingÂ’. In addition to the occasional deer a lot of other critters have walked within shooting range of my stand over the years. As with you the most common wildlife seen was probably squirrels. I find these little rodents particularly annoying and have taken to taking my 22 and shooting them out of my stand before deer season in an attempt to diminish their numbers. When I lived in Illinois this seemed to help as most of them were fox squirrels and there numbers were somewhat limited. After I moved to the Missouri Ozarks I soon found this practice to be impractical, as these woods seem to hold an inexhaustible supply of squirrels, mainly of the gray persuasion. In Missouri I think I could take home more meat by shooting squirrels than by shooting deer.
I have had coyotes and gray foxes visit my stand as well as the occasional beagle. Probably the most fun I had was the time a large male mink came humping down the small creek I had set up next to. It was fun to watch him check out each and every nook and cranny in search of dinner. After a while I started making rabbit squeal noises with my lips and he did everything but climb down the barrel of my gun hunting for that rabbit. The noisiest animals I have ever had under my stand was a covey of quail. I believe a whole heard of deer could pass with less noise. While not exactly under my stand I once had a hen turkey that had been roosting in a cedar tree nearby fly over to a limb of a tree about thirty or so yards from my stand. She spent a good half hour walking up and down a limb, longnecking me trying to figure just what I was. I finally moved and she was gone in a flash. Unfortunately I have also had other hunters walk under my stand without any notion that anyone was within miles of them. On Sundays I am always tempted to say, Â“This is God speaking, why arenÂ’t you in church todayÂ’? IÂ’ve never done it; IÂ’m just tempted to.

Land_Owner · « **Reply #1 on:** April 17, 2006, 02:07:06 PM »

At 0-dawn-thirty I heard the screech of a Great Horned Owl along the reach of Fairforest Creek in Union, SC. The mate was even farther away. Sitting 15-feet up in my tree stand I wondered how magnificant it would be to see that bird up close and personal. Very soon the hair was standing straight up on the back of my neck as something landed on the lower rung of my stand. Right then, something very big alighted with a swirl of wind onto the tree branch that held the top rung of my tilt up tree stand. Not three feet from my right ear stood that Great Owl pearched on that limb. In the starlight darkenss, I slowly and fearfully turned to face what I knew to be instant trouble, if the circumstances went south. It was inspiring to see it take to wing as it recognized me as danger and not the "stump" at first thought. Its wing brushed my face heavily in the instant it took to flight. It took a long time to settle down that morning.

Land_Owner · « **Reply #2 on:** April 17, 2006, 02:15:56 PM »

Most of us have had squirrel encounters. Mine were the curious kind. Both times the gray squirrels have climbed up the back side of the tree, making their chuchka-chucka-chucka sound and stayed upside down within arms reach for fifteen to thirty minutes watching me breathe. Then I guess they decided I was OK and off they went leaving me alone for the rest of the season but eyeing me from time to time and within arms length a time or two.

The flying squirrels were the best however. Six of them would come up the adjacent tree and one at a time "fly" across to my tree to a height just above my head, climb down and then OVER my outstreatched arm, and jump back to the tree from which they came. This happened four times over six weeks. Sitting still had taken on a whole new meaning.

WylieKy · « **Reply #3 on:** April 24, 2006, 01:03:09 PM »

One time while hunting with an old 12 ga. in Ohio, I had a grey squirrel climb down the trunk of the tree I was sititng under. It startled me, so I looked up and it freaked out, ran about 5 ft up the tree, and barked at me. It did so for over an hour, until dark. I was so frustrated I got up, turned, and blasted the dang thing from about 5-8 ft away. 12ga with 3 in Mag rifled slug. Oh yeah, by the way, the entire time it had half a corn cob in it's mouth, which the 1 1/4oz slug apparently turned into a grenade, as the entire squirrel vaporized. Literaly. Even the tail was in tiny, tiny, pieces. I was breathing squirrel. I was only about 15 at the time and know better now. Well, I knew better then, but I'm less hot headed now.

JPSaxMan · « **Reply #4 on:** April 24, 2006, 04:56:20 PM »

Good one Wylie! :-D

.308sniper · « **Reply #5 on:** April 25, 2006, 10:00:35 AM »

very funny wylie!!! :-D :-D :-D :-D

Shorty · « **Reply #6 on:** April 27, 2006, 03:48:42 PM »

Wiley,
Ditto, red squirrel. That dang thing would...not...shut...the......UP! :wink:

timjberkley · « **Reply #7 on:** May 23, 2006, 11:23:58 AM »

i've been sooooooooo tempted to do that so many times

*ROCK-MAN* · « **Reply #8 on:** May 17, 2007, 03:48:42 AM »

Funniest thing I've seen in the woods in a long time.Last deer season I was sitting in my pop-up at a fork on the bank of a dry creek branch.The squirrels(gray) were stirring to say the least.They were everywhere ya looked chasing each other around and gathering acorns.I was watching this one particular fellow who was real close to my stand.Then he ran up a tree that had the top broken out of it about 20' up.When he got to the top he leaped out into space backwards about 5' and fell to the ground on his back.Almost like he'd be shot out of the tree.Then I saw what had happened.Another squirrel had been hiding in the hollow top and scared the crap outta him.HEHEHEHE
I laughed so hard and long that I moved on down the creek to finish up my evenin hunt.
Rock

no guns here · « **Reply #9 on:** June 12, 2007, 12:58:32 AM »

Mangy, emaciated coyote actually followed my trail to my stand and tried to climb the ladder... imagine what a 180 gr .30-'06 did to him.... at about 15 feet straight down...

ngh

lakota · « **Reply #10 on:** September 21, 2007, 06:49:45 PM »

I was sitting in a pop up blind a few years ago and a fox squirrel decided to come under the canvas. It got about half way through before it decided that it was not a good idea. I was getting ready to whack it with my quiver of arrows!

Travis Morgan · « **Reply #11 on:** June 29, 2009, 03:45:31 AM »

Quote from: no guns here on June 12, 2007, 12:58:32 AM

Mangy, emaciated coyote actually followed my trail to my stand and tried to climb the ladder... imagine what a 180 gr .30-'06 did to him.... at about 15 feet straight down...

ngh

Probably not as bad as the bunny I popped with a head shot when he was facing me at a distance of 8 ft.with a .30-30! The pieces were all over the sagebrush; that sucker EXPLODED! The pieces I could find were quite a way apart. If I'd have spent half a day picking rabbit pieces off of the sagebrush, I couldn't have made a stir fry dinner for a supermodel!

hunt-m-up · « **Reply #12 on:** June 29, 2009, 10:04:07 AM »

The bobcat population has only started to grow in recent years here where I hunt in IA. I've seen three from treestands in the past 5 years and figured out they don't have near the sense of smell that a coyote does. A coyote will eventually cut your track or wind you and be gone. Two of the bobcats walked directly under my treestand. I played with the other one by lip-squeeking, he just sat up on a log about 15-20 yards away trying figure out what to do with that giant camo tree rat. A couple years ago I picked a badger off from my treestand with my bow...on the second shot.

hunt-m-up · « **Reply #13 on:** June 29, 2009, 10:08:27 AM »

3 times I've had coons decide they want to be in the same tree I'm in. When they make up their mind they are climbing into the tree you have to do everything possible (without spooking deer) to keep them out. It's always at deer:30 too, at sunrise or sunset.

huntswithdogs · « **Reply #14 on:** July 06, 2009, 04:50:56 AM »

While hunting bear in Canada, a buddy of mine had to poke a porkypine in the nose a couple of times to discourage it from climbing into his brush ground blind with him. He'd poke it, it'd fall backwards and climb right back up to the shooting hole, only to get poked again. He said he was just deciding that he was gonna have to shoot this thang, when it decided it'd had enough pokes in it's nose and wandered off down through the woods.

That same trip, I'd had 2 different bears come in to the bait and slip back into the woods before I could get a shot. My heart was poundin' like crazy and I was wired for sound! Every sense I possess was on high alert! Why the Good Lord decided to send that weasl looking thing after that little red squirrel at that particular moment is beyond me. I reckon He needed a good laugh! That frickin squirrel came blasting thru under my feet, with that weasel looking thing right on it's tail! I about messed myself! The guys I was hunting with about peed themselves that night while I was telling them about it. Pretty funny now...Not then.

HWD

puma4440 · « **Reply #15 on:** September 26, 2009, 05:17:48 AM »

I was squirrel hunting one October, and I fell asleep at the base of a large oak. I woke to what I thought was something getting ready to bite me, so I jerked quite a bit when I opened my eyes to see a ground hog back up a little, puff up like a cat, and let out a horrible whistle! I've never seen an agressive woodchuck before or after, and didn't know what to do, but as it finished sounding off, I screamed back(probably like a little girl), and kind of hip shot it while sitting with my 20 gauge. I haven't fallen asleep since.

Oldtimer · « **Reply #16 on:** September 27, 2009, 12:27:29 AM »

Puma4440, that's just one more reason not to wear camo that looks like alfalfa!

billy_56081 · « **Reply #17 on:** September 27, 2009, 12:49:27 AM »

Red squirrels visit my stand quite a bit. I have even had them on my shoulder and across my toes. Has a gosshawk lite in a branch right next to my head.

kynardsj · « **Reply #18 on:** September 27, 2009, 02:53:48 AM »

I've had a Red Tailed hawk light about six feet from me in a tree, looked around for a while then flew off. Another time I was walking to my stand before daylight, one of those quiet mornings when all you can hear is the frost crunching on the grass. I walked under a small pine tree and an owl just over my head suddenly let loose with a wwwoooooooooaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh. I just about peed my pants. The best was a time when I was deer hunting in full camo sitting against some brush on the edge of a shallow creek. A train went by about a quarter of a mile away and blew the whistle. I was looking down the creek and a splash directly across from me caught my attention. A small doe had been startled by the train, ran across the shallow creek and then hopped up on the little bank I was sitting on not three feet from me. She was up wind licking some of the water off her and I sat very still. In a little while she trotted off into the woods. I told the story when I got back to camp and one of the guys asked why didn't I grab her. I told him that I didn't want to come back and tell how a 60 pound doe whooped my butt. Way cool being that close to her though.

spikehorn · « **Reply #19 on:** September 30, 2009, 01:35:36 PM »

I once climbed into a treestand i had set up at my sisters farm about 20 minutes before first light,about 30 minutes later a turkey gobbled about 20 feet above me in the same tree. All I can say is thank God I was wearing a saftey harness, cause it scared the you know what outta me. Another time I had set up in a hedge row and had just finished some turkey calls when a blue bird landed on my knee. He hung out for about 30 seconds then flew off. That was one of the neatest expieriences I have had turkey hunting.

charles p · « **Reply #20 on:** October 09, 2009, 08:22:05 AM »

One morning before light I heard some rustling and assumed a deer was near. I was sitting on the ground preparing for a spring turkey hunt. As the sun began to rise, I looked farther into the woods in my attempt to locate the deer, with no success. Finally at a range of about three feet, I spotted a skunk. It walked right by my boots, turned away from me (rear end toward me), paused in the ready position, then walked away. I don't think it knew I was there.

On another occasion I climbed into my stand and was greeted by a squirrel who had built a nest under my seat. It flew right by my face as it fled.

One still another occasion, I heard a rustle in the woods but could not locate anything. When the ladder of my stand started shaking, I suspected someone was trespassing. They left rather quickly when I spoke to them.

spikehorn · « **Reply #21 on:** October 09, 2009, 09:40:35 AM »

A friend of mine who lived in a trailor park at the time, used yo-yo's to relax. He was outside on his walk yo-yoing and felt a bump on the inside of one of his ankles. With all the cats in the park he didn't think much about it until it walked out far enough for him to see that it was a skunk. he caught the yo-yo and froze and it just wandered off.

hillbill · « **Reply #22 on:** December 05, 2009, 01:59:36 PM »

since we are talking bout weird wildlife behaviour, a buddy told me last year he was sitting in his truck with his young son last year after they did some work on a food plot and a spike buck snuck up on them behind the truck and actually stuck its head in the window and touched his son on the face.they stayed still and it just walked off.

puma4440 · « **Reply #23 on:** December 05, 2009, 04:35:32 PM »

Quote from: hillbill on December 05, 2009, 01:59:36 PM

since we are talking bout weird wildlife behaviour, a buddy told me last year he was sitting in his truck with his young son last year after they did some work on a food plot and a spike buck snuck up on them behind the truck and actually stuck its head in the window and touched his son on the face.they stayed still and it just walked off.

There's nothing worse than getting carjacked by a deer, thats why I drive a stick, you ever see a deer that could drive a stick?

TheCoachZed · « **Reply #24 on:** April 04, 2010, 03:07:04 PM »

I saw a lot of squirrels and crows around my blind when I was in my bear stand last spring.

I like to shoot crows, but I also like watching them, because they are very smart. It was pretty neat to have them fly inches away from you. Then they'd realize it was a setup and take off . . .

The squirrels were getting pretty annoying. There was a hole in the side of my bait bucket and they'd sneak in there and clean out food before the bear could get there.

So, I took one out with a 12 gauge slug - picked his head clean off his shoulders, didn't know I could shoot a duck gun with a bead sight that good with slugs

and I took a few more out with birdshot.

Then I took the dead squirrels and stuffed them into the hole in the side of the bait bucket. They'd run into the hole, see their dead buddies, and then take off.

My bait lasted longer that way!

mechanic · « **Reply #25 on:** April 04, 2010, 05:45:34 PM »

My brother had a Bobcat come from behind, leap over him close enough to knock his hat off and attack his turkey decoy! Bobcats will semi-explode when shot with 3.5" turkey loads at a few feet. At least he recovered his presence of mind to shoot. I probably would have messed myself

David I. · « **Reply #26 on:** April 07, 2010, 12:59:21 PM »

Speaking of bobcats, I had never seen one in the wild until 2 years ago in my tree stand during bow season. I was watching a rabbit about 15yds away when suddenly I heard a lot of loud "brush breaking" sound. Out of nowhere something on the ground flew past my tree towards the rabbit and stopped! To my amasement it was a bobcat.... and he had the rabbit in his mouth....this all happened over the course of about 3 seconds! He then proceeded to drag it away towards my neighbors small swamp., it was a very large rabbit and a young rather small bobcat. I thought the whole thing was pretty cool and then I realized I'd probably never see anything like that again.

blind ear · « **Reply #27 on:** July 22, 2010, 03:48:41 PM »

Most critters I take off my face camo and get thier attention in a nonalarming way. After they know you they will keep more distance and keep up natural noises. Some don['t and I deal with them if they alarm. Cats and coyotes usually won't be seen by you again. They approach the stand looking up and this can alarm deer. Old does in heavily hunted areas walk through the woods looking up. Ground blinds are effective a little while. eddiegjr

ToadHill · « **Reply #28 on:** July 23, 2010, 03:19:16 PM »

I fell asleep deer hunting one very warm day and what woke me was 2 Tom turkeys up in the tree above me just squaking away at each other.

spikehorn · « **Reply #29 on:** July 23, 2010, 04:13:52 PM »

I climbed into one of my treestands before first light one time, A short while later a Tom let out a huge Gobble about ten feet above me. Thank God I had a harness on.