What's the strangest/scariest thing you've ever experienced in the woods?

[Kalashalite]

Have you ever seen/heard anything out of place?

Have you ever been scared?

This is a thread to share your stories of any unusual or paranormal occurrences, sightings, encounters etc. I know this question is off the beaten path but I am very curious to hear your stories.

 

[COOPADUP]

Camping with a few old friends a few years back on one guys private land.
It was evening and everything was making their noise. Cicadas, crickets, frogs, and even the cows across the road. Just a symphony of sounds.
Then a lone coyote did his howl for about 5 seconds and everything went silent. Not really scary but did make the hair on your back stand up.

 

[Pepi]

Seeing Elvis walking through the woods

 

[Leadeye]

Local coyotes and bobcats make all sorts of weird noises. it sounds spooky, particularly at night, but we know what it is.

 

[indyartisan]

I had a Screech Owl back in the woods some years ago.
It’s call sounded like a woman screaming in dire distress.
The Owl flew up behind me one night and gave out a bone chilling screech as I felt the wind of its wings on my head.
Definitely made the blood pressure spike.

 

[Hkindiana]

Listening to coyotes tear about a fawn while it’s mother was screaming, stomping, and snorting. Hearing a fox in heat was a REALLY STRANGE sound. Walking within five feet of a bobcat - he jumped and that made me jump. Seeing a Cougar glide silently through the woods.

 

[radar8756]

Snow Snakes in Northern Wisconsin

 

[dieselrealtor]

Snow Snakes in Northern Wisconsin

Wonder if they are the same species as the ones in Western Colorado.

 

[Michigan Slim]

I had a Screech Owl back in the woods some years ago.
It’s call sounded like a woman screaming in dire distress.
The Owl flew up behind me one night and gave out a bone chilling screech as I felt the wind of its wings on my head.
Definitely made the blood pressure spike.

Happened to my daughter last year. She was scared to death walking out of the woods after dark.

 

[Dholcomb]

Got into my treestand a few years ago before sunrise. While it was still dark a raccoon climbed up the side of the tree I was in. Kept em away with the end of my barrel and eventually he went back down the tree.

 

[Dholcomb]

Listening to coyotes tear about a fawn while its mother was screaming, stomping, and snorting. Hearing a fox in heat was a REALLY STRANGE sound. Walking within five feet of a bobcat - he jumped and that made me jump. Seeing a Cougar glide silently through the woods.

I was not one to take out coyotes until I saw the same thing.

 

[mom45]

Coyotes need to be kept in check. They multiply fast and have no natural predators. They were destroying our deer and turkey populations on our property until we started eliminating some of them.

The fox do make some pretty strange sounds. The first time I heard one making that sound you are talking about, I had to google several things to figure out what was doing that. Living in the woods, we hear a lot of sounds, especially at night in the summer when we have the windows all open.

 

[Mij]

In the state of Indiana?

Not a problem, parents, grandparents taught me when I was a kid I’m the biggest baddest thing in the woods, n I’m armed. Being afraid of the dark is for ******’s.

States with bears, that’s a whole different ball o wax. JMO

 

[TheGrumpyGuy]

In the state of Indiana?

Not a problem, parents, grandparents taught me when I was a kid I’m the biggest baddest thing in the woods, n I’m armed. Being afraid of the dark is for ******’s.

States with bears, that’s a whole different ball o wax. JMO

FYI, we got bears here in Indiana

 

[spalfano]

I own 300 acres in upstate NY (Catskill Mountains) that my family and I use for deer, bear, and grouse hunting mainly. I do some ATV riding and camping as well. About 15 years ago, I was sitting a ridge as light broke on opening day of deer season and a mama bear and 2 cubs cut me off from an escape route and stayed 25 feet from me staring me down and making noise at me. I had no place to go so I held my crosshairs on mama and didn’t move. I was praying I didn’t have to shoot her. I was also getting right with the lord in my mind! Longest few minutes of my life. Dang near pissed myself. Butt puckered so tight I could have chopped a blade of grass in half! They eventually moved on without incident, but scary as hell in the moment!

 

[ghuns]

Got into my treestand a few years ago before sunrise. While it was still dark a raccoon climbed up the side of the tree I was in. Kept em away with the end of my barrel and eventually he went back down the tree.

My uncle taught me to bow hunt. He said to always keep a junk arrow with a field point in your quiver, just in case. I was like, just in case of what? In case you need to shoot something that's not a deer that you wouldn't waste a good arrow and broadhead on.

I had the same thing happen to me on one of my first solo bow hunts as a kid. But my little trash panda buddy would NOT be deterred. I knocked him down with a tree branch several times, but he just climbed back up for more. I finally knocked him down and nailed him to the ground with my 'just in case' arrow.

 

[model1994]

I spent a season working in Oregon and have a few scary stories from it.

The more serious one was when I was at a remote lake doing an endangered amphibian survey for a couple hours. On the hike back out I found mountain lion tracks which followed my trail in. As the saying goes - they see you but you don’t see them.

 

[model1994]

In the state of Indiana?

Not a problem, parents, grandparents taught me when I was a kid I’m the biggest baddest thing in the woods, n I’m armed. Being afraid of the dark is for ******’s.

States with bears, that’s a whole different ball o wax. JMO

I tell folks in these woods they need not worry about rattlesnakes and copperheads, it’s meth/crackheads you should look out for.

 

[Leo]

Not really woods but the day after corn harvest last fall a camp of several homeless guys was brought into plain view. This was 150 yards from the SIL house. The Sheriffs department was called to run the guys off. Dates on the food wrappers left behind showed they had been there a couple months.

 

[spencer rifle]

FYI, we got bears here in Indiana

Umm... not really. One may venture here from neighboring states occasionally, but they never last long.
Recent unusual sighting - caught a guy who said he was (illegally) hunting morels in the park, but actually had a handful of ramps. Really bad at ID, I guess.
I go out in the woods frequently at night, and the most unusual things I see are the state insect (Say's Firefly), usually in May, and railroad worms: