Scared in the Woods

[Black Crow]

jhef's picture with all the eyes got me to thinking about something that I love talking about and hearing other people's stories about. What is the strangest, scaries, or weirdest thing you have either seen or experienced in the woods?

I have five stories. There was a similar thread on another website about a year ago and we had a lot of fun with them. God as my witness these are all true, and I would tell them straight faced to Jesus.

Here we go, my First Story:
Four years ago on a pitch black night in late March, right at the beginning of the crappie spawn, I was sitting on the bank casting jigs and dragging them back through a weed bed. Thirty or so yards to my right was the edge of the woods. Well, I was just sitting there fishing and enjoying the crisp night when I heard a stick crack back the thicket. I wasn't scared (yet), but it certainly got my attention. I continued fishing until I heard a couple more foot falls. At this point I reeled in my line, stood still and listened. It was just one or two steps at a time at first, then they became measured and continuous as if whatever it was had committed to its path and was coming to me. Now I'm past just paying attention to being all the way scared. When whatever it was got to what I could estimate was just about the edge of the thicket, I charged at it with arms raised and waiving and hollerin like a wild Indian and whatever it was took off and jumped in the lake! Satisfied with my own safety restored, I retreated/ran to the truck. To this day I don't know what it was. Best I can guess I'd say it was coyote, a deer, a beaver, or a redneck. All I know is we both scared the **** out of each other and I have found other places to fish.

Second Story:
This is a witch story. This didn't happen to me, but it did happen to my cousin. Two years ago, my cousin and two of his friends heard that there had been some witches spotted back in the woods behind a warehouse on the outskirts of town. They got to talking about it in class and someone dared my cousin and his buddies to camp out there one night the coming weekend. They accepted; and Friday evening they set out for the woods with no one thinking to check into getting permission from the landowner. They parked their trucks and walked about a quarter mile in to find a spot. They set up their tent and made a campfire just as the sun was beginning to set. So far so good. No witches, no werewolves, no crackheads, no nothing.

The evening continues just like any other camping trip. Telling stories, grilling hot dogs on a stick, you know. He said they were all sitting around the fire pit across from each other talking when all of a sudden his buddy sat straight up in his seat, pointed, and said in a stern, panicked whisper, "OH MY GOD! LOOK! Put out the fire! Put out the fire!" My cousin turned and to his horror, he saw in the distance a row of torches held in the air moving toward them through the woods. He slumped and thought, "Oh dear God, the witches! Is this really happening!?" Nearly paralyzed with fear, they scurried for the water jug and doused the fire. Now it is pitch black except for the torches. They laid flat on the ground and tried to decide whether they should run or hide or what. They heard the footsteps getting nearer and nearer until they were too close to make any silent escape. He said just as he was about to cry (6' 2" eighteen year old crying :D), he heard, "Just what in the **** do you jackasses think you're doing?!" He said the deep southern accent and profanity sure didn't sound like what he expected a witch to sound like. Curious, they peeked their heads up. In front of them stood eight coon hunters who had seen the fire when they pulled up getting reading to run their dogs, headlamps a'blazin.

He said they explained what they were doing out there and how they had mistaken them for witches and their headlamps for torches. The coon hunters got such a kick out of it they let em go without calling the cops for trespassing or anything.

Third Story:
My dad grew up on a military base in Panama in the Panama Canal Zone right after the end of WW2. He came up hunting some of the wildest, most remote jungles and forests in the world, truly. He primarily hunted small pigs (can't remember what he called them). Whenever he'd go on a pig hunt, his mother would always warn him to watch out for the tulevieja (pronounced too-lay vee-ay-hah), which is basically a witch or an old reclusive woman that was said to live deep in the forest. Well, one day he was hunting in what he called the Interior. He was following some good pig sign when he came to a creek. As he waded through the warm, muddy water he suddenly felt chilled and tense. He looked up and 75 yards up the creek stood an old, nasty woman with long, matted hair. She was standing in the creek stark naked just staring at him. She didn't say a word. She just stared. After a few seconds of this, thoroughly rattled he called out, "Tulevieja?" She didn't answer, but she raised her hand and pointed her finger at him. He said with that, he high-tailed it out of the woods. He used to tell me that story every time we were going hunting when I was growing up. Got me goin every time. I dare every single one of you to whisper "Tulevieja" next time you walk to your stand in the dark.

Fourth Story:
My same cousin I wrote about in my second story was on an overnight hunting trip with some buddies and again, they were camping. They drove to the camping spot, but decided to sit in the truck for a while before getting out because it was cold. So they were just sitting there chatting when my cousin looked out his window and there was this old homeless looking guy standing not 5 inches from the window looking at him in the eye. He said he tried to holler, but no voice came out he was so startled. His buddy turned on the truck and took off, but couldn't go but about 10 yards cause the trail lead to a deep ditch. When they tried to back up, the SOB was standing right behind the truck. So they were stuck. Nearly in tears, they yelled at him, "What do you want?! Who are you? What the **** are you doing out here?!?!" They guy just stood there unshaken and replied, "I been sittin in da ditch. I been sittin in da ditch. I been sittin in da ditch. I been sittin in da ditch. I been sittin in da ditch. I been sittin in da ditch. I been sittin in da ditch. I been sittin in da ditch. I been sittin in da ditch. I been sittin in da ditch. I been sittin in da ditch. I been sittin in da ditch." Everything he said he repeated at least 15 times. When they could tell he wasn't dangerous they got out and walked over to him and asked him his name he said, "Mah name John. Mah name John. Mah name John. Mah name John. Mah name John. Mah name John..." 15 times. Anyway, they go on with him with these simple questions for a while and finally figure out that the guy is in fact homeless and had been livin out in the woods in a lean-to he made out of some oak and cedar branches. They had pitched camp no more than 50 yards from his "house" and he'd been watching them the whole time. My cousin has been back to visit him out there a couple times since then and he swears he's a nice guy, just buck nuts crazy.

Fifth Story:
Although I do not own a Butt-Out tool, I have certainly purchased my share of hunting gimmicks and trinkets. This story is about one of these, the Primos 4-in-1 Hoot Flute. This is not scary, but it was for me at the time. It was turkey season and I set up at the base of a nice Hickory tree in the cold, predawn darkness. When I could barely make out light in the sky, I got out my brand new owl call to try to locate a gobbler I had seen in the area a few days earlier. I blew the call a couple times. Nothing. I waited about 5 minutes and blew it again, louder this time. Nothing. I got ready to blow it again and as soon as I put air into the flute, from no more than 5 feet above my head I heard loud as thunder, "hoo-hoo-tooHOO hoo-hoo toHOOOAHHH!" I squealed like a little girl, dropped the floot, and grabbed my shotgun. Apparently I had picked the same tree to sit under as a real Barred Owl had chosen to roost in and he was making his real morning call to his buddies across the forest. Scared me to death, but then I got a good laugh about it.

Alright those are my stories about being scared in the woods. They are all true as the Gospel.

Now please add your own :D!!!

[ekySlabber]

U have some wild escapades in tha woods. I never had any CRAZY stuff happen like haunted stuff, but have been shot at on my own farm and had to darn near pistol whip a fellow for shooting at my tree stand while I WAS IN IT on opening day. Other than having yotes and foxes come real close to me(like slappin em' distance) while I was still hunting on the ground, cattle trip me out the most cuz theyre all over our farm and they got those glowing eyes in the dark and always walkin around making noise in dark. Did see a coyote on openin day last year running w/ a baby goat in its mouth. I popped him and he dropped it and died and another came and picked the goat up, dead by now, and I popped and killed him. The goat and yotes were dead and my huntin' was screwed for opening day of rifle. Good stories Crow!!! Funny stuff.:D

[jlaughlin72]

I have been scared a couple of times in the woods.. First time was at Kisatchie Forest near Peason Ridge, we went out the day before and done some scouting for places to hunt, I found a clean, open area with a small creek running through it, and a couple of big white oaks, looked like a great place for the deer to come and eat and drink.. Well we got out there about an hour and a half before daylight, went through the woods and found my "spot". pulled a few limbs from nearby and made a makeshift ground blind. About the time I got everything setup and settled down, I heard the biggest swooping sound and it sounded like a heard of something running through the little creek.. The hair stood up on the back of my neck and the flashlight came on shining everywhere.. Nothing to be seen, so now I have NO clue what it was but I set there til daylight very nervous about what was in the woods with me. When it started breaking daylight I head the swooping sound again and the creek water noise. Only this time I was able to see that I had setup my ground blind about 25 yards from the two big oaks that a flock of about 20 wild turkeys were roosted in.
Second time was up in north La. on a hunting trip to Tensas reserve.. like Kisatchie, we scouted the day before and I found a spot that I liked, we used clothespins with reflective tape to mark our trails.. I don't like using a big bright light when going into the woods, so I had this little LED light that would shine about 30 feet at the most, but you couldn't really make out anything past about 15ft other than the reflective tape.. So I am heading in to my spot, shining my little light at the reflectors, everything was going good, when we get to a place where we stop or have to make a turn, we usually put 2 reflectors, well I got to a place where to my left, I could see 2 reflectors ahead, then to my right about 20ft I could also see 2 reflectors, both sets about head height, so I am standing here in the woods an hour before daylight looking from one set of double reflectors to the other set, trying to figure out which way I needed to go, then all of a sudden, while I am looking at the ones on my right which are closest to me, they turn and walk off.. really freaked me out because I knew there were black bear out there, but didn't really think about a bear while heading into the woods.. that's all I could think about then til after daylight... that's about it..

oh yeah, I wasn't really scared this time, well maybe a little, my 4 wheeler was parked about 200 yards from my stand, I had forgot my light in the truck and didn't realize it til it was dark, so as I was walking in the dark towards my wheeler, a pack of coyotes started yelping and howling which sounded like about 15 of them and it sounded like they were between me and my wheeler.. needless to say I cautiously walked the rest of the way with the rifle on fire and my finger on the trigger.

[DonDon]

was that on an Archery site? Think I ran across that the other day while doing some armchair research for a field research trip I'm fixing to take

[Black Crow]

was that on an Archery site? Think I ran across that the other day while doing some armchair research for a field research trip I'm fixing to take

Yessir, Archery Talk. We had a thread on there last year and it was a lot of fun. I posted these same stories on there and I thought it would be fun to hear some of yall's.

[Black Crow]

heck yeah Laughlin, that's what I'm talking about. I woulda marched straight out of the woods - gun in hand and flashlight on - if I had come that close to a bear.

Thanks for sharing.

[DonDon]

I joined up over ther to see what all if anything I could find out about people who had see n THINGS. OK Bigfoot, i'm a field researcher and always on the lookout for people who've had encounters

[ReelfootSlabs]

Very good stories. Im glad to hear im not the only one to get the pre dawn jitters lol. Only thing i have is I was on the way to my stand once and stepped in a covey of quail. It scared the living **** out of me. I had to stop and take a few deep breaths lol.

[Flatwater]

good stories, good read.
Made me think of the past.
bout 30 year ago I went bear hunting on the Virginia, west Virginia line. I walked up a mountain on an old logging road in about 3 inchs of snow and thick fog. I sat under a large white pine with limbs almost to the ground.
About 9 or so I started hearing a lot of dogs, they were coming closer and closer. Now I am about 20, alone up a mountain in the fog and this is the most dogs I have ever heard in my life. I got to thinking man I put this new deer scent on my boots and those dogs are tracking ME! When it got so loud I could not take it anymore. I put my 8mm mouser against a tree and up I went. No sooner and hear comes a huge pack of dogs with a man in black suit and long Beard with clean shaven upper lip. He stops and looks at me, looks at the gun, then back at me and he asked youd see de bear? I said no, he says we shot one early and he is a big one and wounded. Then they all ran off. I have to admit my heart was pounding. I climbed down and got my rifle and slowly walked back to camp. I did not even sleept that night. Only about a week ago I was telling a friend about the story and he laughted and said thats what the Miniets tell folks to scare them out of the woods they are hunting.

[gabowman]

I was along side a large hardwood hollar one morning before daylight and began blowing an owl call. It was still a bit before daylight broke but I figured if I could get some owls talking then I'd hear a gobbler. That particular morning nothing was answering except one lone owl WAY DOWN the hollar. Since he was answering I kept calling.Slowly but surely I heard the answers getting closer. Well, as daylight broke I could see this owl flipping from tree to tree as we talked to one another. By this time the sky was lightening up but it was still pretty dark oin the ground so I had began turning my head from side to side to try and hear a gobbler since my hearing wasnt the best and I did hear better out of one ear than I do the other. All of a sudden as I looked back down the hollar I saw that owl coming in feet first like he was landing on my face. Toi this day I dont know if that owl was what knocket off my cap mor I did it. Scared the ba-gee-bees outa me and I got up and left them woods.

When I was young and hadnt deer hunted too long, I thought it was the right thing to do getting into the woods before daylight, WAY before daylight. So here I go, with a homemade climbing stand on my back that musta weighed 30#'s on my back down thru the woods one morning. I think I was about 100 yards away from the car/road when all of a sudden there was this tremendously loud SCREAM just about right over my head and it sounded just like a real crazy woman in the woods! Climber on my back and rifle in my hands along with 6 v. flashlight and I RUN all the way back to the car. Well, I didnt find out until later on that we had screech owls and that was one of them.

And yep, busting a covey of quail before daylight will dirty your drawers too.:D