Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Strangest or most interesting thing

you have seen while out in the wilds? I know this has been asked here before but it always makes for some very interesting threads. With all of the folks on this site and all of the time spent out in the field there is always plenty of content. Fire away.

Wow thought this would fill up fast....OK I will start. When I was a kid up near prescott AZ we had a cabin. I went hiking up the side of a large mountain and came across a hidden mary jane plot. Kinda scared me as I was probably being watched and I didn't know it. Couple years later I saw a guy and a gal doing the wild thing, they never saw me as they were obviously distracted. Been some others but that is a start.

i do quiet a bit, either fishing or on my buddy's ranch.

If one is alone, it can really cut down on noisiness.

Saw a couple of inebriated natives doing the nasty on an old dirty mattress under a tree out on the rez one time. Does that count?

Well, I found a 1600 foot long paved airstrip on top of a mountain once. That was a bit of a surprise.

Calvert Peak STOLport

Not real far from there, I hiked up an absolute goat trail, steep as [bleep], sidehilling, hanging off bluffs, to get to a mine tunnel and found a freakin' truck camper set up on pilings. No road so it had to have been placed by helicopter.

Bumped into nekkid gals a couple times.

Bigfoot a couple times.

But .. the weirdest thing I ever saw .. I know you'll never believe me, but I'm going to say it anyway: one time I actually saw a bull elk during elk season.

Tom

This reminds of coming over a hill towards Two Lakes in San Diego, California. That would be fifty-four years ago. In the distance, maybe a couple hundred yards, I could see two of God's lovely creatures skinny dipping. As an eighteen year old I got an eye full as long as I could. That lasted until they noticed they were no longer "alone". Then they hurriedly quit their frolicking and got dress. The young man with me was only fourteen. He was embarrassed and wouldn't watch them.

So did I, T_O_M, but I had a cow tag. By the way I still have your story. I shared it with only one person because I am convinced believed me.

Not hunting Oregon huh Tom?

When I was on Marine patrol one sultry August night we quietly motored our 36' twin engined Munson aluminum patrol boat on a vessel drifting in the fairway with no lights on. Since we responded to a lot of accidents at night due to unlit vessels we always carried cheap flashlights to give to boaters that had inoperable navigation and since unlit and drifting vessels usually meant that a couple was getting busy we approached delicately and would hit the deck lights a little ways off to allow the female a little privacy. On this night we hit the deck lights and blue lights like normal while I made my way to the bow to let the skipper know that he needed to turn on his navigation lights only this time there was no female to be delicate around. The mid 20's year old male and his medium sized dog were a bit flustered. The dog started barking like crazy when its master pulled out. My partner was so flustered that he said f'ck this and we left with both engines at full throttle. Truly disgusting.

ok read the title, i'll have to think about one i can post about.

In the 60s hunting Coues deer down past Arivaca almost on the Mexico border - near old Ruby - and a far hike from anything, came across two healthy looking goats tethered on a grassy hillside. Went a bit further up the canyon and two fierce sounding/looking dogs came snarling toward me with no sign of stopping. Flustered a bit, I raised the rifle thinking I might have to shoot 'em - but they help up short/barking and I started thinking. "Two goats tethered, two dogs protecting turf - there must be a human in here somewhere."

There was. Within a short time a crusty disheveled looking old guy with a beat up lever action rifle came scampering around the hill - yelling, waving his arms, threatening to shoot - wanted me out of there. I quickly left the lower part and went up the opposite side quite a distance - then watched him gather the goats and dogs.

Don't know how he managed it, but was living in what looked to be an old mine shaft up on the side of the canyon - somehow getting himself and his animals fed and watered. Found no deer in that canyon.

What happens on the REZ stays on the REZ

jmp300wsm, Back in the early 80's, wife,myself,and two kids were camped in a pop-up camper on Elmer's Island, La. Technically, only an island at high tide. With only one way in/out, we went into the island at low tide. The road (two track) took you about a mile through tall Marsh Grass to the beach, where you could go either right or left. We camped about about a half mile from the road on the beach. Around midnight we were awakened by commotion near the road/beach intersection. A large bon fire had been lit, and in the light we could see a large Uhaul or Ryder truck. Soon, a group of men (about 5 or 6) began walking back and forth from the truck into the surf and into pitch darkness. This "bucket brigade" continued for about 45 minutes. I'm guessing there's was a boat in the darkness. Going with just a gut feeling here, but they weren't offloading seafood!! It's a pretty helpless feeling being trapped with your family, and your only escape was passing within feet of what was probably a very big drug haul. By morning, other than sign of a large fire, no evidence of the nights activities. memtb

When I was a kid I saw a buffalo walk through the woods in east TN while deer hunting. Good thing I didn't shoot it cause about 20 minutes later a farmer came looking for it. Walked it home on a lead when he caught it!

Have run across a few pot grows, one they had a very elaborate green house set up like a garden nursery.

Found a dead guy in the river while fishing. I was like "is that a leather jacket in that brush". It was. He was still wearing it though.

As far as wildlife? A peacock running with a flock of turkeys. Fit right in, or at least he thought he did. Lol.

Drove up a jeep road outside Central City, came to a little house by a mine tunnel. Went inside, and it had 4 foot ceilings, was furnished with couch, table, and all. I probably am lucky I did not meet the residents if they were still around. I felt like I should have been looking for Snow White.

You gotta be chitting?????

Did you see the goat? Bastid lived on tin cans.

One time in the late '70s I was somewhere in west-central Missouri headed northbound on a two lane highway in my semi about 3:00 AM, when I had to slow down for a cattle drive and wait for the road to clear.

They were being driven by a couple of guys on horses from someplace to the east of the highway over to the west side. In the darkness I could see a cattle hauler parked a ways down the road to the west.

I thought and thought about that. Not being a cowboy I didn't know what to think. Were they doing that at night because there was too much traffic in the daytime? Why not have the hauler east of the highway?

I stopped in the next town and called the Sheriff's office and told them about it, saying that I didn't know enough about cattle ranching to know if that was really as peculiar as it seemed to me. The officer I spoke to assured me he found it very interesting.