Interesting animals spotted during deer hunting

[Harmonica Bear]

Had an Ermine under my stand opening morning, just like the pucture above. Almost had a pileated woodpecker land on me. Thats about it except for the usual crows, ravens, chickadees etc.

[MN_Pilot]

X2

[dairyman]

wow----that looks like a picture worth framing---beautiful animal

[Fishinguy40]

This year was a pileated woodpecker and a pine marten for me. Years ago, I was sitting on top of a ridge when I heard leaves rustling. Turned out to be a chipmunk. I watched him for a while as he made his way down the side of the ridge hopping from log to log. I was watching him through the scope of my rifle when suddenly everything blacked out. I lowered the rifle and watched as a hawk attempted to grab the chipmunk. The chipmunk was scurrying like crazy. He was lucky as he got away. Sure was neat to watch.

[paceman]

I came over a ridge and had 3 bald eagles take off from feeding on a gut pile. Man they are big beautiful birds.

[jdime]

I had a wolf run across the highway on November 8th. First time I ever saw one in the wild.

[Froggy4371]

Was sitting in my stand on Sat and had 2 mink running around in the new snow. Beautiful to watch.

Froggy

[fishuhalik]

Nothing crazy, but I had a red squirrel crawl up my tree, along the shooting rails and onto the barrel of my gun. Another cool one was having a pack of wolves walk right under my stand. sss definitely came to mind, but I couldn't do it.

[fr0sty]

I had a number of cool wild life encounters, but the only one I was able to photograph was this weasel.

[ItsaCrappieLife]

While driving home from deer hunting last weekend we came across a flock of sandhill cranes in a flooded field. There were also two Whooping cranes. I had never seen one before and was suprised at how big they were. I reported the sighting to the crane foundation and a russian lady responded back to me. We are getting married next week. OK, OK - I made up the part about getting married. I was amazed that she actually knew exactly which two cranes I had seen even down to their ID numbers.

[Musky Buck]

OK, need your best guess, not squirrels and couldn't get the scope on them quick enough as I watched them then realized take a look, they appeared to be mink, but they were climbing and circling around chasing each other on a tree that was 10 feet tall and snapped off, seemed to small to be fishers, blacker in color, if mink climb that's what they were if not I'm unclear as to what they were. I know they were close to where a guy traps mink in the ditch but wished I would've saw them again, once down the tree they never returned and couldn't see them on the ground ?

[Musky Buck]

Not sure how interesting but watched 2 buck fawns fighting last night, for maybe a minute or two, ears laid back, walking kinda sideways at each other, long story short, doe and 2 fawns came out, 5 min later lone buck fawn, it was like the first 3 didn't want the straggler hanging around and kept at keeping him away from ma, eventually though he joined them and all was well, is that lone buck fawn telling me his ma got gunned down or hit on the road, I would assume, then a doe and a doe fawn came out and it was 1 happy family of 6. Worst part is even in high wind could hear a few more coming out of the river bottom, at buck time which was 30 minutes after legal light, then home I went before they came out trying not to spook the 6 pack.

[shortfatguy]

Pine marten? How long were they?

[cvanderweyst]

i had a badger running around under my tree, never seen one in the wild before.

[Esox_Magnum]

Most wont belive me but I saw a wolverine once, no lie no joke, 2nd I have seen first was a road kill and of all places Central Iowa.... Have also had squirels on my boots, turkeys in my tree with me and once a Great Horned owl, never heard it land and think we both neede clean shorts....

[Weed Shark]

My two young boys and I were sitting on a deadfall watching a grouse eating buds 40 feet above us; 5 minutes left before shooting time ends. We hear a good size animal coming straight at us, through some dark pines, soon to emerge 10 yards away. My pulse elevated, but it was a badger.

I have a young "up-north" friend (20) who was bow hunting for deer earlier this fall. A bear cub ran towards his tree. He hollered at it to scare it away, but it climbed his tree anyway and wouldn't leave. The sow climbed the tree and tried to throw him out. I asked, "Did you try to shoot it with an arrow?" He replied, "I dropped the bow, but I did stab her in the back with an arrow when she was biting my ankle." He lifted his jean cuff to show me the scars on his ankle. The bear let go after he stabbed her, and then he kicked like crazy, and she left. "I knew I was dead if she threw me out," he said. I heard his upper body was really sore, from clinging on to the tree, the next day. We always figured he was a back-stabber.

[fishuhalik]

wow weedshark, that's about as crazy a story as i've ever heard!

[mabr]

Aren't we as hunters lucky to see these thing that those that don't do not know what there missing.

My best experience was about 15 years ago while bow hunting. Sitting in my stand when out of no where I hear a hawk going nuts, a few seconds later a Great Horned Owl lands 20 feet from me with a hawk in its talons. It's mate was the one making all the noise. It was diving constantly at the owl, with the owl acting like it didn't have a care. Just neat seeing a predator becoming prey by a bigger predator.

Owls and hawks have a thing for me. Ive been dived on 3 times to date that im aware of. 3 hawks and one owl. Its not a good feeling. Best one was a hawk diving from over a hundred yards away. I had face mask on and the area open must have looked good to it. I was lucky I spotted it in time and waved my arms to scare it.

This year I had one Owl that was always near me, he made one attempt but decided I wasn't edible at the last moment. I didn't see him coming but caught movement just in time. I seen him or her for at least 3 weeks during early bow season and I always made sure I moved enough to let it know I wasn't on its menu.

Untold squirels, mice, skunks, porkupines, otters badgers stories, to many to mention

[Archerysniper]

A few years back I had a lynx walk by at 10 yards that was the biggest cat I have ever seen. Out in western montana I was chased down the valley back to the cabin by a wolverine I think I'm still cleaning my shorts it's not really fun when they stand on their hind legs and pop their teeth like a grizzly.