Ever have an animal pop up next to you while fishing?

[Bubbadust]

I wasn't quite fishing at the time, but the story does involve a fish. Last summer I was riding a horse at Lake Zumbro when I heard a noise overhead in the trees. I looked up to see something large falling through the trees and it landed not 10 feet away from me with a big splat. It was a 1-2 pound sheephead!!! I looked back up in the air and found the reason: a bald eagle apparently lost his dinner.

Bubbadust

[who are those guy]

Fishing on a nice sunny day with my girlfriend snoozing/sunbathing up front, myself casting off the back. After a couple of hours, nmuch fish, not much action. As I cast into a couple of reeds, a horrific scream rattles the boat. Unexpecting screams, not unlike those from a Hitchcock movie, I fumble and drop my pole. As I turn around I see a woman jumping as if the floor is on fire. "What the hel is going on here?" I yell out. Unable to decipher the sounds coming from this frightened girl - her finger pointing up front of the boat had explained this whole mess. The culprit: a 3 foot brown snake slithering around.

Best guess is it found a good dark place to make home under the floor of boat. Then I went fishing.

I dont think the girl dates fisherman anymore.

[The Grebe]

Was shore fishing for Northers up on Mille Lacs a few years back and i was using sucker minnows and a big bobber.

I reeled the minnow in, had it dangling in the water next to some big rocks, while I putzed with the reel and a mink shot out from the rocks, grabbed the minnow and disappeared back into the rocks in a flash!

I thought that maybe he would let go if I applied a little tension, but he pulled back! I was hoping that I did'nt have him hooked and I did'nt believe I did, because I'm sure there would have been a screech and there would have been alot more activity on the end of the line.

I carefully hand over handed the line until I could see into the opening where the Mink went...there he was, with the minnow gripped in his mouth and his mouth in the bend of the hook. Once he seen my ugly mug, a couple of tugs and a loud "Hey" convinced him to let go and we both went back to what we had been doing!

[traveler]

Boy, theres been a few...brown bear on the russian river in AK was really cool, not close enough to get you running, but close enough to get the old blood pumping. Another time we were canoe fishing a small trout lake off the gunflint when it started raining buckets; we pulled the canoes on shore and hunkered down. A couple minutes later someone looks up and heres a cow and calf moose swimming straight at us, maybe 40 yds from shore. They were headed right for the small spot we were on, finally stood up and waved them off from about 10 yds away.

[pikemania]

My dad and I were night fishing on a lake near Park Rapids when we hear a bunch of dogs barking from shore then some one yells out "keep those dogs away from the bear." It is pitch dark and we start to hear some splashing from shore and we were like oh no they chased the bear into the water. We hear the dogs bark for awhile and then it goes quite and my dad says " Now we can get back to some fishing." Then all of the sudden there is a huge smacking noise and the boat is rocking violently. I was thinking oh my god the bear is scared and tired and trying to get into the front of the boat. I get to the back of the boat as fast as I can and grab a flashlight and when I shine the light at the front of the boat expecting to see a bear but to my amazment I see a dog. It must have got lost while chasing the bear. Well after cleaning my shorts out I help the exauhsted dog into the boat and we drive it into shore. My dad and I still tease each other when out night fishing one of us will yell bear once in awhile.

[Riverratpete]

This past saturday Am sitting in the duck blind with my son and all of a sudden there was a big slash right next to the reeds we were in - thought it was beaver, muskrat or bird...nope, 2 otters messing around putting on a show for us, swimming in the dekes and barking at us occasionally. This is the second times this is happened and it's always really cool..neat animals

[The Grebe]

I almost forgot this one....The Yeti, my two other sons, my nephew and myself, were night fishing Crappies through the ice on a secluded lake back in the boonies.

My nephew had plowed through the snow with his 2x4 and chains, so I was'nt worried about my 4x4...he blasted through a little drift on the edge of the lake....then I was worried!

He manuvers his old Chevy P.U. out to the spot and we set up shop. The night was clear, crisp and there was a sky full of stars....on top of that, the Crappies started biting, we were all having a good time, especially the boys.

All of a sudden, there was a long wail of a Coyote and for an instant, you could have heard a pin drop!

The boys thought it was a wolf and we assured them it was just a Coyote, nothing to be alarmed about. None the less, they closed ranks!

Well, after the first one howled then another started and another, and another, and they were moving closer....Sounded like a pack of Hyenas!

Pretty soon the mob is right on the lake shore, just outside the latern light and let me tell you, it's a little unsettling, when they get that close and make that much racket!

To try to ease the situation, I told them there was nothing to be afraid of and that they would probably scatter if I walked toward them with the latern, which I proceeded to do.

I could'nt see any movement, but I could sure hear them and they did'nt seem to be dispersing any to fast, so I kinda mosied on back to the group.

By this time, it looked like they were all fishing in one hole! They looked like one big guy with 4 heads!

Finally I said, "Screw this! Let's get the hell out of here!"

Man, it was like a blizzard came down on us, the boys and my nephew, who was in his 30's at the time, were moving so fast it was like a white out!

We were loaded and off that lake and down the road in about 30 seconds!

I know they would'nt try us, but it is still spooky, especially when you got the kids with.

[CALVINIST]

Years ago, me and my brother were fishing the Oahe resivour in S.Dakota. We were not to far from shore, but still quite a ways out, when we saw one of those prarie dogs, swimming, heading for the middle of nowhere. We scooped it up with the net and brought her in to shore. We did get a picture of it too.

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[Guest]

Years ago I was still hunting for deer and an owl flew by me and landed in a tree about 20 yards ahead of me. I stood there leaning against a tree watching him, having never been so close to an owl. He was a big one too.

He looked around several times, including at me. I didnt know if he could see me, I was trying to be as inconspicuous as I could. He then leened way forward and looked right at me for what seemed like an eternity. He then jumped up and started flying to me at eye level. I dint know what to do, shoot him, club him, or run away like a scared little girl. I ended up standing there frozen in a panic. At the last minute he veered up and perched in the tree I was leaning against. He looked around and at me a couple more times and flew away.

[The Grebe]

SkinDog...I had something similar happen to me when I was bow hunting....amazing how the experiences of other outdoorsmen triggers memories that have been a long time stored?

I was in my tree stand, up maybe 12 feet or so. In comes a small doe that I did not want to shoot. She walks right under me and behind me and I'm looking around to see if she has any traveling companions, mainly a boyfriend.

I craned my neck back over my should er and watched until she disappeared and when I faced back forward, there right in front of my face, was the extended talons of some kind of raptor!

For a second it was all movement, mine and the hawks! I never knew that birds can put on the brakes that quick and veer at such odd angles, but he did?

Why I did'nt fall out of the stand, I don't know, I was'nt belted in? Had my heart pounding for a second or three! With all that noisy movement, I figured my hunt was toast, so I packed up and went home...never did get a deer out of that area.

[Eric Wettschreck]

About 3 years ago I was duck hunting in a little pond off of a creek. I stepped out of the boat to start putting out decoys and I stepped right on a beaver. Yes, right on top of him. Needless to say, he wasn't happy about it. We both went swimming.

I'm thinking a beaver is much better suited for late October swimming than I am.

Good think I had a sunflower heater in the boat or I would have froze my ^$'s off.

[The Grebe]

BoilerGuy....Your post brought another dusty memory off the shelf!

My folks were from the Little Falls area, but they migrated before I was born and I grew up in the city and although I took to the outdoors, all my friends were city kids that knew little about non-city things.

Once, when I was a teenager, a crew of us piled into my friends old Chevy and headed up to Knife Lake at Mora. One of the guys had an uncle, who had a cabin, who knew a fisherman, that owned a lawnmower, that ate a porkchop, blah,blah,blah, anyways we were there.

The old dam on the west side, used to be a hotspot for early walleyes and thats where we went. We were having a great time and the city boys were catching some fish.

Bobby, the toughest kid in our group, was wading about knee deep in the cold water and doing alright with his upside down, backward cranking open face!

All of a sudden he lets out this "AAAAHHHHIIEEEE...!!! and he looked like a Harrier Jet rising up out of that water! He was about 2 feet above the surface of the river and his feet and legs were moving faster then the blades on a ceiling fan! A roostertail and a wake followed him to shore!

There the tough guy stood, shaking like a leaf and pale as a ghost...we thought that maybe he had seen the gillman!

"Bobby, Bobby, whats the matter man?" He told us that a Muskrat about 4 feet log swam right between his legs and tried to bite him, cause he felt it touch him!

A second or two later a big old beaver surfaced downstream, looked at us, slapped it's tail and disappeared...probably thought "Hummmph, city boy... I sure scared the bejibbers out of him!"

[The Grebe]

Know another guy that stepped over a log while hunting the Sand Dunes up by Big Lake and stepped right on a full grown deer!

When it exploded out from under him, he almost shot himself in the head!

[Eric Wettschreck]

Isn't it funny how mother nature can turn a tough guy into a little pile of fluffy goo?

[Lip RIPPER!]

This didn't happen to me when I was fishing but it still scared the **** out of me. It was early August a few years back and I was hanging some portable deer stands. As I walked towards the woods, out popped 2 bear cubs but no mama. I figured she would be close behind and probably wouldn't like it if I was standing eye to eye with her babies. Anyway, cubs took off and I proceeded to check out a boxed in rifle stand to see if it needed any repair. As I climbed to the top, I opened the door and there was a set of eyes looking at me. I didn't hesitate to check out what it was and I never hit one of the steps on the way down. 15 feet goes by fast. My dad was crawling up behind me and he went by like a blur. When I hit the ground I looked up to see a racoon sticking his head out of the stand. I can still see his nose hairs on the inside of his nose when I think about it.

[This message has been edited by Lip RIPPER! (edited 10-14-2004).]

[SCUMFROG]

A few years ago the wife and I were fishing a very small river (about 15 feet wide.) in Atkin county south of McGregor. When a bald eagle flew over head and landed on a branch across the from us. We watched him for a bit (very cool to see one so close.) until he decided it was time to check out our side of the river. He flew into the woods next to us and we lost sight of him. About 1-2 minutes went by when all of a sudden we herd a branch snap and very fast and hard flapping of wings and more crashing of branches. Then out he came very upset that the branch he was perched on had broken and he had falling quit a was down before he caught flight.