one early morning before sunlight I crawled up in my stand like usual (no lights). I went to stand my gun up in the corner and all a sudden a entire family of OWLS flew at my face. The whole stand was feathers and screams! scary as Sh*t back then, funny as hell now! I've been walking to the stand in the dark since I was about 10. You learn to man up, beside you are the one with the gun!

I too have had the owl think.and a couple of hogs/deer/quail spook me.2 weeks ago in Young county,walking out I heard a big animal on the opposite side of a cane break.Thought it was just a deer,since it did the deer thing of stomping and snorting.But then a high pitch scream.(we have seen big cat tracks),so rifle comes to position and I walk sideways pointing at the cane break until clear and fast walk the 200 more yards to the truck.Next day after morning hunt,I walked to the other side of the cane break for closure.I found doe and fawn tracks(have seen the pair on TC).Must have been the doe trying to lure me away from the fawn,and the fawn getting scared and calling to its mom.Still got my attention

^ WHAT???

Dark doesn't bother me. I believe in always being prepared.
I have hunted and fly fished in bear and lion country so yea Texas in the dark is piece of cake.
Several years ago me and a buddy of mine went bear hunting with our bows it didn't bother me but he was a nervous wreck the whole time.
Last year same buddy and I went elk hunting with our bows and we left base camp and went up the mountain to spike camp where guide dropped us off and left. We go settled in and decided to go hunt that evening so I grabbed my Gps and marked camp. Went hunting and didn't think nothing of it. Started following Gps back and realized something was wrong Gps wAs leading us to a cliff face and straight down yes we were lost in the dark in bear and lion country and throw in sheer drops and my buddy lost it. I knew we were in trouble but had a plan and I always take extra supplies and thank god because he didn't have anything. After getting him calmed down we tried several times to find camp but no luck. So I was going to build fire and build shelter and had space blankets. We had been lost for hours in the dark and decided to try one last time to find camp and got lucky. So yea Texas doesn't bother me.

Turkey will scare the jeebies out of you if you disturb the roost. One time I climbed my 15 foot tower stand to find a coon in my stand. My son watches to many paranormal shows and is disturbed to walk to his stand in the dark. Personally I am at peace walking to my stand in the dark or leaving the stand at night. Cant explain it but no problems for me.

I do! hair on the back of my neck stands stiff as a board. Once I get to the stand I morph into John Rambo and laugh at the other me that walked in the dark thinking every thing was going to eat me! lol.

While hunting in OK a few years back, at the farthest back corner of a 2000ac deer lease, and opposite side from where everyone else except my BIL hunted, I was enjoying a beautiful afternoon sit. About 30min before dark, the pasture poodles set off, and I mean a pack of em, musta been 60 maybe 80 in number (PS John Rambo had left the building and the other guy was now sitting in the stand). As I listened to them, it dawned on me, they sound like they are exactly where I parked, and my next thought was they were planning an OK Indian style ambush on me upon returning to my buggy after the dark had set in. Common sense got ahold of me, and I determined deer hunting was less important than surviving the rabid pack of yotes, likely now in the hundreds. I could tell they were likely pearched all over my buggy waiting on the first sign of its owner, and would then set out after me.....chasing me like a pack of wolves chase an elk. Well, must be the scout dog saw the impressively intimidating figure headed their way, he alerted the rest of the type o guy that was headed their way, and they all scattered. Now upon reaching my buggy, I realized it was 20min to sun set and I couldn't very well show up at camp and answer everyone's curiosity as to why I quit hunting so early. So, I decided to "spot and stalk" (bow hunting mind you) in the open field I was now in. Upon approaching a small pond, about 60-80yrds from it I noticed a small dirt spot with a dead yote laid up. I was curious who was at my lease shooting yotes "in my neck of the woods" without telling me. So I decided to investigate. I slowly approached from his back side. The closer I got, the more I realized he musta been a very fresh kill as there was no signs of decay. The closer I got, the more I noticed I saw no signs of the kill shot. Finally, I was standing over the dog, and decided to flip him over to inspect the other side. However, I was still a little confused, so I leaned in to poke the dog with my arrow, which was nocked, and bow release still clipped in (fully in the draw, aim, kill ready mode). As I slowly moved the broadhead closer to the "dead dog", I got to within 6" of poking it...........WHEN SUDDENLY HE SNAPPED HIS HAD BACK AROUND AND LOOKED AT ME, EYES AS WIDE AS MINE. I LET OUT A CURSE (screamed like a 12yr old girl at a Justin Beber concert), THE DOG JUMPED UP AND RAN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, STOPPING 20YRDS AWAY TO TURN AND SEE WHAT IN THE WORLD HAD JUST WOKEN IT FROM ITS NAP. BY THAT TIME I WAS FRANTICALLY TRYING TO RESTART MY HEART, ever give yourself resuscitation?? I decided I had enough hunting for the night, by the time I made it to camp, everyone else was already back and I was last in. I shared my story, still white as a ghost I'm sure, and everyone got a gut busting laugh and my expense. Story lives on as one of the greatest ever spot and stalks in the history of OK, and rumors of my Indian like prowess have made it to the Caddo Tribe Indians, local to that territory, who have been contacting me in efforts to name me honorary Caddo Indian, they call me Hak'aykuh Dìitsi' (yellow dog)!

Mostly True Story

Really never thought about it, as, but im also so bitter, it would spit me out after a good taste!

I get the creeps about snakes in the warmer pat of the season. I did have about 25 guest workers surround my tent one morning. Woke up to find them just looking at me when I came out of the tent. They were quite peaceful and were not doing anything but making their way north. I did come out of the tent well armed. They just smiled and left. It worried me a lot at first. That was a long time ago. Now they probably have you seriously out gunned. That was outside of Uvalde. I don't think I would camp out alone again in this day and time in south Texas.

I was bow hunting a couple of weeks ago and about 20 ft up a ladder stand in a tree. I had several does out in front of me and they all threw their head up and looked to the SW side of the field. The hillside had come alive and about 30-35 large hogs made their way into the field. They were 200+ yards away so that didn't bother me or the deer too much. The woods then again came alive to my left and here comes another group of about 10 hogs. They ran my deer off so I decided I was going to kill one with my bow. As I am waiting for one to get into range the hillside comes alive to my left and here come another pack of 15+ larger hogs. So they have me surrounded and all I have is my bow and 3 broad heads. I decide well as soon as I smoke one of them the field will clear out... Never occurred to me I could miss. So I have a 150# boar out about 50 yard walking broadside. It's getting dark and I want to clear the field. I take careful aim to "lead" the pig and instead of hitting him in the shoulder/vitals it slaps him on the sack... Might have even castrated him. He grunts and runs about 40 yards further out and looks around while the rest of the herd of 60 go back to eating. Now I'm still surrounded with only 2 arrows. So what do I do? I lower my bow and arrows to the ground and I am in ultimate predator mode to put on a magnificent North Texas creep on these unsuspecting pigs. I keep the pecan trees between me and the closest group and get into about 70 yards. The rest of the way is wide open. I had done this same thing the week before and killed a 250# boar who was by himself, so I figured this time around I just have more targets. I get to 60 yards and a large boar is grunting and pushing some of the sows around trying to put his love moves on (we've all been there) and I decide to get to 50 yard again. I keep inching closer and everytime I range they are staying the same distance from me. Finally about 4 in the group grunt/ squeal and turn facing me at 62ish yard and just stand looking in my direction. All of these pigs in this pack are over 200# so I stop. They don't like the situation so they go into the brush. I decide to go after the bigger pack of pigs because I am just that scary. About 60 yards into this stalk I realize my backside is now exposed to the group that just went into the woods. I finally come to my senses and realize I am outgunned and I actually need a gun to do this right. It's dark now, I've got 2 arrows, no flashlight and a 400 yard walk back through hog infested woods. I make it back to the mule and decide I am going to get my AR with nightvision so I go back to my truck that's parked in camp. Get the AR and kill the mule and let it coast to a stop so I can go into creep mode. I get out of the mule and the hillside to my right comes alive. I don't even have the scope on yet. Finally get it focused in and looking up the hillside and here is another group of roughly 15 pigs. I pick one out and pull a Texas heart shot and the entire friggin mountain starts to move. I am flooded with hogs. Looking through the small tunnel of my nightvision I can just see black blurs running everywhere. Finally everything goes quiet and my heart rate drops below 280 so I decide to stalk back into the field. I get there and it had been announced I was coming to the party well armed.

Fast forward to the next morning, I decide I'm not hunting there this morning, I'm going to hunt 600 yards from there to get away from all the pigs in my pop up blind. So I creep through some deep dark woods and get to my stand 1.5 hours before daylight. As I set there I am hearing rustling all around me. I do believe there are elephants in North Texas now as well. Because as I set there in my blind with my bow again, something pushed over two trees within 100 yards of me. That was the loudest crack in the middle of still of the night I had ever heard and it happened twice. Then everything goes silent. Not 30 seconds later what must have been a heard of buffalo started charging in my direction. Evidently the smell was too great emanating from my bow blind/ outhouse because they peeled off and headed back out towards the hillside. Didn't see anything the rest of the morning which wouldn't have mattered if I had because I was still shaking 2 hours later. Nothing to get you going like being in a pop up blind thinking you are secure with a herd of hogs that you can't see barring down on you. Stupid pigs... I declare jihad on you.

I hunt alot at night for hogs and coyotes, so hearing them never bothers me. At my leases in kansas and texas I never think about anything. My lease in oklahoma always bothers me when I , am.up there alone. Alot of that comes from no cell reception and not feeling secure

What? Come on man lets see these pics!

This last new years eve I was sitting in my blind on a substantial ridgeline. At 5:05 pm I heard a low rumble, it was dead quiet right before. Then I heard what sounded like a cowbell. My windows were closed due to the cold. I'm sitting there looking out the windows for maybe an escaped goat or cow from the neighbors place.

About the time the cowbell sound stopped, my stand, which is on 4x4 posts concreted into bedrock felt like someone backed into it with a car bumper. I was looking around for the 'invisible' cow, but nothing. It kinda' freaked me out. After I got back to camp I told my Brother and Wife about the incident. Later we realized it was an earthquake. The sound of the cowbell was the windows rattling right before the major impact. Weird. I've looked up earthquake history in Erath and found NOTHING. There is a saltwater disposal well about 1.5 miles from where I hunted that evening.

I don't mind walking in and out, BUT....

At 5:30AM I was sitting in my ground blind staring into the darkness at the faint outline of the feeder. No moon, super dark, super quiet. I thought I heard something beside my blind. I opened one of the front screens and leaned up to the opening staring as hard as one can stare.... just then I had a cricket/grasshopper/locust/cicada jump on my face from outside the blind.

Did not scream, but nearly froze the rest of the morning as I was soaked from the sweats.

Ya Ya Ya blame it on the sweats you sweat all over your body not just from the waist down

generally it doesn't bother met at all. not really worried about hogs or coyotes or anything like that. we keep our pasture roads and blind trails pretty clean.

although...one time as a younger man we watched a series of bigfoot movies late at night prior to going to the blind. that morning I loaded my rifle on the way to the blind.

Im fine once I get in the stand. It has never happened, but for some reason I'm terrified there is going to be someone already sitting my in stand!

1. Had just arrived at my tree in pitch darkness, heard something galloping towards me, turned just in time for the neighbors labrador to jump up and try to give me kisses. Nearly died. Thought for one second about dispatching the mutt, but he was a sweet old feller.
2. Grabbed my pull rope to attach bow, heard something scrambling down the tree, before I could even react something furry and foul smelling landed on my head and jumped from my shoulder. Screamed so loud I debated just going back to cabin.
3. My favorite though: Getting settled into box blind, digging around in my backpack, when Dad's old barn cat jumped through the front window. Nearly killed him, myself, and the blind. Only cat I had ever seen that would follow someone around the farm like a dog.

Got settled into the tree stand before sun-up, just before you can really see when it seems to be the darkest and when it's really quiet. Heard something crunching through the brush coming right to my tree and stopped underneath. Had my 9mm in one hand and turned on my headlight... It was a Bear, as big as an Armadillo.

Charlie

Back in the mid '90s, we found a lease, so it was our first year to hunt it. I had set up a blind in a pretty heavily wooded spot between two hills/saddlebacks about 500 yards or so from where I'd park my truck. I'd been there many times of course during the day, but never in the dark. It was opening morning and of course my very first time making my way on this place with no daylight.

It was a moonless night and pitch black and very still. I stopped a few times and looked around with my flashlight just to make sure I was still on the right track since everything kind of looked the same. I remember feeling a little creeped out, but didn't pay any attention to it. When I was about 100 yards from the stand, all of a sudden I heard this deafening whooshing and fluttering all around me.....I swear I thought I was going to drop dead on the spot.

Turns out I'd walked smack into a huge covey of quail.....in total darkness. Scared the crap out of me, almost literally. I remember standing there nearly hyperventilating and trying to gather myself once I realized what it was and for a moment thought about going back to the truck. Stuck it out and finally made it to the stand where it took me a good half hour to slow down my heart rate.

I've heard of cereal killers, but never gate murderers. Someone should have hung that gate. Get it! Hung that gate! Damn I think I'm funny.