Ever run into bad guys while hunting?

[NativeIndian]

Always has, always will.

The proper response would have been, "Yankee? I drink sweet tea you idjit!"

 

[NativeIndian]

My hunting camp is 4 hours from the our house, the wife and I left out late and I had our 5th wheel at the time already set up in front of the cabin because it was nicer than either of the cabins. The road our cabin is on is only about 6 miles long and there are only about 3 full time residents on the road. We pull up around midnight and there is a truck blocking our locked gate. I grab my pistol from the center console and tell my wife to write down the plate number. I pull up on their ass and they turn on their lights and take off. I take off and stay right on their bumper, if they would have hit their brakes I would’ve probably rear ended them; this all probably looked like a scene from the dukes or hazard. While all this is going on my wife is screaming at to slow down and that we are going to get shot. At the end of the road they kept going and I did a u turn and went back to camp opened everything thing up and looked for signs of a break in or any other nefarious activities but couldn’t find anything. I have no clue what they were up to.

You probably messed up a couple of teens date night LOL

 

[MTGomer]

Illegal immigrants and drug smugglers a few times but haven’t had anything bad happen.

Definitely ran into people camping that were clearly using hard drugs and up to no good. Try to steer clear of those folks.

 

[Jack Ryan]

I hunted some private ground with the stipulation I suggest any one I run in to on it LEAVE. Some of those encounters were not fun.

Last one was through my truck window and ended with my 44 in hand, cocked and below the window. None of the "promises" they were making came true and we all drove away.

I've kinda steered away from the promise I'd run any one off and we've decided I'll just observe and inform the owner. It just isn't worth it.

 

[Europe]

We were in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Central Africa Republic was a beautiful country to visit and hunt in 1979. Very dense rain forest's in the South and beautiful Savanna's in the North. Amazing herds and variety of animals. The Pgymy people were a first for me and they were very good trackers. It was also interesting to watch the women "net-hunt".

BUT, two white people in possession of firearms, trying to leave the country during a Coup, was not an experience I would wish on anyone. They separated us, and then interrogated and searched us --three times. I was put in the back of a pick up truck with two other women and drove to the airplane. ( although when we were put in the back of the truck we had no idea where we were going). When we got to the airplane, our husbands were there and we boarded and left----without our rifles.

A day or two later I shared with him the aggressive manner in which the male guards searched me and he asked me if I wanted to go back and file a complaint.

 

[BOHNTR]

In the early 90’s, I was Bowhunting some Blacktails in the Golden State and came upon a recent homicide victim.

 

[Walkathon]

Thankfully, I've not had any really bad experiences. I camp in the middle of nowhere in my truck in WY sometimes, and I always have a handgun nearby. Only thing that ever raised alarm was having a rancher and his dog drive by my camp at about 10:00 PM while I was about 4 miles off a county road, and camped on some BLM. I was cooking on my tailgate with a head lamp. Saw his truck headlights come over the rise and the guy in the truck starts yelling. Didn't know what was going on or why someone was yelling. Turns out he was yelling at his cow dog that was out and running in front of the truck. He was trying to keep his dog from running up to me so he was calling the dog back to the truck. The rancher had his dog jump back in the truck, he stopped, and we talked about antelope for a couple of minutes after he asked what I was hunting. He was checking water for his cows, and his dog was running outside his truck, getting exercise I guess. Nice guy, and nothing happened, but I did have a loaded hand gun within reach in my truck bed, and out of sight.

 

[gouch]

Back when I worked for BLM were given a job to locate the BLM property boundry, a mining claim boundary, and an easement for a driveway across BLM and the mining claim. We were told to be careful because there was a lot of bad blood up there. The first day on the job we had a guy come walking out of the woods towards us. He was short and muscular with a shaved head, except a long braid that went from the top of his head to his butt. He had a side by side 12 gauge in his left hand and a rope, with a 100 lb. rottweiler on it, in his right hand. He apologized for intimidating us, but he had heard us and thought we were his neighbor trespassing. On the way back to the shop we stopped at the local mom and pop store to get a soda and met a woman who asked how the job was going. She was wearing an ankle bracelet the county had given her after she beat some guy with a baseball bat. She said she had been watching us earlier through her rifle scope. But it was OK because it was unloaded. It ended up worked out OK. Even though everybody hated everybody else, they all thought that the results of our survey would prove them right and they would win so they all liked us. I suspect that the results of that survey caused more trouble than it solved, and we never went back. I am sure someone up there wanted to kill us.

 

[Randi]

My father and I saw two bodies in the Rio Grande when fishing. I was threatened once when horse back riding. He wanted the horse. The dog I had with me scared him and we rode away. But never threatened when hunting

 

[flatcoat]

Never hunting, in a past life of steelheading in Jefferson I was shot over once on a trib of the Trinity to let me know I was too close to a grow prior to legalization. A nice gentleman with an AK approached me on the Klamath to let me know the run I was hiking into was no longer open to fishing, on public land.

 

[Straight Arrow]

Not hunting but on the way to fishing during hunting season, when we saw a guy running off the hills toward the highway waving a rifle. We feared a hunting accident so pulled over and started walking back to where he was coming out of the barrow pit, as he jacked a round into the rifle that appeared to have a muzzle the size of a howitzer! Having just returned from Vietnam, now having survived that I'm going to be blown away by a US citizen with a hunting rifle! Turned out he was a drunk sheepherder who had been harassed by some unfriendlies from the bar and he was angry that they turned over his sheepherder wagon. He thought it was us. As my fishing buddy kept him talking, I grabbed the rifle, then we calmed him down and took him to Tosten where we met the sheriff, who knew him. The worst part was he vomited all over the dash of my pickup as we transported him.

Anyhow, 'hope he got some help with his issues as he had a big bad a$$ rifle with a huge muzzle opening!

 

[MarvB]

Never hunting, in a past life of steelheading in Jefferson I was shot over once on a trib of the Trinity to let me know I was too close to a grow prior to legalization. A nice gentleman with an AK approached me on the Klamath to let me know the run I was hiking into was no longer open to fishing, on public land.

Ex BIL owned some acreage above the Trinity not too far out of Weitchpec.
We usually only went up there during deer season; the last time I went the two roads in were both chained across with no trespassing signs…and NOT by him (the owner). I went back to Redding, he went to the Sheriffs office

 

[mxracer317]

Yes, if you see me in the woods run! In all seriousness, It is always good to keep your eyes open and be observant of your surroundings.

For me, a simple vehicle burglary was almost a deadly encounter. I have done extensive undercover work and have learned that your reality does not matter. The other persons reality is what dictates your encounter. Doing under cover work, it does not matter that it was a simple low dollar drug deal and that there was a group of armed SRT/SWAT members in the room next door that were ready to visit harm on the suspect/suspects if he/they got a little frogy. What mattered and determined the outcome was what the suspect perceived. If he/they get they could get away with a robbery/shooting then I was trouble. In undercover situations I would always play games with the crooks. I would have two or three friends show up with me, change the location, or change the dynamic. There are a lot of principles for potential violent encounters but first and foremost is to take the lead and make the other person try and react to you. The 21 foot knife rule (Tuller rule) is based on action vs reaction.

In the woods, if I get a weird 6th sense type feeling, I always start my conversation with” have you seen my hunting buddy”. Keep moving around. It does not have to be crazy but it can can mess up the persons plan if you are not stationary. Keep changing the dynamic in wired encounters and it can buy you more time.

Thx. I know Dennis Tueller well. He is a friend and client of mine. Great advice. I always like asking all LE tips.

 

[Boarmaster]

Not bad guys per say but when I was in a large lease in Southwest Florida (13k acres )
relatively close to town I ran into quite a few people that had no business being there.
There was a limestone mining operation on the property as well. They were frequently complaining to the owners about the hunting lease guys Hunting to close to their pits and driving on their haul roads. In every case they described vehicles that were not used by the ten lease members. For some reason people thought it was just open lands to hunt on. I guess they couldn't read the no trespassing signs posted at every access point. The mining operation would not keep the gates locked so that was part of the problem.

 

[Bomadness]

I have been in law enforcement for 25 years. In that time I have learned that I am a shit magnet. I literally run into random crazy stuff all the time.

I stopped while hunting one time to pee and found a stashed meth lab. Required a full hazmat response. Ridding my quad I happened into a violent domestic fight in the woods that I had to take action. No back up but very physical. Required some creative problem solving.

However, the worse situation occurred while fishing at Strawberry Revisor in Utah. I was a deputy Sheriff in another county in Utah at that time. I watched a guy walking all around my SUV while I was in a float tube. Got to the side of the lake and returned to my car. The front passenger window had broken and the guy had gone through my glove box and center counsel. He had taken a fishing net. He actually never saw me approach. When he noticed me he ran for his car. My 6th sense told me it was going really bad and I actually drew down on him. I issued commands and he complied. Sheriff was called and I held him at gun point for over an hour. Turned out to be a multiple convicted felon in a stolen car and he was going for a loaded stolen SKS rifle. Admitted to deputy that he would have killed me if he had gotten to his rifle. He didn’t want to go back to jail. The funny part (working in LE you develop a dark sense of humor) once in cuffs, he kept saying “you owe me because I F@&king had you”. He said it so many times I finally asked him why he didn’t do anything if he had me. His response was classic and still makes me laugh. He said that every time he thought about going for his rifle my gun was pointed at his head. The deputy and I had a good laugh that His statement meant he never actually had me.

Another time I shot a 31 inch mule deer on the Pavant In Utah on a muzzleloader hunt. Three guys walked up to my deer and asked what I thought my chances of leaving with the deer were. I laughed and pull my pistol and badge then put them on the deer and said I though my chances were really good. I asked them what they thought there chances were to not get arrested if they didn’t leave right away. They turned around and immediately left.

There really are crazy people out in the woods. Be careful

I would have had them drag the mule deer out for me.

 

[Shangobango]

Since when is being from Missouri considered a Yankee anyhow?

According to the cajuns, anything north of I-10 is yankee territory…

 

[Nick87]

According to the cajuns, anything north of I-10 is yankee territory…

I had a girl from Missouri call me a Yankee once, war's over lady.

 

[Shangobango]

I had a girl from Missouri call me a Yankee once, war's over lady.

Dang. Guess some people hold grudges for their great great grandparents.

 

[2rocky]

More Good than Bad...

Found a body on a Ranch my friend rented from the Water Agency. We saw a car was parked in front of the gate as we rode in on horseback. I joked as I looked in the windows "At least there is not a body in it!" Well we found the body badly decomposed about 20 yards inside the gate. There was a 870 beneath the body according to the Coroner.

Had a sketchy looking individual walk in the driveway at home after he parked his Uhaul on the road. Said he was out of gas when I caught him snooping around the barns. He decided to leave onhis own accord when I went for a walk with my rifle and "Gator" the English pointer.

But for the most part on public lands people have been kind, helpful and polite...

 

[Nick87]

Dang. Guess some people hold grudges for their great great grandparents.

Best part is she was from St Louis.