JavaScript is disabled
Our website requires JavaScript to function properly. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser settings before proceeding.
Messages
332
Reactions
566
What animal encounters have you or someone close had that made you need/want a firearm? I've had a couple I'd like to share.

Freaking scariest was working in a basement crawlspace of a friend in NC and encountering a water moccasin striking at my headlamp/helmet out of the dark. I don't think I've ever moved that fast in my life. I've never went into a basement since without a ruger single six loaded with bird/rat shot.

Going hiking up towards the Olallie area, I left my car below the snowline before walking in on fresh snow. After a mile or two I realized I forgot my water bottles. Turning back I found cougar tracks dove tailing my tracks the whole way back. Never saw the dang thing.

While in Iraq, after getting off post, I headed to the smoke pit and saw a hyena coming at me from the wadi in the dark. After loading and chambering a round, it took off taking his buddies with him who were coming up behind me. I never saw/heard them until they were bolting with the other one. I think they might have known what that sound meant.

My cousin got attacked by a couple of the neighbors pit bulls. He's fine other than a messed up screen door. As he's pro gun control, I wish he had one for him.
 
Had a black bear smell my foot once while sleeping in a tent. When I felt the snout pressing in on my tent and foot, I tapped back. The bear sniffed around a little and went about its business soon after.
Takeaway, never leave candy wrappers in your tent.

I probably would have liked to have had a gun with me, but it was obviously unnecessary.

My dad almost grabbed a cotton mouth while exploring Kill Creek in Kansas, luckily somebody noticed and he stopped just in time.

Stepped past a rattle snake that only started it's rattle after I walked by it. I walked well within striking distance. Probably would have shot that one if I had a gun on me.

Had a tick on my di** once, I could have gotten Lime disease!

Saw a coyote in the road once, told my friend to stand perfectly still just before I started running... not really dangerous, but it was hilarious.
 
Riding dirt bikes in the California desert I made it up this one hill. I turned around in victory to wave down at my friend. Then out of nowhere this pack of wild dogs came after me. Never kicked so hard to get that bike started. I did have to ride through them and zig zag a bit before riding back down.

Again walking a trail at Lake Chabot in the bay area. Its about a 7 mile perimeter park in the middle of the city with a few trails, but this pack of strays got after me. No lost chihuahuas in this group. Luckily I was able to beat feet and they gave up.
 
A few summers ago...
I was roaming the public land area where I hunt , stump shooting.
I had my osage longbow ( 58# ) and about 12 or so arrows with field points...
While walking up a old logging road looking for a cut cedar stump with a safe backstop...
I went around a bend in the road ....just as a big old black bear was crossing...

Well , since he was there first and has pointy teeth and sharp claws...I gave him the "right of way"...
I just stop and stand , while waiting for him to go his way....
Old bear gets to the middle of the road....stops...sniffs... turns my way...gives a "woof"...then heads back the way he started from...

Okay by me...as I'm just standing there...in the hot sun , with a excellent bow...but only field points and my pocket knife....

Mr.Bear gets to the edge of the road , starts for the woodline...then abruptly turns around and heads back the way he was originally heading...

Oh for Pucks sake!...Make up your mind , Mr Bear...that's what I said in my mind at least...but I was really hoping that Mr. Bear already had a full lunch...and wasn't interested in a would be Robin Hood for seconds...

Off he heads finally and I hear him tear through the brush on the other side of the road for a bit ....as we parted ways...:D

Not really dangerous ...but worthy of note nevertheless....
Andy
 
Mr.Bear gets to the edge of the road , starts for the woodline...then abruptly turns around and heads back the way he was originally heading...
Rare behavior for a black bear - most of the time all you see is the south end heading away from you - fast - at least that has been my experience with the few bears I have seen in the woods.
 
While deer hunting when I was 16, me and two buddies had made camp and were messing around with a super bright flashlight and kept catching the eyes of something about 100 yards away on a ridgeline above us. Half hour later we did it again and there was a mountain lion about 65 yards away staring at us. Shot at it with the old 30-30 and missed by a mile.

A few years ago walking down a blocked off logging road on opening morning I came around a curve in the road and bumped into a black bear at like 30 yards. Looked at me for a second and ran off.
 
The most oh bubblegum moment for me:

I was about to fire up the BBQ and went to grab some charcoal out of the bag. Along with a handful of charcoal came the largest black widow I had ever laid eyes on crawling up my wrist. That was a real pucker moment for sure!

I went solo camping in the woods a few miles out of Trillium lake years ago. One night the coyotes came in and surrounded my tent. They kept sniffing it and poking the tent with their noses. Definitely nerve racking. I thought about opening the tent just enough to pop off a round, but I just laid still and they went on their way.

Both times I have seen bears in the woods it has been a cub and their momma bear. Thankfully both of those times I had been on my dirtbike and was able to get away from the situation fast enough for it to not really be an issue. They were running from me just as fast as I was running from them.

Out here in the summer there are plenty of rattlers. Every time i hear one my heart rate goes up a bit. Growing up in the valley, I had never seen one in the wild for most of my life. They are not aggressive at all surprisingly, and keep their distance. I still fill em up with bird shot if they are on the property. My dogs don't understand what poison is.
 
In my backyard a few years ago, walked around my storage shed and encountered a buck - and I now stood between him and his only path of escape. He stomped his hoof and lowered his head. I put my arms out and backed away slowly as he stomped his hoof again. Once I got out of his way, he bolted for the fence. I wasn't carrying at the time, and would have hated to shoot him, but it made me reconsider carrying on my own property.

Another event was in Sunriver as we were taking a walk and a very aggressive dog approached us growling and barking - moving toward our infant daughter who was in a stroller. I stepped between the dog and my daughter and noticed the owner some 75 or so feet away. He had a laid back attitude about his dog being aggressive with us, so I yelled at him to get his damn dog away from us. He remained unconcerned. I began to draw my pistol (guns are forbidden in Sunriver, but I have always carried). As I'm about to clear the holster, dipsh1t azzhole finally saunters over to get his dog - no apology offered. I left him with a few of my favorite potty words and we moved on.
 
I was trying to think about my closest brush with death and it's been on our highways and in the hospital. Can't count the number of times other drivers have almost injured me and doctors have killed more of my family than criminals have.
 
When I first moved to PDX in 1983 I lived in a house at NE 27th and Sumner. That's between Killingsworth and Alberta. Pretty dangerous back then what with all the nocturnal creatures. What can I say, I was naive.
 
I had just flown back home from a business trip and was stopping by an area to scout/glass in the evening/dusk for deer and elk at a hidden meadow. I found a nice tree to sit at the base of and sat there with my bino's glassing the meadow and surrounding area. About when I was gong to get up and walk back to the truck I heard some commotion nearby and downhill a little from where I was sitting. It didn't sound like a deer or elk so I wanted to see what it was. As the sounds grew closer I thought, maybe it was a bear? At this time it was definitely getting on the dark side of dusk. Then I realized that I didn't even have a pocketknife on me let alone a firearm since I had come directly from the airport. I started to get nervous when I discovered the animal making the sound was coming at me closing from about 30 yards at a curious pace. I still couldn't see what it was other than it was definitely not a bear. So I start looking on the ground near me for any kind of defensive tool, rock, stick, whatever. All that was within reach were some pinecones. So I stood up and got ready to confront my curious woodland invader. When I stood up I said something like woah or stop out of reflex to the unidentified critter approaching. When I got to my feet the animal stopped at about 10 feet or so and began making some strange sounds that I had never heard before. Obviously the 30 pound badger didn't know I was there and after a short seemingly endless standoff that lasted 5 seconds or so, the badger muddled back off in the direction he came from.

After that I promised myself that I would not go into the woods unarmed ever again.
 
I had an encounter that ended up costing my buddy money after damage to his truck. I was at deer camp in E. WA. I was eating a PB&J and threw the crust into some bushes. Still had a lot of jelly on it. My partner said it might attract bears and I told hik there hadn't been a bear in that area in the 15 years I had hunted it.

We drove up to some high ground to glass before dark, mostly just to take in the scenery. Later that night when we got back, we heard some rustling in the dry leaves near the tent. I went out with a light and heard something rustling around again. Couldnt find it.

Woke up the next day and the truck sounds like a lawnmower. Buddy pops his hood and I jump out to see what happened. Two spark plug wires were chewed in half and my sandwich crust was sitting on top of his engine. I tossed it so he wouldn't see it and "I told you so". Apparently, the critters crawled up in his engine to stay warm. Probably mice. Had to drive real slow to Lewiston to get parts. Got to see the Jack O'Connor museum while we were there.
 

Upcoming Events

Oregon Arms Collectors March Gun Show
Portland, OR
Tillamook Gun & Knife Show
Tillamook, OR
"The Original" Kalispell Gun Show
Kalispell, MT
Teen Rifle 1 Class
Springfield, OR
Kids Firearm Safety 2 Class
Springfield, OR

New Resource Reviews

New Classified Ads

Back Top