Some comedy in the tree stand

[BowEd]

Well this is about squirrels.Don't have a comedy thread but this is related to hunting I suppose.At least it goes along with what happens while hunting.Most times I'm watching squirrels do their busy thing around me while in the stand.I've had them jump from a tree next door onto my hung bow and onto the tree I'm in and generally many times very close within reach of me.This paticular squirrel took my encounter with him a bit farther.There is a decent sized hickory in front of my stand around a foot thick and 40 feet tall only 6 to 8 feet away off to the side to my left a little.I see this squirrel climb up that tree to about 3 to 4 feet above me on the side of that tree.I'm sitting down at the time.I see by his focus and body language he's fixing to jump onto my tree I'm in.My quick calculations tell me he's going to land on my lap I think anyway.No sooner then did I say DON"T YOU DO IT!!! he jumps!!Right on top of my head and onto the tree I'm in.Using my head as a spring board to get there.It does'nt seem to alarm him any and I just sat still myself.No harm done and we continued to do our thing....lol.
Last year a chickadee sat on my broadhead for quite sometime 2' in front of me before finally moving on.
I'm sure there are others have had things happen to them with wildlife while in the stand too.

[bjrogg]

Last year I was sitin my stump blind. The chipmunks like hanging out in the root balls of the old stumps. I could see one coming towards me under the leaves. He got to my boot and climbed to my knee. I moved and he realized what he was climbing on and proceeded to scamper up another tree and scolded me. Bjrogg

[BowEd]

Yes I could imagine that happening.The tree squirrels here sometimes scold me for quite some time too.I've only seen a few chipmunks here.Mostly ones that the cat catches.

[Pat B]

At the hunting club I used to be a member of in GA. We had most of the pines harvested and the area was sprayed by airplane to eliminate unwanted trees and undergrowth before replanting with pines. It was understood that all the hardwoods(oake, etc) would be protected but the wind picked up and a bunch of oaks were killed.
Two years later I was hunting along the edge of newly planted pines and the other mature hardwoods, the dead oaks were slowly falling apart. That year we had a bumper crop of red and white oak acorns. Also, we had a bumper crop of redheaded woodpeckers, not just a bunch but hundreds. The woodpeckers were collecting acorns from the live oak trees and placing them in the rotted standing trunks of the dead oak trees for use later.
 There were a few squirrels trying to get to the acorns but the redheaded woodpeckers would attack the squirrels every time one would climb a live oak tree. My whole afternoon was spent laughing my butt off at the antics and needless to say not much deer activity took place in that area that afternoon.

[bradsmith2010]

I wasnt in a tree stand but was standing still,, a bear was going by,, and then turned right too me  bout 15 yards,,,, well I got a bit scared he was coming rigiht at me and didnt see me,, I put an arrow on the bow and he heard me move and turned and ran,,, glad he didnt jump on me like a squirrel,,,

[BowEd]

Yes I think it's a blast to watch what is going on out there.A red headed woodpecker is a fearless tough hombre and respected by many others here too.I love seeing them give the aggravating blue jays the what for too.Especially at the bird feeder.

[BowEd]

Brad....I guess that's about the time to say hey BOO bear....lol.

[osage outlaw]

I had a small hawk zip through the trees and come straight at my face.  I raised my hands up to protect my eyes and he veered off at the last minute.  I'm not sure what he was doing.  I've had 2 owls land on a limb above me for a few seconds before flying off.  I wear a face mask and only my eyes and nose are exposed.  I guess they think I'm something edible.   The funniest thing I've ever had happen was when I was tracking a deer at night with my sister.  I had a small headlamp on.  We stopped to take a brake for a minute and suddenly a small flying squirrel came straight at my head.  I ducked and it skimmed off the top of my hair.  I guess it was going after that headlamp. 

[BowEd]

OO.....Yea you could of paid a price for letting the hawk continue.I wear a kind of a mask too myself.I'm sure that's why the squirrel thought it was ok to jump on my head.Cool though.Yes we've got 2 kinds owls here too I see flying around.The barred and the great horned.The barred has an 8 syllable hooting pattern.Predator calling at night would bring them in above me many times.We've got a small hawk here that is like a falcon zinging through the trees here too.It's not a sparrow hawk either.I really think they are after squirrels or maybe small song birds.A coon hunting many times bats zing zang by within inches too while retrieving hounds.Even owls too for that matter.They don't really mean any harm.Saw an owl catch a pheasant as it was flushed once at night.I'll always remember that.
It's good to hear others' encounters with nature.It keeps things hopping in the sometimes time consuming dulldrum of waiting for a deer.Like Pappy says from 0 to hero in a flash.
Bra....Years ago hound hunting in wisconsin bear hunting every year was always a thrill.Tried to stand hunt for them in Canada with a muzzle loader too.It was a good time.

[Pat B]

Clint, the same thing happened to a friend when he looked up to see the talons of a red tailed hawk only inches from his face. He waved his arms and the hawk swerved. He was also wearing a face mask and thought the hawk mistook his eye movement for a small critter.
 I know a guy that was turkey hunting, leaning against a large oak tree when an owl took his hat off of his head. 

[BowEd]

Pat B....It's best to stay on your toes out there.I'm sure JW can confirm the power in these raptors' talons.

[JW_Halverson]

Pat B....It's best to stay on your toes out there.I'm sure JW can confirm the power in these raptors' talons.

I have paid the price for my own poor choices on several occasions. Need I even remind you of the eagle trimming my beak last summer?

[osage outlaw]

Google "owl attacks hunter" and look at the images.  I'm glad they realized I wasn't a meal.

[Pat B]

I told this story before, but...I was siting in my tree stand with hardwoods and a cane bottom to my left and medium sized planted pines to my right, generally a good site with a game trail along the canes and another between the hardwoods and pines. Just after sunset when the last 30 minutes of the hunt comes, things get serious. I'm sitting alert with a copperhead backed osage recurve. All of a sudden a brown thrasher decides he didn't want me in my stand and started dive bombing me and raising hell. Frustrated I climbed down and headed back to camp. Next evening, same stand, same pleasant evening then here he comes again. After a few minutes of abuse I got down and headed back to camp wondering about the strange behavior. Bingo! it wasn't me, it was the copperhead backed bow across my lap. Brown Thrashers, being ground birds don't really like snakes.