My scariest moment took place 9 bow seasons ago, when I was 16 years old. I had just started bowhunting, and I hunted on a large 1000 acre farm, about 500 of which was pure brush. I had driven a long way down an old logging road, and parked my truck, then walked a couple of hundred yards (I was green, I would never park that close now) and set up my old Summit climber in a tree and hunted.
I saw some deer, but didn't get a shot. Well, when I got ready to get down, when it was pretty dang dark, some coyotes started sounding off a half mile or so away, and were all joining in a beautiful coyote chorus. I'm not a bit scared of coyotes, and it was a beautiful sound, so I sat in the stand for another 20 minutes or so to listen to nature's music. I really enjoyed it.
Finally, they quit yipping and howling, and I got down and put the stand together for the pack out. In those days, I carried no flashlight, becuase if I couldn't fit it in a pocket, I didn't carry it (that has also changed big time). Well, I started back to the pickup, and not too far down the trail, I heard something rustling in the leaves, and it seemed to be following me. I stopped, and it stopped, but just as soon as I started walking again, it followed me. I would stop, listen, strain to look in the blackness, and start walking again. Seemed like this took an eternity. But it was probably only 5-10 minutes.
I had drawn my Buck sheath knife, and was preparing to repel boarders, but nothing was there. Finally, I just got so dang scared that I did the absolutely wrong thing to do. . . I ran like a scared little girl. I sprinted like crazy the whole way back to the truck, with that something following me, and rustling the leaves the whole way back. I got to my truck, flung my treestand into the back, jumped into the cab, locked the doors, fired it up (it was a '92 GMC with a 350 and Flowmasters, it roared) and turned on the lights.
Nothing was there. I got out a flashlight and scanned 360 degrees. . . Nothing. Finally I got up the courage to get out, and make sure my stand was properly stowed in the back, and that's when I found my culprit. . . . 20+ feet of nylon rope, to pull up my bow.
I think that is the most scared I have ever been in the woods, marshes, or waters. Probably in my whole life. My imagination took off, and I knew it was a bear, or lion
But it wasn't
This is an absolutely true story too
Bake