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The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/Odd_Ear6268 on 2024-09-26 06:13:43+00:00.
This happened back in the fall of 2016. I Live in a very small and rural community where everyone knows everyone. The state that live in allows rifle mule deer buck hunting during the first week of October. Sustenance hunting is very important in the culture of my area. This fall I was lucky enough to have drawn a buck tag.
I had made plans to hunt on my grandmother's farm on this evening. Given that I am a smaller woman, I had asked my husband to go with me in case I killed something, he could help me pack it out. However, he could not go due to work obligations. Fine no problem, I have hunted this farm many times by myself. I know it like the back of my hand. I strapped on my boots, grabbed my rifle and binoculars, tucked my cell phone into my pocket and made my way to my jeep.
My grandmother's farm consist of corn, bordering an alfalfa field along a river. Between the river and the farm are lines of old growth trees. This is the perfect place to fill it a buck tag. I parked my jeep about a mile up river from the fields, then began walking along the tree line towards the area where the deer had mostly been feeding. At the opposite end of the field, there is a large haystack where all the harvested alfalfa is stored. As I saw it coming into my field of view, I felt the hair stand up on the back of my neck. I kneeled down and viewed the area through my binoculars. I could see a very tall, large man walking briskly towards me from behind the haystack.
I knew for a fact that I was supposed to be the only one hunting this farm on this night as I had just spoken to my grandmother. Something inside me told me I needed to get out of the area as fast as I could. I initially tried to turn around and walk back down the trees to my jeep. But given that I have such short legs, this guy was quickly closing the gap quickly. He was still several hundred yards from me, so I decided to try to cross the river instead, I found that the river was too muddy and deep for me to safely cross. I thought my only option was to attempt to get signal on my cell phone. When he walked across a small ditch and disparaged from my line of site, I quickly darted into the corn and kept quiet. I could hear him walking closer and closer. I desperately tried to call my husband. Back then, the closest cell towers were over 30 miles away and cell service was extremely spotty. I could not connect to my husband or 911.
By this point, the man was within 100 yards of me. I could hear him ripping corn out, stomping around and loudly cussing "where the fuck did you go?!". Another issue is it was getting dark quickly. I definitely did not want to be in the dark alone with this man. I watched him for a few minutes and was able to determine that he did not have a gun. After weighing my options, I decided to step out, and see if I could de-escalate the situation as I work in healthcare and work with mentally unstable people all the time.
I stepped out of the corn.
"Hi, I'm sorry if I interrupted you hunt or something. I did not mean to cause any harm." I said with a sweet smile on my face. I made sure there was atleast 80 yards of distance between us. His eyes locked with mine and it was obvious there was something with this man. He stood about 6'5" tall. His clothes where absolutely filthy, stained with what appeared to be his own waist and sweat. His shirt was torn and had dried blood on it. His face was crooked as if he had had a stroke prior, and he slurred his words.
"There you fucking are!" he yelled. He reached down and grabbed a massive stick. I'm talking a stick at least 5 feet long. He could have easily killed me with this stick. I stood my ground and grabbed my rifle from my back and pointed it at him. He stopped holding the stick. We looked at each other for a second when he began yelling.
"Do you know whose farm you're on?!"
I stated: "Yes, this is my grandmother's farm. I've hunted it my whole life.".
The veins began to pop out of his head.
"NO! THIS IS NOT! MY wife is hunting in this corn field and YOU ruined it! Because of you she missed a huge buck you stupid bitch!". He became so enraged he started making strange growling sounds and started spitting everywhere.
I was running through the options in my head at this point when he suddenly started to lunge at me. I Turned the safety off my rifle and loudly stated "STOP, I will shoot if I have to!". He froze in his tracks and just stared at me for about 30 seconds before dropping the stick. He grunted loudly with his eyes darting around.
"Listen, I don't want to have to do something we will both regret. I am very sorry I ruined your hunt. If you turn around and walk away from me, I will leave". I calmly explained.
I could see his thinking hard about what to do next when he mumbled "fine!" And turned around, stomping back towards the hay stack. My heart was about to beat out of my chest. I was not about to turn my back on this man though. I watched until he walked distance away, and then I darted back into the corn. I thought back on how he said I spooked a massive buck and ruined his wife's hunt, but that did not make any sense. I had a good view of the whole field, and there were no deer present. I decided to observe him through my binoculars.
I watched him climb up to the haystack, and get into small two-door white car. He quickly peeled out of the hay stack lot. I was able to catch that the car had California license plates, but nothing more. I live no where near California. He took off down the road. And he was alone. No one else was in that vehicle.
I ran back to my jeep and locked myself in it. I sped home as fast as I could, and told my husband what happened. I had never seen this man in my life, and neither had my husband based off my description. We live in a community of about 200 people. Born and raised here we know everyone. I called our local sheriff, and they came out and took a statement. I took them to the haystack where he was parked, and we found a knife lying on the ground. Of course, nothing could be done as I was not able to get a plate number or a name from the man.
To this day, I still have no idea what the man's intentions were, even though I could guess on a few. It's been eight years and I have never seen this man again. I also decided that I'd be hunting with a buddy from then on.