What's the strangest thing that happened while cutting in the woods?

[Gboutdoors]

So I cut out of work early today and went out to my front lot as we sold it and wanted to get as many of the dead oaks off it before we close on it. As I was walking and looking I saw a nice big sassafras tree that had lost it's top. As I started to cut it there was a very load screech so I stopped to look and see if it was one of our neighbors children playing near by in the woods but nothing there.

So I go back to cutting it down and again a load screech again I stop and look around and nothing. Back to cutting the tree and this time I get it dropped but as it hits the ground out of a hole near the top pops a Eastern Screech Owl. It flys over to a nearby tree and sits there watching me. Now I feel bad that I cut it down and look to see if there is a nest in it but nothing just a hole he must be spending his days in. It sat there for about 10 minutes then flew off to a nearby tree with a hole in it and went in that tree.

 

[Fifelaker]

Many years ago I tipped over an oak maybe 20"-22" DBH. When bucking towards the top, a blotch of meat hit my leg. It was a nest and had a flying squirrel in it.

 

[711mhw]

While dropping an old dead elm, halfway through the felling cut, the whole tree with the trunk and what was left of the roots decided to let go. Pulled my saw and got out of the way. I had to finish that cut with the tree down! I just so happened to fall in the direction that I was planning on, weird. The tree was sound, without a trace of rot and my felling cut was only a few inches deep, not enough to "get it started" and no wind. In those few seconds that it takes for you to "get your shirt together" were funny. What I had expected to happen was and was not happening, why is my saw rotating up & to the left, why is this dirt moving?

 

[Woodfarmer1]

Our property is on an unimproved road, I stopped for lunch a couple hundred yards from the road. This was in December, I heard a bang, bang, bang coming down the road, which is full of large water holes. A Pontiac grand am with 5 teenage boys in it, got stuck. They get out a grab a few tree branches just as I thought about going over and pulling them out with my tractor they started smashing the windows with the branches and rocks, so I sat still. Within 10 minutes another car pulls up and they all take off. I called 911 and waited for about half hour. Turns out it was a rental car a woman in town left the keys in it or running, when she went into the bank.

 

[ClintonH]

1) Cut a young squirrel's head off while bucking a tree of Easter some years back.
2) Felled and bucked a honey tree one winter: sad to see those bees go, but didn't know they were there until it was too late.

 

[BEConklin]

I was up on top of a hill on my woodlot right by the river one fine Fall afternoon, felling, bucking and splitting a red oak. The lot is on the shore of the Quinebaug and across the river are some cornfields beyond the woods. I kept hearing a noise that I thought was maybe coming from some piece of farm equipment that I couldn't see in the cornfields. I didn't pay any attention to it other than to look across the river to see if there was work going on there. But when I took a break, I sat on the stump and then I looked up at the sky and saw what it was that I was hearing. There was a flock of blackbirds flying directly overhead....in a thin band...it didn't cover the sky - but it just kept coming and coming and coming and the birds were all chattering to one another. They must have been going overhead for at least 20 minutes before I saw them...and the flock continued on through my 10 minute break and then even after I went back to work for I don't know how long.

Another time I was cutting wood up there, I looked up from my work and there was a beagle sitting there watching me. He was wearing one of those white plastic cones from the vet around his neck and when I shut off the saw, he barked once and then got up and wandered off.

 

[SKIN052]

Had a couple tall Fir trees in the backyard, about 100' each. Crows were using them as a perch, got sick of the constant "CAW-CAW" so one night after dinner I decided to take away their pedestals. Since it was in the backyard the kids we on the back deck watching. Tree fell perfect but, as soon as it hit the ground 3 rather large down covered crows came splattering out of a nest at the very top. Quite a mess and shocked the kids for a bit, lol. Tossed the carcasses back up in the woods and watched every crow in the neighborhood have a crow funeral. Very eerie.

 

[aansorge]

Had a couple tall Fir trees in the backyard, about 100' each. Crows were using them as a perch, got sick of the constant "CAW-CAW" so one night after dinner I decided to take away their pedestals. Since it was in the backyard the kids we on the back deck watching. Tree fell perfect but, as soon as it hit the ground 3 rather large down covered crows came splattering out of a nest at the very top. Quite a mess and shocked the kids for a bit, lol. Tossed the carcasses back up in the woods and watched every crow in the neighborhood have a crow funeral. Very eerie.

Crows are among the most intelligent animals. Check this out: http://video.pbs.org/video/1621910826/

 

[Flatbedford]

I was cutting a downed Red Oak a few years ago and when I got about 6 feet from the roots water started pouring from the cut. It was like gallons, splashing all over as I cut. I took a crappy cell phone picture.

 

[gzecc]

I was cutting a dead limb from a Norway Maple near my house on a ladder. I felt liquid run down my arm and side. Thought I cut my arm off. The limb was filled with water.. It all leaked out when I cut about 3/4 through.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

I was cutting a dead limb from a Norway Maple near my house on a ladder. I felt liquid run down my arm and side. Thought I cut my arm off. The limb was filled with water.. It all leaked out when I cut about 3/4 through.

I'm glad you didn't cut your arm off but that just struck me as damn funny when I read it!

 

[Cascade Failure]

I was up on top of a hill on my woodlot right by the river one fine Fall afternoon, felling, bucking and splitting a red oak. The lot is on the shore of the Quinebaug and across the river are some cornfields beyond the woods. I kept hearing a noise that I thought was maybe coming from some piece of farm equipment that I couldn't see in the cornfields. I didn't pay any attention to it other than to look across the river to see if there was work going on there. But when I took a break, I sat on the stump and then I looked up at the sky and saw what it was that I was hearing. There was a flock of blackbirds flying directly overhead....in a thin band...it didn't cover the sky - but it just kept coming and coming and coming and the birds were all chattering to one another. They must have been going overhead for at least 20 minutes before I saw them...and the flock continued on through my 10 minute break and then even after I went back to work for I don't know how long.

A couple of years ago the Bulletin (I think it was the Bulletin, maybe it was the Day) did an article on 2 large flocks in our area. One is estimated to be 40,000 strong. Some early mornings pulling into Backus you will see several thousand in the surrounding trees.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I remember laughing one time when logging. There were two of us cutting and the other poor sucker got into some yellow jackets. It is funny watching someone else but not so funny when it happens to you and I've had it happen more than once! Anyway, they finally settled down but a few hours later, the skidder came in. Guess what happened to him! Of course, both of us laughed but still cringed at the same time.

 

[bassJAM]

Not my story, but years ago on my grandma's childhood farm in West Virginea a relative was dropping an old tree and hit rock in the center of the tree. Turned out to be a gravestone of one of our ancestors who was an officer under George Washington in the Revolution.

 

[WiscWoody]

Maybe not too strange but last summer I was bucking some nice Maple a logger had given to me out where they had harvested it and I cut into a wasp nest!! Yowsa!! They got me good and I dropped the saw and took off fast! They even got into my shoes. I really should have boots on I know.

 

[Ehouse]

When I first bought my mountain top acreage years ago, I threw a shack together and lived there for 2 extended summers while building my first house. I got up around 6am to start work and there was an old Doe that would always snort her indignation at my intrusion. One morning the fog line was above the home site and I decided to clear some brush up the hill to a small meadow. I set out with my brush axe and sure enough the old gal let her rip from right close. I thought maybe the fog would let me sneak up on her so I began creeping toward the sound, puzzled because I couldn't spot her, and the snort was getting louder. I got a little alarmed thinking it might be a buck in rut from the sound of it, but I still couldn't see it as it got louder and louder and I felt it must be right on top of me! I burst into the little clearing and crouched with my weapon at the ready, and as I did so, peals of laughter burst out around me and I looked up to see a hot air balloon about 50' above my head cheerily blasting the gas jet to gain elevation from the nearby airport. I must have been quite a sight with my axe, and in my work boots and underwear.

 

[Pat53]

2 year ago in the fall I was cutting, splitting and loading some dead white birch into my truck and when I finished I walked around the drivers side to get in and a 6 point buck was standing about 15' from the drivers door just staring at me. Scared the hell out of me. It just stood there looking at me but didn't seem scared. I slowly walked up and got into the truck and he just watched me. As I started to drive away he followed the truck all the way back to the yard. He hung around for a few minutes and then walked back out. Never saw him again. He was someone's pet for sure. I asked around the area and no one knew of any tame deer ?

Pat

 

[BEConklin]

2 year ago in the fall I was cutting, splitting and loading some dead white birch into my truck and when I finished I walked around the drivers side to get in and a 6 point buck was standing about 15' from the drivers door just staring at me. Scared the hell out of me. It just stood there looking at me but didn't seem scared. I slowly walked up and got into the truck and he just watched me. As I started to drive away he followed the truck all the way back to the yard. He hung around for a few minutes and then walked back out. Never saw him again. He was someone's pet for sure. I asked around the area and no one knew of any tame deer ?

Pat

or maybe he saw his own reflection in the window and thought is was another buck?

 

[BEConklin]

A couple of years ago the Bulletin (I think it was the Bulletin, maybe it was the Day) did an article on 2 large flocks in our area. One is estimated to be 40,000 strong. Some early mornings pulling into Backus you will see several thousand in the surrounding trees.

Norwich has some weird flocks....few years back I used to fish for stripers in March and April down on the docks at Chelsea landing. Come sunset you'd see thousands of crows winging over to that hill across from the police station. They'd be streaming in from all over and settling in the trees for the night and making a hell of a racket in the process.

I also used to see big flocks of turkey vultures doing the same thing out by the Shop Rite on West Main..that's a creepy sight!

 

[red oak]

or maybe he saw his own reflection in the window and thought is was another buck?

This was my thought as well while reading this.

 

[Pat53]

or maybe he saw his own reflection in the window and thought is was another buck?

I don't think so, he actually was nibbling on some leaves on and off while looking at me. He was definitely someone's pet deer at some point, maybe as a fawn. Last fall my daughter and I went out to our blind, in the same area, and had another buck, a tall narrow 5 pointer, approach us as we were getting ready to get in the blind. It came to within 6' of my daughter. That was in early October. Very strange for sure. We saw that one about 4-5 times every time we went to sit in the blind, then never saw it again, probably got whacked ?

Pat

 

[Cascade Failure]

I also used to see big flocks of turkey vultures doing the same thing out by the Shop Rite on West Main..that's a creepy sight!

We regularly see 12-15 over our place in Lisbon. I tease my slightly older wife that they are here for her.

 

[BEConklin]

Regarding the thousands of crows roosting on that hill in Norwich - right down the road in Uncasville, on the grounds of the casino, that hill you climb up on Rt. 32 is called "Crow Hill" makes you wonder how long that big old flock of crows has been gathering in the area...it's only a little over 2 miles "as the crow flies" away from the hill they roost on now.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

My strangest experience also turned out to be the saddest and creepiest.
Back many years ago I was renting a house that had a little wood cook stove in the house, we went one day to go up and get some firewood with another friend and as we were driving up the hill, less than a mile from our house, we noticed some people standing beside the road with very strange looks on their faces. Didn't pay too much attention to them but on the way back down we saw some cop cars, yellow police tape and lots of people standing around in the same spot. A couple days later we learned that those people were mushroom pickers and that they had found the remains of a little girl that had gone missing a month earlier.
It was very sad and kind of creepy to know someone had murdered and dumped that little girls body off so close to where we were living.

Susan Duff
Age: 12
DOB:
COD:
Date last seen: September 26, 1979
Location last seen: Penticton, BC
Date found: October 21, 1979
Location found: Penticton, BC
Child/Biking

Susan Duff - September 26, 1979 - Age 12 - Murdered - Penticton - Susan Duff went biking near Penticton, her body recovered from the outskirts of town on October 21.

 

[Hills Hoard]

once when i was camping with my wife i went for a drive to go and collect some firewood. We were out in the middle of nowhere with no other campers or cars to be seen. Anyway I drove up into the hills to until i found a suitable tree to chop up and fired up the chainsaw. When i was done I turned it off turned around and there was a dog sitting right behind me. Scared the crap out of me....the thing just walked off and i never saw it again. i assumed it was just a hunting dog that had been let go as it didnt look like a wild or feral dog...creep either way