Well there was the time my father and I tried tracking a rather large black bear across a willow flat with a bow. The willows were dense - couldn't see more than twenty feet and at times they formed tunnels you would have to crawl through. A couple of the the piles of scat we found were still steaming. Burned a lot of adrenalin during that hour long stalk. But we never saw him - he moved out the other side while we were trying to sneak close...
Another time I was out hiking (.22lr on hip) and found some mountain lion tracks near a cabin I was staying in. They looked fresh, and being the curious sort and always testing my woodmanship skills, I started following them. I never heard, saw, or smelled anything, but suddenly the little hairs on the back of my neck started to stand up. I had been concentrating on the tracks, but I looked over my shoulder and into the eyes of the lion crouched on the trail about thirty five yards behind me. I remember thinking "those sure are green eyes" and then he was gone. I don't even remember seeing him go - he just dissappeared without a trace.
