# What's the strangest thing...



## Bradonifia (Feb 12, 2019)

You've come across in the backcountry?


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I was javelina hunting down in Arizona one year when my hunting partner and I hiked up onto a peak and took a nap, we woke up to a butterfly hatch going on. There were thousands of them flying around. 

However on the hike back to the ATV's I was hiking up a road when I noticed a man and woman hiking down it. I also noticed that they didn't have any clothes on as they got closer. As we passed all I could think of saying was "nice day isn't it" and we continued on our way. Them down to the trailhead and me up to my ATV.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Late 1800's revolver. Barrel was broken off at the frame and the handgrip frame missing. Kindof wierd. Still have it.




-DallanC


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

This!


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## 2full (Apr 8, 2010)

There is a Ted Bundy tree on cedar mountain as well. On the sand cut road going into Webster's flat. 
Only difference is, it says. I'm back.......


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

A big hairy dude that was about 8' tall. Shot the shizz, and had a couple beers while eating jerky. This guy had the know of all of where the critters were.


Next time I go visit I think I'll take some pizza. I hear he likes that.


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## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

Fowlmouth said:


> This!


We found one of Ted Bundys girls on the Pavaunt between Richfield and Fillmore. We were digging a latrine in a small group of 5 or 6 trees and found an old rug with bones, a canteen and a small ice axe under it. She was just bones. We went down to the sheriff in Fillmore and told him about it. He had a section of a quakie with Ted Bundys name carved in it that was not 50 yards from the site sitting in the corner of his office. 
All the sheriffs, news stations and detectives showed up and sifted through every square inch of the place. It kinda messed up the bowhunt for us.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

Matt Graham wearing only a loin cloth.


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## utskidad (Apr 6, 2013)

Natural: hawk falling out of tree when dead limb broke.

Unnatural: pulsating red lights in the treetops on top of hill behind Blacks Fork Commissary on the North Slope. That mountain always gives me the creeps with all those acres of dead trees all laying flat, pointed in the same direction, mostly uphill.


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## sheepassassin (Mar 23, 2018)

I saw a general rifle deer hunter kill a deer the first shot at 300+ yards once. that was pretty incredible. never thought id witness that in Utah!


I also saw a group of guys turn around and back out of a canyon I was sitting in, waiting for first light, after they saw I was there first and decided to put some space between the 2 groups. pretty strange around this part of the world as well.


I'm about 100% sure a meteor slammed into some cliffs, 300ish yards above me one morning when I was hunting in the west desert. no explosion, no sonic boom or anything. the cliffs just blew apart, rolled down the mountain and caught a near by lone pine tree on fire. that was pretty wild.


but in all seriousness, the strangest thing I've personally ever seen was a reddish brown creature on 2 legs take off into the dark one night when the light from my head lamp hit it. I'm not gonna say what it was, but up until that moment, I was certain human beings were the only 2 legged mammals that were currently in that forest. I don't believe that any more.


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

Weirdest thing was up Spanish Fork Canyon, a few miles from the mouth right off the highway. Coming back from a deer hunt with my dad one night and we saw something eating a deer in a pullout 25 yards off the side of the road. So we pull over and shine the headlights on it to get a good look. It was a cat about 4-5' long including the tail. Young cougar right? 

Yeah, except I've never even heard of a cougar that was patchy black and white like a holstein cow. 

We sat and watched it for maybe 15 seconds before it ran off. When we went up to the deer carcass it sure looked like the cat had killed it and had no signs of roadkill either.


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## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)

While hiking with a buddy....we found a human skull up in the mountains way off the beaten path here in Utah (on the Front). We contacted the sheriff's department and guided them to where we were. 3 hours later and freezing our butts off...they showed up on the scene and started their investigation.

2 years later, I get a call from a homicide detective stating they actually figured out who it was and were able to contact the parents to let them know that their son was finally found after being missing for 34yrs. The person was a 24 yr old man from the state of WA. who went missing while out traveling around Utah after graduating from college. They figured it out by DNA samples of the bones and a database of missing people being compiled in Texas. It was around the same time as the John Wayne Gacy murders, but they ruled it out as not being one of his.

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865562848/Remains-found-in-Utah-identified-through-John-Wayne-Gacy-investigation.html


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

gdog, That is one wild situation! It amazes me how far science has come to be able to establish who that was 34 years later.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

gdog wins the thread. 



I'm surprised mice hadnt chewed that bone to bits. 34 years ... wow.




-DallanC


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## Bradonifia (Feb 12, 2019)

sheepassassin said:


> I saw a general rifle deer hunter kill a deer the first shot at 300+ yards once. that was pretty incredible. never thought id witness that in Utah!
> 
> I also saw a group of guys turn around and back out of a canyon I was sitting in, waiting for first light, after they saw I was there first and decided to put some space between the 2 groups. pretty strange around this part of the world as well.
> 
> ...


Kangaroo maybe? Jk. Was it Squatch?


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

Bradonifia said:


> Kangaroo maybe? Jk. Was it Squatch?


I'd say it was. I haven't personally put eyes on one, but I know a couple folks that say they did. Reputable individuals too.


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

Here's one from just two weeks ago. 

My in-laws were visiting us for the weekend here in Idaho. We decided we needed an outing. The usual places like Mesa Falls, Big Springs, etc... are still under snow. So we decided to go check out the site of the Teton Dam that failed 40+ years ago. There is a parking area, and a paved trail, like 20 yards long, to a little overlook area that is surrounded by concrete jersey barriers. So we get out of the car, and next to the paved trail is a dead, domestic goat. In the middle of the little scenic look alcove, is a recent campfire ring. And just over the jersey barriers, is another dead domestic goat. We found a few dozen .38 casings on the ground around the campfire ring. Lots of freaky graffiti. The goats were pretty fresh - only a day or two since their demise. They weren't mutilated in any way, just been shot in the head. Kind of a weird deal.


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

An old hippie chick.:hippie: And a lot of Mary J. Was a nice couple days.


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## pollo70 (Aug 15, 2016)

I was Elk hunting up near Henrys Fork back in the late 90's, hiked into a nice deep canyon full of pines way off any road and trail head came across an old pond crevice it was pretty deep with very little water in it right on the top edge of the pond was an old wood shovel standing up right in the dirt next to the shovel was a old style Pepsi can didn't want to lug the shovel around so I took the ole can. didn't think nothing of then but now I wish I would have dug around where the shovel was to see if there was anything buried...lots of ole stories of people hiding treasures and money back in the days in them hills.. I checked out the can on the internet it was from the 70's.only if the can could talk haha


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## pollo70 (Aug 15, 2016)

Dunkem said:


> An old hippie chick.:hippie: And a lot of Mary J. Was a nice couple days.


Hippie Chicks Rule


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## Airborne (May 29, 2009)

My buddy had a bear tag a few years ago and I went with him to put out bait one evening and sit the blind until dark. Early afternoon we pull down the dead end road up the right fork of hobble creek--cut off road off sawmill. Anyways, at the end of the road is a truck parked--no big deal as our bait was over a mile from there. Buddy pulls next to this truck, I'm in the passenger seat, a couple feet from this truck, get out, glance up. 

Yeah... I'm looking right into the eyes of a dude with a hole in his head, blood coming out, still see those eyes... I starting saying the Eff word a bunch, buddy is asking what's wrong, I tell him there's a dead guy lookin at me! It was like a horror movie for a couple minutes--just surprising and unexpected to say the least!

We haul a$$ out of there to get cell reception and end up finding a forest service cop on our way out of the canyon. Took him and several other sheriffs up to the scene. They determined it was a suicide. We still went bear huntin that evening, never saw a bear, walk out in the dark was fun.


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## hunting777 (May 3, 2009)

There was one time that I was elk hunting in the Cache unit. I was pushing through a bunch of thick pines a few miles back in. It all the sudden it opened up into a 20 ft dia. Clearing. In the middle of the clearing was a man made cross about 5 ft tall with a fire burning at the base. I thought how strange. As I walked up closer, I noticed that on the opposite side of my view on the cross was a half way skinned house cat. It was still fresh with blood dripping everywhere. I then started hearing noises all around this clearing. I could almost hear what was low mumbling and talking. Sounded like someone saying get the **** out. I didn’t have the best feeling at all. The hair on back of my neck then stood up. I yelled that I was armed and then really quickly got the heck out of there.


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## 3arabians (Dec 9, 2014)

hunting777 said:


> There was one time that I was elk hunting in the Cache unit. I was pushing through a bunch of thick pines a few miles back in. It all the sudden it opened up into a 20 ft dia. Clearing. In the middle of the clearing was a man made cross about 5 ft tall with a fire burning at the base. I thought how strange. As I walked up closer, I noticed that on the opposite side of my view on the cross was a half way skinned house cat. It was still fresh with blood dripping everywhere. I then started hearing noises all around this clearing. I could almost hear what was low mumbling and talking. Sounded like someone saying get the **** out. I didn't have the best feeling at all. The hair on back of my neck then stood up. I yelled that I was armed and then really quickly got the heck out of there.


Blair witch for sure! Glad you made it out of there! 

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## dibb03 (Dec 17, 2007)

Was elk hunting on the Wasatch a few years ago with my father-in-law. We hiked in about 3 miles from any roads. It was early morning and just getting light when all of the sudden we hear this whistling noise coming at us and we see three objects fly about 10 feet directly over our heads. At first we thought they were ducks since we were by a river. A few seconds later the objects turned around and flew back towards us. This time we got a good look at them as they zipped past our heads again. They were 3 small jet planes about the size of ducks in a triangle pattern. After they passed a second time they were gone and we never saw them again. That was an odd experience for sure.


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

I'm never leaving my house again...


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

I remember a time that me and my brother were up on the Boulder. We ran into Minivan. 

Yes, that Minivan: Bill


that was a weird day.


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## Bradonifia (Feb 12, 2019)

Vanilla said:


> I'm never leaving my house again...


Haha no kidding


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

PBH said:


> I remember a time that me and my brother were up on the Boulder. We ran into Minivan.
> 
> Yes, that Minivan: Bill
> 
> that was a weird day.


The man, the myth, the legend! Man, some of those old battles on UTOF are absolutely classic.

I had the chance to get to know him a little bit during the stream access battles. I miss Minivan.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I once saw the tye dye twins up at Starvation one year. 

Now that was scary. 

What ever happened to those two?


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## Slayer (Feb 3, 2013)

2011 hunting coues whitetail in southeast arizona. Opening morning i use a rope that was installed by someone else to get up a 20’ cliff in a narrow canyon. 3:30 I kill a buck 1 mile up the canyon. Left my pack frame a ways down the canyon so I bone out the deer and leave the meat on top of some rocks to get the pack then come back and loadup for the packout that night. By time I get the pack and get back to the meat it is starting to get dark so I am hustling. After 30 minutes I get back to the meat and half of it is gone! Backstraps were in half. Nobody was way back in that canyon but me... I felt that I was being watched by someone/ something... and closely. A little freaked out so I throw the rest of the meat in the pack and haul out of there! As its getting dark I get to the cliff with the rope and work my way down the cliff backwards with all the meat, rifle, etc. Heavy load and holding on tight to the rope to get down the cliff. I get safely to the bottom and while holding the rope it completely comes free and falls to my feet with with no resistance... I was so glad to get back to camp safe that night walking out in the dark like that. Crazy experience! I still wonder what took half the deer meat and was watching me nearby... I still wonder how I got down that cliff with a rope that was not securely attached... I will never forget that!


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

Vanilla said:


> I had the chance to get to know him a little bit during the stream access battles. I miss Minivan.


He's still around. You can find him and Sumner fishing urban ponds from the top of the state to the bottom.

they both figured out that forums were the wrong place to argue. Now they just go straight to the regional biologists....


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## 3arabians (Dec 9, 2014)

I have a couple. About 12 years ago my brothers and I were way back in on horses camped out for the deer hunt. We were sitting around the fire late at night and suddenly heard a couple voices coming from the thick brush right next to us. Sounded like a conversation going on but there was no one there. Mountain ghosts? 

Same spot different year. A buddy and myself hiked off from camp at first light and got settled in when we started to hear a strange noise. It sounded like an eagle sized woodpecker doing its thing on a tree followed by branches breaking and hitting the ground. Perplexed by it we waited when suddenly a guy and his son stomped out of the brush. Each were packing full sized tree pruners and hammer. Their packs were full of misc construction equip nails, tacks, flagging tape etc, and a bunch of crushed aluminum cans. With a very perplexed look on my face I asked how they were doing. The dad responded that they were taking the opportunity of the nice fall weather to hike into the hell hole we were in to clear and mark out an old trail on the opener of the rifle deer hunt!!! We were completely sabotaged that day. SMFH!!!!


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