[Swamp Critter]

I was bowhunting one afternoon in the Atchafalaya Basin several years ago near Bayou Benoit. The sun was going down behind me, but it wasn't quite dark yet. It had been quiet all afternoon then all of a sudden, I heard what sounded like something running in circles and making strange, raspy, grunting, hissing and just really weird noises just out of sight in the brush out ahead of me. Never before have I heard anything in the woods that sounded like that, and I've been hunting since I was a small child. If I would have had time to guess, my first thought would probably two big bucks fighting. Naturally, I started getting excited, you know the feeling, your heart starts thumping and you breathe a little faster, shake a little, etc. I nocked an arrow and watched, and a few seconds later I saw a long, tan/golden colored body, it looked alot like a deer, about 75 yards directly ahead, but it was level with me, and I was at least about 12 feet off the ground in my climbing stand. It stayed about a second or two then jumped or ran down to the ground out of sight. I was totally confused. Deer don't climb trees and there certainly wasn't a hill there. There was an old dead cypress tree that had fallen over and was leaning against another one in that exact spot. It started making sense. I remembered I'd been fishing around there a few weeks earlier and heard what sounded like a high pitched scream way off somewhere in the swamp. I guess I figured it was just some coonass at his camp probably getting drunk hoopin' and hollerin', but now I wasn't so sure. I started putting 2 and 2 together. The noises, the color, size, up an old dead tree leaning over, all spelled out BIG CAT! This was NOT a bobcat, because it was solid colored tan. Besides, it was too big to be a bobcat, unless it was an exceptionally big one with a solid coat and no (or very few) spots or stripes. I firmly believe it was a cougar. I just saw it for 1 or 2 seconds, however I'm convinced that's what it was. Maybe even more than one, judging from all the noises I heard. Then it dawned on me that I had to walk right through there to get back to my boat, and I was WAYYY back in the swamp, with nothing but the hoot owls, big ol' gators, cottonmouths, huge cats, millions of 'skeeters that just about break your arm when they bite you, and all the other "swamp critters" all around and it was getting dark fast. The deer could have it all to themselves that evening. The hair stood up on the back of my neck. I packed up, shut it down, and hauled my butt outta there quick, fast, and in a hurry before it got dark! Anybody have a similar story? Let's have it, even if it's not true! LOL! This story is true, although I can't prove it. Ya just gotta trust me. Later fellas!