Mountain Lions

**finallyME** · 08-13-2013, 09:43 AM

Originally Posted by hunter63

The second night you generally are so tired, you really don't care what happens.

This pretty much addresses the situation. Once you are out past 3 nights, you really don't care that much. On a 3 week trip, you will get there, and realize there isn't much to be worried about.

Last month, on night 4, I thought I heard bigfoot. I rolled over and went back to sleep. I was too tired.

However, wait until you hear a fox calling in the night. That will put chills through your spine if you don't know what it is.

**Rick** · 08-13-2013, 10:13 AM

Or a deer. That scream sounds just like a banshee murdering campers trapped in hammocks just down the trail. The first time I heard a deer scream at night I ran right out of my hong!

**hunter63** · 08-13-2013, 11:23 AM

OK 4 guys sleeping in a pop-up camper, (canvas ends)......in the middle of a prairie, next to Old Women Creek, in Wyoming.

Was tired, catching something, didn't feel well, in a bad mood......3 other were snoring away.
Heard some crashing around outside, lot's of crashing and banging.......then the guy sleeping on the upper bunk, had some push on his feet thru the canvas...and he slide 6 inches on his bunk........everyone was now awake.

Big foot was attacking us.......WTF, OMG.....
Now we had enough firearms inside the trailer to turn the tide at Custer's Last Stand.....but no one wanted to go face the monster.

I had to take a leak, and was in a bad mood anyway, so stepped out and came face to face with a herd of horses...take were walking thru camp, knocking stuff over, and generally making a racket.

AS I stepped out to the edge of the tarp....our "porch", and was watering the dirt, they slowing went on their way.....looking back at the door was 3 white faces (in the moon light).looking out the door....with a "What the heck is it?

"Horses, ...It's just horses...Go back to sleep".......we are in the horse pasture, guy that owned the land was a rancher, and these were his quarter horses.
This night went down in history as "The night we were attacked by Big Foot".
(Note: hard to fight off monsters when you are taking a whizzz)

**Rick** · 08-13-2013, 12:10 PM

Hunter..... a REAL man can fight off monsters, take a whiz AND drink a beer without spilling a drop. Just don't forget what you're drinking.

**hunter63** · 08-13-2013, 12:34 PM

Originally Posted by Rick

Hunter..... a REAL man can fight off monsters, take a whiz AND drink a beer without spilling a drop. Just don't forget what you're drinking.

I'll work on that....a worthy goal.

**roar-k** · 08-13-2013, 12:55 PM

Originally Posted by Rick

Of course, if you wake up in the tent with something standing on top of you then it's pretty moot where the gun is.

Well it may be mute until the gun goes off then it's a quite a bit louder.....heh.

**Rick** · 08-13-2013, 01:03 PM

You must have thought I said mute instead of moot.

**Oddmott** · 08-13-2013, 02:57 PM

Originally Posted by Wildthang

Actually a good knife is in my opinion a better weapon if you are attacked by an animal in your sleep because you probably have a much better chance of stabbing and cutting an attacking couger or bear than getting a shot off with a gun.

My opinion as well. Where i excursion hike/camp i'm at definite risk of bear & wolf attacks. I actually see more of both those species than I do any game animals larger than squirrels, any time from April-Nov.

It's pretty mediocre as a dependable "survival knife", but as a personal defense knife against larger predators, the Bushmaster is pretty much king.
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I've tested it's penetration and strength against 1" lumber and can punch 4"-5" of blade through the wood. On both pig and whitetail carcasses I've been able to get the full 8" blade to penetrate, even through ribs and glancing off shoulders. The grip makes it very difficult to slip off or drop.

So far I haven't had to use it in such a way, and I'm unlikely to ever have to, but there's been a few 20ft standoffs & stare-downs with big black bears (i'm 250-260lbs and these buggers dwarfed me) that made me thankful I had it.
And another time when I was out photographing a late-season open beaver pond with beavers actively working in February that I DIDN'T have any sort of protection on me and i was circled for almost a half hour by a pack of 6 or 7 grey wolves, that I really missed it.

Up here in Ontario there's also increasing stories of attacks and near attacks on hunters by coyotes. Especially during turkey season. They come in so fast you often don't have a chance to swing your shotgun to shoot them before they've got your arm or your neck. Nice to have a big blade that can kill a 40lbs dog in one stab.

**RandyRhoads** · 08-13-2013, 03:03 PM

Oh. Thought you were gonna say circled by 6 beavers with no knife. That would be scary, those things can kill people haha

**Oddmott** · 08-13-2013, 03:11 PM

Originally Posted by RandyRhoads

Oh. Thought you were gonna say circled by 6 beavers with no knife. That would be scary, those things can kill people haha

Even so... why are you laughing?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/st...er-attack.html

**RandyRhoads** · 08-13-2013, 03:28 PM

That's why...

**welderguy** · 08-13-2013, 03:50 PM

As many times as I've slept on the ground, I never once thought about anything eating me. I do worry about snakes crawling up into my bedroll with me.

**Desert Rat!** · 08-13-2013, 07:30 PM

I almost got trampled by range cattle one night sleeping on the ground, I thought it was Bigfoot, scared the hell out of me!!

**RandyRhoads** · 08-13-2013, 08:01 PM

Damn maybe I am safer in a hammock haha...

**Winter** · 08-13-2013, 10:23 PM

Originally Posted by hunter63

OK 4 guys sleeping in a pop-up camper, (canvas ends)......in the middle of a prairie, next to Old Women Creek, in Wyoming.

Was tired, catching something, didn't feel well, in a bad mood......3 other were snoring away.
Heard some crashing around outside, lot's of crashing and banging.......then the guy sleeping on the upper bunk, had some push on his feet thru the canvas...and he slide 6 inches on his bunk........everyone was now awake.

Big foot was attacking us.......WTF, OMG.....
Now we had enough firearms inside the trailer to turn the tide at Custer's Last Stand.....but no one wanted to go face the monster.

I had to take a leak, and was in a bad mood anyway, so stepped out and came face to face with a herd of horses...take were walking thru camp, knocking stuff over, and generally making a racket.

AS I stepped out to the edge of the tarp....our "porch", and was watering the dirt, they slowing went on their way.....looking back at the door was 3 white faces (in the moon light).looking out the door....with a "What the heck is it?

"Horses, ...It's just horses...Go back to sleep".......we are in the horse pasture, guy that owned the land was a rancher, and these were his quarter horses.
This night went down in history as "The night we were attacked by Big Foot".
(Note: hard to fight off monsters when you are taking a whizzz)

Hahaha, Our bigfoot attack was a humpback whale that got too shallow during low tide. Indescribable noises, best I could compare it too is 100 guys sprinting in gravel for 2-10 seconds at a time. It shook the earth a little.

**Winter** · 08-13-2013, 10:24 PM

Originally Posted by welderguy

As many times as I've slept on the ground, I never once thought about anything eating me. I do worry about snakes crawling up into my bedroll with me.

Where in Tx are you? Fireants and skeeters tore me up down there.

**welderguy** · 08-13-2013, 10:54 PM

Originally Posted by Winter

Where in Tx are you? Fireants and skeeters tore me up down there.

Glen Rose for the most part, Surprisingly the two areas I go primitive in have very few skeeters and no fire ants. But I do very little primitive camping in skeeter season, I take the camper most trips.