Another question for my book project, what kind weather makes you think about going into the woods? I have hunted in blizzards and heavy snow, I have been turned around in heavy snow, and almost hit by lightening, tell me what scares you, and why?
The most I have ever been scared was in a Thunder and Lightening storm
in Colorado. I was hunting for Deer and Elk, and had left out of camp in the
afternoon and headed out for the evening hunt. Where I was at, I could see
the storm clouds coming fast, and could see the lightening, soon followed
by the thunder. I didnt have to count the seconds from the time the lightening
flashed until I heard the thunder to get an Idea of how far away it was, I could
see it was coming my way. I decided to sit it out. I got my poncho from my back
pack and found a small pine tree to sit under, I didnt want to get one that was
to big, for fear that lightening would hit it. As the storm moved directly overhead,
it seemed to intensify 10 fold. There wasnt any seconds between the lightening
flash and the thunder clap. Flash, Boom! Flash Boom, and here I was, holding
a 3 and a half foot lightening rod, called a rifle, in my hands. The thunder
was so loud, I swear I could feel it! I closed my eyes and covered my ears. It soon
passed over me. I feel that I was very lucky that day, and that was the most scared I have ever been while hunting. [:-]
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Gun Control= 5 Shots in the 10 Ring at 100 Yards!!
Our most recent stalk on caribou was in 40 mph winds, blowing snow with up to 100 feet visibility at times. The ambient temp was about 5 above making the windchills 25-35 below. We literally crawled in on the caribou when the wind gusts would pick up and stayed undetected up to about 20 yards out. It was hard to judge the distance because of the white out conditions, and the caribou were bedded down with their heads tucked in. The wind was blowing right from our backs to them, but probably too hard for them to get our scent. I was getting set up for a shot, but guess I made too much noise when I got up from a crawling to a kneeling position because as soon as the zero visiblity from the gusts and snow went away, the caribou were standing and staring right at me. They didn' t offer a shot and ran off.
A little work with the compass and we got out of there, although we were a bit nervous about exactly where we had to go from there. I could understand somebody being freeked out in conditions like that, but if you dress properly, keep calm and stay focused on where you are at, it isn' t all that bad.
I used to get scared walking in the dark while moose hunting while I was younger, every noise was something out to get me. It wasn' t as bad when somebody was with me, but when I was out on my own, I' d hear something and the adrenaline would be flowing good fashion.
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Hunting in a timber area that was recently burned.
When the wind comes up quickly large chunks of burned bark start to fly off the trees and trees start toppling all around you.
The more recently the area burned the worse it is.
Cold is O.K.
Wet is O.K.
But wet and cold together is what I don' t like.
High winds on the open tops. Big gusts when you' re on steep and exposed terrain.
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SOUTHERN MAN.
" GO HARD OR STAY HOME"
My biggest fear (weather wise) while hunting is hiking back into the wilderness in the mountains on a nice clear day and then all of a sudden a snow storm comes in unexpectadly, dumps a foot of snow and completely changes the way the entire forest looks. Very easy to get turned around and lost if you are not prepared and even if you are.
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Living here in the north, its the sudden fall of a foot of snow that can strand you right where you are. Travel by snowmachine is almost impossible because of bent over trees and slush on the lakes. Fuel to get you out becomes an issue real fast. Snowshoes can get you out but if one person in the party is not fit, they' ll never make it.
3 variants for different reasons, but in order of fear factor:
(1) Blizzard, since it can co-opt navigation and bring on hypothermia in a hurry.
(2) Thunderstorms, for the threat of lightning and the ability to totally soak the unprepared (hypothermia again).
(3) Rain/Wind/Sleet/28 degrees combo when one looks out the door of the wall tent at 1:00 a.m. for a 2:30 a.m. departure -- it' s going to be a fearsomely ugly day if it doesn' t change!
EKM
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Never Go Undergunned, Always Check The Sight In, Perform At Showtime!
Good judgment comes from bad experience! Learn from the mistakes of others; you' ll never live long enough to make them all yourself!
Nothing is worse than being in the Rockies and having high winds knocking down trees all around you. Striking lightening is scary too, but those trees falling and sliding down the mtns .... thats what scares me most.
What weather scares you while hunting?
