02bhntn

Yep, for two days in the George Washington National Forrest in Highland County, VA. I left camp on a bow hunt I was hunting about 1/2 mile from camp. I shot a nice buck and went tracking. I tracked and found the deer and then, as they say, got "turned around". I started back to my stand, but didn't realize how far the deer had run or that it actually covered two ridges and three fingers. Needless to say I spen a couple of night is the mountains of Western VA. I built a lean-to and had fressh backstrap for dinner over an open flame. I never once lost control or freaked out. I stayed calm and rationalized the whole situation. I ended up up a haardball road 5 miles from camp. I hike the raod all the way back and then went back in to get my stand. I goot my stand and was back at camp with in an hour and a half.

GMMAT

I read an article last year about this (This may be a "sticky" for Field and Stream). The psychological effects are mind-numbing. The story I read rotates around two men lost, together.....and how fast they turned on one another. It also highlighted how RAPIDLY one can get off course......even with a compass. The author started looking at his compass after every 5 minutes (or so). Way off. Every minute. Way off. Every 20 steps. Way off. Every 10 steps. Off. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't bring himself to believe that he could get off course in 5 steps.....but he could. With his light and his compass.....he was watching it unfold. The two men who hunted together for years were almost at each others' throats.....literally. They were lost for a very short time, too.

I don't hunt anywhere I think I might could get lost. I'd run into a road in short order (within 30 minutes) in the places I hunt. I hunted VA once last year ....12 degrees and snowing. I got down and out before it got dark, too. I won't say I was intimidated.......I was just VERY respectful. OK...I was intimidated.

Jeff

kenman

Been "turned around" a couple times. One time I thought I was gonna be spending the night in the woods, stopped and started to make a shelter and fire when I heard people screaming my name. I guess telling people where I was gonna be paid off that night. Now I carry GPS/compass/extra batteries...getting lost never even comes to mind.

Dr Andy

My booets got lost once,but I managed to find our way out.

gutshot

I've personally never been lost, but as a young lad me and one of my buddies were squirrel hunting around our house and he got lost. Now the area that we were hunting was old strip mine land that incompasses tens of thousands of acres and when we found him, probably 4-5 hours after dark he was going the wrong way on a mine road and had fallen a rock cliff and broke off one of his front teeth. It was a long scary night.

bowhuntn87

Just 2 nights ago i was lost for anhour. I was checking out a big chunk of public land, and it was starting to get dark. I started following a deer trail, then saw a few deer and watched them for a little while. It started to get dark, and i had no idea where i was. got a little worried, but i found my way to the river after about 20 min. and was back at the car after about 45 min.

Mr E

I now carry a GPS in unfamiliar areas. Prior to the GPS, in found myself Looking Over Strange Terrain for a while a couple of times.

Red Lion

I have almost been lost in the woods, but not yet successful. I did however get lost for a short time in the desert in Iraq at night, when I was 19 years old and during Desert Storm. I was on a M1-A1 tank crew, 434th Armor Regiment "Red Lion" and while looking through some abandoned and destroyed tanks and APC's for momentos, ahd left my protective mask in one of them. I realized this after dark and when doing a sensitive items check. I was dumb enough to venture out with only a flashlight and 45. I actually found the right vehicle and found my mask, my flashlight started to die, got turned around and did not know my direction. I was probably only a 500 meters or so from my tank and eventually gave a few crys out in hope others would hear me. My tank crew, other 3 guys ended up hearing me after getting concerned and used several flashlights with some yelling to get me back on course and back to Babalouie (our tank). If it was not for slightly needing my protective mask and that my a** was in trouble I would have probably waited for the morning. Scary though, especially since it was a clouded night and pitch dark.

TreeDreamer

Got lost in the mountains once. I have always read how people panic,but never really beleived it. boy was i wrong,once it started getting dark I really started to panic. Luckly my friend who i was hunting with new something wasnt right and began to honk the truck horn as he drove the mountain roads. I was able to find a road and was later picked up. Took a trip to gander mountain and purchased a GPS, now I feel alot more comfortable in the woods. Besides,I have a great tool for Finding stands in the early morning now because you can store up to 500 different waypoints on this neat little tool. very accurate too. takes you within 10 foot of where you want to go, depending on the number of sattelites you are recieving. Used it to help locate friends deer once when we were forced to give up on a trailing job one night. It took us right were we left off the following morning.