Antler Eater

In September of 2001 as I climbed into my sleeping bag, I heard my buddy inan adjacent tent chamber a round in his hand gun. We had packed our gearin afew miles in the Colorado Rockies. My buddy was petrified of bears and the dark accentuated fears of every kind along with his phobia.

We talked about his consternation and I told him he was statistically safer laying there in the dark on this mountain wilderness than he was in the big city. It seemed to comfort him, (I was surprised when I later heard him repeatthis to his wife when she spoke of her concerns for him). The next day the twin towers fell... Although he is still uncomfortable about being alone in the dark; this year he killed his first bear with a bow.

Your chances of being injured were greater hurrying out of there with a climber on your back and sharp broadheads in your quiver than they were of being hurt by whatever you saw. Things will get better as you get used to moving through the darkness. Good luck.

brucelanthier

The only thing that will attack you in the dark woods is your vivid imagination or another human.

Doefever

A few years ago I left my car in the early A.M. It was pitch black out and I was using my headlamp to get to my spot. I only walked into the woods maybe 15-20 yards and I looked up and 5 feet ahead of me I saw 2 bright green shiny tacks...Istopped to think, I knew they weren't mine and was wondering who might have put them there. After3-4 seconds the"Tacks" started to move like something or someone tilting their head.I still think about it. Must have been a deer and we were both probably shocked momentarily till it simply turned and walked away. I know it left fairly slowly because Inever heard a sound.

GR8atta2d

Germ will be in shortly....You guys packing guns in the lower 48.. Form a line and have your man cards out in front of you so that they may be revoked!

RIStrutStopper

I'm voting bigfoot here. You should have offered him a granola bar and asked if he'd seen any big bucks lately.

GMMAT

Hey GR8.....the woods scares me a LOT less than somoe other places I choose to go in packin'

Call it an insurance policy ......and I , for one, ain't skimpin' on my premiums. Better to have it and not need it.....than to need it and not have it.

So what if I shoot a racoon!

A dead man holding his man card is ........still dead.

(and I've never carried a firearm to a deer stand in NC)

Germ

Ok I am here, now what

I ran like a little girl one year when I walk up on a skunk. My dad still laughs at my head lamp bouncing up and down running across the bean field.
I have been 20 yd from a yote on the ground.

I would have done the same thing

GR8atta2d

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englum_06

Just got my first good laugh of the day out of that!

I don't know there's something about walking in the woods at night that I kinda like. It's a creepy feeling but almost like an adrenaline feeling. I use the green streamlights so I don't see a whole lot of eyes shining- maybe that's why it doesn't spook me so much.

I like the sound of hearing coyotes when I'm in the woods in the dark too though- my dad on the other hand gets a little freaked out when we're walking to our stands and we can hear the yotes howling in the direction we're headed in the pitch black.

Newhunter1 at work

Boss,

I to live in Illinois, but when I hunt public land I carry my pistol. It is small enough to fit in the small of my back, and go unnoticed. I'd rather have it and not need it and need it and not have it. Not all of the dangerous animals in Illinois have four legs.

Paul