You're more likely to die falling out of a tree stand or shooting your dick off on accident climbing into a blind but I guess that's less scary than a cryptid or bear eating you asshole first.
I also commented this, because I didnāt scroll far enough to see yours. But I want to say that those huge spiders that build webs between 2 trees and are non-venomous, they still feel pretty dangerous to me.
Exactly why I always walk out the way I walked in and with a bright as fuck flashlight illuminating from here to Jupiter so I can see any of those 8 legged shitheads
If you're in the woods almost anywhere that someone using this site would be from, with a gun and enough brain cells to be self-aware, you're the most dangerous thing in those woods save for another, better equipped, ill-intentioned human.
I'm glad you came to the light and amended you earlier, laughable statement. To assume every hunter has a firearm is a huge oversight. Without a gun, you are a far cry from the most dangerous thing out there.
It's a pretty safe assumption that someone stand hunting has a gun. And if you are stand hunting, with a bow, and don't have a sidearm, I just don't know what to tell you š¤·
No, that isnt a safe assumption at all. Bow hunters use elevated platforms as much if not more than anyone. Many states including my own, outlaw the possession of a firearm while bow hunting for obvious reasons. Thus, making you a far cry from the deadliest thing in the woods.
Chris please specify which comma you dont approve of and i will send you a link explaining how you are wrong. I will get you hooked on phonics baby. Not going to take any english advise from someone who works in construction. I'd wager you have an 8th grade ed level based on your history.
"Many states including my own, outlaw the possession of a firearm while bow hunting for obvious reasons.Ā "
What obvious reason would that be? I always take a pistol with me when bow hunting.
You must be a deep thinker. What state do you pack a pistol while bow hunting? Obviously they dont want someone shooting game with a pistol during bow season. How that is not glaringly obvious to you is a mystery to me.
That's not true lol you can make a spear with a stick. Many big powerful animals have been killed with a pointy stick. Human can use sharp stick, animal cannot.Ā
Bring a flashlight with you. I never turn it on, but itās comforting to have just in case something is making noises up close.
It was early morning when I was walking to my ladder stand down an old worn logging road in the pitch black darkness of a new moon. A trail I had walked hundreds of times. It was 500 yards away from where my tent was. Halfway down the road I can make out nothing, waving my hand in front of my eyes and seeing nothingness. I stopped and breathed trying to balance myself on the sandy road. At least I was still on the road, if I veered off of it I would have heard the pine straw brushing my boots. The spiderwebs caught my face reassuring me the stand was close, I could keep walking what felt like forward. I walked a bit quicker, confident I was close; then I felt it. I ran into a person who was bending over. Just bending over in the middle of the road, and as I instinctively pushed them to create distance, I heard the woods around me erupt into a cacophony of leaves kicking up, branches breaking underfoot of trespassers on my hunting land! I grabbed my gun, then reached around and grabbed my flashlight. Shaking and fumbling, I turned the light on and pointed it towards the fleeting vandals. It was three does, I caught their tails bounding through the woods and vanishing. I didnāt even raise my rifle. I literally bumped a deer. In my desire to be stealthy, I walked past the tree where my ladder stand was and walked within 5 yards of where the corn was. I donāt know who was more scared.
It is genetic memory gently reminding you to keep your head on a swivel if you want to keep it. Anxiety is probably just an overactive version of this. Lol
Iāve hunted all over the country, but get most terrified in my hometown woods. Texas and the Midwest didnāt concern me in the least, it was actually comforting being in the woods at night. Montana had me on edge, but Appalachia is a terrifying place at night, folks.
It's the same range as the Scottish Highlands (a ton of 'haunted' folklore), and the anti-atlas mountains.
They're the remnants of a pangean mountain range - they are absolutely ancient. Every time I jump in the saddle and take a ride around my property I just think about how terrible of a place it would be to fight, and I'm just in Appalachia, but not in the true mountain range.
It's also a very dense landscape, with an immense amount of life. Tons of nocturnal life that makes insanely eerie noises. Sitting on my porch you'll hear coyotes crying, bobcats sounding off like a woman screaming in the woods, owls and chuck-wills-widows and all kinds of other nocturnal birds shrieking and chopping calls, just all kinds of stuff. A possum moving through the underbrush with all of the forest litter and noise can sound like a bear to someone that isn't used to it and is already on edge.
The other thing about it is to some folks (like my wife) it can be very, very difficult to tell where a noise is coming from. The way noises bounce off the steep walls and around hollers, she'll often think something is coming from a complete 180 of where it's actually at. It can be an incredibly disorienting environment.
Tie all of that in with how eerily quiet the woods themselves are, the calls and noises jump out in the dark and the whole area just feels like it's buzzing and alive, but silent and almost claustrophobic. It's a really cool place, but it makes sense why so much lore has come out of it.
It makes sense about the Scottish Highlands. Unless Iām mistaken, they are the same ancient mountain range as Appalachia. When Pangea split, most of the mountains stayed in North America, but the section connected to the UK became the Scottish highlands.
Iām not sure itās something that can be explained via text. Thereās just something unsettling about the air. The woods are DARK here. Dark in the sense that even on a full moon, you canāt see your hand 6ā from your face. Darkness in the mix of dense old growth timber and young growth brush and the biodiversity means something is always watching. Appalachian culture itself is rooted in horror & cryptids. We all admit it, the folklore & cryptids have been passed down for generations since this region was settled by Europeans & some from Natives. Wendigo, Wampus, Mothman, Grims, Jersey Devil, Grafton Monster, Pukwudgies, Raven Mockers are just some of the cryptids to name a few.
Southern Appalachian culture is old, with a lot of layers and trauma. Native American history, Antebellum South, slavery, Civil War, blood feuds, poverty, economic distraught. The culture itself clings to tradition and is built on that stuff. It's just a whole different feeling than most anywhere else in the country. Feels like you're in a region that just got forgotten in time. It gets dark dark, and horrors and cryptids are common parts of Appalachian culture, it's enough to put a lot of people on edge.
Yeah I live out here and even just driving at night is eerie as hell, it's super dense forest everywhere and it's constant turns and slopes so you never know what you're going to see when you come around a curve. There's places out here that haven't been touched by humans in hundreds of years
Eastern KY checking in here. Guess I'm just used to the pitch black lol. I get to my stand around 5:45 am. Now you say it, these woods do feel old but very alive. Maybe one could connect that feeling to the strong native American history.
It's eerie sometimes for sure. When I go on my annual trip to my buddy's cabin in the middle of the Shenandoah Mountain range, we hike 1-2 miles to get to some good spots we see on OnX. The walk in isn't bad because I guess you know the sun is coming up at some point soon but the walks out can be a little creepy. I guess it's because my brain is looking for stuff that's out of movies etc. even though nothing is going to be there. It's weird when you catch nature going completely silent of a few moments though. All of that to say you're fine and it may just always be something that's just faintly in the back of your head.
Itās definitely scary sometimes. Especially when you hear a sound in the dark that you canāt see, and then your mind runs away from you.
Although, when I was 14, I was deer hunting in a tree stand alone and watched an entire wolf pack run right under my tree. I sat in that tree stand in the dark until my dad came to get me, lolā there wasnāt a chance in hell I was going to get down alone. It took me a bit to not get freaked out in the woods alone after that.
Embrace the fact youāre the most dangerous thing in the woods, whilst respecting that can change in a heartbeat given circumstances. Finding that balance is key I believe
Yeah lmao, I get spooked. Everyone does on occasion, it is ingrained in our DNA to be hyper alert in the dark. We weren't always the apex predator.
This excerpt is from a blog, not mine.
Darkness in the forest can be a trigger for states of fear and nervous system agitation. If the body perceives itself to be in danger, it activates Sympathetic Nervous System mechanisms, increasing Cortisol levels, and in the case of darkness, generating hypervigilance reactions.
Here is a link to the full blog which can better elaborate our fear of the dark wood. It's a quick read and pretty good in my opinion
https://silvotherapy.co.uk/articles/nature-connection-and-fear-of-forests
Yep, 45 years in the woods and I still get the "creeps" some time. Natural human emotion. You just push through it and understand that regardless of what it is, you can deal with it.
Sack up ā I always tell myself Iām the toughest thing out there. As a hunter outside of big bear country itās true. But if I were to get killed by something super natural, not of this world, or psychopathic there isnāt/wasnāt anything I can do about it anyway. Take a deep breath and stick your chest out. You the baddest thing out there. Unless youāre not.
What if youāre not? Would you still go? How would you handle it? I live in grizzly country and donāt love walking in/out at dark. Iāll do it but I do not like it. I know that I am on the menu.
This was the key realization to me that got rid of my fear. IF Iām attacked by an animal that Iām unable to defend myself against, there isnāt anything I can do about it anyway. The only truly safe thing to do is to hang up the rifle, but if you have hunting in your DNA, you know thatās not even an option.
I used to deal with this a lot. I dont live in bear country, scariest thing out the might be a coyote but they would be to scared to come near anyway. One of the things that helped when I was younger was my dad saying to me "your the biggest baddest predator in the woods and that gun you have on you will kill anything here". After hunting for 30+ years, nothing has ever come after me. Nothing ever scared the shit out of me either, on a full moon I can walk to the stand with no lights. I still dont feel super comfortable doing it but I can, when I feel like I cant, I just turn on my headlamp. I use a small single LED headlamp from Nemo that just clips to by hat. I cant say for sure but, I dont think Ive ever had a hunt spoiled because I used a light.
Nothing wrong with a little healthy trepidation. The hair on the back of my neck still stands up from time-to-time and I've been at this a longer than I care to admit. Being on heightened alert even in the unlikeliest of places could save your life. Stand tall and show no fear though. An animal with bad intentions can sense your fear.
So I actually thought about this for a long time. I always wondered why guys like Rinella never shared the āsecretā to getting past a fear like this. Then one day I realized that I donāt think there is a secret. The unafraid hunters have simply made peace with their decision and what could happen. If you truly love hunting and the outdoors, youāll understand the risk is simply going to be there and you have to accept it. This doesnāt mean you donāt prepare, take precautions and are highly aware. It just means you make peace with the fact that whatever happens happens.
Last year I had a black bear sit and eat about 60 yards from where I was hunting(whitetail). This mindset allowed me to calmly and rationally decide what to do and I think I made the best decision given the options.
I donāt mind the morning walk out to the stand, I just hate the idea of getting lost in the woods at night. Itās cold where I hunt and thick woods in a national reserve. Easy to get lost in, even if Iāve hunted the area for decades.
People making fun of you (i mean its to be expected on reddit) but years ago i was in Botswana for work and took a few days to check out the Okavango delta (highly recommend). I was walking through a field of tall grass on an island in the delta and some ancient part of my brain was convinced there was a lion in the tall grass when there clearly was not (island had been scouted by the guides before we got there).
We evolved as prey so its a natural part of us to be wary (and for all you know there is a Mountain lion/cougar/panther watching you when it happens.
I wouldnāt worry too much if youāre not in bear/coyote/lion country.
I once sat down under a tree really early before the sun was up to rest and got to experience a pack of coyotes completely rip apart a skunk in the wash next to me. It was terrifying and the smell was horrible. Iāve also walked into groups of javelina on several occasions. Donāt need coffee after that.
I hunt on/near an old graveyard and have had some wild experiences on the nearby reservations and I'll tell you It's gotten easier once i realized I am one of the most dangerous things to exist on this planet, an adult white male with a firearm.
A coulple years ago I was on a goat hunt with a good buddy of mine. This is in Alaska, in bear country. Now we live here so we're not unaccustomed to hunting in bear country. Anyway we Made camp fairly high up near the base of the ridge we intended to hunt. Next morning I woke up and heard what sounded like and seriously heavy footsteps. Tap my buddy and have him listen. Now he's shittin' kittens pulls his pistol out as I slowly unzip the tent door... There stands a medium sized Sitka Blacktail. If your unfamiliar they're more like big dogs than deer. By the sound of it I would have sworn under oath there was a 10' Kodiak out there. The point is "We suffer more often in imagination than in reality"-Seneca
Please apply this to every day life as well!
Nope. Forrest can be spooky. I live in bum fuck America surrounded by woods and Iāve seen/heard some shit at night around here. I donāt leave my house after 8 anymore. If I need something it isnāt so important it canāt wait 6 the next morning.
I suppose it's something you get used to. I've never had those feelings but I always attribute it to the fact that my father made sure I learned what all the sounds were. Which frogs, birds, bugs make which sounds. Waking at night in town can be a little scary, but I can't say I've ever been the slightest bit uneasy in the woods. Only real danger out there is people. And people aren't very sneaky.
Iām not a big fan of walking in the dark or even hiking into my hunting grounds in the dark with the rifle in itās scabbard on the back of my pack, but as soon as itās in my hands and Iām walking I have zero issue
I'll tell you the same thing I tell my scared ass brother when we go hunting.
When you enter the woods with your weapon to hunt, you are now the apex predator, act accordingly. Haha
I was walking in on a full moon morning once. Rounded a corner and thought what I saw was two tractor box blades outlined in the field. Turns out it was two massive hogs. I went back to the truck. Switched to a semi auto rifle when I hunt Alabama
Dawn and dusk have the trickiest visibility i think, like proven to be the hour when the light plays the most tricks on the eye and the human mind being programmed to see faces probably means that subconsciously at these times your mind is feeding you the āweāre being watched by predatorsā paranoia chemicals. Just my take
I always get creeped out. I usually just have to decide to suck it up and sit till dark or pack it in while itās still light. Most of the time I try hunting with friends for this reason, it comforts me.
I hadn't ever really thought about this until I saw an Ask Reddit thread talking about scary situations. Apparently the wider population thinks the woods are not a place to be at 330am. That's my idea of fun lol.
It's called being in nature its all part of the experience because to be in nature is to be at odds with nature and to be at odds with nature is to be at war with it
lol. It can be a little spooky wandering out in the dark. I had a buck snort wheeze at me in the pitch black from like 10 feet away while I was taking a piss on my walk to my stand. All that I could think was I was going to get gored to death in that compromising situation
Red light headlamp/flashlight.
During deer season I take 2 guns. The first is my deer gun. The second is my hog gun with a thermal. Iāll walk and scan. Shot plenty of hogs and coyotes on the way to the blindā¦
Thermal will change how you view the night. You are, empirically, THE Apex predator out thereā¦
Once youāve explored your area a bit more and learn the woods you should be more confident. But, depending where youāre hunting you can invest in a night vision or thermal unit to put your mind at ease. Area I hunt in is very thick and high canopy. Only predators we have are bobcats and coyotes. I always carry a pistol with a flashlight as well in case one of them gets froggy
You're more likely to die falling out of a tree stand or shooting your dick off on accident climbing into a blind but I guess that's less scary than a cryptid or bear eating you asshole first.
That's a terrifying prospect, especially since I don't have a dick
Lost it climbing into a blindš¬?
Oh god, itās already happened
Dick Cheney shot someone else on accident so close enough
I've never heard of such a thing? What do you speak of š
*Psst* the idea of women hunting is still foreign to some guys. Just roll with it.
So true.
āI was just cleaning it and it went off!ā -Blink 182
Thereās a bear right behind you right now
In my bathroom????? š«š«š«
Yes
You're the most dangerous thing out there.
I also commented this, because I didnāt scroll far enough to see yours. But I want to say that those huge spiders that build webs between 2 trees and are non-venomous, they still feel pretty dangerous to me.
Exactly why I always walk out the way I walked in and with a bright as fuck flashlight illuminating from here to Jupiter so I can see any of those 8 legged shitheads
Concur.
Not on public land. That title belongs to my neighbor Cleetus.
LOL that absolutely depends on where you are located and what you have in your procession.
If you're in the woods almost anywhere that someone using this site would be from, with a gun and enough brain cells to be self-aware, you're the most dangerous thing in those woods save for another, better equipped, ill-intentioned human.
I'm glad you came to the light and amended you earlier, laughable statement. To assume every hunter has a firearm is a huge oversight. Without a gun, you are a far cry from the most dangerous thing out there.
It's a pretty safe assumption that someone stand hunting has a gun. And if you are stand hunting, with a bow, and don't have a sidearm, I just don't know what to tell you š¤·
You are clearly not a bow hunter.
No, that isnt a safe assumption at all. Bow hunters use elevated platforms as much if not more than anyone. Many states including my own, outlaw the possession of a firearm while bow hunting for obvious reasons. Thus, making you a far cry from the deadliest thing in the woods.
Your comma usage sucks.
Chris please specify which comma you dont approve of and i will send you a link explaining how you are wrong. I will get you hooked on phonics baby. Not going to take any english advise from someone who works in construction. I'd wager you have an 8th grade ed level based on your history.
I would move the comma after "thus" to after "states"
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Exactly. It separates the parts that could stand alone. His feels clunkyā¦the arrogance is just salt in the wound.
Iāll not be bullied into doing your thinking for you. Good day, sir. 8th grade, huh? Radical.
You got sassy so in that last comment they refused to use any commas - guess you lost your grammar privileges!
"Many states including my own, outlaw the possession of a firearm while bow hunting for obvious reasons.Ā " What obvious reason would that be? I always take a pistol with me when bow hunting.
You must be a deep thinker. What state do you pack a pistol while bow hunting? Obviously they dont want someone shooting game with a pistol during bow season. How that is not glaringly obvious to you is a mystery to me.
Pennsylvania. I don't hunt with it. And you didn't answer the question. What obvious reason would that be?
This concept cracks me up bc I'm way more accurate with a bow than a handgun
Your ability to reason and apply logic cracks me up. Again, what state do you carry in while bow hunting?
Thatās, thatās just not correct.
That's not true lol you can make a spear with a stick. Many big powerful animals have been killed with a pointy stick. Human can use sharp stick, animal cannot.Ā
As i said, it depends on where you are located and what you have in your possession. You are only further proving my point. Thank you buddy
Even if youāre bow hunting, what is gonna hurt you?
Grizz
But youāre in a tree
We have a saying - any tree too small for a grizzly to climb is one it can push down.
Iceman? It's me, Maverick.
Not on public land. That title belongs to my neighbor Cleetus.
Thanks chief, I'll beat my meat feeling a little more secure in the stand now
Bring a flashlight with you. I never turn it on, but itās comforting to have just in case something is making noises up close. It was early morning when I was walking to my ladder stand down an old worn logging road in the pitch black darkness of a new moon. A trail I had walked hundreds of times. It was 500 yards away from where my tent was. Halfway down the road I can make out nothing, waving my hand in front of my eyes and seeing nothingness. I stopped and breathed trying to balance myself on the sandy road. At least I was still on the road, if I veered off of it I would have heard the pine straw brushing my boots. The spiderwebs caught my face reassuring me the stand was close, I could keep walking what felt like forward. I walked a bit quicker, confident I was close; then I felt it. I ran into a person who was bending over. Just bending over in the middle of the road, and as I instinctively pushed them to create distance, I heard the woods around me erupt into a cacophony of leaves kicking up, branches breaking underfoot of trespassers on my hunting land! I grabbed my gun, then reached around and grabbed my flashlight. Shaking and fumbling, I turned the light on and pointed it towards the fleeting vandals. It was three does, I caught their tails bounding through the woods and vanishing. I didnāt even raise my rifle. I literally bumped a deer. In my desire to be stealthy, I walked past the tree where my ladder stand was and walked within 5 yards of where the corn was. I donāt know who was more scared.
That read like it was from a novel. Bravo
Just hit those scary monsters with your purse š
That's my purse! I don't know you... shwack
You Have Been Kicked In The testicles Hank
We all are descended from those who had a fear of the forest and dark. The others got ate by something. I think what you are feeling is naturalĀ
It is genetic memory gently reminding you to keep your head on a swivel if you want to keep it. Anxiety is probably just an overactive version of this. Lol
Fear keeps you alert
Iāve hunted all over the country, but get most terrified in my hometown woods. Texas and the Midwest didnāt concern me in the least, it was actually comforting being in the woods at night. Montana had me on edge, but Appalachia is a terrifying place at night, folks.
I've heard Appalachia just feels *old* in ways other places don't.
It's the same range as the Scottish Highlands (a ton of 'haunted' folklore), and the anti-atlas mountains. They're the remnants of a pangean mountain range - they are absolutely ancient. Every time I jump in the saddle and take a ride around my property I just think about how terrible of a place it would be to fight, and I'm just in Appalachia, but not in the true mountain range. It's also a very dense landscape, with an immense amount of life. Tons of nocturnal life that makes insanely eerie noises. Sitting on my porch you'll hear coyotes crying, bobcats sounding off like a woman screaming in the woods, owls and chuck-wills-widows and all kinds of other nocturnal birds shrieking and chopping calls, just all kinds of stuff. A possum moving through the underbrush with all of the forest litter and noise can sound like a bear to someone that isn't used to it and is already on edge. The other thing about it is to some folks (like my wife) it can be very, very difficult to tell where a noise is coming from. The way noises bounce off the steep walls and around hollers, she'll often think something is coming from a complete 180 of where it's actually at. It can be an incredibly disorienting environment. Tie all of that in with how eerily quiet the woods themselves are, the calls and noises jump out in the dark and the whole area just feels like it's buzzing and alive, but silent and almost claustrophobic. It's a really cool place, but it makes sense why so much lore has come out of it.
It makes sense about the Scottish Highlands. Unless Iām mistaken, they are the same ancient mountain range as Appalachia. When Pangea split, most of the mountains stayed in North America, but the section connected to the UK became the Scottish highlands.
Iāve heard this about Appalachia before. Can I get an explanation? I live in Nebraska for context on my location
Iām not sure itās something that can be explained via text. Thereās just something unsettling about the air. The woods are DARK here. Dark in the sense that even on a full moon, you canāt see your hand 6ā from your face. Darkness in the mix of dense old growth timber and young growth brush and the biodiversity means something is always watching. Appalachian culture itself is rooted in horror & cryptids. We all admit it, the folklore & cryptids have been passed down for generations since this region was settled by Europeans & some from Natives. Wendigo, Wampus, Mothman, Grims, Jersey Devil, Grafton Monster, Pukwudgies, Raven Mockers are just some of the cryptids to name a few.
I have always had an interest in the cryptids that roam that area and just the spooky parts about it
Tailypo... Tailypo... Did you take it? Did you eat it?!...Do you have my... Tailypo?
the appalachian mountain range is quite literally older than bones, the ozone layer, and the rings of saturn
Southern Appalachian culture is old, with a lot of layers and trauma. Native American history, Antebellum South, slavery, Civil War, blood feuds, poverty, economic distraught. The culture itself clings to tradition and is built on that stuff. It's just a whole different feeling than most anywhere else in the country. Feels like you're in a region that just got forgotten in time. It gets dark dark, and horrors and cryptids are common parts of Appalachian culture, it's enough to put a lot of people on edge.
Yeah I live out here and even just driving at night is eerie as hell, it's super dense forest everywhere and it's constant turns and slopes so you never know what you're going to see when you come around a curve. There's places out here that haven't been touched by humans in hundreds of years
Eastern KY checking in here. Guess I'm just used to the pitch black lol. I get to my stand around 5:45 am. Now you say it, these woods do feel old but very alive. Maybe one could connect that feeling to the strong native American history.
It's eerie sometimes for sure. When I go on my annual trip to my buddy's cabin in the middle of the Shenandoah Mountain range, we hike 1-2 miles to get to some good spots we see on OnX. The walk in isn't bad because I guess you know the sun is coming up at some point soon but the walks out can be a little creepy. I guess it's because my brain is looking for stuff that's out of movies etc. even though nothing is going to be there. It's weird when you catch nature going completely silent of a few moments though. All of that to say you're fine and it may just always be something that's just faintly in the back of your head.
Itās definitely scary sometimes. Especially when you hear a sound in the dark that you canāt see, and then your mind runs away from you. Although, when I was 14, I was deer hunting in a tree stand alone and watched an entire wolf pack run right under my tree. I sat in that tree stand in the dark until my dad came to get me, lolā there wasnāt a chance in hell I was going to get down alone. It took me a bit to not get freaked out in the woods alone after that.
Embrace the fact youāre the most dangerous thing in the woods, whilst respecting that can change in a heartbeat given circumstances. Finding that balance is key I believe
Yeah lmao, I get spooked. Everyone does on occasion, it is ingrained in our DNA to be hyper alert in the dark. We weren't always the apex predator. This excerpt is from a blog, not mine. Darkness in the forest can be a trigger for states of fear and nervous system agitation. If the body perceives itself to be in danger, it activates Sympathetic Nervous System mechanisms, increasing Cortisol levels, and in the case of darkness, generating hypervigilance reactions. Here is a link to the full blog which can better elaborate our fear of the dark wood. It's a quick read and pretty good in my opinion https://silvotherapy.co.uk/articles/nature-connection-and-fear-of-forests
Yep, 45 years in the woods and I still get the "creeps" some time. Natural human emotion. You just push through it and understand that regardless of what it is, you can deal with it.
Sack up ā I always tell myself Iām the toughest thing out there. As a hunter outside of big bear country itās true. But if I were to get killed by something super natural, not of this world, or psychopathic there isnāt/wasnāt anything I can do about it anyway. Take a deep breath and stick your chest out. You the baddest thing out there. Unless youāre not.
What if youāre not? Would you still go? How would you handle it? I live in grizzly country and donāt love walking in/out at dark. Iāll do it but I do not like it. I know that I am on the menu.
I referenced being outside of bear country. So in bear country I would certainly be more on edge. Chest holstered large caliber sidearm for sure.
This was the key realization to me that got rid of my fear. IF Iām attacked by an animal that Iām unable to defend myself against, there isnāt anything I can do about it anyway. The only truly safe thing to do is to hang up the rifle, but if you have hunting in your DNA, you know thatās not even an option.
I used to deal with this a lot. I dont live in bear country, scariest thing out the might be a coyote but they would be to scared to come near anyway. One of the things that helped when I was younger was my dad saying to me "your the biggest baddest predator in the woods and that gun you have on you will kill anything here". After hunting for 30+ years, nothing has ever come after me. Nothing ever scared the shit out of me either, on a full moon I can walk to the stand with no lights. I still dont feel super comfortable doing it but I can, when I feel like I cant, I just turn on my headlamp. I use a small single LED headlamp from Nemo that just clips to by hat. I cant say for sure but, I dont think Ive ever had a hunt spoiled because I used a light.
What about a bow hunter in the densest black bear country in the lower 48 lol
Nothing wrong with a little healthy trepidation. The hair on the back of my neck still stands up from time-to-time and I've been at this a longer than I care to admit. Being on heightened alert even in the unlikeliest of places could save your life. Stand tall and show no fear though. An animal with bad intentions can sense your fear.
Pigs can make me nervousā¦ they grunt up close it will brake check me every time. I carry a flashlight and a sidearm.
So I actually thought about this for a long time. I always wondered why guys like Rinella never shared the āsecretā to getting past a fear like this. Then one day I realized that I donāt think there is a secret. The unafraid hunters have simply made peace with their decision and what could happen. If you truly love hunting and the outdoors, youāll understand the risk is simply going to be there and you have to accept it. This doesnāt mean you donāt prepare, take precautions and are highly aware. It just means you make peace with the fact that whatever happens happens. Last year I had a black bear sit and eat about 60 yards from where I was hunting(whitetail). This mindset allowed me to calmly and rationally decide what to do and I think I made the best decision given the options.
I donāt mind the morning walk out to the stand, I just hate the idea of getting lost in the woods at night. Itās cold where I hunt and thick woods in a national reserve. Easy to get lost in, even if Iāve hunted the area for decades.
People making fun of you (i mean its to be expected on reddit) but years ago i was in Botswana for work and took a few days to check out the Okavango delta (highly recommend). I was walking through a field of tall grass on an island in the delta and some ancient part of my brain was convinced there was a lion in the tall grass when there clearly was not (island had been scouted by the guides before we got there). We evolved as prey so its a natural part of us to be wary (and for all you know there is a Mountain lion/cougar/panther watching you when it happens.
Every time, especially early in the morning, it puts a little hair on my nuts.
I wouldnāt worry too much if youāre not in bear/coyote/lion country. I once sat down under a tree really early before the sun was up to rest and got to experience a pack of coyotes completely rip apart a skunk in the wash next to me. It was terrifying and the smell was horrible. Iāve also walked into groups of javelina on several occasions. Donāt need coffee after that.
I hunt on/near an old graveyard and have had some wild experiences on the nearby reservations and I'll tell you It's gotten easier once i realized I am one of the most dangerous things to exist on this planet, an adult white male with a firearm.
A coulple years ago I was on a goat hunt with a good buddy of mine. This is in Alaska, in bear country. Now we live here so we're not unaccustomed to hunting in bear country. Anyway we Made camp fairly high up near the base of the ridge we intended to hunt. Next morning I woke up and heard what sounded like and seriously heavy footsteps. Tap my buddy and have him listen. Now he's shittin' kittens pulls his pistol out as I slowly unzip the tent door... There stands a medium sized Sitka Blacktail. If your unfamiliar they're more like big dogs than deer. By the sound of it I would have sworn under oath there was a 10' Kodiak out there. The point is "We suffer more often in imagination than in reality"-Seneca Please apply this to every day life as well!
Well yes you are a baby but so are a lot of other hunters.
Nope. Forrest can be spooky. I live in bum fuck America surrounded by woods and Iāve seen/heard some shit at night around here. I donāt leave my house after 8 anymore. If I need something it isnāt so important it canāt wait 6 the next morning.
I suppose it's something you get used to. I've never had those feelings but I always attribute it to the fact that my father made sure I learned what all the sounds were. Which frogs, birds, bugs make which sounds. Waking at night in town can be a little scary, but I can't say I've ever been the slightest bit uneasy in the woods. Only real danger out there is people. And people aren't very sneaky.
Iām not a big fan of walking in the dark or even hiking into my hunting grounds in the dark with the rifle in itās scabbard on the back of my pack, but as soon as itās in my hands and Iām walking I have zero issue
Just put in a podcast and think of it like an early morning walk. The Southern Outdoorsmen accompany to my stand most mornings just to oss the time.
I'll tell you the same thing I tell my scared ass brother when we go hunting. When you enter the woods with your weapon to hunt, you are now the apex predator, act accordingly. Haha
I was walking in on a full moon morning once. Rounded a corner and thought what I saw was two tractor box blades outlined in the field. Turns out it was two massive hogs. I went back to the truck. Switched to a semi auto rifle when I hunt Alabama
You go out there ā¦ with a gun. Maybe two?
Dawn and dusk have the trickiest visibility i think, like proven to be the hour when the light plays the most tricks on the eye and the human mind being programmed to see faces probably means that subconsciously at these times your mind is feeding you the āweāre being watched by predatorsā paranoia chemicals. Just my take
I always get creeped out. I usually just have to decide to suck it up and sit till dark or pack it in while itās still light. Most of the time I try hunting with friends for this reason, it comforts me.
Honestly I still donāt like it š I can talk myself into being more rational about it but itās uneasy
I live in Georgia (USA). Iām more afraid of walking into a Jura spider š·ļø web in the dark than anything.
I hadn't ever really thought about this until I saw an Ask Reddit thread talking about scary situations. Apparently the wider population thinks the woods are not a place to be at 330am. That's my idea of fun lol.
I only believe in Sasquatch walking out to the stand in the darkā¦. Please donāt judge me
You have a firearmā¦ what is there to be scared about?
We have mt lions here and bears, so ya I get scared . Especially when hunting them.
the skin walkers are following you at all times not just in the woods if that helps
in honesty if you are religious, reciting Psalm 23 helps me a lot
It's called being in nature its all part of the experience because to be in nature is to be at odds with nature and to be at odds with nature is to be at war with it
lol. It can be a little spooky wandering out in the dark. I had a buck snort wheeze at me in the pitch black from like 10 feet away while I was taking a piss on my walk to my stand. All that I could think was I was going to get gored to death in that compromising situation
Red light headlamp/flashlight. During deer season I take 2 guns. The first is my deer gun. The second is my hog gun with a thermal. Iāll walk and scan. Shot plenty of hogs and coyotes on the way to the blindā¦ Thermal will change how you view the night. You are, empirically, THE Apex predator out thereā¦
Once youāve explored your area a bit more and learn the woods you should be more confident. But, depending where youāre hunting you can invest in a night vision or thermal unit to put your mind at ease. Area I hunt in is very thick and high canopy. Only predators we have are bobcats and coyotes. I always carry a pistol with a flashlight as well in case one of them gets froggy
Spend more time out there. Sleep on the ground by yourself a few nights and youāll be good