Have you ever been REALLY lost out in the woods?

[parshal]

Back in college I was tracking a poorly hit deer in Georgia and tracked it a few hundred yards before realizing that I should find my buddy to help.  I hung up my orange hat and started backtracking.  20 minutes later I walked back up on my hat.  I started to backtrack again and came back up on my hat again 40 minutes later.  Panic set in and I did exactly what you shouldn't do and starting running.  I finally settled down and lined up trees to walk a straight line out.  I ended up coming out in the clear opposite direction of where I'd gone in.  What a crazy experience.

A buddy and I got turned around down in New Mexico quail hunting where everything looks the same.  We were "lost" for about two hours.  Of course, the GPS was in the truck!  I discovered the hard way that a compass on my bird hunting vest is worthless since there are some magnet closures on lower pockets.

I pay a lot more attention now and don't rely on the GPS or compass except in extreme circumstances.

[Lordswarrior]

never been lost in the "woods" but i believe i would rather have been; check this out:

fishing in a kayak in an open harbor at 2a.m. in cape cod. started out clear as could be, striper fishing by moonlight and marking our position by two lighthouses. in less than 5 min it went from crystal clear to fog so thick that i could not see my feet right in front of me!! we could hear the houses but got turned around and the combination of outgoing tide and really poor decision making almost took us out to the open ocean which is full of rips and sharks that come to feed on the local seals. the only thing that prevented complete disaster was a large sailboat was moored just at the mouth of the harbor and he heard us yelling to each other in the fog and told us to tie off to his boat untill the fog lifted 5 hrs later. great trip!went and bought a full fishfinder/g.p.s that week.
lost in the woods is one thing but imagine sitting on a 12' kayak surrounded by NOTHING but fog and water! not going to happen again!

[joe skipp]

My buddy and I got "directionally challenged" once in Colorado chasing mule deer around. Wasn't pretty...  

[gregg dudley]

I got lost one time when I was about 15 or 16.  I got down from a ladder stand after dark and overshot the trail out of the woods.  Instead of stopping to wait for help or orient myself I just kept walking looking for the way out.  My problem was that I knew my dad, who I was hunting with, would be worried sick.  He has a real fear of being lost himself and I knew that would cause him to be really upset if I didnt show up where and when I was supposed to.  

I ended up coming out of the woods about two miles from where I was supposed to be.  I convinced a group of hunters to give me a ride back to the parking area, but by the time I got there it was several hours after I was supposed to be out of the woods.  As suspected, my dad was in a bit of a panic.  He and our hunting partner were in the woods calling me and firing guns in the air.  

I did everything that you aren't supposed to do.  I never was in a panic about my personal situation, but I was in a panic about what might be going through my dad's mind. That caused me to make bad decisions that caused stress and anxiety for both of us.  If I had just stayed put when I first realized I was turned around I would have been "found" in short order.

[Irish]

I jumped into a fire many years ago in the Gila Wilderness of New Mexico.    Because of being "young and stupid", I was VERY Confused for a couple days.  I have gotten over the young part, still have the "stupid" rear it ugly head every now and again.  

[tuscarawasbowman]

I got turned around in a dogwood swamp one night tracking a deer. If the local school didn't have a pole light on it would have been a long walk or a cold night. Not a good feeling for sure.

[mrpenguin]

Not entirely... In CT, if you walk a straight line you'll hit a road eventually...

[straitera]

Great thread! Funny stuff! Thanks for honest! Don't feel so dumb but for the 5 or 6 times lost.

Thick pine trees 60-70 feet block out sun, moon, & stars. Jailhouse underbrush. Walked in a circle many times. One foots is flat?

[Danny Rowan]

Nope

[rolltidehunter]

no but i have come up on a lady one time that was turned around in the woods. it was pouring rain and she had been helping her husband track a deer she got turned around and paniced. looked like she saw a ghost when i came up on her.. pretty scarry how people can act when they are paniced

[PaddyMac]

Constantly. I have the worst sense of direction west of the Rockies. Consequently, I have so much practice at it, I'm getting kind of good at getting unlost.

Three weeks ago, somewhere southeast of Polepick mountain and southwest of the Loup Loup summit  I'm turkey hunting. Actually I'm hiking with a diaphram call in my mouth, making squeaky noises every once in while. Not a turkey within miles of me. My cell phone rings. It's my sister. She says, "Whaddya doin" I said, "Be vewwy vewwy quiet." She asks me where I am. I said, "hell if I know." She says that's not good. I say, "No, that's not really a problem I am surrounded by roads, theoretically, and my truck is on one of them." She says, "Where's the truck?" I said, "THAT'S the problem." She wants to call my wife. I said, "Nope. Not yet. Helicopters scare the turkeys." So we argue for about 20 minutes and I look up and ... there's the truck. Happens all the time.  

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[BAK]

No

[Killdeer]

Right, Danny.
You're on an island. Like, how big is Guam?   :rolleyes:

Killdeer  

[Ric O'Shay]

Being a former pilot, I've been temporarily disoriented a few times, but NEVER lost. Always knew where I was, just wasn't sure which direction to go to get to where I wanted to be.

   

[ronp]

Good stories.  I haven't really been lost.  I trust my compasses, and I carry two.  But after reading all these stories, I think I might start carrying some fire starting equipment in my pack, and maybe some extra jerky and candy bars.  And one of those small emergency blankets.  Just in case...  Thanks everyone.

[Cochise]

Went hunting in Colorado..got turned around,so i just started hiking.. figgured id hit a road or a town or sumptn..I was right! and i really like it here in Arizona..
Cochise

[toddster]

"Been might confused for a time, but never lost" D. Boone.  Your gonna laugh, I spent 10 years in the Marine Corps 03 and master of land nav.  in jungles (3) deserts (3) all over.  Well few years after I got out was over at a wildlife area bowhunting with buddy.  We hunted all day and went to walk in and set up for evening.  We was walking in and chatting (he hunted it alot).  We stopped and he said there is a field down there and stay over this way.  We walked from the truck across a picked bean field.  I said okay he went his way, I stalked down, found a tree, set up, sat there, had 10 deer around me and two nice bucks.  So I waited and froze enjoying them hoping for a shot.  They finally moved off out of range, and it was getting dark.  I took down stand and by time walked out was overcast and black.  I hit the picked bean field.  turned and was walking toward the truck.  then I hit a hedgerow.  I stopped and said wow, there wasn't one there.  then I laugh and said dummy went wrong way, turned around started walking and my gut said hey something isn't right.  I reached down in my pocket to get my Maglite (longtime ago) and guess what batteries dead, (lol).  So, I stood there no star's to nav by, no roads nothing, I just started to remember the wind direction walking in and heard something.  It was my buddy, with light looking for me.  He was about to walk by few hundred yards away, and with wind couldn'g hear me, so I reached up to my watch, and started flashing it (indiglo technology).  he stopped and I flashed some morse code and walked to him.  He was relieved as he thought I had and accident.  Come to find out the field was in a bowl of timber and I walked up and into another one, ha-ha.  Funniest part was he knew of my past and hunted in some rough timber with me.  He said,"I seen you find a tree in a thicket, and a car in the middle of no where, guess the only thing that gets you confused is a flat field".  He then asked, what was all the flashing, I said morse code he laughed like he knew what it was.  Good memories.

[broketooth]

Have you ever been lost in the woods? Before I was married, I was notorious for falling asleep in tree stands. I would wake up at 2-3 in the morning only to find that other hunters were lost trying to find their vehicles. I still laugh about it to this day. I've been married for 10 years now, and I still fall asleep in tree stands only to find the deer standing right in front of me!I'll probably still fall asleep in tree stands because it's so relaxing!

[J-dog]

Tracked a deer into catfish lake wilderness area. Those that know it, like broketooth prolly does knows it is vast. I hate giving up on a deer and I followed this one to the devils place.
Compass back at truck - forgot it was out of my pack - dang! I cant see for ten yards in any direction - dang - it is over cast cant make out sun for east or west. I had a lighter and so I had fire, and knew I could get help by burning the woods down.

I got spooked there a bit - but then stowed that foolishness and eventually made my way out. Not where I came in but  ahunting club rd where a dog hunter picked me up as he was lookin his dogs.

Most places I hunt have fire trails that I know well and really no need for a compass as I have hunted them since I was a kid. But I have several compasses these days.

J

Have used GPS, not lately, but even catfish lake area is like bermuda triangle, GPS dont work or is unreliable. I can take you to an area right now where the GPS will get you lost, no joke, seriously a spooky bottom I got tagged up with surveyors tape. Maybe the nearby military bases mess with em.

[Bear Heart]

I have prayed my way out of the woods more than times than most.  I am a master of map and compass.  Problem is I will be just walking around in the wood not paying attention with no terrain features visable.  Hard to do resection with in replanted fir forest.