Overcoming getting spooked.. and scary stories!

[Archie]

I can get spooked when I'm in the woods in the dark, but I fight through it.  I just remind myself that it would extremely rare indeed to be attacked by the kinds of animals that live in my part of the country.  I also remind myself that I'm prepared to meet God, and I have nothing to fear.

A couple of years ago I was walking out after several hours in a great hiding spot, and I evidently spooked a coyote that had gotten close without realizing I was there.  He suddenly started yipping and yowling to indicate to all the other 'yotes in the area that there was a stranger in the woods.  It completely freaked me out!  I got over it though, and was just walking back from that stand last weekend, remembering that story, and laughing at myself for being so scared!

[Crittergetter]

I have always been just as comfortable in the woods at night as in the day. I go in way early and usually stay way late. I've even pulled all nighters just sitting or sleeping on the ground without any light or fire just so I wouldnt spook any game coming in in the dark. ( my younger days ) getting to old for that stuff now. I guess I just always knew that I'm at the top of the food chain and everything in the woods is afraid of me almost always wants to get as far away as possible.
But on the other hand when I see another person in the woods I'll try my best not to be seen. I'll duck and hide or whatever I can to not make me presence known. Now, Does that make any sense?  

[bowberry]

I too have a scary imagination.Mostly monsters, oh, and vampires. Man I hate vampires. Vampires suck.

Seriously; Most normal people not only don't want to go in the woods at night, most will NOT!!

You on the other hand acually want to go to the dark woods. The fact that it creeps you out and you do it any way, makes you brave. Your the man.

Pray for strength and courage and wisdom and patience.

Take your father with you. something of his. A watch ,compass, knife shirt ect.

Do not watch "the blair witch project" for any reason. Ever. No good can come of it.

Good luck, God bless,
Scott

[mangonboat]

I can relate to years of looking forward to walking back in , in the dark, with my dad or one of my brothers and understand how your Dad's passing would be very real when it comes time to walk in. As I've aged, the things I imagine have been replaced by the real possibilities..a hard fall, stepping in a hole and twisting a knee or ankle, heart attack ,etc.

It wont make any difference for this hunting season, but I recommend to every woodsman a ritual described by Aldo Leopold in 'Sand County Almanac': get up around 2:45 AM on a morning in the midst of the spring songbird migration, make a pot of coffee, put on appropriate clothes then take your pot of coffee, your coffee mug and nothing else out to the edge of the woods and sit quietly and experience the dark woods coming alive around you. We are apex predators and, after tens of millions of years of evolution, we hunt and experience the world primarily with our vision, whereas most of the other critters rely more on smell, hearing, even temperature sense. Deer tend to bed down and recharge their batteries while the sun is brightest.

Creepiest: the sound of a horse moving through the woods nearby in the absolute dark.
Coolest: the absolute silence with which a barn owl glided in and landed on a limb 4 feet in front of my face in the pre-dawn darkness.

[pinky]

I know I definitely pick up my pace a little more as the darkness is coming on, trying to get back to camp or the vehicle. I get a little more spooky too.
    One of my most unnerving times in the dark woods was a couple of years ago.  I was hunting a Wildlife Management area that I was unfamiliar with. I went in further in the evening exploring, wondering what was around the next turn. I knew i could follow the river back up to the parking area. The river does a chain of tight Ox-bows here and my route back was not direct.  The brush got thick and it got dark. Water, Walls of Brush with some tunnels and pathways though it. At some point in the last of the fading light in the middle of one of these paths, I came across the remains of a whitetail mostly consumed.
   It is dark now and my head lamp is on exaggerating the shadows in the peripheral vision. In a couple of spots I had to get down and crawl, but always I had one hand on my bow and using my other hand to part the brush. So there I was in the thick of it with twenty feet of visibility at best and I realized that if I needed to move even if it was to unholster a can of bear spray, it was not likely to happen. The Image of the signage at the parking area is at the forefront of my thoughts and the remains of the whitetail is a couple of bends behind me.
 
 
I was starting to get a little panicky, not well oriented to the land to begin with and then the darkness, the winding tight ox-bows, and the brush. I had to take a few deep grounding breaths a couple of times and work myself away from the river. Things opened up and I could start to move again. I finally cut a vehicle path that would bring me to the parking area and there was my vehicle and the signage warning of bear potential again.

[Ouchigan72]

Would have to say the worst I've been spooked was when walking a cattail marsh to a blind. A great blue heron at arms reach taking off cause I spooked it.Sounds just like I imagine a pterodactyl would... Dunno who was more spooked me or the bird

[Carcajou]

I hunt remote areas of the Adirondack Mountain range alone quite often. Darker than the inside of a cow up there. No one for miles will ever hear ya scream..
Do what I do, I just go about my business up there...coyotes, wolves, Bears...they are more concerned about getting out of your way, than getting in it. If it settles in your head that there are unknown things that are going to get you, you will never overcome your fear.
The Mountain Men, and Old Adirondack Guides were always known for talking out loud to themselves in remote camps at nite, to keep the Windigo at bay..Its only darkness, daylite will come soon enough.

[VA Elite]

My best friend lost his father 3 years ago. His father was a close friend to me as well. He actually died of a heart attack tracking a wounded black bear. It took my friend that entire season and then into the next before he could go out alone. Time will help bud.

[MCNSC]

Reminds me, my wife and I were watching one of the survival reality shows a while back. Guy had a bear come into camp. He was saying stuff like "hey bear". My wife says is that what you say if a bear comes up? I told her I didn't think it mattered what you said to a bear as bears don't speak English.

[Ray Hammond]

Jakeemt- trespassing? Matty- NJ? Well, 600 lb black bears come to mind....lots of 600 lb black bears actually.

[Montanawidower]

I read a book a long time ago by Carl Sagan called "Dragons in Eden".    Long story short it was a behavioral look at the human animal based on research in the 60's.

There are THREE base fears we are all born with.  (I guess they studied orphan babies... Kind of twisted but hey, it was the 60's)

1) Reptiles (thus the books title)
2) Falling
3)  DARK  

Its programmed into you... You just never confronted it because you always had the safety of your father.  Its' brave of you to post on a mostly male, macho forum about it.   I hope this helps others that aren't so forthright.  

I think we all have twinges of it... its just a matter of how much we have overcome it.

[Ray Hammond]

Not usually bothered by it, as I have been turkey hunting for a loooong time...walking in without flashlights and getting stabbed in the face by more limbs than I can count, just to get in close to a roosted bird...that'll chase the thoughts out of your head just by repetition.

The scariest thing I ever experienced with a bear hunt in Ontario years and years ago- I was the farthest guy out on the trail- maybe 2 hour wait for him to get to me by an Argo...and I just couldn't take the bugs any longer so thought I'd get a start walking back toward them...well, I kept hearing something moving along with me as I stepped along, and it would stop whenever I stopped. Weird huh? Then I thought- that's gotta be a bear shadowing me... so I picked up the pace....still there, and stopping when I stopped. Weird, huh?

So then I took 3 steps and turned around- and WHAM! My light hit it- my safety strap was dragging along the ground. Sheesh!

[bear bowman]

I've struggled with this when I was younger as well. This may sound kind of dumb but this is the way I got over it. If the good lord wants me, he's going to take me.

[kskickapoo]

This may sound kind of corny but when I get that "skin crawling feeling up the back of my neck" I just stop and think about those that have gone before me and their protective spirit around me.  Don't really get that feeling hunting the woods here in KS but I have on the solo walks out of woods in Ontario or walking back to camp in Colorado at night.

[pdk25]

If I lived somewhere with grizzly bears or predatory cats, I might be scared, but without that I can only express sympathy for your loss.  I have a depredation permit for hogs, so I do alot of hog hunting at night.  Sometimes I am out all night, and have had boars fighting in the dark 5-10 yards from me.  Very exciting, but all you think about is hoping to get a shot opportunity.  Maybe going on a night-time hog hunt somewhere that it is legal might help you to get over your fears.

[Covey]

Originally posted by bear bowman:
I've struggled with this when I was younger as well. This may sound kind of dumb but this is the way I got over it. If the good lord wants me, he's going to take me.

I think everybody gets the creeps now and then, but this is a good reminder. I tend to talk to the Lord and I believe he listens. If you believe, your never alone!

[John Scifres]

Honestly, I am way more scared of people than animals.  Walking a street at night freaks me out a bit, even my own neighborhood sometimes.  Definitely in the city.

But make sure you understand what's going on.  You lost a loved one.  Grieve him.  I'm betting he'll keep you safe.  If he doesn't, He will.

I was walking back from a meadow on a trail in CO to camp about 2 miles away.  Lots of bears and some cougars in the area.  I prefer no light so I just talked out loud, mostly saying "Hey Bear, Hey Kitty, I got a gun and I'm not afraid to use it".  Little did they know all I had was my selfbow and a knife     Fooled them though.  It was a very long 2 mile walk.

The cattle out west scare me more than wild animals.  Those things are just plain stupid and unpredictable.

I did about get killed by a rutting buck at night one time in KY.  He must have thought I was a rival.  I felt a bit like a bullfighter dodging his charge...OLE.

Take care.

[mlsthmpsn]

I am way more on edge in the evenings when the sun has set...not sure why. Not really scared or anything, just more uneasy, knowing that there's 14 hours of darkness ahead. Mornings I know end shortly.

I never use lights when I am walking in. That causes my imagination to see things in the shadows ad ruins my night vision (which I believe I have more of than average). Unless it is a new moon or fairly thick woods...I can see just about everything without aid of lights. And this does help ease anything in the back of my mind.

Two stories come to mind...first was duck hunting by myself in Arkansas after it froze real solid in the woods. About an 1" of ice...just enough to walk on if you eased along slowly, but if you hurried you'd break through into knee-deep water. So get to my spot about 2 hours before light and settle in for a snooze. I wake up about 30 minutes later to the sound of lots scratchy footsteps on the ice. And I mean lots, and in every direction!!! Then all of a sudden, this pack of coyotes break out in unison yelping all around me. They were just out of eyesight in the dark, so maybe 30-40 ft? I had no option but to sit up and enjoy after I figures it out...I could not get out of there even if I needed to...their weight, spread out on four paws, meant they weren't about to break through the ice at all.

I'm glad I didn't bring my dog that morning because of the cold water...that could have turned out different!


Second, real quick, was 2 deer seasons ago. It got cold early and snowed enough to cover the ground and stick around. I was walking back to my spot about a mile down a peninsula on the Wisconsin River in northern WI. The walk is easy, down an old logging road to an old logging platform...the last 1/4 mile or so of the trail turns into one lane through thick sapling pines that cover everything but about 18" of path that winds through them...So, I'm heading up to this spot and stop to cool down and just enjoy the scenery of snow in the woods around me. Beautiful sight in the half-moon and no clouds. As I pick up my pack, I see the shadow of a depression in the trail I'm on....it's a fresh bear print, about 8" long, and heading the way I am...I keep walking and notice that about every 10-20 yds, the bear tracks stop and turns 90° on the trail like it's looking back at something (me!!), and then continue....all the way into the thick pines I have to walk through!!!

I slowly easy my way through the pines with my knife drawn...and don't find tracks on the other end!!! I'm on high alert now! I'm at the opening and just as I step out around the last pine to cross the opening....HOLY CRAAAAAAAP!!! Damn grouse flushes right in my face!!!!

I wasn't the only one in that hunting party to have bears in front of them that morning...my father-in-law followed his set of tracks right to the half-frozen river..tracks went out the water and disappeared.

[Matty]

I've read all of these and there's lots of funny laugh out loud ones. Grouse in the face. Pterodactyls. Blair witch project!

[Jakeemt]

Originally posted by Ray Hammond:
Jakeemt- trespassing?  

Lol yep. In those days rules and common sense took a back seat to tomcatting   . I learned a lot of hard lessons in those days.