From: Crow#2
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Date: 23-Nov-20 |
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Was rain over onbowsite. Some of the stories really made me laugh. Do I'm not the only scardy cat LOL
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From: sammyg
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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Yes they can sound funny. I used to hunt with a guy that was afraid of the dark. He was a neighbor of a guy a worked with and a heckuva good guy. When we'd go hunting he was always the last to leave the truck and after the evening hunt he was always the first one back. I tried talking to him about it and told him that your safer in these dark woods than on the streets of downtown Louisville at night. It might seem funny to some but at the same time it must be awful to have that fear of the dark.
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From: Skeets
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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We hunted with two guys (brothers) that were both afraid to head out to the woods until after the sun came up. They had a pop-up camp and one night in Michigan something shook the bed section. They swore it was "Bigfoot". After that there was no way they would be in the woods after dark. They were afraid they might run into a "BIGFOOT".
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From: sir misalots
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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“There is nothing in the dark that isn't there when the lights are on.”
? Rod Serling
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From: JusPassin
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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Our vision has become our primary sense. Many feel very inhibited in the dark and they let their imaginations run wild.
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From: Crow#2
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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I like that missalots. And just pasin
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From: Popester
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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I retired last summer, after working as a security officer at a small college for 33+ years. We had a guy who was considerably bigger and a lot stronger than any of the rest of us, and he was afraid to walk through the library after it was locked up by the library staff. It does sound funny, but we all have a fear of something, whether we want to admit it or not.
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From: George D. Stout
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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It's actually a natural phenomena since you can't see in the dark, and it's easy to fear what you can't see. My guess is there are a lot of folks who just don't care to be bumping into things the can't see and I'm one of those. Flashlights will fix much of it though for most folks, although phobias are very real in this world.
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From: Custom kodiak
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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I hunt mostly public land and some guys push the legal shooting time limits. No I'm not scared of the dark, just the guys that hunt in it.
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From: The Whittler
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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What you see during the day is pretty much what's there at night.
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From: NY Yankee
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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“There is nothing in the dark that isn't there when the lights are on.” Nope. Predators like to hunt at night because the dark hides them and they can usually smell the prey to home in on it. Our fear of the dark comes from a natural instinct from cave-man times. It surely wasn't safe to be out away from shelter and family for most bipedal mammals when their best weapon was a stick. Most of us have overridden the fear by the use of a logical brain yet common sense says stay inside.
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From: Dirtnap
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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My first hunt of the season I headed out to my stand and it was pitch black out in the early morning. Had an overcast and started walking through the woods. I get to the point where I can "see" my stand and I start taking my pack off and then I have a very sudden realization that everything just brightened up. I looked behind me as it seemed like someone put a flashlight on me so I looked around quickly and didn't notice anyone around. I then looked up and the full moon had just cleared from under a cloud which emitted a very bright glow. For a split second that was very terrifying. Never really scared of the dark but that moment was pretty tense.
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From: longbow1
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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Never been scared of the dark. When I hunted down in Avoca NY at on a fish hatchery property I couldn't wait to get into the woods and the earlier the better. Just never bothered me save for an occasional stick in the face!
Even when I went bear hunting in Quebec. Climbed down out of my tree stand there one night when it was pretty dark and had a bear brush past my leg heading to the bait. That gave me a start though. So much so I ran out to the dug road and forgot about the berm of dirt and rocks and went flat on my face. It helps to yell something like I am a man! Yep don't why I said that or something like that. That was a great experience up there but something I had no desire to do again over bait. keepem sharp and stay safe
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From: Adam Howard
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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It’s the shots I hear goin off in the “dark” I fear during rifle season (lol)
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From: Adam Howard
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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It’s the shots I hear goin off in the “dark” I fear during rifle season (lol)
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From: JusPassin
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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My brother and I hunted with an outfitter for black bear in northern MN years back. The first night out we found the outfitter waiting for us at our vehicle. He was checking to see if we'd actually stayed in the woods till dark. He said he had a number of hunters who he'd find sitting back in their vehicles because they were too scared to stay out in the bush when it started getting dim. He told us we were welcome to come back anytime to hunt with him but the scared ones were told he was booked up. Said they ruined his reputation and numbers.
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From: Kirk
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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i think even the guys that love walking around in the pitch black woods, have been spooked a few times.
We get pretty over confident being at the top of the food chain. i always figured there were very few wild animals in north America that would challenge a human, but was proven wrong on a couple occasions.
We had a hunting partner it a tree stand over bait one year we had to go run a bear off before he could get down. that was pretty spooky watching that bear circle us in the dark. he wasn't leaving that bait barrel. finally a pistol shot was used to scare him off.
ive had big cats stalk me at night too in eastern oregon....But the one time i was truely spooked the worst was on the Oregon coast hunting Roosevelt Elk. I was two miles back in an old creek bed with washed out skid roads. I knew their were a couple bulls working that canyon, because id heard them calling off the ridge tops above me very aggressively the day before.
So i set up right down in the bottom about an hour before dark and started cow calling and chuckling a bit her and there, and it was pretty quiet.... But right before shooting light faded. i get a huge aggressive bugle right above me, and can hear the brush crashing as this huge animal came charging down the ridge line.
Then everything went dead silent.... you could hear a pin drop as well as mu own heartbeat which was up in my throat at the time. Then like an explosion going off there is a second bull on the ridge behind me screaming his head off and tearing up trees not even 30 yards up the hill. Then the first bull comes back with his challage and almost knocks a small fir tree clear over .... i saw the flash of horns on that bull....
These two bulls were now raging back and forth above me, and im sitting by myself behind a big boston fern covered in cow in heat scent with a bow and a knife..... i wasnt feeling like the top of the food chain right then at all.
once it got full dark, i slipped back down the creek away from these two bulls that were still tearing up the woods, but i swear they were pacing me on the ridge tops on either side of me for a good mile of my retreat....i kept hearing the bulls grunts and branches snapping above me all the way out. THAT was a long spooky hike back to camp right there.... Kirk
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From: Thor
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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As for being afraid of the dark,being inside of a dark building can sometimes spook me.But being outside in the dark never has bothered me in the least.For example,when i was younger i went out into a large field at night and faced east and walked slowly for about 15 minutes with my eyes completely shut.I wanted to see how much I would vere off course.I knew ahead of time that the field had no obstacles or any pits ect.that I could injure myself while walking.I was also surprised I did not go that far to the left or the right. L
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From: wpaben
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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Having grown up coon hunting at night, the dark doesn't bother me. But walking back to the pick up spot, from a bear bait, while a bear followed and was snapping his jaws and growling, was not fun. That's the most scared I have ever been. wpab
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From: TrapperKayak
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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I'm not afraid of the dark but I am wary of what might be dangerous that is lurking that I can't see in the dark, so I carry a weapon. That usually removes the fear-factor pretty well. I am way more wary in the cities at night than in any kind of country setting, including griz or cat mountain country. The humans are far more dangerous than any wildlife IMO.
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From: Scoop
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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I'm one of those people who enjoy the dark, and long walks in it. That said, one of those moments you remember was in the dark on a heavy foggy fall night just after I got out of the army. I fell asleep with in the sun room with all the lights off when the cow dog started growling at the window. And that's something I pay attention to. Slipped out the side door with a pistol and no flashlight.
Rounding the corner of the garage slowly I saw someone standing in the shadows of the work shed, dimly lit by the night light. I told him if he moved I'd shoot. He didn't. Long moments passed and he was then instructed to put his hands up where I could see him. He didn't. To shorten the story, after more stare downs, I walked slowly towards him to close the distance. Him was a stray black horse standing head on to me. He let me walk slowly up to him put my belt around his neck, and walk him to the corral .
The good news is he never moved. The better news is I would have never fired a shot over a trespasser or someone stealing some gas or tools. And I would never shoot an unarmed horse! Lessons learned: take a flashlight out with you, strange things happen, and a good dog in the house is the best family protector I've had.
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From: GF
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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“ behind a big boston fern covered in cow in heat scent with a bow and a knife..... i wasnt feeling like the top of the food chain right then at all.”
Aww, Pshoot... They weren’t gonna eat ya!!!
LOL
Years ago, my fishing buddies used to quit before it got too dark to see what you were doing, but I explain to them but that’s the best time to catch the larger trout, especially big Browns that only come out under cover of darkness.
So it got to where they would just wait for me to lead them out of the area in the dark. I never seemed to have any trouble figuring out where the trail was, probably because I grew up minding my step in my peripheral vision, which, of course is much more sensitive in low light than your central vision, which is all color me: peripheral is almost entirely black and white.
The only thing that really oughtta be able to make the hair stand up on the back of my neck in the areas where I hunt would be a Cougar out in CO. There is a breeding female in the drainage, so there has to be a Tom out there somewhere. I would say, though, that I get uneasy around any animal that is not behaving the way that you would normally expect it to. So if I felt as if a pack of coyotes was following me through the woods, I would be pretty uneasy with that.
And cliffs. That could suck.
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From: Deno
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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X2 NY Yankee
Deno
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From: nineworlds9
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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Im usually ok as I carry protection and Im strong as hell, but I do end up in some pretty remote rural areas public land wise and I sometimes worry I might encounter the legendary skunk ape, some satanists or the next Jeffrey Dahmer LOL!! Either way I hope all three like 10mm! Haha!
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From: redquebec
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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I LOVE the woods at night! I prefer going on long hikes at night instead of daylight. Years ago, when I was in my 30s, I used to do something unusual when I hunted. When shooting light had faded I would hang my bow up on a tree limb, put my arrow back in the quiver and just stay seated (ground hunter) and observe the woods for another hour or two.
That's when some interesting creatures come out. I've seen packs of coyotes come by in a quiet trot, meandering bear, bull moose, owls, a family of raccoons on their evening foray. It's neat to see how the woods come alive about an hour after dark.
One evening I just sat in the dark, relaxing and I decided to put my earphones on and quietly listen to some music. I had a CD player with a Sam Bush/David Grisman disc. Those guys are both mandolin players and the whole disc is just mandolin duets with no other instruments. Perfect country/outdoors mood music. As I am listening to the CD, I see this weird shadow loom and swoop across the tree tops in my peripheral vision. It got my attention, but no further movement. Again, 3 to 5 minutes later there's a swooping shadow that moved into a thicker part of the tree tops and I was a little curious/nervous. No big deal, I'm in the woods, the safest place I know.
Then suddenly this shadow descends and grows in my central vision. My heart accelerates as this swirling shadow grows and bears down on me. I sit up a little and with a degree of confusion and adrenalin I realize whatever this thing is, it's real and it's coming to get me. With a rapid start I put both hands up with my fingers spread and extend my arms out to grapple with whatever this beast might be. At the time I didn't realize that I had ripped the earphones off my head to get ready for the "fight".
With both hands extended out in front of me I let out a Raaaaa! kind of yell in anticipation of the "impact." A great horned owl, with his wings spread wide and his claws extended out in front of him, was bearing down on my face. My open hands and his open claws almost made contact in a "grasp". He suddenly had the realization that I was not a prey animal and HE screeched, maneuvered his wings in an amazing feat of acrobatics and just barely missed me as he banked hard left. I felt the breeze...
About 5 seconds later, with my heart pounding, and me just sitting there wondering why that happened, I wake up out of my adrenalin to hear this little squeaking, mousey sound. What's that!? Then I realize that my earphones are dangling by my thigh and the sound I am hearing is mandolin music. I started laughing, "That sounds exactly like a little mouse or chipmunk or something." That swooping shadow I was seeing in the tree tops was the owl closing in and getting a bearing on the sound of my earphones. Let me tell you that "attack" was awe inspiring, majestic and deadly. I started to wonder what other predators I might attract.
I stopped wearing earphones after that when I would sit for an extra couple hours in the dark...too "scared".
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From: Scoop
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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Now that's something my wife would say!
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From: grizz
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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We have lions, bears, rattlers and some say Bigfoot (?) but I’m not really scared of the dark. I’m am, however, terrified of congress in full daylight.
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From: TrapperKayak
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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redquebec, you should been playing Old and In the Way...
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From: Nemophilist
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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Be careful out there in the dark, and daylight. :)
My two closest calls were in broad daylight. First was a very mad sow black bear with two cubs in New Brunswick Canada, she was at the bottom of the tree I was in and was looking up at me and snapping her teeth. I didn't want to shoot her because she had cubs. Lucky for me the cubs wandered off and she went after them. The second was a cow moose with a calf in Colorado when I was bowhunting elk. I heard some noises in the timber along side a meadow so I snuck up to investigate. I ended up 20 yards from a cow moose when she seen me and that's when I seen she had a calf with her. I could tell right away she was VERY pissed off with me being there that close to her calf. I backed out of there as fast as I could keeping trees between me and her. I was lucky again because she didn't come after me. My latest episode was yesterday morning right before light. I was sitting in my treestand when I felt something drop on my lap. I thought it was a branch or some leaves so I turned on my flashlight to see what it was. There sitting on my lap was a flying squirrel. "LOL" He then glided to the ground and ran away. I guess he realized I wasn't part of the tree.
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From: D31
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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IMHO, NOBODY IS SCARED OF THE DARK. What people mistake for being scared of the dark is, FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN.
I grew up running Coon hounds from Sunset to Sunrise. What I quickly learned from that experience was to leave your light OFF until you are at the tree shining for EYES. When you do turn on your light keep one eye closed and knock the Coon out as quickly as possible and turn the light OFF.
NATURAL NIGHT VISION allows you to see the horizon, the stars, the canopy of the woods and the topography of the land you are navigating. It allows you to see large trees and other structures to keep your bearings and balance. When chasing hounds you have no idea what direction you are going to be taken. In those days houndsmen were not running GPS tracking collars and watching the race on their phone sitting in the truck. If you didn't stay within earshot of your dogs you spent the night hunting down dogs instead of hides. It takes about 15 minutes of darkness for your eyes to reach their full potential for seeing in the dark but only a few seconds of light to lose it. If you keep one eye closed you will still be able to see when you turn the light s off
With your light on your vision stops abruptly at the end of the cone of light you are projecting. EVERYTHING OUTSIDE OF THE CONE BECOMES AN UNKNOWN. You freak yourself out because your PERSPECTIVE IS LOST. Your world just shrank to what's in the light and everything outside the light is suddenly scary.
Don't get me wrong, If you are crossing deep water or navigating a steep hillside or some other area where a missed step could be the difference between life and death by all means turn on the light. Good Day
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From: Danielb
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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I always hated to walk off the end of the pier in the dark. I’ve lost more than one pair of glasses. Fixed it last year with a couple of solar powered lights. lol
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From: redquebec
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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I actually listen to old and in the way...;-)
After the owl incident I thought about setting up a trail camera in close proximity to some earphones sitting on a stump playing old-time music (mandolin, fiddle, banjo and acoustic guitar). Put a protective cover over the earphones and let the CD play all night on continuous play.
I'll bet you would get some great pictures...maybe even a curious bigfoot :-0
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From: SeminoleBob
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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The only thing that really spooked me was that my K9 walked me up to a leopard. Once came close to a mineshaft. Working as a dog handler got me used to the night. "K9 we rule the night."
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From: Will tell
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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The dark doesn't t bother me as much as a face full of spider webs. That's when I do the spider dance, mostly arm gyrations and some foot work.
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From: Jon Stewart
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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I don't have a problem with the dark.
If you are hunting you shouldn't have a problem. You are carrying a weapon.
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From: MStyles
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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As a little kid growing up in an old, victorian home, with the no longer in use giant octopus coal furnace in the basement, I had a wicked fear of the dark, and big spiders. After I turned off the basement light at night, I ran as fast as I could, about 10 yards in pitch black, to get back upstairs to the light in the back hall. Fast forward 10 years. Drove out to the Ill. boonies with a couple of friends to go coon hunting with a friend of theirs who had a farm way out there. He took us out coon hunting with his dogs. Pitch black everywhere bc electricity was only in the downtown area. Had a blast with his dogs running those raccoons ragged all over and up in the trees. Had a great time, and lost my fear of the dark on that hunting trip.
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From: Stubee
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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The only thing I’m afraid of in any woods I roam is the odd human, so I walk with a small headlight on unless on a piece where I know nobody can be there. I actually like the dark. I used to do a lot of night trout fishing and the best nights were with no moon and heavy could cover was a plus.
Here’s a dark tale: years ago I was trout fishing up by Seney, MI and after dinner we decided to take a drive up the grade to the old Stanley Lake campground. We got there and once I turned the headlights off we realized it was DARK! We nearly walked into an old picnic table and when we thought we’d found the old lake shore we really couldn’t tell; it just kinda felt like it was a few feet down below where the trees stopped. With so little to see we decided to walk back to my truck. We couldn’t find it right away so finally I lit my cigarette lighter and yep, there it was, no more than 6-8 feet from me! It was a cloudy night with no moon and you could hardly see your outstretched hand.
I do tend to carry some kind of flashlight with me these days. And in the woods, a compass.
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From: BairPaw
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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The dark deprives you of one of your primary senses as well as allowing your remaining senses to be,on high alert. Being on stand in the dark when the vision comes back into play in the early morning is the price you pay as a predator. I love every minute of it.
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From: RymanCat
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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Their were times I didn't like it I have to admit and I stayed in tree till someone came and got me. LOL
Like the guide on a hunt or my buddy since he had to come right by me.
One knight it was so eerie I was thinking about not coming down at all till next day. LOL
It was full moon and yottes seemed to cry in all parts of the woods. No I didn't like it at all. I had some scary times both on the water and in the woods in my time.
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From: 1sthound
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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I never have had fear of the dark. I ran coons with my hounds for many years alone. I did get lost one time bow hunting when I was young that made me more mad at myself than scared, I just started a fire lay down and went to sleep, walked out in the morning feeling stupid when I walked into camp and the search posse from the Sheriff Dept. was there gearing up to come looking for me.
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From: Andy Man
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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years ago I was bear hunting at Whites lake in Canada I was dropped off from a canoe and told they would come back and get me at dark
got dark and worked my way down to the lake and sat on a log- somebody else had gotten a bear and they were delayed in getting back to me
I saw the silowet of 2 raccons come down to the lake and playing with each other- thought they were the biggest coons I had ever seen , and got to thinking they would never believe how big coons get up here in Canada- so I decided to shoot one for proof I eased to my knees and started to draw when 10 feet from me momma bear stood up popping her teeth and making all kinda awful noises
I thought that if I shot her she would still kill me before the arrow took effect then thought maybe shoot and dive into the lake and do like daffy duck comming up here and there?
the cubs ran back and could hear them climbing up a tree and she backed off
I was dancing and singing until the canoe finaly came back-I did not like the dark after that
had no clue about bear hunting was young and somebody canceled out and was asked to go to fill the spot
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From: MCNSC
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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I’m not skeerd of the dark , it’s the things I can’t see because of the dark that I’m skeerd of .
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From: StikBow
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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You might remember those big spiders in SE Asia. I can tell you my arms swing so fast i thought I’d take off. I used to walk in and out of my tree stands in the dark often. It is what you have to do sometimes, so you just do it
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From: Linecutter
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Date: 24-Nov-20 |
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I have been in the woods a lot after dark over the years. The only time I would say I was a little on the scared side was when I had a cabin full of kids with me. I was a camp counselor for a cabin of 10 kids, Normally we slept in cabins, but we would take our cabin groups out on overnight camp outs or two night camp outs. This one particular two nighter we set up a camp near a rock bluff that no one had ever camped at. I found this spot the previous fall squirrel hunting on the Campgrounds,the Campgrounds owns about 500 acres. It had a beautiful view from where we camped. The evening of the second night we hiked back to the main campgrounds, on little more than a deer trail, because it was hot and the kids wanted to go swimming. By the time they got done it was after sunset and getting dark. The C.I.T. and I hadn't brought flashlights because we didn't think it would be that late by the time we'd get back. We started back to where we had our camp set up with all 10 kids, by the time we were maybe halfway back it was DARK. I couldn't make out land marks. I would looked up to the sky and used the tree tops more or less as a guide and we were walking slow trying not to trip over anything or get into briers. Neither the C.I.T. or I knew where exactly we were. To this day I still say the distance was shorten that we covered that night. Because the next thing we knew we were in our camp. It took us longer to walk out than it did coming back in the dark. Sounds crazy I know, but I believe we were watched over because of those kids and strange things can happen in the dark you can't explain. True story. DANNY
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From: larryhatfield
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Date: 25-Nov-20 |
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Those big spiders in Laos are whats to eat if you are traveling with Hmong! I never was afraid of darkness, maybe because my brother and I ran traplines for mink and muskrat when we were 6 and 7 years old and we set the traps and ran them at night to avoid fur thieves. There was a warden that would steal all he could find. Since I grew up that way it was never even something I ever thought about until this thread. Can't count the times we would rope cattle and get them in a truck in total darkness. Just getting the job done. Used to bet a hundred dollars on going from White Pass to Naches Pass summit starting at midnight and meeting the guy I bet with at 6:00 AM the next morning.
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From: grizz
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Date: 25-Nov-20 |
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I grew up in cow country, raised by cow people and did my share of working cattle. But I guarantee, I couldn’t rope a fence post in total darkness. You must be a helluva man sir, bless your heart.
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From: TrapperKayak
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Date: 25-Nov-20 |
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red,,, pictures...maybe even a curious bigfoot :-0 Maybe a lost trippin' hippie or two... )
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From: larryhatfield
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Date: 25-Nov-20 |
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When your horse is shoving one straight ahead you just make a big loop and throw it. Any of my horses will drag a cow or another horse up a ramp into a truck. All about the horse, not the man.
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From: GrizzerBear
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Date: 25-Nov-20 |
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Some years back we were Bear hunting in northern WI. Running hounds during training season. Dogs treed a near way back in a tag alder swamp, after we got there and were walking out we started to hear the wolves howling, kinda neat at first till they got to close. Hounds would bark an the wolves would howl, and here we are with no weapons, except Buck knifes. I thought for a minute I would have to go all Jeremiah Johnson on that pack of wolves, but they soon moved from the area. Now if you say that dont scare you, your either Braindead, or a FN Liar!!!. I'm not braindead, despite what my wife says, and I'm not a liar, I was terrified. Only real time the dark has bothered me.
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From: grizz
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Date: 25-Nov-20 |
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I sure nuff believe that swinging a wide loop story.
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From: rallison
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Date: 25-Nov-20 |
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When I was a young'un I had tremendous night vision...I never used a flashlight moving through a couple miles of Wisconsin bluff country to where we deer hunted. My dad taught me early on how to read the night woods...there's always recognition reference points in the woods and terrain once one learns the area.
In fact, I think the best way to get lost is by using a flashlight. Your night vision is ruined, you can see ONLY what's in that beam, and everything pretty much looks the same.
But those young days are now in the distant past, and my night vision pretty much sucks! So, now I wear protective eyewear and carry a red flashlight...but I use the light basically to attach a climber. Definitely wanna be sure it's properly attached.
There's a reason WWII submariners used red light in the conning tower on night attacks...it doesn't destroy your night vision.
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From: stykman
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Date: 26-Nov-20 |
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Due to my age and physical condition, I choose to wait for first light before going in and get out while I can still see where I'm walking. Lights are good but nothing like the real thing.
I also hunt solo which is another consideration. A few minutes either way aren't going to make that much difference when compared to my well-being. I want to hunt another day. Has nothing to do with fear of the dark.
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From: Bjrogg
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Date: 26-Nov-20 |
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I’m not really afraid of the dark outside. We don’t have a lot to fear here. I to spent a lot of time trapping muskrats in the dark. I do remember one very dark morning slowly making my way upstream on the side of the creek. I almost stepped on a pair of pheasant as they reluctantly but rapidly flushed as I put my foot down. Of course I have had them scare the crap out of me when they did that in the daylight to.
Bjrogg
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From: Stan
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Date: 26-Nov-20 |
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I am more concerned with other hunters with crossbows and itchy fingers than anything else..
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From: Scoop
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Date: 26-Nov-20 |
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Bjrogg's pheasant story is close to home. It was about midnight and a full moon when I was riding a saddle horse and leading a pack horse out with my son's bull elk on it. I'd come out of the mountains and riding an old two-track across the sagebrush valley floor with about three miles to go to the truck.
No wind, full moon with long shadows, and I was just about dozing off in that calming rhythm of a walking horse, when two sage grouse in front of old Sal's nose exploded from the grass between the two tracks like pheasants. Both those generally good, solid horses swapped ends and it took a few seconds to head off a wreck. An hour later, a thermos of coffee never tasted better. A moment of excitement aside, there a few night rides as enjoyable as those with a full moon.
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From: Longhunter
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Date: 27-Nov-20 |
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was never afraid of the dark, but I am afraid of those eye-level small branches that i can't see when moving thru the woods-true story-about 20 yrs ago, I was hoofing it up to a ridge during the spring gobbler season-moving fast up an overgrown logging road to get there before sunrise, had about a mile to go, when one of those pesky branches jabbed me directly in the right eye. Dropped me in my tracks, like I had just been smacked with a board! about 15 min later, when I could finally open my eye again, I started back up to the ridge. Had to see an eye Dr later that day because of the pain. He told me that I had ripped the eyeball almost down to the iris-had a big chunk of the "cover" missing. Since then, I'm always wearing safety glasses when traveling in the woods in the dark!
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From: George D. Stout
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Date: 27-Nov-20 |
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Some fear is sensible and humans mostly can't see in the dark, so there really has to be a point to roaming around in the woods in total darkness. Frankly, if I'm going to the woods in the dark, it's with a light and likely to track a deer or look for a lost person. No other logical reason to blunder around out there.
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From: Jeff Durnell
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Date: 27-Nov-20 |
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For you maybe. There's lots of reasons for others.
Just because one is in the woods when its dark out doesn't mean he's blunderin'.
I like it. It's different then. Different animals, birds, fish, sounds, etc. I like to experience new, unknown stuff in the woods, and after dark is where it often happens.
A buddy of mine I've known since we were kids is ascared of it. All ya gotta do is shut off your light and whisper, "what was that?" and watch the magic happen. Lol. I've seen him in near-full meltdown multiple times. Almost jump on my back. Run blindly into trees. I kinda feel for him, but it's entertaining.
Shoulda seen the night he and I were fishing in my boat in the middle of the night for stripers. First a few nearby coons along the shore had a brawl that sounded like a pair of honey badgers in heat and that bewildered and scared him. Then several minutes later a great blue heron flew, silently, low, over us and let out that Pterodactyl sounding raspy "SQWAAAAWK" that they often do at night, and down he went. Ended up mostly upside down in the bow of the boat and almost put me in the drink. "What the F was THAT?" This, from a guy that has spend his whole life in the woods.
I've had a few exciting moments in the dark, but it wasn't exciting because of a fear of the dark. A bat tried to land on my face once. A raccoon attacked me in high field grass as I was heading out to hunt spring turkey and I had to kill him in self defense. That was an action packed 6 seconds. Wasn't about 'the dark' though.
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From: Bjrogg
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Date: 27-Nov-20 |
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I really prefer no light either. I’m big on night vision. If you have a little moonlight and don’t ruin your night vision. You’d be surprised what you can see. I still often carry one but use it sparingly.
Bjrogg
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From: JamesV
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Date: 28-Nov-20 |
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I once belonged to an archery only hunting club. Openening weekend I was in a tree watching 3 does feed about 30 min before sunset and I heard several 4 wheelers cranking up and leaving the woods. The manager of the property told me most of the hunters were out of the woods well before dark. I have a friend that is deathly afraid of the dark, and will be at the truck well before sunset, it makes for a long wait because I stay in the tree until dark and my wife stays until she can't see the ground. If I have my cell on he will call me at sunset to tell me it is getting dark, needless to say I now keep it off if I am hunting with him.
James
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