Critters while hanging

[mrh_on]

Growing up on a farm in south Alabama, one thing my uncle taught me is that animals can sense fear...

This is totally true. I used to have dobermans, and I remember walking with him on a sidewalk towards this hill. Someone came up over the hill and he immediately sensed something and tensed up, trying to pull me towards this person. The person switched to the opposite side of the street rather than continue on towards us. I know that doesn't sound like much but we were a kilometer from the person and he just knew they were terrified of him. They can sense it from a distance.

Not that I've ever put this into practice, as I'd probably be scared as hell, but if you've seen the documentary Grizzly Man, this guy stood up to grizzlies. His lack of fear of them gave them pause for years and it allowed him to study them and get right into their habitats. Again, I don't recommend this as eventually one of the angrier ones got him but it worked on many occasions for him.

When something wakes me in the night I usually try to figure out what it is and while thinking about it I usually just doze off again.

[tnvarmint]

Yeah I don't typically let it cause me to loose any sleep. In fact, I would much rather be sleeping in my hammock in the woods than in my own bed most of the time. The only difference is, I feel much safer in my bed than in the hammock. Trust me though, I realize it is totally in my head.

One time while camping out on the lake with my oldest son, we were setting by the fire late into the night/early morning talking. There was a coon that kept trying to get into the camp with us. It would come well into the fire light and at one point I had to kick at the darned thing with my foot to scare it off. It remained around us all night and I was fine with it. We laughed about the stupid thing for a couple of hours while talking around the camp fire. Once we decided to call it a night and I crawled into the hammock, my nerves went to heck and I was more than a little jumpy until I fell asleep. Once asleep though I sleep great.

[RATyson]

This is totally true. I used to have dobermans, and I remember walking with him on a sidewalk towards this hill. Someone came up over the hill and he immediately sensed something and tensed up, trying to pull me towards this person. The person switched to the opposite side of the street rather than continue on towards us. I know that doesn't sound like much but we were a kilometer from the person and he just knew they were terrified of him. They can sense it from a distance.

Not that I've ever put this into practice, as I'd probably be scared as hell, but if you've seen the documentary Grizzly Man, this guy stood up to grizzlies. His lack of fear of them gave them pause for years and it allowed him to study them and get right into their habitats. Again, I don't recommend this as eventually one of the angrier ones got him but it worked on many occasions for him.

When something wakes me in the night I usually try to figure out what it is and while thinking about it I usually just doze off again.

Turns out they were just waiting on him to bring a friend along before the buffet opened.

Definitely a sad situation on that one.

I don't get very concerned about smaller critters while camping.. But bears absolutely scare the crap out of me... I don't trust them to leave me alone. I've never had an encounter with one, and hope I never do.

[dudeman_atl]

It seems like Scouts attract critters!

I've had a couple of encounters in my tent and hammock since I started going out with my sons on BSA events.
In the hammock, I also get the willies on occasion and have a hard time sleeping soundly when the forest is too noisy.

My ridgeline organizer now has foam earplugs that keep in there and I've been sleeping a lot more soundly.

[Beast 71]

Scared would be too strong, but I was concerned about giant, fearless and numerous raccoons at Itasca state park, in northern MN. They tried to chase me away from my own dinner one evening (it didn't work, I ran away with my dinner) and they were rummaging around under my tarp while I was in my hammock the next night. I hollered but they didn't even flinch and didn't leave until they were good and ready. I've had numerous encounters with bears, but they've always ran like hell when I've announced myself. The only time that I was ever scared of an animal was when I had to set up across a game trail. I was certain that every noise that I heard was a bear or moose getting ready to stumble over me in the dark. I'll never set up across a trail again.

[Five Tango]

I think we feel more exposed in a hammock than a tent because our backside is in mid air.Depending on the critter,it may be an advantage to be suspended.Yes,I have thot about all this;especially while listening to the banshee like howling of the coyotes one night but you can't let yourself dwell on it.Incidentally,I think I could cut my way out of a hammock and into a threat in a flash,just sayin'....

[OneClick]

I'm waiting (not really) for the day a deer comes running full sprint between the two trees I'm haning on. Ouch.

[tnvarmint]

Scared would be too strong, but I was concerned ...

I agree, scared or fear is a bit strong of a term. As I have said, it doesn't deter me from going out every chance I can nor do I loose any sleep. It's more of just that chill that runs down your spine when something creeps you out. Funny thing is it's not the big critters like bears that give me the willies. It's the small ones like coons and skunks and such. I have seen what a mean coon will do to a coon hound and let me tell you. Those little buggers scare the bajeebus out of me!

[whmoller]

Never have had an issue with animals while sleeping other than a skunk that was working its way into my son's pack. I was very quiet and it eventually went away without doing any damage as we had cleaned up our trash and hung our food. I think the only reason we were bothered at all was because we were in a campground and trash was a problem.

I hike in CO, WY, AND MT and while I see animals I have never been bothered by one, but I try to cook and camp in two different spots. I also try to stay off lines of drift and game trails when I set up my camp. What gives me the most fear while hiking is not animals but potential trips and falls caused by my clumsiness.

[WalksIn2Trees]

The reality is that there is no security in either except psychological. As a teen camping with my father i woke up to take a leak and heard a raccoon barking art me not far away, took me a while to go to sleep for the rest of the trip. Two years ago i was hanging and heard a bear blundering around in the woods nearby. I was worried for a couple weeks but yeah it went away, mostly with the realization that even if I'd been in a house and a bear wanted in, it was probably going to get in, and none have even tried that I've heard of