Has anyone had an animal run into them whilst hanging?

**RunningRigging** · 06-07-2020, 15:43

First of all, I'm the definition of a noob to all of this. I've spent one night in a hammock while camping a state forest here in west Massachusetts several years ago. Nothing ever bumped into me, but.......
In the night, at anchor in the lee of some island or up a river, you're sleeping with that rocking motion hammock people know. Then something big bumps the boat. Not hard like wood or a drifting boat, but full of life and from below the waterline. That's one of the ways sea creatures explore their worlds; they bump. Could be a mammal, fish, or reptile. You smile and go back to sleep.
I'll keep yas posted on how the hammock experiment is going. I'm awaiting a Warbonnet RidgeRunner, and hoping I'll learn to hang as part of my camping life.

**Dvankirk** · 06-08-2020, 07:57

Thought about this thread Friday night as I was riding out a storm at Thomas Knob on Mount Rogers in VA. There are wild ponies throughout the park that wander around grazing night and day. Never had a concern about any of them (even though I saw a Schill Brothers video where one apparently charged closed to a hiking group), but about 3 am they were grazing around my tarp in the storm and pulled out one of my guy lines. Wasn't too startled, but sucked having to get up and fix the line.

**Foxpoop** · 06-08-2020, 10:42

Plenty of birds land on the hammock. Had close calls with deer, turkeys, raccoons and one bear, but never actually ran in to me.

**Hypnos** · 06-08-2020, 12:32

Nothing has ever hit the hammock itself but I’ve had possums and raccoons walk under me and try to figure out what my tarp guy lines were. Woke up once hearing a rustling and looked over to see a raccoon about 5 feet from where I was laying.

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**bearito** · 06-10-2020, 10:55

Had some coyotes get close to me this week but they ran off when I shined my light on them. Also deer. I wonder if I could use my hammock as a blind... talk about breakfast from the hammock!

**FuzzyJew** · 06-10-2020, 11:25

Only ever had my fellow campers come stumbling into me after the fireside shared drinks went a bit deeper than usual.

**deadeye** · 06-10-2020, 12:27

Originally Posted by RunningRigging

First of all, I'm the definition of a noob to all of this. I've spent one night in a hammock while camping a state forest here in west Massachusetts several years ago. Nothing ever bumped into me, but.......
In the night, at anchor in the lee of some island or up a river, you're sleeping with that rocking motion hammock people know. Then something big bumps the boat. Not hard like wood or a drifting boat, but full of life and from below the waterline. That's one of the ways sea creatures explore their worlds; they bump. Could be a mammal, fish, or reptile. You smile and go back to sleep.
I'll keep yas posted on how the hammock experiment is going. I'm awaiting a Warbonnet RidgeRunner, and hoping I'll learn to hang as part of my camping life.

Not to hijack the thread, but same happened to me & my future wife on Lake Champlain (home of Champ, Vermont's version of Nessie). 1/2 mile or more from shore, 100+ feet deep, nothing in sight... BUMP.

Paddled ourselves to shore PDQ!

Nothing's bumped my hammock yet, but I'm just waiting. Have had moose & deer walk by, which is the scary part - if they get tangled in lines and spooked, the result could be tragic or comical.

**Hiking Feral** · 06-10-2020, 16:32

No but once, in my Polish Lavvu, I was just drifting off to sleep and something sniffed and nibbled the back of my head, I'm 6'6 and my head usually pressed against whatever shelter I'm in lol. I could also hear a low almost complaining animal sound so I'm convinced it was badgers, badgers sound like they are constantly complaining to me.

**MuadDale** · 06-10-2020, 17:43

During an afternoon backyard hang a squirrel was messing around in a close by tree and didn't seem to know I was there. I got his attention with a slight noise using my mouth and he spun around and just stared right at me for several heart beats. He was only about 6-8 feet away and I thought "I'm about to get a curious, then terrified, squirrel jump into my nice hammock" so I waved my hand a bit to spook him away lol.