mounatin liions & Hammocks

**FreeTheWeasel** · 02-06-2008, 00:13

i just moved to South Western Oregon and all I've been hearing about is cougars. On one of my first ventures into the forest, an elderly couple warned me to be careful. At work, I hear anecdotal stories from guys who know someone who once met someone who saw something.

It is starting to make me paranoid! I have a first grade daughter and I want to take her into the woods to go hammocking once the weather clears up a bit, but I have this irrational fear that I need to work through. And I'm sure that it is irrational. Like most animal predator hysteria, this one seems to be overblown and a quick look at the statistics shows that you have a pretty small chance of being attacked.

That said, I'm still a bit nervous

FreeTheWeasel

**Coffee** · 02-06-2008, 00:27

If it makes you feel better I used to do the full lighthouse from my hammock. The whole shinning the headlamp all around in the circle to see if I see anything at any sound.

The biggest comfort to me is that nothing really happens to anyone. If it did I would hear more about it.

I do carry pepper spray now for everyone's freakin dogs they never seem to control. If I had a dollar for everytime I saw a dog then minutes later saw the owner if then, I would still be hiking.

**red devil** · 02-06-2008, 02:11

I'm glad I'm not the only one sick of loose dogs. I even like dogs and grew up with them, but am really tired of owners not controlling them. Bad trail manners and unsafe in my opinion.
I like to have something to keep me a notch or two up on the food chain in the woods. Pepper spray is a good option. Not that much extra weight for peace of mind. Just my two cents though. Probably better served using a food bag and not eating where you camp. I've seen whitetails fairly regularly and there are probably predators to go along with them as well. I don't think having a backup plan is a bad idea.