Scariest Moment in the Woods?

[Five Tango]

Ok. I'm easy. Just ordered my 6 airblasters from Amazon

Don't forget some earplugs while you're at it.Sometimes I go to the basement and just blow mine(when SHE is not around) just for the heck of it.That thing is LOUD!I forget what it weighs but will guess about .8 oz.

[JumpinJackJim]

Thanks. I'm eager to try it. After a near encounter like I had, I definitely want some kind of loud horn thing. I'm not opposed to a gun, but too heavy and have been advised they are of little use in such situations, unless very large/heavy caliber. Bear Spray might be good outside of hammock, but not while in one, plus want to ward off before I get spray close.

[bwhntMT]

About 12 years ago I was working a summer job for the Montana Fish and Game. I led a survey crew on weekly trips deep into the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness doing fish samples and surveys. It was an incredible summer, putting over 400 trail miles on and at least another 150 off trail miles in about 9 weeks. We were in the middle of black bear and Griz country. We saw plenty of sign, but hadn't run into a bear all summer. We really pushed it one day to sample a couple of bonus lakes and were hoofing it to get back to base camp. It was basically just dark as we were coming around the end of a lake on a trail that came close to that lake's outlet. We were all on pretty high alert, thinking that bumping a bear in the dark was semi-likely and not something we wanted to experience. As we rounded a bend in the trail, a huge, snarling black mass lunged out of the brush along the trail. Thankfully, that mass of fur was pulled back and turned out to be an enormous dog of a guy who was setting up camp right there. Good thing we had another two miles to go before camp, because we were all pretty keyed up and needed to get the adrenaline burned off. No shorts were soiled in that experience...somehow.

[TreeDangle]

Ok. I'm easy. Just ordered my 6 airblasters from Amazon

While hiking through the woods in northern BC (for work) we had a black bear circling us about 30m off. We blasted off the air horn but he didn't even flinch. We eventually radioed in the helicopter to fly in low over the tree tops and that got him away. Handy things, helicopters. Don't know if you can get them on Amazon though.

[Makowski]

I would have to say my porcupine experience this year was pretty unnerving, Early archery season and I climb up about 25 ft with my climber just start pulling up my bow when i look up a tree to see a very large porcupine heading down the tree, needless to say I believe I now hold the world record for fastest climber descent, he was not far after me and never missed a beat acted like I wasn't even around.

[sustaireblues]

Yeah, that would be scary!

[wagex]

second time taking my diy bridge hammock out it was a beautiful day and night i think 70 was the low that night and clear skies so no tarp, but i did take a cheap walmart tarp and lay it on the ground since it was a sandy muddy area laying there fast asleep i hear something walking on the tarp under me then feel it brush my underquilt i layed stiff as a board till it was gone then went back to sleep, i probably woudnt have woke up if i didnt have that darn crinkly tarp under me lol! it wasnt the first time i had something walk under me, but it was the first time i had something rub up against me. im guessing it was a coyote as we dont have bears and it was too small to be a deer, unless it was a fawn.
but for some reason im a very light sleeper when it comes to hammock camping people talking or something near by wakes me up. though rain sounds amazing on the tarp and helps me fall asleep very nicely even in a big thunder storm i sleep great. at home nothing wakes me up, at all not phone, alarms, tornado sirens.. nothing, besides my kids sneaking around or standing at the side of the bed dead silent.

also while out hunting a couple weeks ago i was walking into the woods while it was still dark about 5am and i heard something dart out next to me and haul butt my heart stopped and i turned my flashlight and seen a couple big fat rabbits sitting in the leaves about 15 feet away.

[litetrek]

Woken up in the middle of the night in NM by a mountain lion killing something, either a coyote or a wild dog. It wasn't too far from our campsite, maybe a few hundred yards. It scared the crap out of me until I realized that it already had its dinner and if I left it alone all would be well.

Another time in the cohutta wilderness in north Georgia. We got visited by a bear around supper time. He must have smelled our food. I wasn't too scared of him until I decided to take his picture and the click of the camera spooked him and he charged me. He got within about 8 feet of me. Apparently he didn't like the fact that I stood my ground cursing at him because he just turned around and walked away. Bears don't like profanity. It was a black bear. A big grizzly would have scared me to death. Of course, no grizzlys in GA.

[Trailsmith]

Woke up in the middle of the night to growling right outside of my tent when I was little, still haven't got that out of my brain, I was to young and scared to dare open the tent to see what the heck it was.

[bser272]

Camped in PA state forest land on a "primitive site." Was approached a few hours after sundown by a random meth-head who was very curious about my site. He talked.. and talked... and talked and eventually left (after a solid 20 minutes). But his presence was unnerving to say the least. He was eyeing me and by brother-in-law up, and checking out our site, talking faster than I thought humanly possible. I don't mind the howling of coyotes or the chance encounter with a bear, its the desperate humans i fear most. You really never know what someone is capable of when they need money, or something they can steal and sell quickly to get whatever it is that they want. And you never know what lengths they are willing to go to get what you have. Wonder how much meth one could get for a down quilt anyway........