Wish Me Luck, Boys (And Girls)

[Guest]

outpunched again i'm afraid Jodie...

http://www.nextag.com/screen-tent-with-floor/shop-html

looking forward to hearing what see-te has discovered.

From your link - For 'Footers there is the Gigatent and the Napier

I think to be more attractive, a camping vehicle/rv/trailer might have to stay in one place for awhile. Bears seem to take awhile to investigate such things (unless food is left out), so I would assume Sas would, too. If you think about it though, modern tents are VERY strange things in the woods, made of strange materials that can just pop up out of nowhere, from a BF type perspective. If I was a BF, I would be much more curios about a tent than an RV or camper (that much more resembles a "regular" human structure). Just MHO.

Edited September 3, 2011 by notgiganto

[Guest]

whilst were waiting for See-te to come down for breakfast, how would one go about filing a patent for a bf related piece of kit?

Edited September 3, 2011 by megatarsal

[See-Te-Cah NC]

OK, I'm back. Pretty interesting night, although it wasn't quite what I expected. I got absolutely zero sleep and the natural sounds were a bit more than I had even considered. There are a lot of noises in the forest at night... absolutely no comparison to hunting during the day/dawn/dusk. I ended up just siiting in various spots around the site, but mostly on an old tobacco truck I had placed there earlier.

It's funny and I hate to admit it, but I was afraid more than once. I believe that my perception of how easy it would be wasn't accurate at all. Everything is scary in the dark. You get a humbling feeling that you aren't the baddest creature there regardless of being armed!

I think I've been watching too many BF videos, listening to too many recorded sounds and reading too many reports. I had to remind myself that every sound I heard wasn't a BF. Oh, and deer love apples! I doubt that a BF would ever even have a chance to eat one. Now if he wanted a deer, then he might eat an apple indirectly! If anyone tells you that the deer need to be protected in NC you need to laugh them out of the state. I had a chance to hear a lot of deer sounds that I'd never had a chance to hear... And I've heard a few deer sounds in my time. Admittedly, I was afraid at some of the deer sounds I heard before I realized what was making those sounds. I also got a chance to see a 'possum... Creepy at night.

Admittedly, I have a long way to go in regard to BF observation. I thought that my baiting would just draw them in. I thought that staying out in the field at night would be a piece of cake. I believed that I'd go and find the burlap sack I'd hung from a tree removed and the contents open and consumed (a jar of peanut butter, a jar of honey, assorted nuts and coconut wedges). Boy, was I wrong. I can see where patience and luck are going to come into play. In all seriousness, I knew that it wouldn't be that easy, but I was very optimistic and was somewhat disappointed. I suppose there's always next time.

Speaking of next time, I'll be sure to take a tent and a friend. I was totally unprepared for the experience of being outside overnight alone... What would I have done if I'd actually had an encounter with BF? I can see that this is going to be a lot of hard work and require me to man up a bit more. Hard to admit, but it's the truth.

I heard what could have been one wood knock last night, which was when I decided to go for it. That was all of the possible BF noises for the night. Sorry, no earth-shattering news to report.

See

Edited September 3, 2011 by See-Te-Cah NC

[Guest]

Glad you made it back in one piece.

Perhaps you could take a digital recorder next time and upload the results to soundcloud or similar sites. There are even web pages somewhere detailing how to make an inexpensive parabolic dish.

Better luck next time.

[Guest]

Glad you made it back safe. Sounds like, regardless of whether or not it is part of hunting BF, the exercise of going out into the woods and staying all night without cover is a humbling experience that we should all partake of...if only to remember that we might not be so big and bad, that we might not know it all, and that nature is still awesome, powerful and filled with wonders. Kudos.

[Guest]

Indeed Kudos!! I know I'm not big, bad, and on top of things when I won't even go out on my deck at night alone because it is too dark out there.

[Doc Holliday]

Speaking of next time, I'll be sure to take a tent and a friend. I was totally unprepared for the experience of being outside overnight alone... What would I have done if I'd actually had an encounter with BF? I can see that this is going to be a lot of hard work and require me to man up a bit more. Hard to admit, but it's the truth.

See

warm weather woods at night are usually anything but quiet,as you now probably know.

as far as an encounter ,the tent & a friend, well, then all you'd need was a tent, 'cause an up close BF encounter at night might = instant friend?.....or foe?!?!?

[bipedalist]

but man no tent ?? In North Carolina ??? if you dont have a dozen ticks on you by morning, and god knows what other creepy crawly bugs sharing your sleeping bag... I dont know....Art

The biggest threat is still mosquitoes. A kid just died of LaCrosse encephalitis here in the mtns of WNC. Can't ever take them for granted.

[Guest Biggie]

Good luck. Your Smith .50 revolver is a large, powerful handgun, but it pales in comparison to most rifles.

I remember seeing a AK account of a grizzly bear attack recently where it came charging out of the woods right behind the man walking on a trail where he barely had time to sidestep and draw his revolver to shoot it. The bear fell against him while it was quickly moving past him but he got a few more shots in to seal the deal possibly while falling down if I remember right. In cases like that I believe people could wind up dead carrying a rifle since those take longer to draw and fire where you can fire sooner with a revolver with the attacker at a closer range to you without being able to knock your weapon aside. With a S&W 500 though you'd want your first shot to be on target because if you missed you'd likely have to wait a second before you could fire again and be on target thanks to the recoil depending on your strength and the barrel length you choose I suppose.

What would I have done if I'd actually had an encounter with BF?

You could have soiled your britches and ran away like a lot of other people have.

[Guest]

Glad to hear you are back. I spent one tentless night in the woods in upstate NY when a teenager. Couldn't start a fire, nuthin' but those little shoestring potato stick things for dinner....horse pawed and stomped all night long, kept imagining spiders crawling into my sleeping bag, then it rained about 3 AM...NEVER AGAIN.

BF don't come when you bring an apple out of a bag. If you leave it on the table, like you are gonna eat it, they might take it, but anything left by us is suspect. Memories of poisoned meat (coyote bait, wolf bait) and steel traps are probably why they don't eat our treats, don't get their picture took much, and might smash a camera. Try big hats, nonblue tarps, waterproof fabric yardage, bamboo mats, and cord cut into three foot lengths.

And think about it: you heard a wood knock at home, right? Might as well stay at home, you can squatch from the house and run inside to soil your britches.

Edited September 4, 2011 by Kings Canyon

[Guest RedRatSnake]

Next time kick it a up a few notches and sprinkle bacon bits all around the camp area, that will liven things up to a whole new level

Tim

[Guest krakatoa]

I always camp under the open stars. I'll bring a tarp to string up in case it rains, but I can't stand being cooped up in a tent.

Requires a good insect repellent, and I generally camp w/ a dog which keeps away or at least alerts on most critters larger than a mouse. And these days, I wouldn't sleep anywhere near my food -- I'd keep it in a bear-bag.

These Appalachians are noisy in the summer, no doubt. I spent many a night as a youth scared by the different sounds.

But after years of camping, the closest call I ever had w/ wildlife was a deer that ambled through my camp one night to drink from the creek I was camped next to. I woke as he entered the camp and watched him saunter through.

Stupid dog didn't even wake up until the deer finished drinking and was walking back through camp.

She fancied herself a great hunting dog. I laughed and laughed.

[bipedalist]

Next time kick it a up a few notches and sprinkle bacon bits all around the camp area, that will liven things up to a whole new level

Tim

Naw, that's low impact, this is what you sprinkle around for action.......

Add a little grain, corn or sunflower seed to it "at your own risk"!

[Doc Holliday]

hog feed could be dangerous, see this link to boar kills man

[See-Te-Cah NC]

Wow! You guys went from me soiling my undies to trying to make me into hog/animal food. At least now I know who NOT to take with me the next time! LOL!

Thanks for the laughs, guys!