Vulnerable

[Guy Miner]

Sometimes I just like to get away, off by myself for a few days up in the Cascades. I'll toss some grub in the old Kelty, pull on the boots, park at the trailhead and just walk on in for a while. If the weather is good, I won't even rig a tarp. I enjoy looking up at the stars and contemplating.

Now though, there's wolves back in the mountains, quite a few of them. Showing up in places that haven't seen a wolf in close to a hundred years probably. Always have had the cougars and bears to think about, but now wolves too. Guess it's just something else to contemplate while I'm there in the mummy bag, up in the mountains, looking at the stars.

What do you think? Trip wire? Backpackable concertina? Claymores rigged around the campsite? Bearproof tent? Crud. Just kind of thinking about how doggone vulnerable a guy is, sound asleep, all alone in a mummy bag up there in the high country anymore. Doggone it. I may have to come up with something to give me a little peace of mind or I'll be even more frazzled after a few nights of worrying about wolves and such.

Guy

 

[super-7]

Bears and Cougars are something to be concerned about know doubt. They seem to be less cautious around humans. Wolves on the other hand are very timid, if you had a dog with you that may set them off . I know a couple guys that were moose hunting here in Northern Ab and they had wolves around camp every night for a week. he said you would never known they were there except the first night one guy went for a wiz as he left the tent he shone the flashlight in the bush and it was full of eyes . Needless to say they didn't sleep that well, I'm not sure if the wolves were just curios but he said they showed up every night of the trip. They also had a black bear sit on the tent while licking the bacon grease from the frying pan, but that was mid afternoon , they had fun convincing him to move on. I woulda worried about him coming back more then the wolves .
Now guy I sure don't want to be responsible for keeping you up at night , but if its any consolation maybe the BiG FooTs will keep the wolves away!!!!!

 

[DrMike]

Generally, the wolves will take a tentative nibble before a bite. It gives you a couple of seconds warning that something bad is going to happen. It's the grizzlies that can be worrisome around here, though there are precious few attacks on sleeping people. I've known a few that were awakened to a black bear nipping at a shoe when they were napping, and a couple of times that sleeping bags (with sleepers inside) were dragged out of the tent by grizzlies, but I've never had wolves bother me--yet.

 

[SJB358]

I sleep with my 338 next to me Guy. Nothing in the chamber, but three in the mag.. I don't like to be too far away from my rifle.

I figure if something is nibbling on my feet, they gotta be mighty hungry....

 

[Guy Miner]

"I figure if something is nibbling on my feet, they gotta be mighty hungry...."

Now that's funny! :mrgreen:

Yeah, usually I'll have the tent, because a fellow never knows what sort of weather the Pacific Northwest will throw at him. It's also good for getting away from the mosquitoes in warmer months, like bear season in September, or backpacking in August. I don't give the nylon much chance against a wolf, bear or cougar that wants in though... :shock: What's funny is the odd sense of protection just being in a tent has. I sleep better, somehow, in the tent, than I do when I just lay the bivvy bag out on the ground. Odd perhaps, but it helps.

I could actually see rigging up a trip wire with mono fishing line, just to make some noise and give a fellow time to to find a flashlight and a rifle or handgun. Hopefully.

I've read about guys using battery powered electric fences in grizzly country, but they all had horses and mules to haul all that stuff in. I've got enough in my pack already. Keep looking for things to toss out of the pack, not more stuff to put into it!

Alright - off to spend the day at the range. Not sure why I woke up last night thinking about backpacking in bear & wolf country...

Regards, Guy

 

[DrMike]

I've rigged trip wires in the past, but the only thing it has ever alerted me to was another fellow getting up to relieve himself.

 

[Vince]

We string a lot of trip wires and cans, cowbells, and other assorted noisemakers, around camp.

We do this for the dope/human smugglers and bandits that are a daily fact of life. Never be without a handgun at least, even when sleeping. It may be all you have to fight your way to your rifle.

 

[PJGunner]

Down in my neck of the desert we have to worry about the drug and illegal alien smugglers and it's not just a recent thing. Back in 1980 on my first Arizona deer hunt after moving here from Nevada, I was camped alone right at the edge of the Superstition Mountain Wilderness area. Had my tent set up and was sleeping peacfully when something woke me up. I could hear someone walking around my tent literally all night long. Wasn't much fun as the only forearm I had with me was my Ruger #1 .300 Win. Mag. Not the best thing to have in a fight. Later I had a conversation with a gaame Warden and he said there was a hippie group living illegally in the Superstitions and they have been known to rob campers. I have to wonder if that' was one of them walking around my camp? :?: My next door neighbor told me his boss and his boss' wife were found murdered in their tent, their throats cut and his nice Ford 4x4 was later found in Mexico. Drug smugglers? Who knows. Off and on there are reports of a hunter or camper killed in his tent.
For some reason, I worry less about a bear or Mountain Lion encounter that I do about the smugglers. On the rare occasions I do camp out in souther AZ, I not only have my rifle but a handgun as well, usually my 4.5" barreled .Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 mag. If I go fishing at Pena Blanca or Arrivaca lakes, I have my 1911 .45 ACP and an M1A1 Carbine in the boat. I got shot at while on Pena Blanca a few years back by smugglers. The lake is very close to the Mexican Border. Does make life interesting at times. :roll: Come to think of it, I haven't had the boat in the water for some time now. Couple or three years at least. I do miss going fishing.
Paul B.

 

[Vince]

Arivaca Lake is my backyard.

Last year wasn't as much of an issue with smugglers as the year before. It ebbs and flows like a tide. My opinion, the real worry is the bandits that prey on the illegals. When there are less illegals crossing the border there are less bandits to worry about.

The hunter is at a serious disadvantage in that country. The badits use military tactics and have night vision equipment. They come from both sides of the border and operate with relative impunity.

 

[BeeTee]

Back in the 1960s here in western Montana, from 12 years old through late teens, myself and other youngsters would camp in the mountains nearly every weekend during the summers. We very rarely ever had a firearm, and none of us were afraid of animals coming into camp. Young people can't do that today because of wolves and the possibility of a transplanted Griz. That's a loss.

 

[Bruce Mc]

Guy,

My dad was at Ft. Lewis during the Korean War. He and a buddy would hike up into the reservation and fish on some lake that the rod and gun club stashed a few boats. He told me that one night it was warm so they set up their shelter havles so it was split to allow a bit more ventilation. They woke up with snow in their boots. I guess the weather is like it is here in Texas. If you don't like it, wait a few hours and it'll change.

 

[Elkman]

Two years ago I was on a fairly large wild fire just east of Portal Az. We were I think about 25 miles north of the boarder in a very rugged mountain range. All of the NF Camp Grounds were unused and vacant, we had armed guards in our camp, in our sleeping areas and patroling the fire line both day and night. We were frequently briefed and reminded of our protocols used when encountering a person or a drug cash in our operational area (about 20 square miles). One morning(daylight) I was headed to the fire area and noticed a car parked just off of the pavement about 5 miles out of our main camp. Within minutes there were armed personnel on the scene. It was an entirely different world than I used to,and a tradegy for our country.

 

[Vince]

Two years ago I was on a fairly large wild fire just east of Portal Az. We were I think about 25 miles north of the boarder in a very rugged mountain range. All of the NF Camp Grounds were unused and vacant, we had armed guards in our camp, in our sleeping areas and patroling the fire line both day and night. We were frequently briefed and reminded of our protocols used when encountering a person or a drug cash in our operational area (about 20 square miles). One morning(daylight) I was headed to the fire area and noticed a car parked just off of the pavement about 5 miles out of our main camp. Within minutes there were armed personnel on the scene. It was an entirely different world than I used to,and a tradegy for our country.

Tell me about it.

I know the fire you were on, and the area, but the name escapes me at the moment.

That fire you refer to was started by illegals if I recall correctly. I know the one to the west and on the border was. That whole area is a tinderbox, not just range conditions, but political conditions as well. I refer to it as Apache Country and treat it like I'm living in the 1880's and act accordingly.

 

[velvetant]

Hey Scotty that's the same tent I use.
And I always have a tent because the weather changes real quick in the high dessert
And Guy I've always worried more about the two legged critters wondering around then the animals.
And worried even more leaving my vehicle at the trailhead, I've come back to slashed tires once

 

[Guest]

I don't have much in the way of remote area here, and I nothing but coyotes and bobcats to worry over as far as predator populations go. I try to always have a firearm or two with me when I camp in remote areas.

Velvetant's comments are my primary concern, as well. Even on my privately leased land, I'm concerned about leaving my truck sitting in the parking area, as it's visible from the road from the right angles. This is an old family property (though not my family) belonging to a man who lives up on the mountain where we hunt. It's been in his family for years. I suspect there are people who know who owns it and they might not think twice about venturing onto it at their leisure. We also have a neighbor who is a real piece of work. He is a shady character who somehow managed to inherit 600ac adjacent to our 360ac lease. He's put up fences onto our lease property, made veiled threats, and generally been a bad neighbor across the board. Not sure what his deal is, and after a little research leading me to an arrest record for meth production, I'm more than a little leery of this guy. I make sure to keep an eye on his property line when I hunt on that end of the lease, and I purposefully set up some longer range shooting where he could watch and see that I can hit from 400-500yds when I need to. Hoping that will ease any desire he has to take a pot-shot at me, knowing I've got a pretty good chance at hitting something from farther than I believe he could shoot. So far, no problems, but we (the club and the neighbor) mutually distrust one another and keep a careful watch.

A buddy of mine and I were going to camp on the lease this year (cancelled due to wifcom - that's a different issue entirely) and we were figuring to park in such a way as to limit visibility as much as possible. Nobody's ever stolen a stand or messed with our trucks, but I have a fear nagging me about it. I'm always ready when I come back around to the truck, just in case.

I used to clean anything of value out of my vehicle before going hunting on public land, as I figured if I left it where a quick glance inside would show no loot, it might be uninteresting to the various folks who otherwise might steal something. I don't think there's much market for factory stereos or empty coffee cups these days.

 

[ajvigs]

How about this?

http://www.udap.com/bearshock.htm

 

[Guy Miner]

Well I'll be darned.

Was mostly a tongue in cheek question that started this discussion - I didn't know someone had actually come up with a small, backpackable bear=fence. Huh. I'll be darned.

Guy

 

[Thankful Otter]

Mr. Miner

The wolf is the least of our problems, and we have a lot of them. We also dont worry about the Black Bear. The cougar in the south is also not much of a threat. The Brown Bear certainly deserves our respect, as does the Wolverine, especially when running a trap line.

Our biggest problem is the Polar Bear in the North, as they will attack the dogs as well as a human. And the absolute worse is the Grolar Bears as they can be very aggressive. We usually have more than one dog, but we always have one well trained dog, a Boykin. He will wake us up if danger is near but is trained not to chase or attack. We do sleep with our weapons and take other precautions depending upon the situation.

To be honest with you I would not lose any sleep if I was you thinking about being attacked while your asleep by a pack of wolves. I think to many people have watched the movie "Grey"

 

[FOTIS]

Why don't we just round them all up and turn them loose in Congress?

 

[runtohunt]

Why don't we just round them all up and turn them loose in Congress?

I don't know. :? Will Wolves eat weazels???