Walking in the woods in the dark :)

[Doc]

Sometimes it's a real treat to be a mile or so from home in the middle of the hill when it's pitch black and all of a sudden, you hear some gosh awful animal noise that you never heard before.That happened a whole bunch of years ago when a buddy of mine and me were on our way home and passing through an area that we've always called "the Dark Woods". It's a ravine area that is full of mature hemlocks which never let a whole lot of sunlight in, (hence the name). Just a little bit of a spooky area if you let your imagination wander too much.

Anyway, not too far away, something started up with some super loud, snarling, screaming combination of noises. I've never heard anything like it before or since. In a calmer frame of mind, if I had to guess, I would say that it was probably a pair of racoons or some other animals having a bit of a wrestling match. However, standing in the middle of nowhere in the pitch darkness (with no flashlight by the way), you would be amazed at the images that your mind can paint. Any way, we both stopped to listen for about 15 seconds and then continued to head home with just a bit more speed in our step....lol.

Doc

[wellsley]

I hunt bear country and go in the dark and come out in the dark. And I'm hunting bear. Its never made me feel uneasy. I worry more about some idiot shooting me than being attacked. I use a head lamp. I've done this in Delaware, Greene and several Adirondack counties.

[bowhuntersully]

I go in and out of the woods in the dark. I usually wear a hat with 2 or 3 leds but rarely have them on unless it's really pitch black. I've never had any problems.... O... except for one time in Maine. I went up there for deer. Sat in a ladder stand all afternoon only seeing a spike. It got dark while waiting for my ride to let me know he was on his way. I got the call so I started out of the woods, with out my light on, and in an instant I felt the ground rumble, brush and branches breaking. Mind you its pitch black and I can't see a dam thing. I though a dam freight train was coming my way. I jumped behind a tree from the direction I thought it was and felt the wooosh of a very big animal run by. I'm sure it was a moose that I startled when I was walking out. It clompered off and I never got the chance to see it for sure.

Ya I was pretty scared. It made for good talk that night at the table.

I've hunted in Greene county regularly and had bear no closer than 35 yards from my tree but never on the ground. Coyotes don't really scare me.

[Elmo]

It's not the coyotes or bears that scare me. I stayed in the woods a little later than I anticipated so I didn't bring a flashlight. It got pitch dark on way out. I stepped into what looked like a dark spot but turned out to be a hole couple of feet deep. I fell and hit my face against a rock. Luckily, since my leg was caught in the hole, it braced the impact and I didn't knock myself out, lose any teeth or anything worst other than a bruise and a scratch. Lucky again that my ankle wasn't broken. Now I always pack a flashlight even if I'm going during the day.

[the blur]

I'm out of the woods long before dark, and won't walk in till I'm feeling comfortable.

I'm not tracking a deer into the dark, or gutting it, or dragging it out after dark.

[steve863]

Boooo!! I hope I didn't scare some of you pansies! LOL

[Doewhacker]

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! I just saw a mouse. hahaha

[biggamefish]

I never use a light going in or out. I hunt a lot of public land and if you are in early enough you can see where everybody sits. I think it is funny. I see them pretty easily I would figure the deer can to. I am not saying it is wrong to do I just don't do it.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Boooo!! I hope I didn't scare some of you pansies! LOL

AHHHHHHHHH!

[steve863]

I never use a light going in or out. I hunt a lot of public land and if you are in early enough you can see where everybody sits. I think it is funny. I see them pretty easily I would figure the deer can to. I am not saying it is wrong to do I just don't do it.

I really think it is a good idea to use a light while walking in, most especially on public land. You never know what kind of idiot could fire at something moving without a light, thinking that it's a deer. If you have a light on everyone knows it isn't an animal moving.

[otis2]

If you have never heard a couple of fishers going at it while you're in the woods at dark then you're in for a treat!

[Fantail]

Tell you what startles me is when grouse launch into warp speed 10 yards away.

growalot; I don't mean to make light of what happened to you but I got a chuckle out of your post

[HectorBuckBuster]

I think the worst thing that every startled me and a buddy of mine back when we first hunted was a Bobcat screech !!!!!!!!!

[Deerthug]

Hunt with a buddy that can't run as fast as you can . If you are attacked by a bear in the dark , knock your buddy down and run as fast as you can !

LMAO!!!

But seriously, I use a caplight and carry a smaller mag lite on my belt when I walk to my stand. I walk down a logging road that is covered with cedars and overhanging canopy. Its pitch black even if the horizon is lighting up in the fields. During rifle season, I'm carrying my rifle with a round in the chamber and pointed downrange in front of me with the safety on. I know there are no bears in my area, mainly yotes. But ya never know! And yes I unload it when I reach the foot of my stand and before I climb up and hoist it.

Edited November 9, 2011 by Deerthug

[burmjohn]

Tell you what startles me is when grouse launch into warp speed 10 yards away.

growalot; I don't mean to make light of what happened to you but I got a chuckle out of your post

I had the same thing happen with Turkey, they must have been roosting on a low branch or something. Holy crap.

[Fletch]

I usually am headed in well befor light and out after dark. On private property I know my trails and do not even use a light. On public during gun I have a led on just so no idiot takes a pop at me.

I have heard some strange noises animals make and it can be easy to let your imagination go!! I am usually pretty at ease but I will not lie I have put a little more pep in my step more than once.

There are no animals I am worried about, it is those damn serial killers and aliens!!

I think the worse scare I really ever had was I was up 20 plus feet in my climber all settled in and still dark as heck. When I more felt than saw something coming at my face! Flippin owl thought I was food! I threw up my arms and it turned off before it hit me and landed in a branch a few feet from me and gave me the hairy eyeball for a few. Man my heart really got a jump on that one!

Edited November 9, 2011 by Fletch

[SteveNY]

I've hunting in Pine Bush 1/2 my life... And bears are not in the area. However, I was invited to hunt up in delaware county where there are plenty of bears, big ones too!

In fear of sounding like a big wuss, I've never been a fan of walking in the woods in the dark. I don't like the feeling of not seeing what is around me. While where I hunt now, the biggest predator is maybe a yote. I know people have seen a few bears in the area too.

So that brings me to where I was invited to hunt, there are huge bears around. Is this something I should be worried about? Just freaks me out a bit walking in or out in pitch darkness with maybe a little flash light.

There I said it!

Statistically, there's a better chance of you getting killed by a polar bear in NY than a black bear.

There is only one documented case of a wild black bear killing someone and it was in 2002. It was a 5 month old infant, bear knocked over her stroller and picked up the baby and went into the woods with her, people threw rocks and sticks at the bear and the bear dropped the baby. Baby died of head and neck wounds

I think 2 other black bears killed people in NY, but they were bears in captivity. If you put me in a cage, I would kill you too.

The reason I said polar bears is because there were 2 people killed from polar bear attacks in NY. (zoos)

[greenecounty]

there are a ton of bear where i hunt - this is why i drive the atv out 30 minutes before sun up and get situated

[SteveNY]

My youngest son and I went down to south Bristol on Canadaigua Lake (Hawkes Road) . I wasn't ready to head for my stand yet and it was pitch dark . My son started down the hill to the blind and was gone for about 5 minutes . I heard this high pitched scream that gave me goose bumps . I called my son on the radio and he said he heard it also and almost crapped his shorts .

Folks down there claim to have seen a large cat like a cougar . The DEC deneys there are any in NY . The following year I was in my treestand and heard a scream . Shortly afterwards I saw a gray fox . This happened 3 times in the same day . I convinced myself that it must have been what I heard the 1st time .

Noises are scarier when you can't see or don't know what made them !

Almost the same thing with me. Was walking up some steep ridges to get back where I was hunting, finally it levels off and the walk isnt so bad. It's on of those mornings that is bitter cold and all the leaves are frozen and a chimpmunk running sounds like a polar bear running. I'm just walking along, flashlight in hand but not on, and hear something hauling ass through the woods from my left to right at 80 miles an hour and making a screeching sound like I have never heard... Still dont know what it was, my guess is bobcat or fox.

A good thing about predator hunting with e-calls is that you learn how a lot of animals sound that you havent heard before.

Tell you what startles me is when grouse launch into warp speed 10 yards away.

Yes, this... They seem to get me almost every time.

[accman]

I have a small green LED, but try not to use. Toughest thing is your footing, especially after bad weather. We've got bears in our area, but they'll run away as soon as they hear the quads. We're in our stands an hour before sunup. I get dropped off and walk in about 150 yards, but I still like to be quiet walking in. If the deer are bedded down in the area or walking close by, they'll let the quads go by and couldn't even care less. But, step on some twigs or branches heading to your stand, and it's like a bomb went off, their gone. I think it's just that they see quads and cars all the time, and they know their safe, but if your on the ground, you've gone from passerby to predator.

[SteveNY]

Where I hunt I never saw a bear in 12 years, saw very little sign of them on rare occasions. Now the past 3-4 years, I have seen more bear than deer! It's getting bad. Look at my trailcam pic to the left, that bear smacked my camera off the damn tree! I haven't shot any because its always been a sow and cubs.

I was over a mile up into the woods hunting alone one day, I was hunting on the ground with a 30-30. I had 2 cubs come into view through the brush and start walking towards me. Now i'm thinking, okay, where is momma bear? The cubs get with in 20 feet and walk off to my right... Then all of a sudden momma bear comes out of the brush about 15 feet to my right. Shes already so close I dont want to scare her, she dont see me, but she is walking right towards me, I just keep perfectly still. She gets 8 feet away, so close I can smell her (I was downwind). She is standing on a downed log directly to my right. My eyes have been pinned to the right side of my head for so long looking at her they are starting to hurt. I think she cant see me, so I move my head about half an inch to the right and she looks right at me. Now we are staring at each other, 8 feet away, face to face. She looks at the ground, then looks back at me, then looks over at her cubs wandering off. Then she slowly just walks off... Raises her leg and takes a leak on a tree... Then shes out of sight.

So then I can breathe again and I get up and use my boots, toe to toe, and count 8 steps from where I was sitting and the log she was standing on...

Saw this video the other day too, thought it was pretty cool:

This one is good too:

[Deerthug]

Cool videos. Although I think I would be crapping my pants on the first one. LOL I don't know how that guy sat so calmly filming that bear climbing the ladder.

[biggamefish]

Steve I guess I should have mention I do this in bow hunting. I hunt some private land durning gun but still walk in in the dark. I have a chunk of public land that is gun and but havnt hunted it in the early morns. You do make a good point though.

[catskillkid]

Bears are more afraid of walking around the woods in the dark because of possibly bumping into a hunter than we are. Black bears are nothing to be ascared of. lol Now if we had grizzleys, that would be a different matter.

Edited November 9, 2011 by catskillkid

[otis2]

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