A 'new' woods threat...

S

Stainz

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Jun 24, 2007
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I saw a piece of a program yesterday about the eastward migration of another horror in the woods - including our national forests. It's the growing fields of marijuana - and the hidden meth labs. Mexican illegal aliens were involved in guarding the fields - often with irrigation water supplied by black tubing from local streams. If you run into a black hose/tube in the boonies, don't follow it. The druggies have found it easier to smuggle workers, seeds, AK-47s, and equipment across our southern borders than it is the final product.

The same thing, apparently, for meth labs. They have the additional horror of polluting the ground by their poisonous effluents, not to mention forest fires from their 'accidents'. Of course, they require power - portable AC generators in the middle of the boonies are a giveaway - reverse your course. They are also guarded - beware. These sites often explain the lost campers/hikers. they have made it to the east coast - and the Carolinas - they are everywhere.

I liked it better when the only snakes I had to look out for on the trails slithered on the ground - not on two legs! Beware...

Stainz

PS I remember visiting cousins in an adjacent, then dry, county as a child - half a century ago - and avoiding 'Old Harry's Still' when we hiked. Everyone - sheriff included - got their 'shine from Harry. That county went wet - and became a bedroom community for Birmingham - many years ago - bye bye stills.
 
This was a concern for backwoods hikers in Oregon and WA years ago. Even with the comfort of a sidearm, it pays to be more observant of your surroundings. Stumbling into an active marijuana field or meth lab would not turn out well. We may now have a new S.A.R...Search And Report:D

ROCK6
 
I grew up in Northern CA in an area called the emerald triangle. Even 25 years ago you had to be cautious when hiking in unfamiliar territory. Ran across drip hose in the middle of nowhere a few times and got the hell out of the area. I'm not a gun guy, but back then I always carried something when I was outside of my usual stomping grounds.
 
Where have you guys been...this is not new, it has been like this for ever. The woods are a haven of felons on the lamb, drug manufacturing, growing, illegally harvesting plants/trees, illegal mushrooms, Bear Grass havesting, poaching game, moonshine, illegal human traffic, sickos etc.

Our regional SWAT team is constantly raiding people in the bush.

In the mid 1970's I was living in the bush near two guys who were ecaped cons from another state. While we never spoke we occasionally saw one another and acknowledged one another and then continued on with our life. We never bothered each other but knew of each other's location. I was out there for over three months and they were on the ridge next to me the whole time. I thought nothing of it. The state police came in and raided their shelter. They then came over to my area and asked me a bunch of questions. That was a great awakening for me. These guys were very dangerous characters. I was young and naive.

People who go into the wild without a plan for security and immedate action bug out are only asking for trouble. In my area there are three preditors topping the list - Mtn Lion, Bear, and two legged preditors. Any of these three are enough to make a fella concerned - always. One should be fully prepared to deal with any of these three in my region or pay the price of ignorance...unfortunately many do every year.
 
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Ive walked into a cultivated pot operation once. I found the remains of meth labs twice.
 
Never walked into a cultivation site here but a neighbor had it growing in his yard and nobody ever bothered him. Later however he did beat his wife and she fingered him for a lab in his trailer and he went to jail. Thankfully he had previously done time for attempted manslaughter also related to drugs and they put him away.

Later somebody set up a lab in his abandoned trailer and it blew up. They aren't in the woods around here 2 trailers have blown up on my road:D
 
Most small grow ops are for personal consumption around here. Ive found a few while hunting and never really felt threatened. Only one meth lab busted in Ct. last couple years.--KV
 
There are some areas in central MD and southern central PA that you cannot, or at least should not, venture into because of the possibility of venturing into a crop field. Nothing anywhere near as bad as what they put up with with the cartels in the southwest.
 
Quirt said:
Where have you guys been...this is not new, it has been like this for ever. The woods are a haven of felons on the lamb, drug manufacturing, growing, illegally harvesting plants/trees, illegal mushrooms, Bear Grass havesting, poaching game, moonshine, illegal human traffic, sickos etc.
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Total truth there.:thumbup:

The most ignorant bunch has to be the nature loving tree huggers who think life in the woods is a Walt Disney movie. When you step off pavement you enter an area that is perfect for a certain kind of two legged preditore. No witnesses, no cops, out of shouting for help distance. The woods have long been a place for druggies, not to mention the Gary Hilton types. I actually would rather walk around Washington D.C. without a firearm than out in the woods someplace. Just for yuks, look up how many people have been murdered along the Appalation trail.
 
it would behoove everyone to know a little bit about meth "labs"- they can be pretty elaborate (lab glass ware etc), but can simply be a plastic 5 gallon bucket

things that don't look all that out of place (except that's it's litter) are containers of coleman fuel, propane bottles, coolers, plastic pails, coffee filters, cookware, wooden matches, empty blister packs of sudafed, HEET, etc

if you expect that it might be a meth lab don't open any coolers or buckets, photograph the site if you can, get a good location and report it
 
So will this thread be spawning a 'what gun for defense in the woods' thread?

It's a sad day for me when your wilderness and natural areas are ruined by the drug dealing scum of society. My only worry in Scotland is the midgie. I can pretty much not die in the wilds here unless I throw myself of a mountain or head into the hills in shorts and tshirt in winter.

I have always loved getting out into the woods when I've been over in the US never even thought about this kind of thing.
 
RoyalM said:
So will this thread be spawning a 'what gun for defense in the woods' thread?

It's a sad day for me when your wilderness and natural areas are ruined by the drug dealing scum of society. My only worry in Scotland is the midgie. I can pretty much not die in the wilds here unless I throw myself of a mountain or head into the hills in shorts and tshirt in winter.

I have always loved getting out into the woods when I've been over in the US never even thought about this kind of thing.
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This is the reason we get a lot of questions from foreigners asking why we carry guns. That and the fact that Americans started packing to kick a certain countries ass in two wars. ;)
 
"The most ignorant bunch has to be the nature loving tree huggers who think life in the woods is a Walt Disney movie."

['what gun for defense in the woods' thread?]

The quote and question is a sad fact of reality, I have not gone too deep in the woods but mostly local mountains because of my daily schedule but when I go somewhat deep in the woods I'm prepared and always have a friend, it is harder to kill two than one.
 
This is one reason I go into the woods with two things: a rifle and a dog. Plausible deniability is that I can hunt hogs year-round, and you don't carry a .22 for that.

I've run into what were probably "perimeter security" a couple of times. They just looked out of place int he middle of the woods with nothing but guns (no water containers or anything), and asking me a bunch of questions about where I was going, what I was doing. I just told them I was hog hunting, and following sign in the area. They pointed another direction and said that hunting would be much better "over there". I took the hint and moved on.
 
Stumbling across a meth lab or a pot field is more of a problem to guys like us than you might think.

Many of us like to take the unbeaten path, and so do those that utilize the outdoors to produce illegal drugs.

I have found more than one pot patch, and have found, thankfully, the remains of meth cooking sites.

That this happens, is the primary reason I have begun to segue from a .22 revolver, to something more suitable to the problem.

gotta love it when one of the Euro weenies chimes in on these threads. :D
 
I've ran into a marijuana patch once, and the people were open about it being theirs (it WAS on their property - I had permission to hunt from the father). I left immediately as to not get hurt in someway, and I later called the parents, and never went back again.
 
This is certainly not new news, as was stated. In Ky these problems are fairly rampant. This is the reason why I carry in the woods, not because of any 'animal' concerns.
 
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