two legged snake problems in the woods

angle iron

angle iron

Joined
Nov 11, 2005
Messages
322
In many threads on several forums it seems to me that the majority of folks responding felt the major threat to their safety in the woods, or at least the main motivating factor in going armed, was people. Because of this and due to recent occurrences in my local WMA which prompted an leo warning to me to "be careful out here." I was wondering how many people here, who woods walk often, have had "people problems" while out in the boonies and how they handled them.

As a former leo myself, I had never given self defense in the woods much specific thought as apparently, at least for me, that "condition yellow" shite is impossible to remove once inserted. I now do have concerns though about whether or not I still want to bring my 4 year old daughter with me when I go to that area. Prior to this my biggest concerns for her safety while there were rabid coyotes or feral dogs and pot farm booby traps.

Anybody out there have any experience with woods jackasses?
 
I've had some dogs approach aggressivley in areas where you wouldn't expect to see them. I had time to prepare for the attacks but, fortunately, the dogs didn't attack. More posturing than anything I guess. On one occasion, I was Grouse hunting so it would have been a close range blast of 7 1/2 shot - would have been nasty.
 
I really hate those guys!!!!!The same dipsh**s who are on their first hunting trip and have never handled a gun before that shoot at anything that makes a sound.Or at the first sign of movement.I limit my hiking in the fall and wear head to toe orange just in case.Those are the man threats around here.Well that and pot fields in the middle of nowhere.
 
I feel bad that you even have to have second thoughts about being in the woods without protection. Most people I have met in the woods up here in the Catskills are like minded serious hikers or woodsman, so no problems or need for a weapon. Most will stop and chat a spell about places they have hiked and seem to enjoy the bits of history that I can add to the conversations. I love to recite local histories regarding the trails and since I have been tramping the woods up here for 50+ years, I usually have a few tales to tell.
 
Yeah hunters scare me too. I once joined a police only hunting club because I thought it would be safer, after all, all of the members went to the same academy as I did and most of us were ex military. WRONG! In one season, two active duty cops both ex military, shot two different "deer looking" bushes. I now only hunt on private property to at least hopefully limit the loons.

We have the pot farms here too but what I am really wondering about is the encroachment (maybe it was always there but it doesn't seem so to me) of what is usually thought of as urban crime into the woods.

For example, in the referenced WMA which I use because of its convenience to home, apparently, the local truck stop whores have discovered a lovely place to bring johns. Five years ago it was rare to see another human there except during hunting season. Now, there are piles of used douches and used Coney Island whitefish near the "good" parking areas. There are also miles of electrical cable insulation stripped from presumably stolen coper wire. Does this kind of thing seem to be increasing where you are?
 
I had two guys try to jump me while I was solo backpacking in PA. I was armed with a Ruger Single Six. As they rushed me I turned to face them and they stopped cold when they saw the holstered Ruger. I didn't draw but was a half second from shooting them both when they stopped a few yards away. They tried to pass it off as "Just trying to scare me." It worked.

Here in Brazil a friend and I were threatened by two unarmed men in coconut grove behind a deserted beach. As they came through the brush towards us (angry and demanding money) and into the clearing they saw I had a 14 inch machete and that gave them pause. We were able to talk our way out of that incident.

I am convinced that in these two cases had I not been visibly armed it would have resulted in violence. As it turned out, arms in the hands of the non-violent acted as a deterrent. Would I have used them? Absolutely. Mac
 
I've had lots of instances of people helping me, giving me stuff or other good things when I ran onto them in the woods but never any bad stuff that I can remember:thumbup:
 
I was walking my dog without a leash (yes, officer I understand this is or may be construed as inappropriate) in BLM land in Northern NV (No leash law up there). When he went over a ridge, out of LOS, I heard gunshots. When I low crawled high enough to look over, two guys had parked a truck and were shooting at whatever moved within a hundred yards of them. As they were positioned between my dog and I, it was a tough situation.
I should have just threw up my arms and yelled to them to stop, I didn't.
Instead I came up on their six, got the drop on them and within about 7 yards told them my concerns with their approach to "hunting" my dog. Everything was kept peaceful at the end of a pistol. My dog was unhurt, and everyone left with the same holes they came in with.
Now I never go in without a sidearm, its great when folks tell you about how people in general are good (they are) its just that fringe element that wants to act foolish and such, its just a simple matter of pragmatism to be armed.
 
I try to stay away from trails or campsites or other places where people tend to gather. I have run across the occasional person or two, but never had any problems. I worry more about bears then I do people here in North America.
 
DaveinNY said:
I feel bad that you even have to have second thoughts about being in the woods without protection.
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Well, the reason I DON'T have problems with people in the woods is probably because I usually have a rifle or at least a S&W M29 with me (hogs are legal year-round), and that probably makes them decide to be polite until I pass.

I've seen some scruffy types that byt he way they were acting, were probably cooking meth or something. They just asked where I was headed. I just gave them an out "You guys just enjoying the scenery, eh?".

Sometimes they've seemed jumpy "Hey, what you doin' here? We ain't doin' nothin' wrong." At which point I just tell them I'm headed to so-and-so, I heard there was some nice hogs over there. Or I'll just let it be known that I have a strict "Don't F with me, I won't F with you, I don't really care what you're doing." policy.

Might help that I'm dressed like Crocodile Dundee carrying a levergun or old military bolt gun. I look absolutely unofficial.

But even that's extremely rare, it's usually just me and meat with feet.
 
I don't know about "back east" but here in the west, people seem to get nicer as I get farther from the main roads. BUT I always go armed. The main reason I keep a CCW is so I can carry a handgun while wearing a hunting or hiking jacket. There is no law protection in the bush other than the threat of legal consequences in the aftermath.:)Regards, ss.
 
DocArnie said:
Wouldn't it be a thrilling new hobby to seek and destroy pot fields in the woods? :D
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Since people have been killed just for walking near them I think this would be a Really relly dangeroud hobby. Remember these pot growers are serious.


As for me except for running into one of my former psych patients, and a few loud urbanites, I have never really had any incidents in the woods. I believe in being prepared none the less and I keep my eyes open for trouble or evidence of dangers like drug use areas, squatters, etc.
 
Sometimes I feel like I am the only person here on BF that doesn't own a gun, like guns, or feel the overwelming need to carry a gun.

That said, when I am out in the deep woods I do carry one of those big cans of bear pepperspray & a big chopper straped to my leg; and when in people filled parks a can of pepper foam and a small-ish fixed blade (usually out of site, but accesable.)
 
One fellow here ,while squirrel hunting, saw two men looking very out of place in the woods.He was glad he was armed at the time. That evening he found they were murderers who had just buried their victim !!!
 
I don't worry when in a designated wilderness area or national park. The first couple miles of trail weed out most of the party types and tenderfoots. Where I would be concerned is those areas (this is Western Washington) where there are old logging roads in second growth foothills areas. There are places where homeless hermits hole up with makeshift camps and go into town to pick up a disability check and groceries. In Northern California such places were known as the Redwood Curtain, where some Viet Nam vets tried to escape their personal demons in the 1970's. There are a few areas in King County (Seattle) where the Sheriff's department won't allow officers to go in alone-- most of those hermits are armed. It's kind of a no-man's land. You see a few freaks at the end of logging roads with old campers and such too. I've never had any trouble, but there are some flakey people out in those areas.
 
angle iron said:
In many threads on several forums it seems to me that the majority of folks responding felt the major threat to their safety in the woods, or at least the main motivating factor in going armed, was people. Because of this and due to recent occurrences in my local WMA which prompted an leo warning to me to "be careful out here." I was wondering how many people here, who woods walk often, have had "people problems" while out in the boonies and how they handled them.

As a former leo myself, I had never given self defense in the woods much specific thought as apparently, at least for me, that "condition yellow" shite is impossible to remove once inserted. I now do have concerns though about whether or not I still want to bring my 4 year old daughter with me when I go to that area. Prior to this my biggest concerns for her safety while there were rabid coyotes or feral dogs and pot farm booby traps.

Anybody out there have any experience with woods jackasses?
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It's not hunters you have to worry about as much as meth labs or marijuana growers.

http://www.okgamewarden.com/PastIssues/2006_Issue2/MurderOnMcGeeCreek.html

Watch out. There may be more danger in the backcountry than one realizes. As young deer hunters in the 1960s, my brother and I had a confrontation with a "hunter" in Catoosa Wildlife Management Area that would not let us go past him into a certain area, finally threatening us to "get the hell outta here." Our father surmised that he must have been guarding a moonshine still.

In the 1970s the danger escalated. Hunters were warned to beware of marijuana growers that booby-trapped their fields and shot intruders that surprised them. The pristine wilderness was becoming less friendly all the time.
Now there is another, more violent threat in the deep woods: Meth labs. Methamphetamine production is moving from the cities and small towns to rural America. In East Tennessee meth labs have been found in remote campers and houseboats.

While it is highly unlikely that one will ever have a confrontation in the backcountry, it is possible that one may come across evidence of meth production in the woods. An informed, attentive public is invaluable to law enforcement.

Watch out for strange chemical equipment or smelly trash dumps in campsites or on remote roads. An active lab or a dump will have some of these items: Glass jars, rubber tubing, aluminum foil, cheesecloth, coffee filters, rubber gloves, thermometers, blenders, funnels, gas cans, hot plates, Pyrex dishes, strainers, and duct tape.

Evidence of the production chemicals to watch for: Acetone, anhydrous ammonia, household alcohol, iodine, cold tablets (with ephedrine or pseudoephedrine), drain cleaner (sulfuric acid), Red Devil lye, engine starter (ether), HEET gasoline additive, lithium batteries, propane, muriatic acid, and salt.

Caution. Meth users are extremely paranoid, violent and irrational, more so than other drug fiends. Meth production is incredibly volatile and the trash is incredibly toxic. Don't touch anything, but be observant as you get out of there. Notify the authorities pronto.
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Source: http://www.oakridger.com/stories/050506/spo_20060505038.shtml
 
Not really, just the scumbags who break into your cars in the trail head parking lots !!!
 
When hunting/camping the National forests in AR. I always wear a sidearm.The times I've spent in woods have been without event so far.But this ain't the 1950s & I believe not who share the Outdoors are "goodguys".
Strange but true,when I meet others in the woods.The 1st two things that I look at are - their footware and hands. It's because of the hunters who were killed many years ago in some state.(I forget).
 
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