Fear of the Forest?!

[Ride Red]

I'm way more at home in the bush than the city and fear for it is limited. Not much bothers me, but I do have a healthy respect for nature and the hazards out there. From a young boy of 8 heading out for the whole day gopher/rabbit hunting to all the adventures I've had over the decades, nothing prepares you more than research and experience. Being prepared for the hunt/hike or whatever your doing outdoors is essential. I've been charged by some big bears, cow moose, stalked by cougars, but my worst was bitten by a field mouse when I was 10 landing me in the hospital. No matter how big the critter, they can all be deadly if not respected. Great thread, makes me want to run to the bush now.

[TreeStandMan]

I'm generally pretty comfortable in the woods, but there's nothing like fresh grizzly sign to put you off your game when you're three km from camp and night is fast approaching.

[Pemby_mess]

I would say I'm less fearful in the bush than most of life's other environments. I've learned to be comfortable there. Much more so than at many types of social functions. I've definitely learned to be more wary of interaction with unknown humans than I'd be in close proximity with your average bear.

This isn't to say I experience an absence of fear in any of these situations. It's just that my fear has become a healthy comfortable reaction to various stimuli in the bush, and allows me clear, rational, critical thought with respect to my surroundings. I would say this particular emotion, for me, is somewhat less well adapted for the modern urban world.

An absence of fear is just as debilitating in my mind. The key is to keep all your emotions in check and use them for that which they have evolved to be used for. Being irrational is being irrational, whether your actions are motivated by not enough fear or too much of it.

[Linksman313]

Im personally more scared of ticks than cougars and bears.

I would have to agree here, I cannot believe how many people in this area suffer from Lyme disease, seeing someone I respect for their lifetime of knowledge in the wild get whittled away to nothing while still in their prime is a tragedy. Oh and those sneaky cougars are worrysome as well, walking through a heavily bouldered area with a lot of overhanging outcropping still gives me the willies!

[wideopenthrottle]

The Jaws syndrome. lol But its amazing how the woods come alive in the dark.

it's amazing how that kind of panic works...when we were kids, summer would get hot and when you cant sleep, it was only a short walk down to the lake for a midnight dip to set you right...when there was 4 or 5 of us going for a midnight dip it was not unusual for someone to start humming the jaws music....it wouldn't take long for everyone to quickly exit the lake even knowing there could not be any sharks....in the woods I am never uncomfortable, there is something about the frogs and crickets, the river running by or the wind in the trees that just puts my mind at ease

[brian]

Learning to hunt made me face my all my fears. Before I started hunting I would have been afraid of things that go bump in the dark. These days I am mostly I am afraid of getting hurt and getting lost, both of which I can deal with by having a compass and being careful. I have never really felt fear in the woods other than being turned around a few times. I have had a few close encounters with animals which should have been fear inspiring, but they oddly did not.

[Jelvis]

--I'd feel safer walking thru the forests in and around Kamloops with my ott 6 than I would walking downtown in a City at night.
In the bush it's still and wild but I carry rifle but on the streets now a daze it's getting darn right dangerous with freaks coming out after dark in dark clothing, what for? Not a bible study session.
Jel the streets are mean and dark and you don't know who iz around. The boogey man ---?
Mugger, guy with a blade, four gang members surround you downtown for sport, some guy with a tire iron, on and on and on.
-- That's why the Rock is ready and jelvis to elbow or kick in a split second, " Wam, Bam Slam "
You picked on the wrong dooooood -- Ravishing Jelly Ruuuude --

[wideopenthrottle]

Me too. I think you're more likely to have a problem from a tick bite than a bear bite.

I think a healthy respect for the animals and hazards you encounter out in the bush helps keep things from going sideways. Pay attention to your surroundings, think before you leap, and plan your route. And tell someone where you're going and when you expect to be back.

I've had a few close encounters of the grizzly kind, I got totally lost when my GPS lied to me, and I got completely fogged in during a blizzard at the top of Boulder Mountain while sledding. Still here to talk about it.

I feel safer strolling through the alpine than I do in a Surrey parking lot.

I too have been led astray by a defective directional device.....it was a very old silva ranger compass I found while timber cruising for layout of some research grids ( we were putting in flying squirrel traps as part of some spotted owl research).....the compass looked almost perfect with an aluminum dial instead of the plastic ones they have been using for at least 30 or 40 years.... not even an air bubble in it...what happened was, a chunk of the paint on the needle had rusted off and was laying on the bottom..there was enough rusted metal attached to the paint to attract the needle and throw it off....luckily, I noticed before getting too far off track and did not rely on it anymore....I got my good compass back from my hunting partner and made him use his dollar store one...heheheh

[steel_ram]

I use to never have a problem finding my way around. I have to admit, in the last few years I've been messed up a few times. I guess one loses their sense of direction when they get older. Getting lost and having to be rescued would be so embarrassing. I'll probably be one of those old guys that wonders out of the hospital never to be seen again.

[sawmill]

Grew up in the bush in Northern B.C. and used to take off for days at a time with my big ugly dog and a shotgun.One time coming back from checking traps I was trailed by at least 10 wolves in the dark. I could hear them and see them by flashlight off to both sides of me.I wasn't scared, only mad that I could not get a good shot, they were worth a good dollar then. They drifted off after I got close to home but if I had to overnight the fire would have kept them at bay. Always carry fire starting material and you will be fine overnighting. If you get turned around just build a fire and calm down. Injuries are a problem. Broke my ankle once and had to crawl out about 3 miles. That hurt but I wasn`t scared, I knew where I was and just started heading out. In this country I would never go for a "hike" without a gun. Don`t care about the weight when you are staring down a bear.