Fear of the Forest?!

[Walksalot]

Always make sure your gps is on the same declination as your compass. Meaning that both are on either True,Grid or Magnetic.

[Wild one]

Compass is a good thing but even more effective if you study a map/sat photos before you head into the bush and think about all possible back up routes out. Keeping all possible landmarks long and short range in mind can help you from getting turned around for starters. The more options you have for getting out help you keep a cool head if you get turned around.

This has kept me from ever being truly lost but I have taken the long way out a few times. Feeling confident because I have always give myself multiple options before I head into the bush/mountains has kept me calm anytime I get a little turned around.

Only thing I have concerned about is tripping and injuring myself to the point I can't hike out when I am solo. For this reason I would rather have a cold sleep in the bush if I get turned around in the dark than stumble around aimlessly. I have done this a few times over the years and just except as a possible option

[Five]

I didn't grow up hunting, but I did hike and camp. When I was about 10 my friend and I would sneak out of bed at his house in the country at about 2 AM and not come back until 6 AM or so. We had pocket knives and sticks. We were never afraid, but perhaps didn't know better. We did run our flashlights over a cougar once that was just watching us, but we had his dog with us and I guess that was deterrent enough. It is only looking back that I realize it was dangerous.

For years I would bushwack at night as a teenager, I wasn't every afraid. Now that I hunt I am more mindful, but in an odd way, having a rifle with me makes me a little more on edge not less.

[steel_ram]

Without a compass, or a visual bearing on some landmark, it is surprising how hard it is to walk in a straight line in the timber. One leg will always be stronger and you will end up going in a circle, a tighter circle than you might expect.

As for returning to your vehicle parked on the road. Never make a bearing for your vehicle. Always aim well to one side so you will know which direction to walk when you hit the road.

[Walksalot]

In a large parking lot have someone point out a destination, be it a car or whatever then blindfold you. As you walk blindfolded toward that destination you will likely either drift right or left. In all the times I have tried this with different people a very, very small percentage will travel a straight line to the destination. The first time you try this will be the way you will, without a navigational device, walk in the woods. I went to the left from the get go. With all, including myself, the second time was different because I mentally making a correction. Everyone should, at one time or another , give this a try and log it in your memory bank.

[tipper]

Can't say I have a fear of the forest....well maybe once in a while alone in the dark but the place I fear the most is big cities like Vancouver.

[Busterpayton54]

Ive seen some funny things out in the bush myself. People who are overly confident with their internal compasses getting themselves turned around and panicking, and those who are absolutely terrified.

I soent lent much of my life doing long cross county
solo dirtbike rides. We could be camping in fairly remote areas and I'd take off on a 30-40-50-60km solo ride that may put me 20 km as the crow flies away from camp on my own with little to no survival gear and the group only having a rough idea what route is be taking. Much of it in roadless terrain, following old trails, livestock travel routes and simply Jedi-knighting through the bush.

Ive always had the mind set of win or die. I crave situations that test my mental strength. I want to push my Comfor levels, and discomfort limits. I always have it in my mind that this may be the last time I set out from camp, and that is the truth after all. Fate can not be altered or cheated. Accept it.

There was always a running joke about buying a new helmet and the concern about scratching it distracting your concentration from the ride, causing you to
pile up in a crash.
That philosophy carries over to wandering on foot in the wilderness. Your concerns in the back of your mind distract you from your situational awareness. Your thinking bout all these critters out to get you, watching these scenarios in your minds eye and next thing you know your stumbled on something that you should have seen in the distance.

These days ive grown a little wiser. I still find myself a long way from anyone else via foot or bike but I go prepared to survive. If our predecessors could survive out there alone for years, I sure as hell can too.

I go out with my wit, intelligence, resourcefulness, respect for the brutal realities of terrain, whether, wildlife, accidental injury and the win or die mindset. I will kill anything that poses a risk, I will eat it, and I will walk out on a splint made from natural materials, or I'll die trying.

My back pack contains food, water, saw, small and sharp knives. Sharpening steel, paracord, tape, crazy glue, 2 flashlights, batteries, ammunition, compass and one of my compact forearms strapped to it.

I wont go out with something on my mind that distracts me. That as said earlier poses a risk. If something feels wrong, it is and I get the f out of there. Always trust that instict. I don't have a concern in the world out there unless that feeling hits me and I heed that warning. Hard to say if it's been warranted it not but I'm here to type this. i won't move in the dark either. That is a tactical error. I can't see the terrain or what might be out there. We are already at a sensory disadvantage by day and almost helpless at night. If it seems I'm going to be out there in the dark, I will prepare to spend the night while I have light. Gather wood, seek a shelter of sorts that won't allow critters to surprise you from numerous angles. Hunker down till sun up.

Point being.. Go prepared for the worst. Go with a clear mind. If your minds wanders, stop and re-align yourself. Keep your head in the game and not in lala land. Never ignore your instinct and don't bite off more than you can chew just to prove a point.
You only get one chance at life... Arrange your priorities accordingly.

[nature girl]

For me alone I would not go far of a fsr but when I hunt with my boyfriend then we go farther and I have no real fear of the forest.
But what scares me more then cougars is ticks. The last few years I have had them on me in the fall when deer hunting. I hate them things.

[.264winmag]

Slept several nights in grizz country not far from sacks of meat n horns, couple nights were solo and the pup. Never bothered me. Zero worries getting lost in the mountains where there's landmarks and creeks, even in the dark. Been a few times in the flats though, swamps and thick spruce stands where I've been fairly turned around. Not a good feeling at all if there's no landmarks or snow. Compass or gps really sets the mind at ease...

[BRrooster]

Not really comfortable hunting in the evening , it's just going to get darker. Most of my hunting is in areas that I know, and are not worried about getting lost in. In the Okanagan where I do most of my hunting, down hill is out. You might end up a long way from your truck , but you will be out. Pretty much anywhere you go has been logged off at some time and you will find yourself on an old logging road sooner or later. One thing someone told me years ago is; to think of logging road intersections as "Y's", it points the way out.