Re: Fear of the Forest?!
Originally Posted by
RJHunter
I spent many years working in remote wilderness areas and became very comfortable until I had a bad run in with a predatory grizzly. After that every sound I heard made me nervous. It took a few more years to become comfortably cautious. Now I'm having hearing loss due to tinnitus and am always looking over my shoulder as I'm not sure I would hear an approaching predator until its too late. Was way more confident when my ears worked properly.
Same here!
We set up a camp near Gaspard Creek to do some serious fishing & in spite of making a lot of noise cutting firewood, talking, yelling , a large grizzly charged us as we attempted to fish from the high bank. Didn't think it was necessary to be armed. The 375 was hanging on the camper jack a short distance away in an open area. He changed his mind only feet away after we both got up & yelled.
Gave Gary Shelton all the details & he concluded that the bear's actions were predatory.
Lesson learned-never let your guard down when in grizz country & have an adequate weapon ready if permissible.
In general I don’t have fear of predatory animals be they wolf, cougar or bear.
Been surrounded by a wolf pack near Germansen but they were after 2 moose(saw tracks in the fresh snow next morning).
Confronted many bears (mostly black) & some wolves in over 50 years of hunting & working in the BC/Yukon wilderness but they always retreated with the exception of the one & only charge.
My biggest concerns(not fear) when in the wilderness are
1) Inclement weather with little or no warning be it the advent of extreme cold, prolonged whiteout….& being unprepared
2) Falling through the ice risking the chance of hypothermia, frostbite….
Note that the body loses heat 32 times faster in cold water than cold air.
3) Falling in the rugged/slippery, steep terrain or over deadfalls possibly breaking a limb/s.
4) Getting lost/confused
5) Health risks
“People never lie so much as after a hunt, during a war or before an election.” -Otto von Bismarck
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.-Albert Einstein