what was outside my tent?

[twoSevenO]

So, i'm up in some alpine looking for deer and scouting goat spots all by my lonesome. Don't have anyone that wants to do this kind of thing, so i trek up alone. Spend the day glassing and hiking, then retire to my tent for the night. The wind dies down and i fall into a deep, peaceful sleep. Then, i'm jolted awake by a very loud "HOOOOOF ..... HOOOOOF .... HOOOOOF".

In a split second a hundred things go through my head. I remember hearing mule deer making this noise, but i also remember Brambles and Rattler getting mauled inside their tent! I jolt out of my sleeping bag and grab the loaded rifle that was next to me and continue to attempt to process this.

The fact that wind just picked up doesn't help, and neither does the fact that I was shaken up from such a deep sleep so suddenly. I'm terrified, but not panicking. My heart rate is oddly calm. I glance at my watch. It reads 3:30am. Then i hear it again .... HOOOOOF! Can't be certain what i'm hearing through the sound of my tent fly flapping in the wind. But i don't dare step outside or turn on my head lamp and lose my night vision. I sit and I wait again ..... nothing. Then i hear the sound of frozen snow hitting the tent. I wait some more. Nothing. Look at my watch again. It reads 4:34. I'd just spent an hour sitting motionless, waiting for the tent to collapse on me. I decide to lay down, keeping my arms outside the sleeping bag. Freezing cold up there, so i cover my arms with a shirt and lay down holding the rifle. My sleep the rest of the night was awful. I woke up every time a blade of grass brushed up against my tent. Couldn't wait for sun up.


Finally managed to get some sleep in the early morning and awoke around 7am. Skipped breakfast, packed up my iced over tent and the rest of my gear into my pack and high tailed it out of there in record time. Sleeping in the mountains by yourself sucks!


So, was it a grizz that decided not to destroy me and my tent? Or was my peaceful mountain sleep ruined by a mule deer trying to figure out who and what I am? lol.

I never heard it stepping. I think i would hear a grizz thumping around. However, every time a deer has huffed at me it was followed by it stomping its front leg on the ground. I never heard that either. When i got out of the tent, there was two parallel sets of tracks beside the tent, about 10 feet away. Not skinny ones like a deer would leave, but almost like someone drove an ATV through. About 10-12" thick tracks running in front of the tent, not towards it. I wish i had analyzed the trampled grass more for prints but like i said i tailed it out of there pretty quickly.

Sooooo .... what's the most likely scenario here? Stay safe out there on your own! :)

Here are some goats i found 15 on one peak and 8-9 on another. Now i just need my LEH ;)

http://i.imgur.com/Sq488O3.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/1R2YW8O.jpg

[scotty30-06]

Could have been a number of things....i know what my gut feeling would be after hearing frozen snow hit the tent....bears can be real sneaky....but so can a certain "something"else....what region?

[604redneck]

You not look for tracks?

[Wentrot]

Squatch...I'd leave to.

[smallfry14]

Tried my first solo overnight backpack trip as well this weekend.. I was also blown off the mountain, by an intense storm though. My Canadian Tire tarp couldn't handle that one, LOL.
Gonna have to either upgrade gear or find a buddy before I try that again. As for your situation, my guess would be grizz. Whenever I've seen goats, I've seen grizz usually the same day (in my limited experience)

[twoSevenO]

Region 3. There wasnt enough snow on the ground by morning for tracks to be clearly visible. And i didnt stick around long enough to investigste the trampled grass in front of the tent. Just noted that it looked like a wider track than a deer would have left .....

[twoSevenO]

Tried my first solo overnight backpack trip as well this weekend.. I was also blown off the mountain, by an intense storm though. My Canadian Tire tarp couldn't handle that one, LOL.
Gonna have to either upgrade gear or find a buddy before I try that again. As for your situation, my guess would be grizz. Whenever I've seen goats, I've seen grizz usually the same day (in my limited experience)

Pm me where you live. Lets go together next season.

[Murder]

Only two things around that I know of that can throw snow. Sleeping alone in the back country terrifies me.....haha. Some of you may remember my "scared of the dark" thread

Mike

[RackStar]

Nice goat pics. I got a 3-33 draw I plan on going up before end of October. Did you see any deer?
what ever it was didn't get you so all fears aside your prob fine up there. Bears are curious. Not always fierce creatures they are portrayed to be.
Sweet trip.

[twoSevenO]

Only two things around that I know of that can throw snow. Sleeping alone in the back country terrifies me.....haha. Some of you may remember my "scared of the dark" thread

Mike

The sound of snow was just the sound of falling snow. It wasnt being thrown at the tent by an animal. Sorry if that was unclear.

[twoSevenO]

Nice goat pics. I got a 3-33 draw I plan on going up before end of October. Did you see any deer?
what ever it was didn't get you so all fears aside your prob fine up there. Bears are curious. Not always fierce creatures they are portrayed to be.
Sweet trip.

Yes. But with a 5.5 hr hike in steep terrain i did not feel comfortable shooting one and packing it out.

I will be back next year and take a couole days off so im not up there for such a short time. Maybe allow 2 days to pack it out judt in case.

[Glenny]

Samsquamch..an 8 footer by the sounds of it.

[Fella]

Region 3? That's Jelvis' territory, it was probably him wanting to wake you up to give you a couple suggestions on a honey hole in region 3.

[twoSevenO]

Region 3? That's Jelvis' territory, it was probably him wanting to wake you up to give you a couple suggestions on a honey hole in region 3.

What ever happened to that guy? Did the mods finally get sick of his incoherent posts? Lol

[twoSevenO]

Samsquamch..an 8 footer by the sounds of it.

I thought you could smell those from a good distance away. I couldnt smell anything .... just my soiled underwear

[Glenny]

lol. Had bears sniffing n snorking outside my tent one time shortly after watching Blair Witch project. That got me thinkn..I hope those are just bears out dare. Thank god i had beatn myself up pretty good that day and was super tired, slept like a baby.

[adriaticum]

It's always good to have a partner.
It gives you a sense of "Well if the bear is eating my buddy, I have enough time to run". :mrgreen:

[scotty30-06]

Well bears always stink and you don't smell them everytime you see them....to many people pass it off as the wind or something else....im sure if it was a bear he would have became much more curious then huffing and puffing

[northof49]

Sounds like a bear that scented you
and didnt like the looks of the tent

[1899]

Wendigo.
Be happy you left.

[Ron.C]

We had a very similar encounter one night on the lsaac Lake while canoeing the Bowron lake circuit. Heard a distinct woofing about midnight.Let out a few hollars and then went out to check it out. Saw nothing but in the morning there was fresh grizzly tracks about 20 yards from the tent coming out of and going back into the bush.

[Dash]

Creepy! Had the same sort of thing happen to me and my fiance once. Woke up to that, then the sound of him setting off the truck alarm out of fear... lol :roll:

[twoSevenO]

I was hoping guys here would tell me i was just paranoid and that it was just a deer and that i shouldnt be afraid of going back.


Well i guess my days of hiking in there alone are over. Taking applications for a backpacking hunt buddy for 2017 summer opener. Pm me with your hunting resume lol

[scotty30-06]

Hahahah.....i have had a fair few encounters like that....go solo but go mindful of what else could be out there

[twoSevenO]

What else should i be afraid of? Because honestly in bc grizz is the only thing that worries me. Sure there are cougars out there as well but whens the last time youve heard of a hunter being attacked by one, especially at night inside a tent?

[ACE]

What else should I be afraid of? Because honestly, in BC grizzly is the only thing that worries me. Sure there are cougars out there as well but whens the last time you've heard of a hunter being attacked by one, especially at night inside a tent?

Don't discount Mr. B-bear .....

[scotty30-06]

More attacks on people each year by black bears then brown bears

[russm]

Sexual predators.... Could've been a horny hillbilly.

I thought I heard something around my tent in 3-30 on the weekend but it was windy and I couldn't hear very good so I set the alarm on the truck of and went to sleep, when I was packing up to go home I noticed my camp stove had been stolen, perhaps I had a visitor at night, awfully gutsy to be stealing from someone that you know more than likely has a gun.

[Murder]

It really is too bad we can't take a hand cannon. I always worry that in close proximity you wouldn't be able to get the muzzle in tight on a rifle if something is up close and personal. Iirc brambles short stroked his bolt when they were attacked to boot. I wonder if you could still purchase a pack alarm from Marc?

[rocksteady]

TWAS an inbred redneck with a handful of viagra...

you ou got a purty mouth...

[caddisguy]

Those pack alarms are sure tempting. I have had many interupted sleeps with animals walking around the tent. It's actually a fairly common occurance. Just this weekend we were curled up in the jeep and could hear what we believe was a bear walking around. Same spot we arrived at a few weeks ago and while unpacking we heard something run through the brush. Thought it ran away, but then we could smell bear very strong, then some movement in the brush close by. The next morning caddisgirl steps outside and is eating some cereal. Next thing I hear is "f***! Bear!" I look over and she's face to face with the bear only a few yards apart. I guess she gave it the "dont mess with my morning cereal or I'll snap your neck like a twig look" and he backed down and bolted. I don't blame him. Don't mess with my wifes cereal.

The most notable sleepless night we had just settled into the tent after walking back from a spot we'd seen a limping cougar on one of our cams. We heard something walking around the tent. It walked up to where our heads were. I'd tell it to get lost and all was well... for a few mins until we're about to drift off. It walks up again. This repeats about 10x at 5-10 minute intervals. Finally when it came back again, we decided to stay quiet to see what it would do. The first indentation in the tent looked like a football. The second was about the size of a dinner plate. I was thinking head and shoulder. I figured it was the limpy cougar and thought I could send it flying with a good shove, so I went for it. I then lounged and shoved with all my whopping 140lbs of might. Yeah it didn't budge, flinch or react in any way until several seconds later. The indentations disappeared and it walked away. Pretty sure I had shoved a decent sized bear.

It's those creepy nights when stuff like this happens... not sure if anyone can relate, but I get to that point where I'm just about to drift off and then my mind snaps me back awake and says nuh-uh you can't do that. After a couple creepy camp nights, the reflex can last a night or two even back home in my own bed, 3rd floor of an apartment.

[two-feet]

Im a poor sleeper to begin with, add in some fresh bear sign,darkness, and a few night noises and i wont get much rest some nights. Having meat in camp adds another layer of creepyness.

Sounds like you had a bear huffing at your tent to me.

[twoSevenO]

Don't discount Mr. B-bear .....

You know, on the way out about 1/4 mile down i did see a black bear track that i don't recall seeing on the way up. It's on the edge of a very distinct puddle in the middle of a grass field that i definitely would have noticed coming up the day before. So you might be right. I'll never know for sure .... and that's probably a good thing all things considered.

[bigredchev]

Next time put a game cam up poised at your camp.

[twoSevenO]

Next time put a game cam up poised at your camp.

As much as i would like to satisfy my curiosity, i ain't hauling a trail cam on my back 5.5 hrs into the alpine in addition to the other 35lb of shit i'm carrying. lol.

[hickman]

If you were looking for goats in 3-16, I assume Stein area, my bet would be on grizzly. I have heard enough hooof hooof... could have been black bear but unlikely if you were in the alpine.

[albravo2]

We bought one of the bear fences for our early moose trip because we were bringing the ladies and one in particular is terrified of bears. Nice, compact unit but 12x28' coverage. Think it was around US$250.

We never ended up using it but I'm going to keep it and probably haul it along until we get nervous one night then I'll set it up.

[twoSevenO]

We bought one of the bear fences for our early moose trip because we were bringing the ladies and one in particular is terrified of bears. Nice, compact unit but 12x28' coverage. Think it was around US$250.

We never ended up using it but I'm going to keep it and probably haul it along until we get nervous one night then I'll set it up.

How much does it weigh? Weight is a major concern for me. My pack with gear and rifle and food/water is already 35-40lbs .... not sure i can afford any more weight if i'm planning to bring down an animal on top of all that.

[Glenny]

Never mind the trail cam then. Take an long selfie stick turn on the flash and stick it out the tent flap, periscope style. Gun on the ready..

[Ron.C]

How much does it weigh? Weight is a major concern for me. My pack with gear and rifle and food/water is already 35-40lbs .... not sure i can afford any more weight if i'm planning to bring down an animal on top of all that.

Try a pack alarm. Very light weight and can perimeter quite a large area. Only problem is anything can set them off.

[Hal]

One thing you can try if you don't have meat hanging in camp is ear plugs. If the noise you hear is a bear and he wants the other white meat, don't worry he'll wake you up. If its nothing like 99.9% of the time, then you wont be bothered and still have a great sleep. If you are attacked in the tent you'll know.

[Big Hoss]

Just take along somebody you don't like so much and push them out the tent to investigate

[Darksith]

just setup a trail cam...that way they can prove how you died!

[rides bike to work]

Every time I wake up from a noise in the tent my dad tells me to just go back to bed. That's what I do now. Had moose elk walk around the tent making all kinds of weird noises. Horny cow elk walked whistling and chirping thought it was a alien

[tipper]

I wouldn't be too worried about noises like that although it is a different world when you are camping deep in the bush all alone. I think the scariest thing I woke up to was what sounded like a woman being tortured and it was a cougar..talk about shitting the bed!

[twoSevenO]

Either im a pussy or you guys are crazy lol. If im hearing a grizz huffi g and puffing outside while debating whether to bulldoze my tent, theres no way im simply "going back to sleep" lol.

I dont want to NOT head i to the mountains but i guess the best is to just hope he doesnt find your camp at night lol.


But youre right ... there really isnt much you can do other than not go there in the first place.


I think i might wanna go up and build a treehouse to sleep in ... with bells all around the tree trunk

[IslandBC]

It's always a good idea to bring a blow up doll on a solo hunt. Just throw it outside your tent and see what happens.

[twoSevenO]

It's always a good idea to bring a blow up doll on a solo hunt. Just throw it outside your tent and see what happens.

Lol ... that actually would probably work quite well.

[IslandBC]

Lol ... that actually would probably work quite well.

In all seriousness though , looked up mountain goat sounds and kind of sounds like a "HOOF" ? Check out the Adult mewing sound. Second clip.

http://youtu.be/1DmZDxyBFbQ

[twoSevenO]

Thats actually surprisingly close to what i heard!

Definitely much deeper than the nasaly sound a mule deer would make, like this

https://youtu.be/5tXNGbiOGGY


The only thing is i camped at the tree line and all the goats were way up in the rocks.

[warnniklz]

Drink sum wun fitty wun before bed.

A-You'll be dead to the world and sleep through carpet bombing

Or

B-you'll fight, fck or both whatever is outside of your tent

[Glenny]

Yah. Good one IBC. I guess you'll go solo again now 270

[Darksith]

how many thousands of nights has our group slept in tents...we have what 1 report of a bear attack on a sleeping tenter? Odds are in your favor to not get eaten...so yes have some night caps to remain sleeping.

[Glenny]

Mmmmmmmm nightcaps. Agreeeee.

[MOWITCH SLAYER]

thats got to be a squatch
Squatch...I'd leave to.

[srupp]

Hmmm one year while encountering a mountain caribou my twin brother was fiddling with a camera to get a photo i waved my hat and the caribou turned and started to get closer he did hoof sound..heard one do the same thing a few years later..but never heard a goat make this noise. .
Any nite encounter with any bear should be treated as preditory in nature....tent taco..
Tracks would have been very helpful..bears use a woof..but that is almost a hoof..
Steven

[Pemby_mess]

I have found goats to be quite curious. When, I've been up high and they feel untouchable at a safe distance, I could swear they follow me. They definitely seem to stare when they see me moving around from a distance.

Having said that, I just moved to 3-16 and have already seen a number of grizzlies nearby on the border with the Stein. It would seem quite likely that you had a visit from a curious bear.

I go into the mountains on my own quite a bit, often in just a bivy. I always keep my headlamp right by me and turn it on for a few moments when I hear scuttling outside. Its plausible that most bears would associate the light pretty clearly with humans. I also tend to pee in a 20-30ft radius around where Ill be sleeping. That actually seems to have worked surprisingly well so far.

[twoSevenO]

I have found goats to be quite curious. When, I've been up high and they feel untouchable at a safe distance, I could swear they follow me. They definitely seem to stare when they see me moving around from a distance.

Having said that, I just moved to 3-16 and have already seen a number of grizzlies nearby on the border with the Stein. It would seem quite likely that you had a visit from a curious bear.

I go into the mountains on my own quite a bit, often in just a bivy. I always keep my headlamp right by me and turn it on for a few moments when I hear scuttling outside. Its plausible that most bears would associate the light pretty clearly with humans. I also tend to pee in a 20-30ft radius around where Ill be sleeping. That actually seems to have worked surprisingly well so far.


Glad to hear you haven't had any close encounters so far. This was in 3-16 as well and i'm always looking for mountain partners to join me. PM me if you get sick of bivy-ing up there all by yourself.

Not that a bear would care how many of you there are in the tent, but i doubt i'll be camping up there again all by myself .... it was freaky and didn't get any sleep after that. Made for a hell of a day the next day.

[wildcatter]

One night I had a bear walking around my tent sniffing right below Yalakom Mountain.
Seemed like forever, but maybe a few minutes.
It was a miserable night with rain and my tent leaking.
I had my rifle ready but didn't go outside and it went away.

[thelazygreenfox]

Go with someone that snores, you might appreciate a bear huffing outside. It took a day to clean out my sleeping bag after the mouse ran across my face.
All humour aside I like to sleep inside my 4x4 and day hunt. Guess I'll never go that high in the alpine....
cheers

[twoSevenO]

One night I had a bear walking around my tent sniffing right below Yalakom Mountain.
Seemed like forever, but maybe a few minutes.
It was a miserable night with rain and my tent leaking.
I had my rifle ready but didn't go outside and it went away.

Eerie feeling when youre all alone isnt it? Glad to hear you didnt have a closer encounter than that

[twoSevenO]

Go with someone that snores, you might appreciate a bear huffing outside. It took a day to clean out my sleeping bag after the mouse ran across my face.
All humour aside I like to sleep inside my 4x4 and day hunt. Guess I'll never go that high in the alpine....
cheers

Yes, it isnt for everyone. To tell you the truth i dont know if ill be spending the night up that high all by myself again.

[Ourea]

Animals r simply part of back country hunting..... hooved or clawed.
You will eventually encounter something in camp during the night.
Comes with the territory.

Don't let it get in ur head.
It will probably happen again....... and you will be fine.

Go back without hesitation.
This is what you live for.

[Beachcomber]

Never mind the trail cam then. Take an long selfie stick turn on the flash and stick it out the tent flap, periscope style. Gun on the ready..

The main danger in this approach is that you will attract Justin Trudeau

[twoSevenO]

Animals r simply part of back country hunting..... hooved or clawed.
You will eventually encounter something in camp during the night.
Comes with the territory.

Don't let it get in ur head.
It will probably happen again....... and you will be fine.

Go back without hesitation.
This is what you live for.

Its inevitable ehh ... the only thing ill be doing different is finding a partner to come along. Company is always good.


But people in the thread are right. How many members sleep outdoors and how few bear attacks we actually hear of, right.

Happy hunting.

[LuckyIfYouGetOne]

Probably just a dream, close eyes and go back to sleep