Lost in the woods

[rides bike to work]

I have only gotten a little turned around in the woods and was able to back track out in the snow even then it got scary as it was a long way back in the dark as I realized I was lost 3/4 way through a large loop. Then I got a GPS.
Even then me and my dad went on a long hike and decided not to look at the GPS but when we cut our own tracks looked at the GPS and realized we did 2 circles. Not at all where we were trying to get to.

Roling hills thick bush heavy overcast chasing a big buck perfect conditions to get lost.

my dads hunting partner always got lost before GPS .
Whats the universal sound off for "I'm lost"
is it 3 quick shots

I think this topic can teach a lot of lessons from experience to the newbies on here
lets hear your lost in the bush stories.

[Dannybuoy]

A compass is a good tool as well . pre GPS . Orienteering lessons would help .

[Sofa King]

some people just have bad sense of direction period.
some have a way of just knowing where they are at all times.

my dad and i always seemed to find each other out in the woods.
the only time he ever had any trouble, was when night fell before he got out.
and it was so black he couldn't even see two feet in front of him.
he still wasn't lost, he just had to go super-slow and keep lighting his lighter to see his compass.

i got slightly turned around once due to fog.
i couldn't see any hilltops or anything to get bearings from.
it was even hard to tell where the sun was.

the ones i can never figure out, are the people getting lost in the winter.
simply back-track.
but some people don't even think of that it seems.
with the gps technology we have so easily at our fingertips, it's absolutely negligent and irresponsible to be getting lost nowadays.
i wish they'd hammer these people harder for the time, danger, and resources needed to rescue them.

[itsy bitsy xj]

When I was much younger I got turned around in the bush while I was mountain biking. Not a big deal as the area I was in wasn't that big but the night before I had watched the Blair Witch Project (which had just come out)and when I got turned around it was just starting to get dark

[BRvalley]

I guess I'm fortunate to be one of those people that has always had a good sense of direction, but also I study maps a lot before i go out too. I've still had a bunch of times where I had to stop and think about things (like mentioned, after spotting a buck/bull and trying to catchup to get a shot), but also mountain biking and backcountry snowboarding/sledding

I think the biggest thing is to stay calm and use your brain, slowing down and thinking about your decisions before you act will help prevent a lot of serious situations

[Sofa King]

I guess I'm fortunate to be one of those people that has always had a good sense of direction, but also I study maps a lot before i go out too. I've still had a bunch of times where I had to stop and think about things (like mentioned, after spotting a buck/bull and trying to catchup to get a shot), but also mountain biking and backcountry snowboarding/sledding

I think the biggest thing is to stay calm and use your brain, slowing down and thinking about your decisions before you act will help prevent a lot of serious situations

very true.
i think some tend to get panicked and start to worry.

always make a note of landmarks, etc.
but really, today, just don't go out without a gps and spare batteries.

[Mr. Dean]

GPS's are known to fail - Don't rely on them and learn how to use a compass AND always have one with you.

[pipe-it]

Yes compass and use when leaving car or truck
Being lost is scary but stay calm think rationally u b ok
also when walking look back often to get a view of things in the other direction
also flagging works if u are on same route back

[One Shot]

Every 25-100 yds or as terrain allows turn back and look at your six and see where you came from and take note of any features that you can easily recognize for your return trip. People always look forward out of habit and it is those features that will look familiar later and when they become disorientated it is those features that they will gravitate to thus taking them further away from their starting point.

[BCKyle]

GPS's are known to fail - Don't rely on them and learn how to use a compass AND always have one with you.

"Hey, no problem; I have a compass app on my iPhone!"

Heheh but really it's kind of a growing problem. Sure it is great we have all this digital stuff and much of it is fairly affordable but it means often kids don't learn the REAL way! I got lost a bunch when I was a kid, sometimes enough to freak me out a bit but never seriously and my buddies and I were always able to sort it out. But lots of kids don't experience the 'real' world that way any more... And hell I am only 30 and I feel that way. I have met people 20 yrs old who couldn't find their way out of the bathroom without an iPhone. Let alone the dark woods.

[quadrakid]

Always carry enough stuff with you to make a night in the bush somewhat comfortable.It can and will happen when you are not expecting it.

[hunter1993ap]

just make sure you are comfortable to spend a night in the bush. I am lucky to have spent a lot of time in the bush and when I was really young dad would ask me all the time throughout the day which direction the truck was. if you spend enough time in the bush your going to get turned around but just stay calm and youll be fine. I know its a bad feeling when your in the fog and find a landmark and you are going the complete opposite direction you thought you were going. I have a gps, but rarely use it because most of the country I hunt has so many roads if you get lost you only have to go so far and you will hit one. the reason i'm not sold on my gps is because it has screwed up on me. I was going back to the truck after I met up with my dad. it was foggy so he pulled out his gps to try and eliminate going through a mess of windfalls and it pointed us in a direction about 90 degrees off of where we were supposed to go. I told him i'm not going that way and headed off towards the truck, he followed me and sure enough his gps was way off. lesson learned.

[squamishhunter]

"Hey, no problem; I have a compass app on my iPhone!"

Heheh but really it's kind of a growing problem. Sure it is great we have all this digital stuff and much of it is fairly affordable but it means often kids don't learn the REAL way! I got lost a bunch when I was a kid, sometimes enough to freak me out a bit but never seriously and my buddies and I were always able to sort it out. But lots of kids don't experience the 'real' world that way any more... And hell I am only 30 and I feel that way. I have met people 20 yrs old who couldn't find their way out of the bathroom without an iPhone. Let alone the dark woods.



I"m 22 and I only have one friend thats interested in the bush. Its crazy how few our age are interested.

[rides bike to work]

when i was in my early 20s i much prefered shaved over bush now i take what i can get.

[albravo2]

keep in mind that an iphone or gps will lose battery very, very quickly in the cold.

in fact, they lose battery very quickly every time they sense you really, really need them.

lousy feeling, watching that battery indicator slink away.

when the chips are down i make sure i have a portable charging method or extra batteries.

[Fred1]

Some bush is ok... Thick bush holds lots of moisture, helps you move thru it smoothly and quiet. However you can get lost in it and just end up fumbling around. Dry bush is just no good... ever.....

[Big Lew]

Many older seasoned outdoors men helped me learn how to transverse and survive in the bush, all before the electronic and gps era. We even learned some stuff in school such as how to make an emergency compass and how to use the stars. A lot of this accumulated knowledge isn't very useful if you're prone to panic, or don't take the time to practice with it. I often use a brother-in-law as an example of what can go wrong if you panic. He and I hunted an wilderness area east of Prince George one year, and although we didn't get a chance at a legal bull, there were many moose about, so he wanted to go back by himself because I had to go home. This particular area was usually choked with fog or low clouds, and contained many small inter-linking meadows and devil's club swamps. I didn't think it was a good idea, but told him if he was insistent, he should stay on the roads and well defined trails, and leave a thread trail anytime he had to venture off after a shot moose. Well, he saw what he thought was a legal moose across a meadow so went after it. He followed that moose through several meadows before losing it, and then he had absolutely no idea where he was. He had not left any sign to backtrack with, and because of the fog, couldn't identify one inter-mingling meadow from another. He panicked and started running from one to the next, firing his rifle as he went. He was in great shape so he went over 3 miles clawing through swamps, windfalls, and dense willow thickets before petering out. Other hunters could hear him and were finally able to get ahead of him on the last trail before miles of trackless devils club swamp. He was very lucky to have survived, and as he related his story to me, he said he could here my words of caution as he ran, but just couldn't stop in his panic.

[aggiehunter]

even the most bush savvy people get lost...but after awhile you just get a sense of where your going and where you've been...gps will never fill the gap for just feeling comfy in your surroundings...batteries die...stuff gets lost....I don't know how many guys I've hunted and hiked with that never look back while hiking...head down...heading somewhere and not looking back to see where they came from.

[Scuba_Dave]

If you get lost and have no way out. Always stay put. Dont keep trudging through the forest it doesnt help anyone that will start looking for you if you are not home by the time you are supposed to (always leave a note with someone that you are to check in with stating where you "plan on going"). If you have been in the same area for awhile and decide to keep on moving. Lay out a wood arrow pointing in the direction you are going. BIG arrow so they can see from about 1000'.

Just some quick and handy things for the lost. Always remember your 7 enemies.

[longstonec]

"Hey, no problem; I have a compass app on my iPhone!"

Heheh but really it's kind of a growing problem. Sure it is great we have all this digital stuff and much of it is fairly affordable but it means often kids don't learn the REAL way! I got lost a bunch when I was a kid, sometimes enough to freak me out a bit but never seriously and my buddies and I were always able to sort it out. But lots of kids don't experience the 'real' world that way any more... And hell I am only 30 and I feel that way. I have met people 20 yrs old who couldn't find their way out of the bathroom without an iPhone. Let alone the dark woods.


And when they drop their phone in the toilet.... Up sheet creek

[scoutlt1]

When in "unfamiliar" territory I always look back. Every 100 yards or so. It's a different perspective, and one I want to be "familiar" with.
That, and I always carry enough gear with me to stay more than one night. Doesn't take much really.
I've never been lost, but spent many a night in the bush "just because".
I have always felt that those who are "lost", are just those that "don't know their way back".
Being, or more accurately, feeling "lost", just means you are somewhere you don't have the comforts of home. Relax, enjoy where you are, and with some common sense, go back to where you were. It's not that hard really. It is panic, and fear, that drives one in a direction that one shouldn't head to...

[Hunt-4-Life]

Had a good tine this past fall. Hiked into a great moose area with a couple good guys, and after about a km of thick bush and one meadow we found the lake we were headed to. There was a cow swimming across the lake so my buddy let out a cow call hoping a bull had chased her into the water. What turned up was a pack of about 7 wolves that ran to the lake shore about 500 yards away and started howling. We all took a long poke at them but missed. After we had checked to make sure of no blood/fur, we started hiking back out to camp. We set some scent sticks in the mud of the last meadow hoping to bring in a bull for morning. It had gotten dark by this time and we still had 1/2 km of hard going over some pretty nasty deadfall northslope timber to get back to camp. The wolves were still howling, apparently didn't like being shot at, but we decided to give one more cow call to bring in a bull for morning. My friend let out a good loud cow call and a bull came crashing in right away through the dark timber and stopped about 50 yards in. Pitch black, can't see him in the timber but we could hear him grunt like he was about to jump right on us and get his rut on!

So we have a pack of pissed off wolves howling like crazy behind us, a horny moose grunting like crazy in front of us, it's dark, we're hiking on a compass bearing with no trail. We eventually made some noise to get the bull out of the way and hiked back to our small camp at the end of the road we rode in on. We missed the camp by a curly hair though and wound up in the creek below camp. Good thing everyone was able to keep a calm head as a light rain kicked in. We discussed the prospect of pitching a shelter for the night under a log but decided that we were close and adjusted our course. We popped out on the road just down from camp.

Big cup of rum tasted pretty good that night listening to the wolves put us to sleep. My friend got his bull about a week later too! Lots of fun, just wish I had that big grey/white wolf hide to got with the story!

Cheers!

[warnniklz]

I've never really been "lost". I've always known where I've am. Was fogged in pretty good on a mountain once, while I was on my way off the mountain. Didn't exactly know/couldn't find the trail head off the mountain. But I knew that a road ran along the base and when I got to it, just to turn left and I'd end up back at the vehicle. So I carefully made my way downhill back to the road. Luckily it wasn't a "real" mountain with drop offs or crevasses to fall in to.

[warnniklz]

oh and google finding direction with watch. Pretty easy and useful to know.

[kennyj]

ALWAYS carry a compass in your pocket! And an extra one in your pack. Learn how to use a map and compass and you won't get lost. I've never owned a GPS and I've never been lost in the woods. Citys and malls different story.
kenny

[Walksalot]

some people just have bad sense of direction period.
some have a way of just knowing where they are at all times.

my dad and i always seemed to find each other out in the woods.
the only time he ever had any trouble, was when night fell before he got out.
and it was so black he couldn't even see two feet in front of him.
he still wasn't lost, he just had to go super-slow and keep lighting his lighter to see his compass.

i got slightly turned around once due to fog.
i couldn't see any hilltops or anything to get bearings from.
it was even hard to tell where the sun was.

the ones i can never figure out, are the people getting lost in the winter.
simply back-track.
but some people don't even think of that it seems.
with the gps technology we have so easily at our fingertips, it's absolutely negligent and irresponsible to be getting lost nowadays.
i wish they'd hammer these people harder for the time, danger, and resources needed to rescue them.

I have had snow storms whip up and cover any sign if my tracks in a matter of minutes. Even a good wind and fluffy snow can extinguish your tracks in no time.
Both my buddy and myself have had a GPS go south on us. The rely strictly on a GPS to navigate in the woods could get a person into a pickle.

[sawmill]

Daniel Boone said"I never been lost, but once I wasn`t sure where Found was for 3 months" I have been sidewaysed a bit a few times but really,if you have a rifle and a lighter you will be fine overnight.Don`t panick,build a fire and chalk it up as an adventure.

[hunter1947]

Never have been turned around in the bush ever so I guess I have done well over my years out there in the woods...

[Gateholio]

I've been lost in the supermarket...:)

[Salty]

I've never been lost in the bush really, its taken a little longer to get out than it should have a few times. I was a surveyor in my 20s and work was often exactly going in to the wilds a long ways to find a property corner so you learn how to use a compass and keep track of distances pretty closely.

I've been good and freakin lost in New York City though. How TF people can live like that is beyond me.. you can't see the sun or any landmarks just endless bloody 20 story plus buildings! Ended up ignoring my normal instincts and working with which way the addresses increase to get back to where we needed to be. Creepy!

[HarryToolips]

oh and google finding direction with watch. Pretty easy and useful to know.
As said before, always carry a couple compasses and survival gear with ya...when paying attention to a certain bearing or direction in the woods, it's usually not too hard to tell where you are, but if ya ain't paying attention, it's easy to get turned around quick in the thick stuff! I don't use a GPS, don't have a problem with people who do, I just like the challenge/practice of using a compass, landmarks, the sun, or vegetation or a combination of several to find my way around..when in the Northern hemisphere, to use sun to find direction: hold watch horizontal, point hour hand at sun. Half way between the hour hand and 12 o clock (use 1 o clock daylight savings time) gives your north-south line. You know the sun follows the southern horizon, therefore you know south from north. Because you read a map before setting out, you know what direction you need to go. With practice it is easy, I use this method when the sun's out, and I use compass when it's overcast. I'm in the bush year round, haven't been lost, but always remind myself not to get cocky. If totally lost, head in one direction, your bound to hit a road or something! When in doubt, head down the valley! Most civilization is in valley bottoms. Also, if you run into a unfamiliar road, keep heading into the fork (where the two roads converge), this works 95% of the time! And above all, tell someone where your goin, and when you should be back..

[brian]

I can get lost in a closet. Absolutely zero innate direction sense. So I am pretty careful going into the bush because I simply assume that I can and will get lost if I don't have at least a compass with me. Its amazing how easy it is to go around in circles when its overcast and flat.

I concur to not rely on a GPS, they are electronics and prone to failure in the wrong most needed conditions. But they are great tools for mapping and scouting.

[elknut]

One of the ways I have helped hunters is to use a compass before going in the bush..Face the way you want to come out..say the road or cutline..then open your compass and turn the dial till the north is in the north..Close the compass and put in your pocket..Go in after the deer..Upon shooting mark the spot with flag tape..Then to go back to the road or cutline just open the compass...hold it level..turn your body holding the compass till north goes into north ..then walk straight ahead..You might not come back to your start point but to the road or cutline..You also can flag a trail out to the road ...Elk hunters kill bull elk often close to last light and my partner and I have retrieved elk after dark many times...With a GPS it can be as simple as marking your starting point as a waypoint ...then going in and killing the animal and marking it as a waypoint..To get backout just press Goto your waypoint that you started from..A nice line will show up to follow..Having both a GPS and compass are really mandatory for true confidence..The secret to the compass is to set your compass before you go in after... not when you kill something...A few friends of mine were afraid to go in after an elk late in the evening because of poor reception for there GPS...a compass always has reception..LOL..Hope this helps someone...

[rides bike to work]

I recently read the red goat a story about outfitters in the spatsi there was a story that a trapper was accessing his trap line from cold fish lake but one winter decided there was more furs at cold fish so he started trapping there.well word spread and when the co flew in to lake the trapper took of into the bush and headed straight with the thought he could make it out on the other side well it took him 90 days on foot to get out the other side skiny as a rail I guess you could say he wasn't lost it just took him a little longer than he thought.

[sawmill]

I can get lost in a closet. Absolutely zero innate direction sense. So I am pretty careful going into the bush because I simply assume that I can and will get lost if I don't have at least a compass with me. Its amazing how easy it is to go around in circles when its overcast and flat.

I concur to not rely on a GPS, they are electronics and prone to failure in the wrong most needed conditions. But they are great tools for mapping and scouting.

So you are saying that you have trouble coming out of the closet?Hey,it`s O.K.,we are all friends here.Just don`t touch my bum.

[BCKyle]

keep in mind that an iphone or gps will lose battery very, very quickly in the cold.

in fact, they lose battery very quickly every time they sense you really, really need them.

lousy feeling, watching that battery indicator slink away.

when the chips are down i make sure i have a portable charging method or extra batteries.

That's something a friend taught me, is carry your spare batteries in an inside pocket on your jacket if it's cold out. Body warmth keeps them from losing their charge for longer.

But nothing beats having a straight up old school no battery way to confidently find your way out to the truck.

[doddatto]

GPS's are known to fail - Don't rely on them and learn how to use a compass AND always have one with you.

iv have to agree iv heard of people get lost because of GPS , Some dont know how to use it!

[hunter1993ap]

the only time I have any issues in the bush is when the country is fairly flat and foggy, with lots of thick timber. especially if its a new area. when there are only trees for landmarks you better be on the ball or you could have some issues.

[doddatto]

My question is where can you get maps for the mountain you plan on hiking??? i know a back road map isnt good enough so.. I count my self lucky as many guys my age dont know how to use a map and a compass, might sound funny but i was in scouts and the army cadets , and out in the bush in northern ontario alot when i was younger! my sense of direction is really good and only got turned around once and it was like a half a mile away from a cottage, you guys are right tho always look behind you, a different prospective is always good!. Mind you northern ontario is pretty flat you can get to a high point and find your way!

[ruger#1]

Try these Topo maps.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?94158-Free-Canadian-Topographic-Maps

[Ron.C]

I have an absolutely lousy sense of direction. It sucks but that's just the way it is. I have never been truly "lost" but have been turned around plenty of times where I needed to sit down and get my bearings straight. I prefer to use my map/compass of the area I'm when I'm venturing in deep in an unfamiliar area or on a backpack hunt. But I do mark key points on my GPS and use if for nothing more then seeing my grid reference, or bearing to where I want to go and xref that with where I think I am on the map. Then its back to the compass. But I don't rely on the GPS.

[Caveman]

An easy way to keep from getting yourself into trouble, is know the roads in your area and know the general direction they run. Use a compass to take a bearing when you leave you vehicle. Example, if the road runs east/west, take a bearing north of the road, using your compass, keep in mind the terrain. Are you constantly climbing or descending. Set out to make a large circle, favouring your right or left. Pick out landmarks that you may recognize on the way back. if you are truly new to this, start out with small hikes, getting used to this. Trust your compass and check it regularly. Use the sun as a general reference of direction. Better yet, use cross roads as a control point and hike knowing that the intersection is on your left or right, your choice. Hike between them. if you're carrying a gps, always have extra batteries and a compass for back up. Learn to orienteer and how to use a map would also be very valuable, one skill i have really never used. Stay calm and stay focused

[sawmill]

Road hunt.

[Farmer001]

I have a pretty good sense of direction, but few scenarios has taught me to use a compass and GPS my truck before I leave it and usually pack enough gear to spend a night. Never needed any of that stuff for years, until one day when out hunting on a nice clear day and by the time to start getting back to the truck it fogged in like thick soup. Could not see 20 feet in front and after 2hrs was not changing. If not for GPS would have been a cool night. For what it was worth were I "THOUGHT" I was and where I "Really" was turned out to be a good lesson on how messed up our brains can get without reference points for our eyes.

[ruger#1]

A compass can fail also. If you are standing on a mineral deposit. Your compass will go all wacky. Try to get the cordinates. You could be standing on something that could make you rich. The only time I would trust a GPS for is the time.

[wicket]

i got lost in west virgina once deer hunting. lots of bad decisions. 13hr drive from ontario....2 hrs sleep...excited to go deer hunting as i had 5 doe tags in my pocket.....exhausted on 7000a of public mountain wanted to see what was down the next holler before i knew it ..it was dark i was dehydrated, dog tired I didnt believe my compass and gps. luckly i had my pack with enough stuff to stay the nite where i was after stumbling around in the dark for an hour. at daylight i walked up the mountain to the truck and back to camp for some proper rest. I learned a lot after that experience, number one was there are millions of deerless public mountain hunting areas and the hundreds of deer i saw on my summer scouting trip were in the lowlands around the limited agriculture areas DOH!:) oh yah dont be a dumb ass, i knew better but was too arrogant to take a day and get properly organized before hunting.

[dakoda62]

Road hunt.
I met an old couple years ago in the Sooke/ Jordan river area. They had gone for a leisurely back woods drive on Friday afternoon, I met them late Sat still trying to find there way out.

[Fella]

keep in mind that an iphone or gps will lose battery very, very quickly in the cold.

in fact, they lose battery very quickly every time they sense you really, really need them.

lousy feeling, watching that battery indicator slink away.

when the chips are down i make sure i have a portable charging method or extra batteries.

This! I was out doing some work on a duck blind in December, iPhone in my wind breaker pocket, -5 and within 20 minutes my phone had an error message saying it was too cold to function. Ill never rely on it in the bush

[albravo2]

I think it needs to be said that after a compass, the second most important routefinding tool is a headlamp.

Lost is one thing, knowing where you are but not being able to see your path home is quite another.

Been there, done that.

[brian]

A compass can fail also. If you are standing on a mineral deposit.

It can also fail you if you try to use it too close to your rifle.


So you are saying that you have trouble coming out of the closet?Hey,it`s O.K.,we are all friends here.Just don`t touch my bum.

LOL, priceless!

[Sofa King]

This! I was out doing some work on a duck blind in December, iPhone in my wind breaker pocket, -5 and within 20 minutes my phone had an error message saying it was too cold to function. Ill never rely on it in the bush

well duh!
it's a freakin iphone.
theyre known to be absolutely brutal on battery life in the nbest of conditions.
i'm shocked you would even think about relying on an iphone in the bush.

[mikeman20]

I always bring 2 sets of spare batteries for the GPS just in case.
I'm good with landmarks and have never been truly lost, just a little confused as to why I haven't cut the trail that I was looking for yet lol.

[deer nut]

The one time I trusted a GPS over my compass I spent the night! Always trust your back-bearing! Lesson learned....