Your fear in the woods?

[cnelk]

Ok guys.
What is your fear while out in the woods?
Everyone has one [or more]


Is it getting lost?
Getting hurt?
Lighting?

I would have to say that mine is falling trees. We have millions of beetle killed forests and trees are falling all the time.
You never know when or where.

Dont worry, you wont lose your 'Man Card' by telling....

[bnsafe]

snakes, terrified of em. i even have a hard time sitting down while im hunting cause im afraid they are around.

[dotman]

Having a mt lion or bear come up to me while takin a dump . Seriously lightening and forest fires are my biggest fears.

[Swede]

Normally I am not afraid in the forest, but I have had occasions when I bacame concerned or maybe even fearful. I have carried a pistol a few times when I was not comfortable with the situation I was heading into. I even questioned why I was going, but went ahead anyway. I have picked up a good club because I was concerned about cats in an area. Lightening has been a concern a few times. Yes I too have been concerned about getting lost a few times. It is not a comfortable feeling until you get back to known territory. Personally I feel more comfortable in the forest than in the city. I feel lost and vulnerable there much of the time. I feel more in control in the woods.

[WapitiTalk1]

Having a mt lion or bear come up to me while takin a dump . Seriously lightening and forest fires are my biggest fears.

Note to self....... make "growling" noises when dotman heads off the trail to use the facilities The forest fire thing when you're miles into a roadless area is definitely one of my concerns; there's only so much you can do if a fire comes sweeping through your area. It's not just the fire itself but the smoke that accompanies the fire itself can be a killer. I'd have to say my number one fear would be get hurt way back in. I try to be very carefull but every year I have a few of those "holy crap, that could have been bad" situations.. RJ

[Firemedicbkelly]

Getting lost would probably be number one, but the area I hunted this year apparently had a very healthy western diamondback population. Several locals told me to be on the look out because of the high numbers in the area. My mind started wondering what I would do if I were bitten and was several hours hike in the woods. Kinda scary to think about to me.

[foxvalley]

Without a doubt other hunters. I've had encounters with cats,bears,(black and grizzly)moose, elk, and a large pack of coyotes that tried to encircle me, and I really thought they were going to go for it. By far,the most scary thing that ever happened to me involved 2 hunters. I was late,and it was getting light out, so I was kind of running through the woods,and as I was doing so, I look,and I see two guys standing about 30 yds. away,and as I'm looking I notice that one of them is at full draw...... on me. Must a thought I was an elk crashing thru the way I was. That one still sends a chill down my spine.

[mongopino915]

Like Phanton15 stated, getting hurt way in the back wood by myself would be my biggest fear. Last year, I accidentally cut my the skin on top of my left hand while trying to catch a knocked bow from falling over. The sharp G5 striker blade barely scratch my skin but the cut actually made through a vain. I was hunting solo miles from the truck and the small cut would not stop bleeding. Placed a bandaid on but the cut would not stop bleeding. It bled for close to two hours before stopping. I kept thinking to myself that I may pass out any minute from blood lost but never really lost my vision and/or movement. Just glad and grateful no real emergency mishaps have occurred, knock on wood.

[JimKirk]

I've never been lost, but I was mighty turned around for three days once

. i'd have to say gettin lost.

[ST52V]

My father in law and I took a break in a small clearing with a 2000 + lb black bull. I told my partner to leave the bear spray that day to reduce pack weight. When he started to bellow and paw at the ground less than 50 yds away we made a quick exit.

[MT_Nate]

Definitely getting hurt - hunting solo. Think of some of the places you end up chasing elk?...they're screaming in a deep dark hole 1000' below the nearest trail/road, and you go down (that most people in their right mind would never go into). I tend to think of it most when you're hustling down a super steep slope with tons of knee-high deadfall. How many times have you stepped through this stuff and you go to make a step and your ankle gets twisted funny and your next downhill step almost snaps your leg? You move across a downed tree and take a piercing branch near the groin that rips your pants like it was a sharpened knife?

My mantra..."stay in the game." I definitely slow down and think through things in this stuff. Getting hurt on your own in this stuff could be game over...

[dreamhunter]

Well I don't much like walking back to camp way after dark,I use to worry about cats but not so much any more.I still haven't encountered a bear yet which is fine by me. The more I read about wolves the less I want to see them,if i do, I want it to only be one.Getting turned around in the woods is no fun.I did that in Colorado about three yrs ago and thought I was closer to camp than I actually was.I was nearly 7 miles away when a guy on an ATV that happened by informed me and then offered me a ride to camp.The weather is so unpredictable but I don't worry about it much,I always have rain gear and stuff for shelter with me.So I guess it comes down to Food,not having enough in my pak to get me through til the next time I eat. Really though it would be getting hurt and wondering if I would be able to make it back to camp.A close 2nd would be having a dead battery on my cell phone and not be able to text or check facebook,lol. One just has to be as careful as you can,try to have everything you might need ,keep a good and clear mind about situations and have faith (trust in almighty God that all will be just fine) then go and kill and elk, a BIG one. : )

[Lefty]

Maybe three things,
walking up on a grizzlie,
some crazey wackjob in the woods
And needing help and my wife not calling soon enough to send out searchers
I dont carry a sidearm and really dont see a need ,.. so I guess the bear and wackos dont scare me much
And I been in some tough situations in the past and now do what I need to do to prevent stupid

[Bullnuts]

I don't worry too much about stuff in the woods. I've had bear and cat encounters and they were a little alarming when they happened but I didn't worry about them too much before or after. With my kids hunting with me every year I do worry about them wandering off and getting lost or hurt, but they're pretty smart and stay close most of the time. So all that said I would say that my biggest fear is lightning. I've seen what lightning can do to a tree and there's really no safe place once it starts sparking, especially when you're out in the middle of nowhere. You just have to hope it doesn't hit you or anywhere near you.

[>>>---WW---->]

I'd have to say hypothermia. It is just too darn easy to get wet on a cool day.

[Harmy]

Lightning for me. After 30+ years of technical alpine climbing I have had numerous close calls with lightning very close. On two occasions I have been clipped to the side of a cliff with all my hardware singing and buzzing. I am sure that if I had some, my hair would have been sticking straight out. I have had two other instances where my gear in the pack started singing and so dropped the pack and ran and lay in a low depression. I was a first responder to a fatal accident where the individual hid at the base of a big tree when lightening struck it. The tree exploded at 3 feet off the ground. I would imagine that once I start hunting in locations with Grizz then I would have irrational fears. When climbing in Canada there was a mauling in the area we were in and I could not sleep for three days... But my all time fear is scorpions. When in yosimite one year I woke up with two large scorpions inside my sleeping bag. Not that this is an issue hunting but I think about it every time I flop out to bivy on the ground.

[pointysticks]

i've never encountered a grizzly..

but i have been lost. bad. it scares me bad. and my inner compass is "not calibrated" very well.

[six]

Well I had my first bear encounter this year. It went well. I am scared of being lost/spending the night in the woods. Probably going to happen someday and I'll deal with it but I'm not looking forward to it.

[Bullnuts]

It's interesting the number of guys who fear being lost in the woods. With all the stuff available to us now, including GPS (but don't forget the map and compass) it's one of those fears that can be alleviated pretty easily. Have the right navigational equipment and pack the right stuff - firemaking materials, space blanket, signal device, 550 cord, sharp knife and saw, and read some survival manuals and you can actually spend a pretty comfortable night outdoors with minimal stuff. I spent the night in a snow trench last year during a survival exercise and was absolutely toasty despite doing this during a raging blizzard and below zero temps. Survival is 99% mental.

[ElkNut1]

Bullnuts, 100% on the money!!!

ElkNut1

[planebow]

My biggest fear is getting hurt on a solo hunt. One of these days I might have to invest in a spot.

[dotman]

My new biggest fear is Phantom16 hiding my nightly nip and probably TP

[WapitiTalk1]

It's interesting the number of guys who fear being lost in the woods. With all the stuff available to us now, including GPS (but don't forget the map and compass) it's one of those fears that can be alleviated pretty easily. Have the right navigational equipment and pack the right stuff - firemaking materials, space blanket, signal device, 550 cord, sharp knife and saw, and read some survival manuals and you can actually spend a pretty comfortable night outdoors with minimal stuff. I spent the night in a snow trench last year during a survival exercise and was absolutely toasty despite doing this during a raging blizzard and below zero temps. Survival is 99% mental.

Nicely put and on the mark. RJ

[WapitiTalk1]

My new biggest fear is Phantom16 hiding my nightly nip and probably TP

LOL.. You're in no danger.. Really Just tune in that short range pin and practice shooting between and over alder..... you'll need it. RJ

[JohnFitzgerald]

My greatest fear is uncontrollable forest fires. I'm in great shape but I can't outrun one.

Oh, and I also have Sciurophobia!

[pointysticks]

It's interesting the number of guys who fear being lost in the woods. With all the stuff available to us now, including GPS (but don't forget the map and compass) it's one of those fears that can be alleviated pretty easily. Have the right navigational equipment and pack the right stuff - firemaking materials, space blanket, signal device, 550 cord, sharp knife and saw, and read some survival manuals and you can actually spend a pretty comfortable night outdoors with minimal stuff. I spent the night in a snow trench last year during a survival exercise and was absolutely toasty despite doing this during a raging blizzard and below zero temps. Survival is 99% mental.

you simplyfy things..not saying fear of getting lost is rational. i know hunters that fear bigfoot!!

i have some gear, and i know how to use it. stay out all night on some impromtu "lost session"? yup done it.. i am prepared. i am not paralyzed with fear. it isnt a phobia..i get out, and so do my other fear of lost brothers.

the question was: what do we fear in the woods..

getting lost is a real answer. do i get lost anymore..no, not really..but i still fear it.

fear of snakes? come on..they dont even have legs to chase us.. i have pushed rattlers off the trail with sticks. snakes dont bother me..i know they are more scared of me..but i understand the fear of snakes some of you guys have.

[buglmin]

Getting hurt could be a life and death situation, and something all of us should worry about...We had a real good friend, an outfitter, almost bleed to death when his knife slipped and went into his leg...he called his wife on a sat phone, told her what happened and he was trying not to pass out...a flight for life helicopter was luckily in the area and was able to get to him quick...
Another friend was working on a bull, quartering him, when the leg a guy was holding slipped and hit the knife our friend was holding, shoving the knife into the right eye...he lost the eye..
We had a hunter here last year, walking around looking at the bull he had just shot, slipped and fell onto the horns...search and rescue found him the next day still laying on the horns...
Dont ever think 'it cant happen to me'...working on elk is a tough job, elk country is a tough place, and if youre using horses, a lot of things can go wrong...having the right stuff inside your bags and the right knowledge could someday save a life...maybe even youre own. Gotta face it guys, we aint getting any younger...be safe and hunt wise.

[Bullnuts]

Wow....I have also heard of guys stabbing themselves and their partners while quartering animals. Definitely a concern.

[pointysticks]

Getting hurt could be a life and death situation, and something all of us should worry about...We had a real good friend, an outfitter, almost bleed to death when his knife slipped and went into his leg...he called his wife on a sat phone, told her what happened and he was trying not to pass out...a flight for life helicopter was luckily in the area and was able to get to him quick...
Another friend was working on a bull, quartering him, when the leg a guy was holding slipped and hit the knife our friend was holding, shoving the knife into the right eye...he lost the eye..
We had a hunter here last year, walking around looking at the bull he had just shot, slipped and fell onto the horns...search and rescue found him the next day still laying on the horns...
Dont ever think 'it cant happen to me'...working on elk is a tough job, elk country is a tough place, and if youre using horses, a lot of things can go wrong...having the right stuff inside your bags and the right knowledge could someday save a life...maybe even youre own. Gotta face it guys, we aint getting any younger...be safe and hunt wise.

thanks!! now i am not so fearfull of getting lost anymore..

i have a new one!! good lord..swinging knives around with bloody hands, darkness..and someone standing next to you a foot away..what can go wrong?

i am officially changing my answer!

[Bullnuts]

Always cut toward your friends, never toward yourself....

[JohnFitzgerald]

Always cut toward your friends, never toward yourself....

LOL!

[CrazyElkHunter]

I've had encounters with bears, cats, coyotes and been turned around a few times. But the only thing that has really scared the crap out of me is to be caught out in a lightning storm. Been caught out more times than than I wish I had. I've had lightning hit trees within a 100 yards twice. 4 years ago a archery elk hunter finally got drawn for unit 61 Colorado after waiting for 14 years and was found dead under a tree after lightning struck him a few days into his hunt. I've had bears charge me, mountain lions stalk me but none of them have rattled me more than lightning popping all around me.

[ElkNut1]

Yep, same here, bears & lions don't bother my thinking much, (not grzz) but lightning close by can rattle the nerves!

ElkNut1

[foxvalley]

Getting hurt could be a life and death situation, and something all of us should worry about...We had a real good friend, an outfitter, almost bleed to death when his knife slipped and went into his leg...he called his wife on a sat phone, told her what happened and he was trying not to pass out...a flight for life helicopter was luckily in the area and was able to get to him quick...
Another friend was working on a bull, quartering him, when the leg a guy was holding slipped and hit the knife our friend was holding, shoving the knife into the right eye...he lost the eye..
We had a hunter here last year, walking around looking at the bull he had just shot, slipped and fell onto the horns...search and rescue found him the next day still laying on the horns...
Dont ever think 'it cant happen to me'...working on elk is a tough job, elk country is a tough place, and if youre using horses, a lot of things can go wrong...having the right stuff inside your bags and the right knowledge could someday save a life...maybe even youre own. Gotta face it guys, we aint getting any younger...be safe and hunt wise.

This isn't my biggest fear,but it is by far my biggest concern.Getting cut,hitting an artery or vein with a razor sharp braodhead or knife,if you don't know how to stop the bleeding,can be tragic.
However,basic first aid techniques can mean the difference between life and death,and anybody venturing into the mtns should know the basics.
for example, did you know there are presure points on your legs and arms,when presure is applied to these areas,will compress the main artery and vein and stop the bleeding. On your arm they are located on the inside of the elbow and the armpit.If you cut your hand,you can apply presure to the inside of the elbow. For upper arm,do the same to the armpit. For the leg, the points are behind the knee, and the grion.
Shock,hypothermia,and dehydration are also big problems,but easy to relieve if you know the symptoms and the cure.
This year after quartering my bull,I wanted to gut him to check out the damage,and cut out a side of ribs for supper.I was alone and knew there was a razor sharp broadhead,and 18" of arrow somewhere in the chest cavity. I decided against it, and don't regret that desision at all.
You will feel much more confident in the mtns. alone or with a group knowing this basic stuff.
If anybody out there is an E.M.T. Dr. or R.N. maybe they could start a thread on first aid techniques.

[Lefty]

Getting hurt and not having contact for days
I don’t carry a sidearm or bear spray hunting. However I have met 2” Deliverance” type crazies in the outdoors in 40 years. They do scare me

Grizzlies and in rut moose do concern me, black bears lions wolves dont

[foxvalley]

Getting hurt and not having contact for days
I don’t carry a sidearm or bear spray hunting. However I have met 2” Deliverance” type crazies in the outdoors in 40 years. They do scare me

Grizzlies and in rut moose do concern me, black bears lions wolves dont

Another crazy whackjob that I had to deal with one year was when I came off the mtn.miles from where we were supposed to,and ended up in a large marshy flat, that just happened to be private. I'm walking out, and all of a sudden I hear dogs barking, 4 or 5 and they are getting closer.It dawned on me that they must have heard me in there,and the backwards bastard let em go on me. I ran back on my trail, did some zig zags, and then ran as fast as I could to where the road was and ran right up to this truck that was sitting there.I got there just seconds before the dogs caught up to me.Yes, it was him,scary looking mtn. man,but what was really scary was his dogs.When the first dog hit the road,I swear I almost jumped in this guys arms,gun or no gun.I have never,ever seen nothin like them, or ever will. They were the biggest meanest dogs I ever saw.Some kind of wolf hybrid i'm sure. I couldn't even tell what they were mixed with,maybe irish wolf hound/wolf mix. I don't know what would have happened if they cornered me in that marsh,not knowing they were "pets". He told me to "keep out", packed up his dogs and left.

[Swede]

Years ago, before GPS, I killed an elk down in the canyon a couple miles from where I often camp. I quartered it and packed out one of the quarters. I looked at my watch and checked the seting sun. I determined there was enough time to go back for another elk quarter before it got dark. I was by myself, I decided to bring my flashlight "just in case", but I did not think I would need it. When I got back to the elk it was a little later than I anticipated and I saw immediately that I had not finished skinning its shoulders. Well that set me back a few minutes so by the time I got my pack loaded, it was dark. That night it was overcast and it was the dark of the moon.
I struggled and got my pack frame on. Just as I started to hike away the flashlight bulb burned out. I had no provision for staying in the forest that night. My day pack was back at the truck. It was so black out that I could not see my hand or for that matter anything else. I thought "Oh Lord what should I do". I prayed about the matter and decided to try to walk out by the braille system. I left my pack at the kill site and started up hill in the direction of the truck. Normally I would never try a stunt like that, but it was going to get cold. I knew the terrain I was going to have to hike through had no major hazards.
As I walked slowly up the draw, with my hands out front, I saw a faint glimmer off of a small pool of water I was familiar with. From there I reoriented, and turned off to the right slightly. Up hill I saw a glimmer off of a large buckshim log that I did not recognize. After hiking on for another few hundred yards I felt boulders under my feet. I thought I knew where I was at again and continued on with a slight change in direction, but now the terrain was flat. I no longer had the slope to help guide me. One of the most difficult things to do is navigate without any insturments or light, but after a while, again I thought I just hit the dirt road my pickup was parked along. I was not sure it was the road, but it was smooth. I guessed that I needed to turn to the right and within a few minutes I saw the third thing I observed on my hike out. It was a wood handle used to close a barbed wire gate. I knew I was within about eighty feet of the pickup. I could not see the truck, but turned and found my way over to it. Finally I saw a faint reflection off of the front bumper.
Yes I was afraid in the woods that night, but I made rational decisions, and took a calculated decision to hike out. I also gave a heartfelt thanks to Jesus for watching over me.

[stringunner]

I hunt solo alot, I have a serious fear of the dark (due to some traumatic experiences as a young kid), I'm not too afraid of whats "out there" (bears, lions, cats, etc) or even of people for that matter, just the sense of being in the dark.

[Bullnuts]

WW posted a while ago about using those little solar powered sidewalk lights in his camp. They don't weigh anything and they put out some decent light. If you break the post off, you can really minimize its size and weight and then you'll never be in the dark in camp.

[Broken arrow]

Failure!!!! all jk aside. For me being I'll be solo next year it would have to be injury. Critters and such don't bother me but being injuried and incapacitated alone dying of starvation or hyperthermia is a real concern. I'm budgeting a spot rental for my trip a little security blanket.

[elkoholic]

I would have to say getting hurt deep off the beaten path on a solo outing. Whether it be a snake bite, broken ankle, broken anything for that matter,allergic reaction to a bee sting. That is my number one fear, right up there with fire.

[loopmtz]

I think I am more worried about other humans in the wild than anything wild. I remember one time I was in a hunting camp (rifle) and some new guys came in to camp with some friends of ours. One of them was color blind and started saying how he just shoots at movement without identifying his target. The sad thing was he meant it. That was the last time I ever hunted anywhere near any one of them folks.

As far as getting lost I think everyone has that concern no matter how well they know the area. Things look so much different in a storm or at night but I think we owe it to ourselves to really get to know the equipment we carry. I know there are many people who buy a GPS on the way to the hunt without ever really spending any time using it. There are classes, online tutorials, and lots of other hunters who would be glad to teach a person how to use the equipment. Sometimes we just have to (as a man) say we don't know what we're doing and learn so we don't put ourselves or others in jeopardy.

[dotman]

Lightening was taken back up top for sure, neighbors house was struck by it today.

[>>>---WW---->]

Wow Swede! You are one lucky guy.

About 5-6 years ago a search and rescue group was called out to find a lost hunter. They did find him, or should I say they found the body at the base of a cliff. Nearest they could figure out was that the guy got turned around and tried to walk out on a pitch black nite and walked right off of a 100 foot cliff.

When I was younger and lived back in southern Illinois, I used to do alot of coon hunting. Back then, nobody had a compass so we learned to navigate by the stars. But these mountains are a whole different ball game. They are so tall and the woods are so thick that often you can't find the right constilations to get your bearings.

They best thing a fella can do if caught out after dark without a lite or compass/GPS is just to build yourself a nice warm fire and sit it out.

[foxvalley]

Swede, Thats hard core. I hope I never have to try that one.It doesn't get any darker than a cloudy nite in the mtns.Like walking thru black ink.
I'm always hard on myself for leaving my hunting area in the evening before it gets dark...... untill I have to walk out in it. Then I remember why.
It was way after dark after quartering my bull,but I knew where I was,had a gps. headlamp,daypack, and just had to stay on the hogback ,and on the trail all the way down.Easy, right, wrong! I even had trails marked on my gps on top of the hogback. The problem going down hill is you can't see the hogback,and with my gps,an older lorance unit, you have to walk about 30 yds. before you can tell which direction you are going.Add to that,finger ridges off the main hogback don't help either. I was turned around for about a half hour,and was more irritated than in trouble as I had all my gear.

[Miller1]

I would have to say getting hurt deep off the beaten path on a solo outing. Whether it be a snake bite, broken ankle, broken anything for that matter,allergic reaction to a bee sting. That is my number one fear, right up there with fire.

Havent thought much about snakes, would gaiters stop a snake bite?

[Firemedicbkelly]

Pointy stick, it's not the snake I am afraid I know they don't have legs and can't chase me, I actually like snakes, it being envenomated by a snake when I am hours away from help. I have been a paramedic and RN for 15 years and have treated many snake bite victims. Prompt medical help is very important. Even if the bite is not fatal, delayed treatment can lead to permanent injuries and loss of extremities. Stepping on a snake while chasing after an elk or while walking in the dark is my concern. Not worried at all about the ones I can see!

[Magic]

The most afraid that I have ever been, I was the camp jack and cook for a group of hunters and a severe lightning/hail storm set in. There were no vehicles in camp, so I went to my tent and lay on the sleeping bag/pad until it passed. After it passed, I filled all of the ice chests with hail. A wildlife officer told me the next day that the lightning killed a hunter only a couple of miles from me. Blew the soles off of his boots.

[T/H]

I don't worry about things I have no control over such as lightning strikes or animal attacks or falling trees. Life is so much less stressful this way. Besides that your focus should be on the task at hand (killing elk) instead of some unknown that imagination has conjured up.

[mudhole]

If you have ever had a kidney stone. It tops my list. Hard to imagine coming out in that pain. Nothing you can do to stop it.

[>>>---WW---->]

Holy Cow! I vote for Mudhole. He takes first place on this thread. I swear, if a grizzley bear came along while I was passing a stone, I'd beg him to just get it over with and enjoy me for lunch. Yes, it is that bad.

[one_elk]

All good points above and certainly have been affected by a few of them but the thing that is the most concerning to me is the general attitude of a high percentage of hunters I come across in a season. Seems like things have changed in the past 10 or so years and there are growing number of folks who don’t have much respect for another person’s property and in general just have a bad attitude….now don’t get me wrong when I am in the woods I am not looking for a verse of Kum by ah (or however you spell it), I enjoy the solitude as much as the next person but when I do encounter another hunter I believe a few friendly words are good and on with my pursuit of the critter of the day as opposed to cussing someone out for messing up my hunt, mind you on public lands, and it has been my experience when they are pack’n a gun or they outnumber you then the threats get bigger…so I guess my biggest concern is the shear lack of respect shown by some other hunters in the woods and the potential consequences shown by that lack of respect……If nothing else you never know when you are going to need help and who will show up to help ya….

[Bullnuts]

All good points above and certainly have been affected by a few of them but the thing that is the most concerning to me is the general attitude of a high percentage of hunters I come across in a season. Seems like things have changed in the past 10 or so years and there are growing number of folks who don’t have much respect for another person’s property and in general just have a bad attitude….now don’t get me wrong when I am in the woods I am not looking for a verse of Kum by ah (or however you spell it), I enjoy the solitude as much as the next person but when I do encounter another hunter I believe a few friendly words are good and on with my pursuit of the critter of the day as opposed to cussing someone out for messing up my hunt, mind you on public lands, and it has been my experience when they are pack’n a gun or they outnumber you then the threats get bigger…so I guess my biggest concern is the shear lack of respect shown by some other hunters in the woods and the potential consequences shown by that lack of respect……If nothing else you never know when you are going to need help and who will show up to help ya….

That's a good point! I've called in a few hunters in my day and I've been called in myself a time or two...I just let them know I'm there and then head off in a new direction. No point in things getting ugly and I just accept it as part of the game. I did tell one guy that he sounded like a monster bull one time - he smiled and thanked me as we parted company - and we even met up again once and hunted together for a little while.

[LckyTylr]

I'm afraid that I'm going to hunt 2013 season and STILL not kill an Elk. I'm so sick of this. I know it's all about the experience, but at some point, the experience should end with a dead bull!

Another year of tag soup for me, unless I stumble upon $417 for an out of state rifle tag.

[Gazelle]

Running out of water!

[Croakerslinger]

Being confronted by the locals in a locals only area , and not being local!

Has happened a couple of times in northern NM.

[Bullnuts]

If you have ever had a kidney stone. It tops my list. Hard to imagine coming out in that pain. Nothing you can do to stop it.

Oh man, been there done that, didn't die but wish I had at the time. I cannot even imagine dealing with that pain in the woods.

[elkhuntfever]

I too, was hunting solo about 3 miles in. Midday I decided I would walk to the top of the mountain ridge for a look see and spotted elk. I hadn't taken anything except rifle and binos as it was just a few hundred yards. I sat down to wait for an opportunity and it finally came around 4 PM. I did put a bull down several hundreds yards down the mountain and when I finished field dressing it, the sun was gone. I hustled to get back over the top but didn't make it. Faced with wet clothes from sweating badly and no energy to go farther, I was preparing myself for a night on the mountain alone with temps to go below freezing. I had a long talk with the Man upstairs. 1 1/2 hours later, I had regained enough strength and there was just enough star light to see the ridge top and the tops of the dead trees I happen to stumble on. I made my way over the top and back to the trail.

[idahoghost]

Missing the same bull I shot at twice this year. ...again next year...other than that, nothing really. On second thought, hitting that bull or any other animal and loosing him would be my biggest fear.

[Wapiti]

other hunter's for sure !!