Hiking in the dark

[Hunterjohnny]

All time best was a couple years ago. Hiking in to a spot up a bouldery wash in the dark. Lost my balance and went over backwards. I wrapped around my rifle because that's the important thing to do and fell back between two big rocks. I thought man, how lucky, i didnt get hurt. But I had wedged between the two rocks with the backpack helping anchor me. There I was the mighty hunter laying there on my back like a turtle and I had to laugh. 15 minutes later after it wasnt funny anymore I finally wiggled my way out! I have wondered if anyone else ever had done that.

[Hawkeyehunter]

Well I'm still alive after hiking 2 hours in the dark. I did take a wrong turn at one point so had to backtrack a mile. I'd never been there in daylight let alone pitch black. Saw lots of tracks but no deer. Going to try again next week now that I know where I'm going.

 

I also learned for the second time in my life that a new pair of waterproof boots doesn't mean they're actually waterproof. Time to dip into the ol' savings account for some real boots that have warranties for that kind of thing.

 

Also, thanks for the campfire stories. Now I have more worse-case-scenarios to contemplate while I hike in the dark.

[Red Sparky]

The worst thing that has happened to me walking in the dark is being dive bombed by an owl. If you run upon a skunk you can lead them with your flashlight. I have run into three of them and every time they will follow the flashlight, lead them a ways, turn off the light and run the other direction about 50 feet and you are good to go.

[G_E_E]

Its really as easy as strapping a headlamp on your head and just walking. Just about everything out there is gonna be more scared of you chomping through the brush than you should be of them. Part of my job is hiking through the wilderness in the middle of the night with just a flashlight and gun. If it makes you feel better, have a gun ready to grab like I usually do. It is definitely worth the walk in the dark to get set up for first light. STOP over thinking it and get out there.

[GotBowAz]

I assume your talking about this time of year and not summer? In which case there shouldn't be any snakes out so cross that worry off your list.

 

These are the things I take into consideration. First are the rocks and for this I like to use trekking poles.Even with a good bright headlamp you will find in the dark placing your feet in places that cause lack of balance. I use the Slip System umbrella/blind trekking pole which works great and i get multiple uses out of it in my glassing spots.

 

I always have one heck of a uphill walk into my glassing spots so i tend to get really hot. I only wear a long sleeve shirt on the way in and take an extra to change into once I have reached my destination, then put on my warm coats, gloves, face mask etc. etc... I try to get to my spot at least 30 minutes ahead of daylight for the same reasons others have mentioned here. But what wasn't mentioned was having enough time to let your body cool down so that is doesn't fog up your Binoculars and in my case my glasses. Nothing more frustrating than at daylight to see a nice deer your trying to keep track of and you have to keep wiping off your lenses every minute so you can see to bed him down.

[Jazz]

Like everyone mentioned, snakes.. My only fear walking in Arizona.

Of course, they shouldn't be out right now. But in Arizona, there's always a % that are somewhere. I'm pretty sure a ton of folks have had their close encounters, I saw it earlier.. "1st wakes them up, second gets bit". True story.

 

 

I doubt you'd see any at night. If they're out it's too cold to move. There's always that 1% though.

 

Hate snakes..

[CouesPursuit]

Several years ago now, I thought it would be a good idea to August archery solo hunt some bucks that were regularly hitting a seep 2 miles into a desert wilderness area. Opening day, I left the trailhead at 2AM to make sure I had 3 hours to cover my 2 mile hike in rough country. A mile into the wilderness area, side skirting a big mountain into a draw, green eyes are everywhere. I can count about 12 deer scattered up and down the draw less than 100 yards away. Watching and waiting for them to bust as I was directly upwind, taking in the moment, I notice a new pair of eyes, yellow in color, that were intermittently and slowly blinking, 50 yards downwind of the farthest deer. It blinked slowly at me for about 5 minutes, the deer kept feeding, every hair on my body was standing up. Finally, I drew my sidearm with a round racked and mustered up enough courage to continue down my trail right towards what I believed was a lion. The deer took off downhill, the believed-to-be lion stayed right where it was. I took 5 steps, it didn't move. 5 more, didn't move. 10 more and it lowered it's head behind a rock I couldn't see it any more. I kept on my trail, honestly near crapping myself. As I kept looking up the hill where the yellow eyes were last, I slipped on some loose rock as I crossed the center wash of the steep draw. My headlamp took a fall 10 feet down into thick vegetation. I consider myself a relatively brave and adventurous person but at that point I'm really surprised I didn't crap my pants I was so freaked out. I sat there quietly, and once I didn't hear any moving, I went down the 10 feet and recovered the thankfully still illuminated headlamp. I kept on my journey.

 

Just when I thought the fun was over, still in the dark, I almost stepped on 2 different Arizona black rattlers and 50 yards from my ground blind, a 2 foot western diamondback. It wasn't until 6am that I made my 2 mile hike in. At the end there, I was moving a yard a minute. And yet, just when I thought the fun was over, at noon after not seeing a thing, I had a doe with a fawn (the week before camera showed same doe with 2 fawns) quickly walk by the window from behind me at 2 yards. This would not have been an issue in the slightest but this was not 20 seconds after I opened a container of some dried blueberries, and after a bear tore up my ground blind in the same spot a month prior, I was again freaked out. I ended up seeing the bucks on the opposite hillside later that day. They didn't come into water that day, or the next, and after seeing a couple more rattlers the next day, I pulled my blind and camera and never returned. This will be my go to spot with a partner and a rifle tag one day though.

 

I learned a lot that weekend. As TJ eluded to, I always carry a second headlamp, with full batteries. You really never know what can happen out there and a light headlamp is cheap insurance. Also, I won't stand or blind hunt the high desert in August ever again. Between the snakes on the hike in, the spiders infested in the blind, and the sweating temps, it was miserable and that's not why I'm out there. Sorry for the drawn out story but that was a hike in the dark to remember.

[turbo]

I followed a lion once, thinking it was a bobcat's eyes. A fox looking at the "bobcat" got my attention. Long story short, I lit a fire as the lion snarled and paced within 15 or less yards for a while. Daylight came, and I lived.

 

Yeah, and then the snakes...