Walking in the dark to your stand...

[oz31p]

I seldom hike to a “stand” but i hike a lot in the dark. I bet my headlight looks more like a beacon from a distance 

[WHALE]

I have hiked in the dark plenty of miles with no problems thank goodness. 

It took me 10+ years to see my first lion and now my family and I have glassed 7 in the last 4 years. Awesome animal to see from a distance not in the dark.

[Edge]

Several years ago I opted to go predator calling at night during a Super Moon.

I arrived at my hunting spot at sunset. Decided to take a quick hike down into a drainage to see if there was water. There was a small pond and very fresh lion tracks around it. I had hiked down from the vehicle unarmed. 

I felt a little vulnerable as I jogged at dusk the couple hundred yards back to the truck to set up.

Got to the back end of the truck and as I reached for the back door, I glanced at myself in the tow mirrors for a second but saw movement behind me. I turned around in time to see a lion peel off from the trail we'd both been on. I was on the left side of the truck, it ran at a 45' to the right of the Ford and disappeared into the brush.

The cat had followed me from the water down below and was probably sizing me up as prey as we went up the trail. 

My last encounter with a lion was just north of Reavis Ranch. My dog is normally about 50 yards or less ahead of me while trail riding. Just as we headed along the canyon side before the turret, my dog suddenly ran back to me in a panic. I looked up in time to see a lion a hundred yards ahead of me jump down from a boulder above the trail and then race down into the canyon. 

I think if my dog had been fifty yards farther down the trail that cat would have taken my dog with him.

[bhuntin]

I walk every night in the dark no flashlight,lots of snakes and stink pig close encounters....but its the single cougar next door eying me up that scares me the most

[Outdoor Writer]

Oh man, don't get me started on rattlesnakes. Over the course of 50 years of wandering around AZ, I've probably seen at least 75-100. Three of my encounters were too-close-for-comfort ones, however, and they were all in daylight.  Like a couple others here, I'd rather have a lion encounter regardless if it's dark or not. 

[Zeke-BE]

20 hours ago, Edge said:

Several years ago I opted to go predator calling at night during a Super Moon.

I arrived at my hunting spot at sunset. Decided to take a quick hike down into a drainage to see if there was water. There was a small pond and very fresh lion tracks around it. I had hiked down from the vehicle unarmed. 

I felt a little vulnerable as I jogged at dusk the couple hundred yards back to the truck to set up.

Got to the back end of the truck and as I reached for the back door, I glanced at myself in the tow mirrors for a second but saw movement behind me. I turned around in time to see a lion peel off from the trail we'd both been on. I was on the left side of the truck, it ran at a 45' to the right of the Ford and disappeared into the brush.

The cat had followed me from the water down below and was probably sizing me up as prey as we went up the trail. 

My last encounter with a lion was just north of Reavis Ranch. My dog is normally about 50 yards or less ahead of me while trail riding. Just as we headed along the canyon side before the turret, my dog suddenly ran back to me in a panic. I looked up in time to see a lion a hundred yards ahead of me jump down from a boulder above the trail and then race down into the canyon. 

I think if my dog had been fifty yards farther down the trail that cat would have taken my dog with him.

:0  wow

[Jazz]

7 hours ago, Outdoor Writer said:

Oh man, don't get me started on rattlesnakes. Over the course of 50 years of wandering around AZ, I've probably seen at least 75-100. Three of my encounters were too-close-for-comfort ones, however, and they were all in daylight.  Like a couple others here, I'd rather have a lion encounter regardless if it's dark or not. 

💯 agreed 

[Flatlander]

I blame this thread. I have never run into a rattler while walking in or out in the dark. But last night while walking out with my 10 yo I came one step from ending up right in the middle of one. With the full moon I almost didn’t get out a flashlight for the walk.  But I did speciifically because I was nervous about snakes. Sure glad I did. Let’s just say the rest of the walk was very slow and methodical.

[Outdoor Writer]

13 minutes ago, Flatlander said:

I blame this thread. I have never run into a rattler while walking in or out in the dark. But last night while walking out with my 10 yo I came one step from ending up right in the middle of one. With the full moon I almost didn’t get out a flashlight for the walk.  But I did speciifically because I was nervous about snakes. Sure glad I did. Let’s just say the rest of the walk was very slow and methodical.

Sorry. Didn't mean to invoke the gods upon you. 🤣

[stanley]

1 hour ago, Flatlander said:

I blame this thread. I have never run into a rattler while walking in or out in the dark. But last night while walking out with my 10 yo I came one step from ending up right in the middle of one. With the full moon I almost didn’t get out a flashlight for the walk.  But I did speciifically because I was nervous about snakes. Sure glad I did. Let’s just say the rest of the walk was very slow and methodical.

Ditto, Andrew!!!

I hike in the dark all the time in and out of hunting spots.   Sure enough, last week while hiking in for a morning of scouting/glassing down south I stepped right over this dude.  Funky coloring on it and hard to see in this pic, but it was a RATTLER!   Totally had the willies the rest of the hike!

Then glassing later, I almost set my hand down on this little Coral snake!  WTH???  😲

S.

 

[bigbuckfever]

Walking to and from a stand in the dark doesn't usually bother me, but on one elk hunt that I went on I arrived three days before my brother could join me so I was solo.  I had made the mistake of watching "The Blair Witch Project" the day before I left for the hunt.  Those were the longest three nights I can remember ever being alone in the woods.

[Hookset]

1 hour ago, stanley said:

Ditto, Andrew!!!

I hike in the dark all the time in and out of hunting spots.   Sure enough, last week while hiking in for a morning of scouting/glassing down south I stepped right over this dude.  Funky coloring on it and hard to see in this pic, but it was a RATTLER!   Totally had the willies the rest of the hike!

Then glassing later, I almost set my hand down on this little Coral snake!  WTH???  😲

S.

 

dang!  Talk about "pick your poison."  It better be a heck of a spot.

[360 0r Better]

2 hours ago, bigbuckfever said:

Walking to and from a stand in the dark doesn't usually bother me, but on one elk hunt that I went on I arrived three days before my brother could join me so I was solo.  I had made the mistake of watching "The Blair Witch Project" the day before I left for the hunt.  Those were the longest three nights I can remember ever being alone in the woods.

Just remember the only difference at night is the absence of light 💡 everything that is there in daylight is there at night. If you walk in the dark with that perspective you shouldn’t  have any problems, of course at night you should have that automatic keen awareness factor kick in as your 6th sense 

[biglakejake]

On 10/4/2019 at 10:21 AM, Outdoor Writer said:

Oh man, don't get me started on rattlesnakes. Over the course of 50 years of wandering around AZ, I've probably seen at least 75-100. Three of my encounters were too-close-for-comfort ones, however, and they were all in daylight.  Like a couple others here, I'd rather have a lion encounter regardless if it's dark or not. 

an embarrassing encounter with a little timber rattler ended with me in the ER looking like an idiot.  had heard of a rust colored bear from county workers hanging out in the bottom of chevelon canyon.  west chevelon canyon is a wicked tight canyon bottom from fr504 down to chevelon creek and you spend most of your time on your hands and knees negotiating bear trails.  almost back to the truck at noon this black rattler decided i was not going to pass him in this tight little dry creek bottom.  he finally found a rock but had spooked heck out of me.  less than a minute later i was down.  tripped on down barbed wire i knew was there and ran a staub made by a flash flood through my upper shin.  pulled my leg off the staub and humped the last half mile to the truck with my boot filling up and gettin' dizzy too.  got some water and bent over, pulled my jeans and skin apart and saw the bone and lots of coffee grounds inside.  got it sewn up in winslow-all that da  mn snakes fault.

lee

i have never seen more hieroglyphics than were down that canyon!

[azphil]

On 10/14/2019 at 7:43 AM, bigbuckfever said:

Walking to and from a stand in the dark doesn't usually bother me, but on one elk hunt that I went on I arrived three days before my brother could join me so I was solo.  I had made the mistake of watching "The Blair Witch Project" the day before I left for the hunt.  Those were the longest three nights I can remember ever being alone in the woods.

I made the mistake on a 10 day solo elk hunt of taking Pet Semetary with me for reading material!! I had the willies the whole hunt!