I learned a valuable lesson this morning

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hunter10
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I learned a valuable lesson this morning

Unread postby hunter10 » Wed Dec 17, 2014 2:57 am

This morning i went to a farm ive hunted a handful of time this fall and during this previous spring for turkeys and thought i knew the place like the back of my hand..

I walked in well before light using my flashlight to find my way into the backside of the bush hoping to catch deer coming back from the cut corn on the far side.. as the sun came up I had no idea where i had climbed, nothing looked the same and I honestly thought i may have ventured onto somone elses land.. it was a weird feeling that soon turned to frustration realizing i couldnt figure things out so i just sat there.. the sound of cars in the distance didnt sound like before, surroundings didnt match up to where i thought i was, wind direction didnt add up either...

Fearing i was tresspassing, i threw in the towel 1 hr after being setup and climbed down, packed up the lw and found my way out.. I couldnt believe it, I entered the bush where i did last time but it surprised me how much i became disoriented in the dark even though i thought everything was fine.. In the end i was on the proper farm but walked an extra 1000 or so yards west of where i thought i was..

This was a 130 acre farm.. if you read this and hunt big bush, state land etc and think "ill be fine, i know where im going, been at this for years etc" sit back and make sure you are positive you know where you are going. I now have a better understanding and respect for the bush and how people can get lost quick.. I never understood watching tv and hearing travelers say "i went 50 yds off the hiking trail and couldnt find my way back" now i understand..

Be safe


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fauxfly
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Re: I learned a valuable lesson this morning

Unread postby fauxfly » Wed Dec 17, 2014 3:13 am

Freaky isn't it... I had the same experience not to long ago. Completely new ground... I walked in in the morning - very dark and overcast - I actually swore I knew exactly where I was - I set up and when the sun came up was I ever lost!! I was way off!! After mid morning I wasn't seeing anything so I decided to pack up and leave. That's where it went to on me...I walked the ridge I was on and had absolutely no idea where the trail was supposed to be. I actually told myself - don't keep walking - stop and get the compass out right now and find out which way to get out of here.

Really makes ya stop and think -
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Re: I learned a valuable lesson this morning

Unread postby Btoeps74 » Wed Dec 17, 2014 3:28 am

I get turned around walking in our cedar swamps all the time in broad daylight even. So thick back there and zig zagging around trees it's eas to get mixed up.

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Stanley
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Re: I learned a valuable lesson this morning

Unread postby Stanley » Wed Dec 17, 2014 4:14 am

You can't walk a straight line in the dark. You keep going around obstacles.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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headgear
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Re: I learned a valuable lesson this morning

Unread postby headgear » Wed Dec 17, 2014 4:20 am

I've been there a 100 times, the dark can changes everything in a very short distance if you don't have a point of reference. One time I know I was only 200 yards from my truck but I couldn't find the truck or the road I drove in on, it was crazy. Finally had to pull out the compass and walk to the main road and then walk back to my truck. I always carry a compass and backup compass now, its amazing how fast you can get turned in the wrong direction and then you are totally fine, even during short walks.
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checkerfred
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Re: I learned a valuable lesson this morning

Unread postby checkerfred » Wed Dec 17, 2014 5:00 am

Had a similar experience on public land. I got turned around a little in bow season in the big woods public I started hunting, right before dark. I didn't have a GPS at the time. Then again in gun season. Walked in a little over a half a mile on an old forest road with blow downs and brush covering it so not as well defined. It was an evening hunt. Dark comes I pack up and walking out I'm offline. My GPS on my phone didn't seem right nor did my handheld GPS. Seemed like I was walking further East than I had come in. It was disorienting but I trusted my handheld and checked with a compass. A friend was hunting a Ridge over and didn't have a GPS other than his phone. He wasn't far from the trail but got turned around. Phone GPS app wasn't working right. I called him and tried to use our pistol shots for a bearing. I ended up finding him and he was only a 1/2 mile in.

Some things I've noticed around my big woods.

1. Always let someone know where you are. My phones GPS app let's me share my coordinates. No help if you don't have service so try to leave a plan with someone at least as reference and refrain from moving too far from that plan. You could get hurt and not necessarily lost.

2. Don't follow a creek or river. They do usually cross a road or lead to one but it could be miles and miles away winding and turning. At least in my area. There's tons of them connecting to each other too.

3. My woods the Ridge tops usually lead to a house, field, or forest trail/road. If I started on top I stay on top.

4. Get your bearings where u go in. If I'm hunting a Ridge I'll look at a map before I leave the truck using the road as reference.

Have backups..keep a compass and GPS. Take extra batteries. I have two flashlight and my last hunt both were dead leaving in the evening. I must have accidentally pressed the buttons in my pocket. I'm looking for a new flashlight now.

It's really made me pay more attention to the land features of the area I'm in and before I go in.

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Dhurtubise
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Re: I learned a valuable lesson this morning

Unread postby Dhurtubise » Wed Dec 17, 2014 5:10 am

It's easy to get disoriented. That's why I love the GPS feature on my iPhone. I use it with the Trimble Outdoor app. It has been a must for me this season when I tracked bucks way back in the bush. Sometimes I would stop to check where I was and I'd be over a mile from where I thought I should be.
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Re: I learned a valuable lesson this morning

Unread postby briar » Wed Dec 17, 2014 5:27 am

I am absolutely the WORST at finding my way in the dark and I hate it with a passion. I have been so turned around its unreal especially if I am looking for a stand that is already out there. I coon hunt at night and without my gps I would have likely spend several nights in the woods looking for my way out.
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Re: I learned a valuable lesson this morning

Unread postby dan » Wed Dec 17, 2014 6:00 am

I have never been lost in the woods... Been a couple of times I had no idea where I was or where I was going... But, I only consider myself "lost" when I am in the City.
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Re: I learned a valuable lesson this morning

Unread postby VA5326 » Wed Dec 17, 2014 6:12 am

I've stopped playing the crapshoot of trying to find a specific spot in the dark. I now mark spots with a stand alone gps during daylight hours when scouting etc. I don't always have cell phone service where I hunt, so I bought a small Garmin Summit. I can now basically walk to the tree/spot in the dark. Did it several times this year. If it's moonlit enough out and I'm walking logging roads/easy trails/ etc, I only need a light intermittently. The gps has really elevated my "sneaking in" game especially in the morning before first light.
If you want to kill a deer you have to be in the woods.
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checkerfred
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Re: I learned a valuable lesson this morning

Unread postby checkerfred » Wed Dec 17, 2014 6:44 am

I wouldn't trust a cell phone for gps completely. They will work with gps without service if you have cached or downloaded a map for offline use, BUT they aren't as tough as a stand alone unit. What if you drop it and break the phone, what if you drop it in water? Even a gps unit could fail....it's electronics. I will always have a compass with me when hunting land I am not 100% familiar with.
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Re: I learned a valuable lesson this morning

Unread postby JoeRE » Wed Dec 17, 2014 6:50 am

Stanley wrote:You can't walk a straight line in the dark. You keep going around obstacles.


Yea thats the truth.

Since I grew up hunting the hills I learned to navigate by terrain, hills and valleys and such. I am very good at that in any conditions. However a few years ago I started to hunt up north in Wisconsin and walked in circles in the dark a couple times cuz the land is quite flat. Lesson learned on flat land in the dark I am worthless. :lol:
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Re: I learned a valuable lesson this morning

Unread postby exojam » Wed Dec 17, 2014 7:15 am

Did that in the past two weeks. Thought I picked my correct entry point and going through the woods in my chair I was running into all sorts of stuff that "should" not have been there. Finally I just said forget this, I am not going to keep going circles and making noise so I just parked it and waited for the sun to rise. When it did I was only about 50 yards from where I wanted to be. I just find it funny that everything is different in the dark.
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Re: I learned a valuable lesson this morning

Unread postby Tennhunter3 » Wed Dec 17, 2014 10:25 am

I have had this happen on several occasions also. Once I was suppost to follow a creek in I knew the area well in the dark the creek split I walked about 500 yards and hit the road then I had to use the compass and backtrack. In the dark in swampy land and thickets are what confuses me like the river fork I followed left side and overlooked right. The dark can play tricks I never tack my trees so hunters don't know where I go. .

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Re: I learned a valuable lesson this morning

Unread postby AttackMode » Wed Dec 17, 2014 11:57 am

Been there before but not during hunting season. I was scouting the top of a mtn that plateau's for about a half mile. It was late winter and there was snow on the ground along with thick dense fog up top. I got turned around completely and lost my sense of direction and thought I was going east. I cut some tracks in the snow and thought "who in the heck is up here with me?" Kind of got a creepy feeling when I saw them too. Turns out they were my tracks coming from the west. I made sure to follow them back down the mtn after that.
I just kill mtn bucks


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