Avoiding heebee jeebees

[mwelch8404]

...If you're in your hammock and you hear a branch snap in the dark and it ISN'T followed by a slow moaning "Braaaains" I think you're safe.

LOL, I got as far as "You hear a branch snap" and thought "oh ****, hammock going down, shoulda used that bigger branch."

PEOPLE scare me. Animals just do what they do. Just take the appropriate precautions. Like Hoodoo mentioned about the food bag.

In the good ol US of A:

Average Number of Deaths per Year in the U.S


Bee/Wasp 53
Dogs 31
Spider 6.5
Rattlesnake 5.5
Mountain lion 1
Shark 1
Alligator 0.3
Bear 0.5
Scorpion 0.5
Centipede 0.5
Elephant 0.25 (Ok I have NO clue here... Must be zoo or animal park related)
Wolf 0.1
Horse 20
Bull 3

http://historylist.wordpress.com/2008/05/29/human-deaths-in-the-us-caused-by-animals/

These numbers seem pretty consistent on all the sites I checked.

 

[bojit]

Average Number of Deaths per Year in the U.S


Bee/Wasp 53
Dogs 31
Spider 6.5
Rattlesnake 5.5
Mountain lion 1
Shark 1
Alligator 0.3
Bear 0.5
Scorpion 0.5
Centipede 0.5
Elephant 0.25 (Ok I have NO clue here... Must be zoo or animal park related)
Wolf 0.1
Horse 20
Bull 3
people 16 000 (average murders)

I'd rather take my chances against the wildlife any day !

Craig.............

 

[mwelch8404]

Hey Craig, I was avoiding people... always seems to get too political and/or "hot."

 

[WeThePeoplexfbm]

.....sleep with a big shape knife... and lolly pop


---
Skipp

 

[The Big Lebowski]

Remembering to pack your knackers and backbone helps, although there was this one time when a stoat/weasel got into my sleeping bag...

Quality

 

[Dangerous Dan]

I'm not too ashamed to admit I talk to myself, sometimes out loud but more often internally. I've found two distinct persona rattling around in there, I've labelled them Brave Dan and Scaredy Dan. Brave Dan's a man you can trust, he can light fires with sticks and always knows where his towel is. Scaredy Dan fills the night with crazed nutters and zombie hordes.

The two of them got me through a recent trip to Canada quite well.

Scaredy Dan: I'm not sure about this camping lark, they've got bears you know.

Brave Dan: Nonsense, we lugged all this gear halfway across the world, we ARE camping tonight. Stop fretting and get the kettle on.

<Night falls>

Both Dans: ZZZzzzZZZ

Freaky Screeching, Spitting Cat Thing: WeeeOwwwl, pst, pst, WeeOwwwl

Scaredy Dan: What the f.., what was that?

Brave Dan: Squirrel.

Scaredy Dan: Seriously?

Brave Dan: No idiot, it was a Freaky Screeching, Spitting Cat Thing. This is Canada, they have them over here.

Freaky Screeching, Spitting Cat Thing: WeeeOwwwl, pst, pst, WeeOwwwl

Scaredy Dan: But...

Brave Dan: Shut up and go to sleep, it's gone now

Both Dans: ZZZzzzZZZ

Tree: Creak

Scaredy Dan: What was that?

[Huffing Thing]: Huff Huff

Brave Dan: <listens> I ... think ... that ... might be a b... squirrel

Scaredy Dan: Squirrel? Sounds a bit big for a squirrel

Brave Dan: This is Canada, everything's big here: Big country, big squirrels. Stands to reason doesn't it?

[Huffing Thing]: Huff Huff

Brave Dan: erm, right, well... I think this one might have asthma

Scaredy Dan: An asthmatic squirrel?

Brave Dan: Yes, now shut up and pass me that big stick... Quietly.

At this point the large huffing 'Squirrel' realises that the interesting smell it's been tracking an for the for the last four miles is a rather a manky wood smoked human and a well travelled pair of size 12's. Neither appear to be that appetising so it wanders of in the same direction as the Freaky Screeching, Spitting Cat Thing.

The point is, the human mind is great at filling in the unknown with imagined horrors, with a bit of effort it can be turned against the unknown and used to calm those fears. Since that trip I've had no problems what-so-ever sleeping out in remote areas of the UK.

Urban camping is another matter. I've tried several places near home; it's one thing to believe you're surrounded by crazed nutters and zombie hordes but an entirely different matter when you know it for certain!

 

[John Fenna]

I'm not too ashamed to admit I talk to myself, sometimes out loud but more often internally. I've found two distinct persona rattling around in there, I've labelled them Brave Dan and Scaredy Dan. Brave Dan's a man you can trust, he can light fires with sticks and always knows where his towel is. Scaredy Dan fills the night with crazed nutters and zombie hordes.

The two of them got me through a recent trip to Canada quite well.

Scaredy Dan: I'm not sure about this camping lark, they've got bears you know.

Brave Dan: Nonsense, we lugged all this gear halfway across the world, we ARE camping tonight. Stop fretting and get the kettle on.

<Night falls>

Both Dans: ZZZzzzZZZ

Freaky Screetching, Spitting Cat Thing: WeeeOwwwl, pst, pst, WeeOwwwl

Scaredy Dan: What the f.., what was that?

Brave Dan: Squirrel.

Scaredy Dan: Seriously?

Brave Dan: No idiot, it was a Freaky Screetching, Spitting Cat Thing. This is Canada, they have them over here.

Freaky Screetching, Spitting Cat Thing: WeeeOwwwl, pst, pst, WeeOwwwl

Scaredy Dan: But...

Brave Dan: Shut up and go to sleep, it's gone now

Both Dans: ZZZzzzZZZ

Tree: Creak

Scaredy Dan: What was that?

[Huffing Thing]: Huff Huff

Brave Dan: <listens> I ... think ... that ... might be a b... squirrel

Scaredy Dan: Squirrel? Sounds a bit big for a squirrel

Brave Dan: This is Canada, everything's big here: Big country, big squirrels. Stands to reason doesn't it?

[Huffing Thing]: Huff Huff

Brave Dan: erm, right, well... I think this one might have asthma

Scaredy Dan: An asthmatic squirrel?

Brave Dan: Yes, now shut up and pass me that big stick... Quietly.

At this point the large huffing 'Squirrel' realises that the interesting smell it's been tracking an for the for the last four miles is a rather a manky wood smoked human and a well travelled pair of size 12's. Neither appear to be that appetising so it wanders of in the same direction as the Freaky Screetching, Spitting Cat Thing.

The point is, the human mind is great at filling in the unknown with imagined horrors, with a bit of effort it can be turned against the unknown and used to calm those fears. Since that trip I've had no problems what-so-ever sleeping out in remote areas of the UK.

Urban camping is another matter. I've tried several places near home; it's one thing to believe you're surrounded by crazed nutters and zombie hordes but an entirely different matter when you know it for certain!

Love it!

 

[Samon]

Urban camping is another matter. I've tried several places near home; it's one thing to believe you're surrounded by crazed nutters and zombie hordes but an entirely different matter when you know it for certain![/QUOTE]


Totally agree with that, the worst fear isn't really the badgers, it's the psycho stabbers lurking around the park you decided would be fun to camp in..

 

[The Big Lebowski]

Doing my first solo friday... And I'm giving ground dwelling another go after a recent 3 day hike. Pointy stick and bottle of vino by my side

Actually, I'm really looking forward to it!

al.

 

[rik_uk3]

Strange noises in the night? Last weeks camp had bloody pheasants setup home within a metre of my tent...do you know how loud they are in the middle of the night when so close to you !!!!!!! I won't kill things anymore but I was very, very, very tempted last week.