Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Primitive Skills => Topic started by: huntertrapper on August 11, 2008, 12:56:12 am
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Went out alone saturday night. My dad went into one valley and i went into another... good nigt to be in the woods. I found a spot under a hemlock about 30 yards from the creek...i got to the spot and...stripped down to my breechclout and thats all i wore to collect my wood and lay out my bedroll. ;D it was a good night quiet and it was great sitting by the fire and it was a very dark night. So dark i couldnt see my hand infont of my face, PITCH DARK. Anyway to make a long story short, around 12:30 it started raining. So i pulled the covers over my head. Then it rained harder and i pulled all my plunder under my sleeping bag along with my dog who was sound asleep. After a awhile around 3;30 i decided to head out because my bag was soaking through. It was a "fun" walk being dressed in just a loin cloth and moccasins in the pitch dark with rain all around. I wasnt scared at all though being alone back in the pitch dark. I thought it was a greazt night despite the fact i walked out in the middle of the night. It was pretty good small trek to prove to my dad that i can last a few days alone living Primitively, loincloth and moccasins.... ;D the best part though is that i did it alone and soon i will do my trek for a few days as i described before...
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8) 8) 8)
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A small 6x8 foot canvas tarp would have saved the trip. Coulda just thrown it over you and yer dog and went back to sleep in the rain.If your dad is anything like mine was I'm sure you didn't prove much to him. Didn't even last one rainy night! ;)
Rain is just weather and what if during your three or four day outing it rains a bunch? Don't wanna rain on your parade :o but you might wanna get a better plan in mind.
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my dads not a jerk and didnt mind me going out, i could have stayed yes and if i was doing a few days jaunt i would have been more prepared, part of me walking out was the fact that my dad said if it poured to head out....plus me walking out a half mile or so in the pitch dark was a good test...not many kids my age (16) will stay in the big woods alone or walk through the forest in pitch blackness alone either...
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Nice start - most kids wouldn't try again, either, but I know you ain't "Most kids ;)"
try a Tarp above a surplus hammock , both strung between 2 trees. no bedroll needed, just a thin cover/ hoded sweatshirt or "serape poncho" if ya want. See if you can sleep like that in the yard first, though. hard to get used to, and You'll need good zzzzz's out there.
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You did good, HT. One thing about being a dad, if you're close to your son you're just about always one step ahead of him on everything until he's full grown, and if he told you to go ahead and duck out if it poured, I'll bet you he's real proud of his boy for doing what he told him to do, since after all, he told you to do it because he loves you. You can never question a young man doing what his daddy asks him to do. There's no straighter path to being a good man that being a young man who loves and listens to his daddy ;)
~~Papa Matt
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thanks for the suggestion Postman... ive thought about a hammock, and thanks Papa, i respect my dad when it comes to the woods a lot because hes taught me and knows my love for the woods and he said he was proud i can stay alone or walk out as i did alone....
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SOunds like you were dressed to sleep through a rain! I've tried it a few nights with cotton- not so much fun drying off the next morning :o! But it sounds like you had a good night out, good medicine for later ;).
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Hey HT~
Up there in PA, what all carnivorous beasts do you's have? If I'm not mistaken, you's got black bar, bobcats, and even some wolves? What about cougars? :o What plan do ya have to stay out of the way of a hungry beast? I'm sure you've thought it out, I'm just curious. Because here in Indiana, the only thing we have are coyotes and coyote mixes (coydogs). Nothing really dangerous here, so when I go out at night I pretty much don't have anything to worry about, but you boys up there have it a little different and I just wonder how you's go about walking a safe path when it's pitch black and you're only carrying your bow. :-\ :)
~~Papa Matt
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Hey HT~
Up there in PA, what all carnivorous beasts do you's have? If I'm not mistaken, you's got black bar, bobcats, and even some wolves? What about cougars? :o What plan do ya have to stay out of the way of a hungry beast? I'm sure you've thought it out, I'm just curious. Because here in Indiana, the only thing we have are coyotes and coyote mixes (coydogs). Nothing really dangerous here, so when I go out at night I pretty much don't have anything to worry about, but you boys up there have it a little different and I just wonder how you's go about walking a safe path when it's pitch black and you're only carrying your bow. :-\ :)
~~Papa Matt
We've got black bears, the rare bobcat, and red necks ;D. Dunno if there are any wolves or cougars, but I doubt it.
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yes, bobcat, black bear, coyotes and i have heard reports of cougar and know a guy who said he saw one, my dad swears he may have seen one too...it was foggy though and it was way out in a field.... no wolves though, though theres always the skeptics or whatever who say there might be some, i guess you never know, the game commission said there were no coyotes before now we have tons of em... but i usual carry a .22 buffalo hunetr revovler.....plus my beagle can usual get a scent or see whatever is lurking int he dark....like a few weeks ago i was laying in a logging road, my dog was sitting up and started growling and i sit up quick and a young black bear is 30 yards away from me..... :)
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A/ho young warrior, before you know it the wilds will be more like a home to you than anything society can offer... that is good medicine, soaking up the night time and all it has to offer... Hawk
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I was just like you at your age. When I was a few years younger, i was afraid to go into the woods after it got dark. I swore right then that when I went into the woods I would be the thing to be afraid of. Now at 44 I'm more at home in the forest than Iam in town. If I ever had an accident out there and died, that would be ok by me.
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It's good for you. When I was your age, I was out running around in the mountains most nights by myself (except for my coonhounds). I was lucky enough to grow up in an area where there was nothing but mountains and woods for miles around. My cousin and I would spend a good portion of the summer out camping for days on end, and were out hunting and running traplines in the winter. Like Badbill said, I feel a lot more at home in the woods than I do in town.
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I don't wanna be a jerk but you caved man. :'( I ain't gonna blow sunshine at you and say you're doin fine. If your dad told you to come out if it rained thats good, ya did the right thing. But you haven't proven anything to anyone especially not yourself.
Now I ain't trying to get into a shoutin match with you just trying to keep you motivated towards your original goal in your other post.
Walkin to the house in the rain and dark is one thing walking away from the house in the rain and dark is something else.
How did you start your fire?
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Hey HT I retract my last post . For me the reason for doing what you did would be to test myself and my ability to stay out in the woods for a given length of time, its obvious that that was not your objective.
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minuteman the main reason for my post is OVER NIGHTER...i made a decisiion to walk out, walking a half to 3/4 of a mile in the pitch black at 3:30 in the morning was a good test for i had no fear or wasnt worried about anything, i could have stayed yes, i told myself that, but i did not because i thought mayb my dad would be back because of the storm and me being able to walk in the dark unafraid was a good test for me when i do my few day trek, i might have to move or do something in the dark and doing what i did prepared me, ive spent the night in the rain before and i was under a leanto then, so i know how to go in prepared.............. Badbill my dad says the same, if someday a bear snuffed out his life or he died for some reason in the woods...it would be just right.... thanks hawk, i enjoyed the "dark walk" and thanks hillbilly and i plan to do as you did spends a few days trapping way back in and hunting...thanks fellas...
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I,m proud of my son either way.Just the fact that he likes to do it feels right to me.I myself am not a big time primitive guy but do enjoy spending a night or two in the woods.I actually didn,t tell him what to do--we split up at the head of 2 valleys sat. night and said see ya in the morning.I built a quick lean to with branches,hemlock branches and a PILE of leaves and ferns.It kept me pretty much dry.A real dark night and the lightning lighting the woods up was AWESOME!!!!!!P.S remember he got me back to shooting a recurve and I love it and can,t wait till Archery season.Thanks lloyd Beere
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Loyd, you have to be proud of your boy, I would be. I'm glad to see young men doing that sort of thing than getting fat sitting inside playing video games.
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Lloyd, my hat is of to both of you, you for allowing your boy to learn about the wilderness and all it has to offer. and him for following the old ways and learning what it means to be a true woodsmen.. Hawk a/ho
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Just enjoy the woods, day or night. The biggest thing to fear is your imagination. I used to get myself all wound up, when I was a little kid. I had quite a vivid imagination. Then I just decided that I would just have to face whatever was out there, if it came to me. And I was prepared to fight if necessary. I too carried a gun, and big knife. When I was in sixth, and seventh grade, I used to camp out with my buddies, and only took a can of pork n beans, and a blanket and some matches, and a frying pan, and a .22 rifle. Needless to say, we nearly starved, till morning. We got some frogs, and tried to get some rabbits, but the dog kept running them off. He didn't get any either. Anyway, far as I am concerned you did that much, and are preparing to do more. So more power to you and your Dad. I wonder just how far away he was, after you parted......I don't know if I could have gone too far, with doubling back, just to be a little nearer, just in case something did go bump in the night......Good luck on your longer quest, and looking forward to hearing about it. I am glad you have your dog with you. It is a great bonding thing, and you will have a great buddy. I used go out with my dog at night just to enjoy the cool night air, when school was out for the summer. One night, I was walking down a dirt road that ran through some woods, and the moon was full, and it was really light out, well all of a sudden there was a lot of snorting, rustling in the palmettos, and then the palmettos just exploded, and it sounded like a whole heard of wild hogs were coming out there towards us. A friend of mine and his family raised hogs, not too far from there, and they were always getting out, so I thought that was what it was, and there were some really big and nasty hogs they raised. Well the clouds went over the moon, when this happened, and when those palmettos rustled and all that snorting happended and you could hear all the feet hitting the ground, I went up the nearest pine tree, and my dog which was a pretty tough dog, part Walker, and Plot hound, went somewhere too. Heck he might have been above in the tree. Well while up the tree, the moon came out, and those wild and mean nasty huge tusked, vicious hogs, turned out to be about ten or fifteen large armadillos!
they had scared the %%$$#! out of me! Not to mention the dog also. It's pretty funny now, but then it was scary, I didn't have anything but the dog to defend myself, and I thought it was those darn hogs. I don't know what the dog thought, except that I had abandoned him to whatever it was, and he decided he would abandon the premises also. Smart dog. After awhile I came down the tree, laughing at myself, and my fearless dog. He must have heard me from where ever he was, and came back to me. I sure miss him.
Good luck, and let us know how it turns out. They make a net hammock, that is light weight, and portable. Or you could make your own from a ......yep ......a net. Keep us informed.
Stick Bender
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nice story sir.... thanks dad ;D mullet and hawk.........stickbender we aint got hogs but we got some big old black boar bears.....and many suspicions of cougars...........but thanks guys.... i like being a kid that can go into the woods and know a lot of animals, how to huntem and survive my firends think im crazy to go back in by myself and sleep... ;D
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Could it be that your friends think you are crazy, because they can't face their own fears? You are doing something that they cannot do on their own accord. Enjoy the outdoors, but just take some common sense precautions. I wouldn't reccomend a .22 for a bear, but it better than a rock, or stick I guess. But I would carry a big stick with me anyway, it can come in handy, for a lot of things, not just walking. Just be sure not do anything that would intice a bear, or big cat. Don't leave food, especially meat, like small game that you have killed for food, hanging around, and either burn, or bury the remains. Watch where you travel, look for likely spots for an animal ambush. Cats, and bears both will make an ambush. Look for signs of either, or both animals. Scratches on trees, scat, ( Poop ) . Keep a nice supply of firewood, in your camp, and you won't have to go looking for it at night, when things are on the move. You can have a very safe, and good time, out there, in and amongst the critters,just use a little precaution, if you suspect that the bigger critters are around. It is like being anywhere else, just be aware of your surroundings. You can enjoy the scenery, the privacy, nature, and all, and still be aware of your surroundings, just don't get too fixated on one, or another subject out there, and if something doesn't look right, or feel right, go somewhere else. Oh, yeah, and as they would say back in them thar old days, "watch your back trail! " Oh, and as un- primitive as it may be, take your cell phone, and a spare battery with you. If
Danniel Boone would have had one he would have used it, to tell his kin folk the injuns got him again! But let your parents, know the general area you will be in, and a check in time for cell phone, just to let them know all is well. And if you do slip, fall, stumble,
fart, and maybe get hurt, you have a ready link to help. That is unless you have Nextel. I switched to Verison. Take a simple little first aid kit with you. Anyway, let us know how things go. It is a great time in your life right now, enjoy it to the utmost, it goes all too fast, and you will have these days to look back on when you are older. You are fortunate to have the parents you have.
Stick Bender
Stick Bender
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thanks again stickbender....but as for cell phones theres no service at all when back in....i have a watch though i use so i know what time to come out.... i carry a .22 revovler, i think it would be ok for scaring the bear away at most.....but thanks again and i usually try to drag as much wood as possible in.... ;D
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ht do you know how to build a simple debris hut. would of been no need to leave. i slept in pouring rain and an ice storm in them perfectly comfortable. slept in one last night too. keep it up brother. peace
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Hunter? is your watch a digital or does it have hands? It could mean the difference in a survival situation.
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yeah....i know how to do the debris hut....im goin in for close to two days or so again soon and im gonna build a more permanent one for hunting and trapping out of.....
mullet....digital.... :-\
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If you have a watch with hands on it , you can use it as a compass, as long as you can see the sun.
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It must feel so good to spend a couple days at home. Where I live, in PA, I don't have that. I thought you, huntertrapper, lived in PA too. Guess you'll have to let me know where.
I don't know about you, but when I am forced into a mall, or a carnival or an airport, it feels weird. It feels like getting a shower with socks on. Have fun, and know that I am truly jealous.
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Huntertrapper You are on that good path. It is one that you take a step at a time and you have taken a big one.Congrat's and I hope you stay the path. Too many have not even seen it, much less step onto it. It's a strong path. Frank
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Thanks for sharing your learning experiences with us and letting us give advice to help you on the path you're following. You might not realize it, but you're giving a lot of us older guys the opportunity to remember back to our youth and maybe relive a bit of it through you as well as pass it on to you. Many of us have followed the same path you're now venturing down...it's obvious that your father has traveled this path as well.
I have two son's myself, age's 15 and 20, and neither of them show the interest in the outdoors. I've tried to explain the feeling of sitting on stand on a frosty cold morning and watching the sun come up. Hearing the red birds make the first bird songs of the morning. Seeing the mist rising above the foilage as the sun warms and starts melting the frost. Watching the leaves falling and fixing your gaze on one in particular and watching it travel to its final destination on the forest floor. Maybe even seeing a good whitetail buck easing through the woods and noticing the steam of his breath escaping from his mouth...that's the good stuff! ;)
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Like Greg said. I am so thankful that my Father took my Brother and I hunting at an early age. I was five yrs. old and when we would all pile into the truck with the jeep with airplane tires, and loaded down with bedding, homemade ice coolers, which actually worked better than the Igloos I have now. My Dad, Mom, Grandfather, Brother, and myself, and two dogs. We would stay in a big ol home made canvas tent with a metal (EMT) electrical tubing frame, and old army cots. But the times we had were just phenomenal, and the food, just the smell of the woods, the damp soil, the swamps, the Owls in camp, and having a hoot out, to see " Who" was the dominant Owl, and my Grand father cussing at them and getting up a one in the morning to chase them away, because he was going turkey hunting before daylight, to get to the place where he and my Dad had roosted some turkeys. The thrill when he would come back with a Turkey, and my Dad would come back with a Buck. And the Food! Did I mention the Food?!! My God, my Mom could cook. She would make Squirrel stew, or Squirrel and dumplings, or fried squirrels, fried quail, doves. And when My Dad, and Grandfather came back with a couple of ducks Oh, Man! My Brother and I were in charge of getting squirrels, with our .410's.
The frost on the ground, the smell of the grass, the sound of a Hawk, squawking as it flies overhead, The crows, and ravens, frog hunting in the edges of the saw grass near the camp at night. The naturalness of it all. It is just something that will stay with me the rest of my life. Oh how I wish I could be that age and do it all again. So by all means enjoy, and thank your parents for the priceless gift they have given you, and enjoy it to the fullest. Like Greg said, just study everything around you, the leaves, the insects, the plant life. You'd be surprized what you can see, and learn. Like what really IS important and what is just decorations, in life. And by all means pass it on to your children. If your wife won't have it, trade her in for more compatible model!
Wayne
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Wayne, very well said!
Some of the best times and experience's in my life have been spent in the woods. Like Wayne said, much of the equipment they used camping was homemade and very inexpensive to make I'm sure. My family when I was growing up didn't have a lot of money, but looking back on it now and all the good experiences we shared...like Wayne's family, we were rich! Not financially, but a much fuller kind that makes for good memories!
It is so obvious with the events going on now in our country and around the world that so many people are driven by greed. They just don't get it! The experiences that Wayne shared with us concerning his family trips to the woods as a child were great times then, and are priceless memories for him now. Both my parents are gone now, and often I wish I could go quail hunting or trot-lining again with my dad, or have some of my mothers homemade biscuits with sorgum molasses! :) I wish my dad could have had some of my homemade wine, and see some of the bows I've made...maybe he can...
Time in the woods, selfbows, homemade cane arrows, camp fire's complete with dutch oven's cookin', bottle of homemade wine, cold mornings in a stand deer hunting, these experiences shared with family and friends are the best things in life. How do you define a successful life? ;)
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Hey Huntertrapper I heard you was headed to Alaska for a hunt I live in Hoonah (About 30 miles from Juneau) Good luck on that hunt ! I got something I'd like to send you to add to your outfit. Bring it up to your Pa and let me know.Send me a mailing address if all is good. Frank