Creepy experiences in the backcountry

[fngTony]

I got nothing, just wanted to thank everyone for contributing to this very entertaining thread!

 

[jtivat]

Those grouse will give you a heart attack for sure.

Twice now I have had Grouse explode out of the snow right in front of my face! Holycrap that will scare you!

 

[49ereric]

Twice now I have had Grouse explode out of the snow right in front of my face! Holycrap that will scare you!

That was the fun part of cross country skiing

 

[GunsAreFun]

We (wife and I) take expeditions to backcountry Vt fly fishing in the spring and usually do really well on brookies. We hike downstream, camp and fish back. We generally will put on 10-15 miles on a long weekend. Anyway, so this spring we were doing our usual hitting nice pools and catching natives. One afternoon we were hiking back to camp on the bank, we came over a rise and about 40 yards away was a barefoot man, grey breeches, long untucked white shirt standing on the river edge below us. I froze, he was staring straight ahead across the river and then his head jerked at our direction. The whole person was a strange color, like a foggy scene almost. I was fixed on him, maybe 4-6 seconds and looked back at my wife. The look on her face told me she had already seen it too. I looked right back, and the "person" was gone. No way a living human could have fled without us seeing. We chatted bewildered for a few and then I had to go to check for tracks. Nope. Not any sign. Yeah, that was interesting.

You should never drink the bong water sir.

But seriously. That’s creepy AF.

 

[kybuck1]

You should never drink the bong water sir.

But seriously. That’s creepy AF.

Sure is

 

[blackdog of vt]

You should never drink the bong water sir.

But seriously. That’s creepy AF.

We do no such things. Yeah, it really was creepy though. Kept me looking my shoulder for the next couple days on the way out. The face of that ex-person will be etched in my brain for some time. It wasn't like I caught it out of the corner of my eye, or it was dark etc. It was full blown sunlight direct eyes on.

 

[AM_Hunter]

Spent the last week at work reading this thread while "working" . Dont have any crazy stories but got a few.

Hunting about 10 miles into a trail in Central California near Santa Barbara for deer, its the last morning as we are out of water and Im tired of boiling and drinking warm water from a little spring (didnt have a filter but wish I did). Watched a small buck walk up a hill and disappear into the brush. Few seconds later heard the most shrilling and blood curling scream I ever heard. Looked at my friends and they were wide eyed too. Sounded like a banshee/women being stabbed. Concluded it was probably a weird bird sound and proceeded to take off running towards where I saw the buck disappear in hopes of relocating it and confirming it was too small to legally take ... right where the scream came from. Found nothing and called it quits and hiked out of there. Week later found out what sound a mountain lion can make and it matched what we heard.

Bow hunting on my friends property in Northern California for deer a few years ago. Its only 5 acres but for some reason monster black tail like to come through that area. Set up where I see them coming through on trail camera at 4 am and begin waiting. Still dark and I look over my shoulder behind me and see a bush I dont remember being there about 15 yards from me. I continue to stare at this 'bush' for about 20 minutes. During this 20 minute period the bush kept shape shifting. Changing into the shape of a human, a bear, a rabbit, and all other various weird shapes. I look forward and look back and its now moved and I start to realize its not a bush and something keeps creeping towards me. Its obviously aware of me and is probably within 10 yards of me. Im thinking its a lion and this is getting real bad. Its still shape shifting and just floating along. Disappears behind a small hill 10 yards to my left. Arrow knocked im ready for what ever this thing is to pounce on me. Arrow knocked I blast my headlamp and watch a doe book it away from me. Crazy what the imagination can come up with when your eyes cant fully adjust or comprehend to what youre looking at .

Scouting trip to the White Mountains in North Eastern California, I swear I woke up to the sound of a banshee screaming in the middle of the night. Listed for 10 minutes and nothing, my buddy didnt make a sound in his tent so I chalked up to dreaming. Hard to tell reality from dreaming when youre in that middle state of sleep and awake.

Thats all I got that I can remember. Hope this thread doesnt die its amazing!

 

[hikenhunt]

Great thread! I have a backcountry hunting story from the Cascades in WA a few years back. I was with my brother, we were 12 miles from the nearest road, 6 miles of normal trail and 6 more miles on a "trail" long abandoned that was near worthless. It was super steep and we were bushwacking with every step, blowdown all over it. The only backcountry hunt that I wished I had a machete. Point is we picked this area because no one else should be around. Took most of the day to get to nearly the only flat spot around. We glassed a deer or two before dark but were hunting bear.
Woke up that night around 1am to the sound of digging. Figured it was a bear rolling over logs and digging up the ground except it sounded more metallic like a shovel being forced into rocky soil. It was slightly downhill from us and I poked my head out of the tent tried to shine my light to at least "scare" the bear off. Didn't see anything. Must have been further away than I thought. Listened for a while longer then fell back asleep.
Not much longer and my brother wakes me up with eyes as big as dinner plates. There were voices about 10 feet from our tent. I roll over and can see a light shining outside our tent. We lay there and listen for a minute and they are speaking some eastern European language. My brother is freaking out, but I mustered the courage to poke my head out of the tent. There was 3 guys huddled together with headlamps shining on the ground, looking possibly at a map. They don't see me so I slide back in the tent and report this to my brother. My brother is still freaking out but for some reason that I still don't know why, I was super calm. I remember thinking if they were going to harm us, they would have already and it didn't seem much use to talk to them since they weren't speaking english. They walked away after a few more minutes and I feel back asleep, but I don't think my brother slept another wink. There is no way they could've made it into that area in the dark unless they knew it well. It was hard to do in broad daylight.
Back at home, I recount the story to my wife who is convinced they buried a body up there and that was them making the noise, not a bear. I think there would've been 1000 places along the way to our camp to do something like that but who knows!

 

[Northwest]

I once found some tracks from a bare human foot where a barefooted person had no place being. Miles back from roads in the mountains of Idaho.

 

[Gen273]

Great thread! I have a backcountry hunting story from the Cascades in WA a few years back. I was with my brother, we were 12 miles from the nearest road, 6 miles of normal trail and 6 more miles on a "trail" long abandoned that was near worthless. It was super steep and we were bushwacking with every step, blowdown all over it. The only backcountry hunt that I wished I had a machete. Point is we picked this area because no one else should be around. Took most of the day to get to nearly the only flat spot around. We glassed a deer or two before dark but were hunting bear.
Woke up that night around 1am to the sound of digging. Figured it was a bear rolling over logs and digging up the ground except it sounded more metallic like a shovel being forced into rocky soil. It was slightly downhill from us and I poked my head out of the tent tried to shine my light to at least "scare" the bear off. Didn't see anything. Must have been further away than I thought. Listened for a while longer then fell back asleep.
Not much longer and my brother wakes me up with eyes as big as dinner plates. There were voices about 10 feet from our tent. I roll over and can see a light shining outside our tent. We lay there and listen for a minute and they are speaking some eastern European language. My brother is freaking out, but I mustered the courage to poke my head out of the tent. There was 3 guys huddled together with headlamps shining on the ground, looking possibly at a map. They don't see me so I slide back in the tent and report this to my brother. My brother is still freaking out but for some reason that I still don't know why, I was super calm. I remember thinking if they were going to harm us, they would have already and it didn't seem much use to talk to them since they weren't speaking english. They walked away after a few more minutes and I feel back asleep, but I don't think my brother slept another wink. There is no way they could've made it into that area in the dark unless they knew it well. It was hard to do in broad daylight.
Back at home, I recount the story to my wife who is convinced they buried a body up there and that was them making the noise, not a bear. I think there would've been 1000 places along the way to our camp to do something like that but who knows!

When the three guys were looking at the map and talking, do you think they had seen your campsite?

 

[def90]

Great thread! I have a backcountry hunting story from the Cascades in WA a few years back. I was with my brother, we were 12 miles from the nearest road, 6 miles of normal trail and 6 more miles on a "trail" long abandoned that was near worthless. It was super steep and we were bushwacking with every step, blowdown all over it. The only backcountry hunt that I wished I had a machete. Point is we picked this area because no one else should be around. Took most of the day to get to nearly the only flat spot around. We glassed a deer or two before dark but were hunting bear.
Woke up that night around 1am to the sound of digging. Figured it was a bear rolling over logs and digging up the ground except it sounded more metallic like a shovel being forced into rocky soil. It was slightly downhill from us and I poked my head out of the tent tried to shine my light to at least "scare" the bear off. Didn't see anything. Must have been further away than I thought. Listened for a while longer then fell back asleep.
Not much longer and my brother wakes me up with eyes as big as dinner plates. There were voices about 10 feet from our tent. I roll over and can see a light shining outside our tent. We lay there and listen for a minute and they are speaking some eastern European language. My brother is freaking out, but I mustered the courage to poke my head out of the tent. There was 3 guys huddled together with headlamps shining on the ground, looking possibly at a map. They don't see me so I slide back in the tent and report this to my brother. My brother is still freaking out but for some reason that I still don't know why, I was super calm. I remember thinking if they were going to harm us, they would have already and it didn't seem much use to talk to them since they weren't speaking english. They walked away after a few more minutes and I feel back asleep, but I don't think my brother slept another wink. There is no way they could've made it into that area in the dark unless they knew it well. It was hard to do in broad daylight.
Back at home, I recount the story to my wife who is convinced they buried a body up there and that was them making the noise, not a bear. I think there would've been 1000 places along the way to our camp to do something like that but who knows!

Prospectors, probably had a good sized base camp close by.

 

[hikenhunt]

When the three guys were looking at the map and talking, do you think they had seen your campsite?

Yes, they could not have missed it. They were all still "facing" our direction with whatever they were looking at between us and them, as if they stumbled on our tent, stopped and then pulled out the map or whatever it was.

 

[hikenhunt]

Prospectors, probably had a good sized base camp close by.

Possibly, but they would have been quiet during the day and only making noise at night?

 

[def90]

Possibly, but they would have been quiet during the day and only making noise at night?

Depending on what they are doing and what time of the year it is. It's a lot cooler doing manual labor at night than in the middle of the day.

 

[isItFallYet]

I once found some tracks from a bare human foot where a barefooted person had no place being. Miles back from roads in the mountains of Idaho.

I’ve found the same thing miles from the nearest road in WY. They were long skinny footprints too.

 

[49ereric]

Possibly, but they would have been quiet during the day and only making noise at night?

Illegal

 

[hikenhunt]

Illegal

I could see that, but they were so far from everything I'm sure they would've felt comfortable during the day making noise. maybe they heard us on the way in and decided to do night work

 

[browning2480]

I could see that, but they were so far from everything I'm sure they would've felt comfortable during the day making noise. maybe they heard us on the way in and decided to do night work

Ghosts of old miners? I mean who uses maps anymore lol

 

[Quailchaser]

Not a backcountry story, but creepy non the less. My dad lives about 4 miles town. He lives on a sand road. And by town, I mean small (less than 100). Never have worried about locking the doors. He came home from work one evening and went to cook supper. Seen he had left a skillet on the stove from the evening before. But confused him since he ALWAYS cleans everything up. He opened up the dishwasher to put the skillet in. AND there was a dirty plate, fork, mixing bowl, spoon, drinking cup and spatula in there. Now he is thinking WTF. He emptied the dishwasher the evening before. So he started thinking one us kids came down for some reason.


The more he was around the house the more things he noticed weren't right. In the kitchen trash was a ice cream sandwich wrapper. He just bought the box and hadn't opened it yet. The TV remote wasn't were he ALWAYS left it. When he was going to his bedroom to get ready for bed. He noticed a empty yogurt container in his bathroom trash. He never puts anything in his bathroom trash but thing from the bathroom.


That night he didn't sleep good. Got up early the next morning and looked the whole house over. Nothing touched. Not the guns leaned up the corner. Not the glass jar with change and cash in it. No odd tire tracks in the driveway. BUT, about 100ft from the house on the grader ridge. There was 2 sets of boot tracks. One coming onto and leaving his place. Never did have it happen again, or hear of it happening to anyone else.

He just figured it was someone down on their luck needing a meal. Best part is. They cooked pancakes with syrup, eggs, sausage links, poured a glass of milk(even put chocolate syrup in it) had a yogurt and ice cream. And dad had to do the dishes.

that's creepy

 

[Bluegrassvw]

I’ve found the same thing miles from the nearest road in WY. They were long skinny footprints too.

Squatch