Ever year for opening day of duck season I have some friends up to backpack into some backcountry ponds that hold wild rice and few ducks. The ponds are on state forest land that backs up to my property. It’s more for the camping than the shooting but we always have a good time and kill some birds.
Since they come from a few hours away and I live just up the road from the trailhead I will usually spend the day before they arrive getting camp set up and scouting ponds. A few years back I was getting camp set up and had to break my load into two trips. First was camping stuff, ammo and food. I got everything in no problem, set up tents found some ducks etc.
I head back home for the second load of decoys, dog and gun. When I got back to the trailhead another truck was there and I could see them just starting down the trail. They had green pants and were walking a German Shepard…. Game warden I immediately thought. I figured I’d let him get aways ahead of me before I started out. Not only because I wanted to avoid a conversation with the Game warden but I was also going to have my dog (uncut male although super friendly) with a full load and wanted to avoid any dog fights. Well I let the guy get just out of sight and I take off down the trail. Pretty soon I can see him 500 yards ahead of me. He noticed me too and I see him duck off the trail into a bush and hide….. still figuring it was a game warden trying to surprise me I kept on walking. The dude lets me walk right past him half crouched in a bush like I can’t see him before he stands up and says HEY! I turn, he’s not a game Warren but a rough looking younger fella with a revolver on either hip and a bandolier of ammo with a 12”knife in the center. His dog is immediately acting somewhat aggressive. I tell him my dog is nice, he says “oh really cause mine loves to fight” and proceeds to take him off leash. His dog lunges on mine and I have to break them up. Before I can even yell at the guy he immediately starts telling me that I shouldn’t snter these woods because of the bigfoots and dog men he’s seen roaming there. He tells me a bunch of wild strange stories then walks off ahead of me. I though for sure he was gonna ambush me somewhere on the trail and I’m defenseless since by all my ammo was in my tent from the first load.
Funny thing since I live adjacent to this area I spend alot of time there and have encountered a bunch of weird stuff. My wife and I both saw floating orbs moving through the woods, I’ve heard noises I can’t explain and when I bought my property the previous owner pointed to a spot on the map and said don’t go there. When I asked why he said “just don’t”
Since they come from a few hours away and I live just up the road from the trailhead I will usually spend the day before they arrive getting camp set up and scouting ponds. A few years back I was getting camp set up and had to break my load into two trips. First was camping stuff, ammo and food. I got everything in no problem, set up tents found some ducks etc.
I head back home for the second load of decoys, dog and gun. When I got back to the trailhead another truck was there and I could see them just starting down the trail. They had green pants and were walking a German Shepard…. Game warden I immediately thought. I figured I’d let him get aways ahead of me before I started out. Not only because I wanted to avoid a conversation with the Game warden but I was also going to have my dog (uncut male although super friendly) with a full load and wanted to avoid any dog fights. Well I let the guy get just out of sight and I take off down the trail. Pretty soon I can see him 500 yards ahead of me. He noticed me too and I see him duck off the trail into a bush and hide….. still figuring it was a game warden trying to surprise me I kept on walking. The dude lets me walk right past him half crouched in a bush like I can’t see him before he stands up and says HEY! I turn, he’s not a game Warren but a rough looking younger fella with a revolver on either hip and a bandolier of ammo with a 12”knife in the center. His dog is immediately acting somewhat aggressive. I tell him my dog is nice, he says “oh really cause mine loves to fight” and proceeds to take him off leash. His dog lunges on mine and I have to break them up. Before I can even yell at the guy he immediately starts telling me that I shouldn’t snter these woods because of the bigfoots and dog men he’s seen roaming there. He tells me a bunch of wild strange stories then walks off ahead of me. I though for sure he was gonna ambush me somewhere on the trail and I’m defenseless since by all my ammo was in my tent from the first load.
Funny thing since I live adjacent to this area I spend alot of time there and have encountered a bunch of weird stuff. My wife and I both saw floating orbs moving through the woods, I’ve heard noises I can’t explain and when I bought my property the previous owner pointed to a spot on the map and said don’t go there. When I asked why he said “just don’t”
