Fear Not....Or Do You?

[gbflyer]

Earthquakes. I live in Alaska 80 miles away from the big fault along the coast. We get quite a few small shakers. Almost always at night, they bring me out of a dead sleep and I head for the door.

 

[EastHumboldt]

I forgot about rats! I’m not heeby jeeby “scared” of rats, but definitely give them due respect. When I used to live in western WA near Bellingham, I had an encounter. Wife was bathing and told me there was something under the tub. I went in the basement and banged on the floorboards with a 3 ft long chunk of broomstick. There was an over size cut around the tub drain, and out comes a pretty big but normal rat running on top of the drain pipe. I swatted at it and it ran off.

Then … Jabba the Rat oozed out of the hole and sat on the pipe staring at me. I cocked the broomstick and got ready to whack. He turned his head and hissed like a cat. This rat was the size of a medium rabbit and weighed 4-5 lbs if he weighed an ounce. I was in a t shirt and skivvies, and I visualized my bare legs covered in rabid rat bites. I apologized to the rat, excused myself, went and told my wife I had taken care of it.

Got some rat traps and killed the regular sized one next day. The big guy I did a special set-up. I took a three foot hunk of dog chain and bolted it to a rat trap. The other end I lag screwed to a 16” round of Doug fir firewood about a foot in diameter. Wet doug fir, prolly weighed 15-20 lbs. The next day I got home from work, went in the basement and found the round of firewood had been dragged about four feet and the taut chain disappeared into a crevice in the stack of firewood. Sheeee-it!!

I went back upstairs and got dressed for battle. Jeans, canvas work shirt, thick hoody, coveralls over that, a leather welding shirt, a pair of those long leather welding gloves, and goggles. I cinched the hoody up around my face. I could hardly move, but I grabbed a hatchet from the garage and returned to the basement. With great trepidation I approached the woodpile and started removing firewood with my left hand, right hand cocked to strike with the hatchet. The suspense was KILLING ME !!

To my great relief, the trap had strangled him. After poking him for awhile to make sure he wasn’t playing possum, I picked him up by the tail and carried him out to the burn pile by the barn. I still wish I’d have found a way to weigh him. I wonder if he was a mutant, or a species of rat not normally seen in those parts.

 

[EastHumboldt]

Taking trash out to the garbage can in the dark. It's not the dark I'm afraid of, it's opening the lid on the garbage can. Had an experience several years ago that I don't think I'll ever get over.

You can’t just say “I had a terrible experience”. You gotta elaborate for our entertainment. Rat ate your face? Possum jumped your leg? Small creepy clown invited you into the trash can? WHATHAPPENED??

 

[Mike D Texas]

My biggest fear is my wife dying before me. I’m not a big fan of freelancing heights either but can still manage them. No huge physical fears, mostly circumstantial fears.

Amen on the wife. Same here.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

I voted heights as I am dreadfully scared. Getting up in my deer stands still freaks me out. I here the OP on dancing. I just plain don't do it. I know I look like a damned fool.

 

[BigredRusch]

Public speaking for me. I coach soccer and can give team talks and run practices all day but if it’s a presentation in an official setting, I spiral.


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[Turkeygetpwnd38]

My biggest fear is my wife dying before me. I’m not a big fan of freelancing heights either but can still manage them. No huge physical fears, mostly circumstantial fears.

+1, outliving my wife/kids…. Also tsunamis

 

[TCUHunter34]

You can’t just say “I had a terrible experience”. You gotta elaborate for our entertainment. Rat ate your face? Possum jumped your leg? Small creepy clown invited you into the trash can? WHATHAPPENED??

We need the story for this one! My brain will imagine the worst and always wonder.

 

[Mangata]

Quite visceral reaction if something crawls on my skin to get it off of me.
Don’t enjoy public speaking very much either.

 

[ianpadron]

Not really afraid of any of those things, definitely not a fan of snakes due to what they can do to my bird dogs though.

Moving water and lakes...no issue, I'm a decent swimmer, but the open ocean is not and never will be my jam. Spooks the living daylights outta me imagining what is swimming around down there

 

[PeterParker]

My fears while I’m out in the woods usually revolve around people.
On the deer hunt one year, way up high, we found a weird rock pentagram looking thing and a fire pit with bones in it. About 15 yards from that was a steel chest with a lock on it, chained to a tree. Not sure how anyone could have got it where it was.
Another time while setting trail cams in a spot way off the beaten path, I was looking for a spring that was on my map. It was in thick trees. When I got close I saw a bunch of fresh tennis shoe tracks. They seemed out of place for where I was. I ended up leaving knowing that there had been weed grow operations busted in the area before.
People do weird things in the mountains. It hasn’t really ever stopped me but I definitely keep my guard up, especially when I’m by myself in some of the spots I end up in.

 

[bucksnbirds]

I've climbed 600ft cell towers as a job. My current job has me at about 100ft daily for up to 12 hours.

We hunt rattle snakes in contests, we let good spiders live in our house.

I have honestly about no fear of anything....

Besides random heart attacks, brain aneurism, basically anything that can cause sudden death. I send myself into anxiety episodes if I'm trying to sleep and can feel my heart beating while I'm dead still. The fact that I can suddenly die and I don't knkw when it will be keeps me on edge anytime I feel a slight pain in my head or chest. Sometimes while driving I start thinking about car wrecks. I really can get myself internally worked up over it.

BTW, I'm only 30, but you always hear the stories of the young healthy guy that randomly dropped dead.

 

[Howdoyoulikemenow]

Snakes. Deepest fear. I’d shit myself or go blind with an encounter of the ones who bite…. Not kidding.

 

[Pharmseller]

Snakes. Deepest fear. I’d shit myself or go blind with an encounter of the ones who bite…. Not kidding.

Buncha sissies

 

[Pharmseller]

More fun

 

[EastHumboldt]

Buncha sissies

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What kinda snake?

 

[Pharmseller]

Timber rattler

 

[idig4au]

Libtards in full political control is my biggest fear

 

[Curmudgeon]

You can’t just say “I had a terrible experience”. You gotta elaborate for our entertainment. Rat ate your face? Possum jumped your leg? Small creepy clown invited you into the trash can? WHATHAPPENED??

I took the trash out one night after dark without using a flashlight like I'd done lots of times. We live in a wooded area so it can be pretty dark. When I raised the lid on the can, a large raccoon (which at that exact moment I didn't know what it was) hit me square in the chest. I never knew that I was capable of screaming like that. Since then if I have to take trash out late, I have a good flashlight and give the trash can a couple of solid kicks on the back side. With all that precaution, there's still something about having to finally raise that lid that totally creeps me out.

 

[EastHumboldt]

I was thinking bull snake. I don’t think I’ve actually seen one in years. Mostly rattlers and garter snakes nowadays.