Weebie jeebies

[Moserkr]

Being weary of noises is a good thing. Ive had black bears come into camp and there are stories of them even dragging people away at night, even in groups of campers. I know 2 people personally who have been woken up by blackies licking their face at night due to the smell of food on their breath.

It used to bother me going solo and eventually it wore off. Hiking at night a lot helped too. I sleep pretty sound and have a gun very close to my head at night, as well as a flashlight or headlamp. 99% of the time its nothing.

But a few times, its been a bear. First one ran away when i hit him with my headlamp light. Not sure I even was awake for the second. Felt like a dream where I kinda shooed it away as it sniffed under my tent’s rain fly. Only reason why I think the dream was real was that one tent stake at that spot was pulled out in the morning on a calm, clear night. No other way it could have happened.

 

[id_jon]

I've always felt better having a good light and a pistol with a light on it nearby. Most trips I have my dog too, outside of archery elk anyway.

 

[sickles107]

Advil pm, ear plugs, hang your food, and accepting the fact that, though very very unlikely, there are things that can kill you.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Am a light sleeper so ear plugs are worn to bed except when I’m in grizzly or brown bear country.

Been a great year for encountering predators while sleeping in a hammock. Had a mountain lion check me out. Wasn’t season and was night so he lived. Also had a black bear come check me out one night.

Had something get “caught” in my hammock rope and got shaken awake. It got free and took out a couple of guy lines on its way out. Serious WTF moment.

Had a group of illegals walk through our camp this year. Thankfully it was uneventful but does remind you of what could happen.

But nothing, and I mean nothing, tops walking through a spider web at night.

 

[Lowg08]

Am a light sleeper so ear plugs are worn to bed except when I’m in grizzly or brown bear country.

Been a great year for encountering predators while sleeping in a hammock. Had a mountain lion check me out. Wasn’t season and was night so he lived. Also had a black bear come check me out one night.

Had something get “caught” in my hammock rope and got shaken awake. It got free and took out a couple of guy lines on its way out. Serious WTF moment.

Had a group of illegals walk through our camp this year. Thankfully it was uneventful but does remind you of what could happen.

But nothing, and I mean nothing, tops walking through a spider web at night.

The spider web makes you an instant ninja lol.

 

[Wetwork]

I aint 'fraid nuthin-WW

 

[ndayton]

One time hunting I was in a rocky terrain, being to tired to source out rocks for my floorless shelter I opted to just sleep on the ground without it. While sleeping I kept dreaming a wolf was biting my sleeping bag and dragging me off into the woods.
I was woken from my dream to the howls of a wolf pack within 400 yards putting me in full panic mode. I wish I could say I was man enough to go back to sleep but feeling like an exposed meat burrito had me hike back to sleep at the truck.

 

[long hunter]

If your like me legally def completly gone in right ear and 70% in left bi-lateral hearing aids help but are not that great. Big bore pistol and a good flashlight with new batteries, right near my strong hand side, and practice a lot with shooting different flashlight positions, no mummy type sleeping bags, rectangular only and then zipped only too about a quarter of the way up, GOT A GOOD DOG he will warn you hopefully in plenty of time, or get a buddy too camp with. Once I set in for the night its go too sleep time, never thought about things that go bump in the night, never had a situation, but if did there would be hell too pay one way or the other. I hunt alone and am in the ground stand well before day light, no griz but there are black bear in my hunting grounds, had them stroll bye close enough too know what they were, just sit still so far so good. The dark is not your enemy, it is your friend you need too be the boogie man.

 

[loganwayne]

If you snore loud enough nothing wants to find out what’s making the noise

 

[Lowg08]

Lol. Yea no snoring hear. At least that I hear.

 

[shepaloop]

If you snore loud enough nothing wants to find out what’s making the noise

ya i think thats my defense hahaha

 

[FLATHEAD]

One time hunting I was in a rocky terrain, being to tired to source out rocks for my floorless shelter I opted to just sleep on the ground without it. While sleeping I kept dreaming a wolf was biting my sleeping bag and dragging me off into the woods.
I was woken from my dream to the howls of a wolf pack within 400 yards putting me in full panic mode. I wish I could say I was man enough to go back to sleep but feeling like an exposed meat burrito had me hike back to sleep at the truck.

When the Brown Bear sniffed my face right outside the tent, I was actually dreaming a bear was sniffing my face. I woke up and kinda grinned about the dream, THEN I heard the bear sniffing my face.
Instant dry mouth and cold sweat. And anger at the guide sleeping next to me
for telling me to leave my .44 Redhawk back at the plane hangar.
I didnt sleep much the rest of the trip.

 

[ODB]

You can try wearing ear plugs too

My wife does this, but I can’t because I hear my heartbeat and as a self-diagnosed hypochondriac who has the irregular heartbeat, fretting over that keeps me up…

I also have tinnitus (that’s for real), so I have been listening to the same audiobook for about 8 years to go to sleep…it has a side benefit of occasionally influencing my dreams to the point characters in my dream act out the book. It’s great fun.

But to the OP…the common noises you will get accustomed to, but when there is a new one you will always notice it - as you should as an evolved human. Those who didn’t, didn’t evolve…

 

[Mykolaivka887]

I was only wondering does the everything that goes bump in the night feeling ever go away on solo over night trips? Anything to combat it also?

There's nothing out there that'll hurt you, really. I mean, a rattlesnake laying on your sleeping bag or a fox's eyes gleaming in your headlamp beam, or a scorpion found in your boot, or a black bear sniffling outside your tent might be cause for alarm, but it just goes with the territory. Fear will hurt you, though. So, get a handle on your fears and stop sitting bolt upright in your tent at night when you hear a mouse bump up against the fabric of your tent.

 

[Nickofthewoods]

I would like to hear any stories where people were actually harmed or something/someone attempted to harm them while sleeping, in a tent, in your truck, etc. My guess is it will mostly be other humans being the culprit if people have first hand examples.

 

[Customweld]

It’s something that you may not ever conquer. I’ve spent countless days working and camping solo on remote logging jobs. There were some places that I never felt comfortable at. You fall asleep,but it’s with the proverbial one eye open.
I was cutting right of way logs one time on a road project. New spot to me, in a really unfamiliar area. I had just drifted off to sleep when a heard a thump thump, followed by what I thought were chains clanking together. Freeaaaked me out. This went on for a while. I wasn’t about to go check it out. There wasn’t another soul within 20 miles of me. I crawled into the cab of my truck for the night. Woke up the next morn and went down the creek to where I thought the sound was coming from. Turns out there were 2 mules hobbled in a meadow . I never did run into the rancher that owned them.

 

[Trr15]

AirPods and an audiobook

 

[isItFallYet]

Something that I’ve always thought about when sleeping around timber is all of the deadfall everywhere. Statistically, we probably have a better chance of trees falling on us while sleeping than being eaten by rabid wolves, bears, or lions. But I guess when it’s your time, it’s your time.

 

[EastHumboldt]

, GOT A GOOD DOG he will warn you hopefully in plenty of time

I went backpacking one time with an Australian Shepherd. We had deer come in to camp and trip over the tent guys. He howled and barked. We had mice skittering around on the tent. He howled and barked. The wind flapped the rain fly. He howled and barked. He was scared s**tless of everything. Nobody got any sleep, and I’m glad I didn’t have a gun along, otherwise there would have been dead deer, mice, and a dog and lots of holes in the tent.

Actually I loved the crap out of that silly dog and I still think of him often and miss him even though he’s been gone close to 30 years. His name was Toby.

Just spend time in the woods alone and you’ll get used to it, but it’s natural to be little spooky when you’re out in the dark by yourself.

 

[Jauwater]

I still to this day sleep terrible outside. For maybe the past 10 years my main vacations have been 2-6 week long backpacking trips. And I'd sleep as bad on the last night of the sixth week, as I did on the first night of the first week. There is a section of the AT That's near me that I'd spend 1-2 nights on about every other week for also the past 10 years or so. It's about a 17 mile stretch that I'd hike, and I've camped everywhere along that 17 mile stretch. Ive spent hundreds of nights over the years within those mountains, never really had a problem. And still to this day there is nowhere on that stretch of land that I sleep well. I've tried dealing with this is many different ways, but nothing really works for me. As one gentleman mentioned above, I've just come to accept that it's just a part of me. Its just hardwired in me to be super cautious when doing something that makes me feel vulnerable, like sleeping in a tent.

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