Trouble (people/animals) on the Trail

[Roam_CO85]

I don't think that's a necessary or appropriate comment, especially from a moderator and a staff member, nor do I think it's in line with the ethos of OB.

I also don't see an issue with someone putting twine with bells on it around their camp to alert them to guests, whether human or non-human. I think the "poppers" might have pros and cons (if someone is armed, it could be mistaken for a fired shot and otherwise escalate the situation unnecessarily).

Here in Colorado, we have a big problem with transients and they camp legally and illegally in the mountains, especially in the front range close to Denver. Most of them are harmless, but some of them are not. Some of them are drug addicts. Most of them have nothing to lose, are hungry or need money. People that have nothing to lose are unpredictable. Whether they are coming into your camp to politely ask for help, panhandle, or steal - food, steal equipment, steal money - or do harm, you have no idea, but chances are, they are not a welcome guest.

I agree with the poppers! The cons out weigh the pros on that aspect. But it is another methode. You are right about the transients around colorado and its only getting worse. Here in fort collins and i can only imagine its 1000 times worse in denver. Ever corner You take a ride around the parks and natural areas around the city river access have a huge problem with them illegally camping in those areas. Also the bears have been a huge problem this year as well.

 

[brien]

I don't think that's a necessary or appropriate comment, especially from a moderator and a staff member, nor do I think it's in line with the ethos of OB.

I'm not being 100% serious with that response, i was trying to be funny specifically about the live charge poppers, but failed.

I also don't see an issue with someone putting twine with bells on it around their camp to alert them to guests, whether human or non-human. I think the "poppers" might have pros and cons (if someone is armed, it could be mistaken for a fired shot and otherwise escalate the situation unnecessarily).

Here in Colorado, we have a big problem with transients and they camp legally and illegally in the mountains, especially in the front range close to Denver. Most of them are harmless, but some of them are not. Some of them are drug addicts. Most of them have nothing to lose, are hungry or need money. People that have nothing to lose are unpredictable. Whether they are coming into your camp to politely ask for help, panhandle, or steal - food, steal equipment, steal money - or do harm, you have no idea, but chances are, they are not a welcome guest.

Totally agree. bell lines, etc would be totally useful in some situations. I personally i think the live-ammo booby traps are a sign that you may have crossed the line between legitimately enjoying your adventure and legitimately fearing for your life to the point it might not be fun. Then again, I have three small kids, so the idea of having live charges set up on the ground around a campsite would terrify me. We let the buggers run feral when we're in the wilderness, so they'd find them in short order.

I do believe there's a trade off of stress vs relaxation, and i'm just thinking personally, if i was too stressed out with worry, it would start severely affecting the enjoyment. I live along the borderlands here in AZ, and we have a similar situation to what it sounds like you have, although probably much less common. There are rare occasions when we have run across smuggler activity, and at least one occasion where we had Border Patrol visit us at camp while they were tracking a half dozen 'mules' that had apparently crossed through the mountains near where we were camped. Thankfully in our case, unlike what it sounds like you deal with, the smugglers/coyotes typically do absolutely everything they can to avoid interaction or encounters with people. If we're camping near the border i'll leave a few lights on overnight so that it's very obvious we're camping there, and that's always been enough to deter interactions - at least up to this point.

 

[brien]

This reminds me, just last week we were up in some mountains and the first campsite we pulled in at had wildcat scat all over, and then we noticed a pile of bear crap. We hopped back in the rig, drove a bit further up trail, found another epic site, got out.... and it was even worse, there were at least a dozen piles of bear scat and even more wildcat scat. It had been a bit rainy as well, so it was all wet enough that we couldn't tell how fresh it was. We ended up hopping back in and driving waaaaay deeper down a spur trail to make sure we were in a spot that doesn't get a lot of human activity (and therefore bear food training), we got out, looked around, no major signs of bear activity, so we set up for the night. I sleep outside on a cot just out in the open, so I definitely had some thoughts about how handy it would be to have some sort of jingle bell line or something. I slept with a big-ass knife under my cot :D

 

[Roam_CO85]

I'm not being 100% serious with that response, i was trying to be funny specifically about the live charge poppers, but failed.



Totally agree. bell lines, etc would be totally useful in some situations. I personally i think the live-ammo booby traps are a sign that you may have crossed the line between legitimately enjoying your adventure and legitimately fearing for your life to the point it might not be fun. Then again, I have three small kids, so the idea of having live charges set up on the ground around a campsite would terrify me. We let the buggers run feral when we're in the wilderness, so they'd find them in short order.

I do believe there's a trade off of stress vs relaxation, and i'm just thinking personally, if i was too stressed out with worry, it would start severely affecting the enjoyment. I live along the borderlands here in AZ, and we have a similar situation to what it sounds like you have, although probably much less common. There are rare occasions when we have run across smuggler activity, and at least one occasion where we had Border Patrol visit us at camp while they were tracking a half dozen 'mules' that had apparently crossed through the mountains near where we were camped. Thankfully in our case, unlike what it sounds like you deal with, the smugglers/coyotes typically do absolutely everything they can to avoid interaction or encounters with people. If we're camping near the border i'll leave a few lights on overnight so that it's very obvious we're camping there, and that's always been enough to deter interactions - at least up to this point.

its not a live ammo. You cant actually put a live round in any of those devices. Its a noise maker. Like a cap on a childs toy.. a blank pop. Or like bells on twine. Just alot louder. And its not a booby trap like fear for my life. It just lets you know something is there. I have actually used the bell wire and works really well. For reasons the other fella states are major reasons id never use the poppers.


Sorry I didnt want to cause problems with the popper links.

 

[brien]

Hah, no worries, I think i was the one causing the drama with my naive comment.

Admittedly, I'm not much of a gun guy so my assumption was that these were similar to blank rounds - which can definitely kill you if you are too close when they go off. See: Brandon Lee

 

[Roam_CO85]

This reminds me, just last week we were up in some mountains and the first campsite we pulled in at had wildcat scat all over, and then we noticed a pile of bear crap. We hopped back in the rig, drove a bit further up trail, found another epic site, got out.... and it was even worse, there were at least a dozen piles of bear scat and even more wildcat scat. It had been a bit rainy as well, so it was all wet enough that we couldn't tell how fresh it was. We ended up hopping back in and driving waaaaay deeper down a spur trail to make sure we were in a spot that doesn't get a lot of human activity (and therefore bear food training), we got out, looked around, no major signs of bear activity, so we set up for the night. I sleep outside on a cot just out in the open, so I definitely had some thoughts about how handy it would be to have some sort of jingle bell line or something. I slept with a big-ass knife under my cot :D

Yeah I always scout out an area before its like heres the spot. I dont like camping near bear activity or near places that have alot of berrys stuff they like to eat. Or around an area that has people.

 

[Roam_CO85]

Hah, no worries, I think i was the one causing the drama with my naive comment.

Admittedly, I'm not much of a gun guy so my assumption was that these were similar to blank rounds - which can definitely kill you if you are too close when they go off. See: Brandon Lee

These could probably give you a bad powder burn if your on top of them. Its not like a real shotgun blank that could actually hurt you from concussion being close enough. Or like a breach blank rounds. They are really just cap guns.

 

[RedRob]

I never really considered the trip line approach, but I’m kinda liking it. Damn, another thing to carry.

I used to think my dog was good for alerting me. The last time something woke me out in the woods he was snoring!

I don’t ever want to have to see how it works, but I do keep an air horn and my truck key with the panic button right next to me and I think if someone or something was sneaking around those things going off would cause a rapid retreat. If not, then you know you’ve got a fight on your hands.

 

[Roam_CO85]

I never really considered the trip line approach, but I’m kinda liking it. Damn, another thing to carry.

I used to think my dog was good for alerting me. The last time something woke me out in the woods he was snoring!

I don’t ever want to have to see how it works, but I do keep an air horn and my truck key with the panic button right next to me and I think if someone or something was sneaking around those things going off would cause a rapid retreat. If not, then you know you’ve got a fight on your hands.

The air horn is kinda like pepper spray. ( 30 % of the time. It works every time) The bells on a rope work well enough to wake you up shine a light on something. We had a racoon set it off one time coming in to steal the horses grain. He ran off as soon as he saw the light.. pretty sure he was giving us the finger as he was leaving. Nother instance a black bear came in. They are generally more scared of you. He stood up then ran off. The noise does help for sure but thats something ill let someone else do a review on. Id take a hey wake up over a suprise wake up.

 

[Captain Chaos]

Personally, I don’t worry about animals to much. Animals are unpredictable, but you can get a good idea of whatever animals intent by watching body language. Sure, it’s not 100%, but if you keep a clean camp, keep a respectable distance, and don’t pick a camp with obvious bear sign, you’re going to be fine. I don’t trust people.

I have crazy stuff happen to me all the time while delivering heavy equipment. I’ve had tweekers try to jump me, a man who just had heart surgery try to pick a fight with me so he could sue, and a bunch more. I’ve run into a pot farm or 2, but running into a meth lab is much worse. It doesn’t matter if someone is still there cooking even, its the chemicals they leave. Propane tanks with green around the valve from the anhydrous ammonia. Ick. Sometimes I have to walk into the mountains for miles to recover a piece of equipment. I started carrying after the before mentioned tweekers incident.

We have groups of homeless living in some areas of the mountains here in eastern Washington. They live close to the Canadian border where they can pick up phone service with their prepaid phone from Walmart. I’ve seen where they have left markings on posts, kinda little the hobos used to do. I have no clue what it meant, and I couldn’t find any on my way out after dropping the dozer so I could take a picture.

I keep my shotgun close when out camping now. OO buck, slug, slug, OO buck, slug, slug. That and 15 rds of 10mm bear loads. I may not worry a lot about bears, but I’m not gonna let one get to close either! We keep bear spray and an air horn close by, also.

 

[Roam_CO85]

Personally, I don’t worry about animals to much. Animals are unpredictable, but you can get a good idea of whatever animals intent by watching body language. Sure, it’s not 100%, but if you keep a clean camp, keep a respectable distance, and don’t pick a camp with obvious bear sign, you’re going to be fine. I don’t trust people.

I have crazy stuff happen to me all the time while delivering heavy equipment. I’ve had tweekers try to jump me, a man who just had heart surgery try to pick a fight with me so he could sue, and a bunch more. I’ve run into a pot farm or 2, but running into a meth lab is much worse. It doesn’t matter if someone is still there cooking even, its the chemicals they leave. Propane tanks with green around the valve from the anhydrous ammonia. Ick. Sometimes I have to walk into the mountains for miles to recover a piece of equipment. I started carrying after the before mentioned tweekers incident.

We have groups of homeless living in some areas of the mountains here in eastern Washington. They live close to the Canadian border where they can pick up phone service with their prepaid phone from Walmart. I’ve seen where they have left markings on posts, kinda little the hobos used to do. I have no clue what it meant, and I couldn’t find any on my way out after dropping the dozer so I could take a picture.

I keep my shotgun close when out camping now. OO buck, slug, slug, OO buck, slug, slug. That and 15 rds of 10mm bear loads. I may not worry a lot about bears, but I’m not gonna let one get to close either! We keep bear spray and an air horn close by, also.

I feel the same way I dont get botherd by the animals as much as the people. Like was stated by the guy with the yellow jeep. We are just about over ran with homeless people that camp anywhere and everywhere and doesnt matter where you go in Colorado same with the druggies. Yes that meth lab crap is scary. In a rual area you come across that stuff all the time. The better half and I went to glenwood springs colo this weekend and one of the trails that lead up to a 1880s cemetery had reports of off grid transients living off the side trails and the dude was armed and made sure the lady that came across him knew he was armed. There has been instances where campers are broke into just for a dry place to sleep.

Its almost being a hard target alot of times. You roll up to a place with gear and a rig thats outfitted. I dont start setting up camp tell ive walked around at least 100 yards around the sight. Bear sign.. all that jaz. Check with people pulling out that may have seen a threat to the area like bears etc. the filth that these homeless people leave behind is a tell all sign theyve been in a area.

Ive had to go hands on with a gang member trying to take my life and semi and load once. Ive found if someone wants something they go out of there way to get it.

I have my chl and use that permitted right everyday. But that is the last thing id ever want to use. I keep a stoner rifle in my pickup or semi. Plus the primary in my waist band. Only time ive ever had to draw on something was a cow moose the brush made her calf disappear and when I found out that she was bluffing. I put it away and left her the calf alone and never looked back. Winter comes it gets worse those homeless people get desperate for stuff.

 

[MetalHeadXJ]

I remember that story a while back those off-roaders that came across a gold mining area and the gold mine guy thought they were gonna try and steal his stuff. It was public land and they didn't enter the mining "property" but a confrontation ensued and the miner nearly blew a guys arm off with a shotgun. Several of the people there were armed but they didn't do anything even though they were within their rights to shoot him. I think a firearm is a pretty solid deterrent to anything no matter how many legs they have.

 

[Roam_CO85]

I remember that story a while back those off-roaders that came across a gold mining area and the gold mine guy thought they were gonna try and steal his stuff. It was public land and they didn't enter the mining "property" but a confrontation ensued and the miner nearly blew a guys arm off with a shotgun. Several of the people there were armed but they didn't do anything even though they were within their rights to shoot him. I think a firearm is a pretty solid deterrent to anything no matter how many legs they have.

I use to work with an outfitter packing mules into the backcountry of a wilderness and alway wore a pistol on my hip. Which never open carry anymore unless I am hiking. But came across a few incidents that some guys were doing stuff they shouldnt of been and them knowing i had that on my side made them stop and glace and turn around and head back to where they came from. When your 20 30 miles from any kind of radio u have to relie on your self. I never really carried for that reason tell I was older. Mainly if i had to put a horse down do to a injury or a dog tried to mess with the mule train.