by Justice-One 80 Replies latest jw experiences
Dear Justice One...
What has happened to just plain camping out under the stars enjoying the sounds of the evening, with a camp fire, the smells of the forest, the night sky and sounds of nature putting you to sleep? We did that for years with my family.
I am sorry you feel it is such a threat. I have to tell you, I am not an out door person after all these years but still fondly remember the sounds and scents of the forest to fall asleep with.
r
Hi Justice One.
Sounds like you were not too far from where I live. SW Idaho near Ontario Oregon. I and my wife were camping out one time at Anthony lake near Baker City Oregon. I got up to go to the "out house" in the night and took my 38 police revolver with me. Glad I did because I encountered a rather large Couger about 4 feet away.
It looked at me for a second and then ran off. I was beginning to cock and aim the gun when it took off.
There has been a few Couger attacks in this area. Another one was a Sheriffs deputy was hunting Elk and his calls to arouse the Elk, brought a couger to within the 18 ft. which a couger can jump. The deputy got his pistol out and shot it while it was about 1/2 way to hitting the deputy.
Then he had to call the Fish and game dept to explain his kill.
When I am in the forests I am always armed. More so for dealing with murderous people than the animals. Probably a left over from having been a Sherrifs deputy in So. Calif. I have hunted in the past but just faded away over time and now I only fish. By the way, I would not have shot this Couger unless I was sure he was an imminent threat to me or someone else.
Outoftheorg
What has happened to just plain camping out under the stars enjoying the sounds of the evening, with a camp fire, the smells of the forest, the night sky and sounds of nature putting you to sleep? We did that for years with my family.
There is nothing wrong with the above. But if you can't understand why I did this, I can't explain it to you any better. BTW, some forests are different from others. Also when you were camping out with your family did you see cougar and bear sign less than 100 meters from where you set up camp? Would you have even known if you had?
I got up to go to the "out house" in the night and took my 38 police revolver with me. Glad I did because I encountered a rather large Couger about 4 feet away.
Some people just do not understand that there are still very wild places in this country. They also do not understand that not all animals are the warm and fuzzy ones that you see on Disney.
Yes, we are pretty close to the same stomping grounds. I was in the Trinity Alps Wilderness Area.
When I am in the forests I am always armed. More so for dealing with murderous people than the animals.
The bottom line is that you are on your own out there. Some people just don't get that.
I have to say that I do find some issues with your post. Setting up a campsite with all sorts of firearms and trip wires doesn't seem to be conquering any sort of irrational fear. Perhaps derfending yourself from a rational fear, yes, but not an irrational fear. If these said bears and cougars pose a rational threat to your welfare and you are in a situation that requires you to be within their striking distance (although it seems unlikely), then perhaps you could justify setting up traps to protect yourself from them would be acceptable. However, voluntarily putting yourself in harms way for no apparent reason other than to say you did it, in my opinion, does not justify causing harm to innocents. I understand and have no issue with killing an animal for food, but to enter their domain and kill them with a gun just because you can makes no sense to me.
I have an irrational fear of spiders. My wife has to remove them from the house if I see them. If she does not do so in a timely manner I will destroy them. Do they actually pose a threat to me? Probably not. But my fear won't allow me to capture them alive and set them outside. This is my agreement with her. I would not however, walk into the woods and set myself in the midst of a bunch of spiders with the purpose of killing them in their homes. If I see a spiders web I would do all there is to avoid it but if there were a spider that somehow found its way on me than I would freak out and who knows what would happen.
Anyhow, (orgive me as I ramble), I don't see the need to conquer a rational fear, and conquering an irrational fear is not done by setting up booby traps for it.
Sound like a great experience. I've camped in AZ, CA, and TN and always brought along a firearm. Was in AK last month and would not consider camping unarmed.
Well I guess we never ran into cats or bears....but I am a cat lover and they normally do not attack humans.
Perhaps you need to camp out near the Ocean. Now there is a place that will put you to sleep. Nothing like the smell of the ocean and sound of waves hitting the shore to lull you to sleep.
Sweet dreams.
r.
If these said bears and cougars pose a rational threat to your welfare and you are in a situation that requires you to be within their striking distance (although it seems unlikely), then perhaps you could justify setting up traps to protect yourself from them would be acceptable.
Oh brother. You sound just like my true believing JW father in law. He told me that I did not belong in the woods, and that I should stay at home in the city.
and conquering an irrational fear is not done by setting up booby traps for it.
"Booby traps" are a federal offense, and I said NOTHING about them. However I did mention legal perimeter security devices.
I've hiked and camped on the appachien trail I didn't normally care a firearm at all. Just before I went out the last time two female hikers were raped and murdered on the trail...
I now go armed....
It's a sad reality of the f*cked up world in which we live!
Plus how would you like to meet THIS SOB at 3:45am?
