Title typo: *personal storiesI wanted to post this discussion here because I really like the camping mentality of r/bushcraft. I've googled this topic a lot, but I want to share my experiences, start a discussion, learn something new.My first encounter with a cougar:I was stealth camping alone in a public wooded area with bike and walking trails. I grew up exploring these woods. I was less than 1.5 miles from neighborhoods and roads and a school. Before the sun went down, I heard what sounded like a person trudging through the bushes. I knew the area and I knew that spot was just thick bushes. I shouted "Hello?" once or twice and then decided it was nothing. The sun went down and I started my fire to cook some fish. Then the footsteps came back. Then slowly, the footsteps circled around me. I turned on my headlamp to try to get a look at what I then thought was a deer. I could see its eyes just staring at me, probably 25 feet away. I shouted "shoo deer! Go away!" Then it hopped over a log, walked a few feet, then just stared at me. Again I shouted "go away deer!" Then it hissed at me. It wasn't a deer. I poured my water bottle on the fire and got out of there as quickly as I could. When I got home I googled that running away is the last thing you want to do, so I guess I got lucky haha. I had to go back the next day to get my equipment.My second encounter with a cougar:I wanted to challenge my bushcraft skills and sleep next to a long fire in a lean-to. I got to my campsite way after dark because it was winter (early December in Michigan) and due to poor planning. I thought "oh well, this gives me a good chance to try out my new headlamp" so I hiked into the woods until I found an ok looking campsite by a small lake. I was tired, it was dark, and didn't build a lean-to. I settled for making a long fire and cowboy camping just on the ground next to it. The long fire was pretty awesome. Lasted hours without needing much attention. Around midnight, I heard something digging in the leaves. At first I thought it was just one of the opossums I saw earlier in a tree near my campsite, but I realized it was a heavy animal with big paws. I shouted "go away animal" without even getting out of bed. The sound went away and I thought nothing of it. However, I couldn't shake this feeling. I just felt uneasy and couldn't sleep anymore. Since I couldn't sleep, I got up and had a snack and sit by the fire. After a while I decided to just go back to the car and maybe try coming back during the daylight the next day or something. I packed up and put out the fire. I only had my wool blanket left to put on my pack. Just then I saw a flashlight walking down the trail about 50 feet away. I thought "woah, I had no idea anyone else would be camping here tonight." I shouted "hello" a few times but there was no answer. The light was walking sort of towards me, but sort of to my right. As it got closer, I saw it wasn't one light, it was two. It was the light reflecting from my own headlamp. They were two really big eyes. I could see the animal looking forward in the direction it was walking, and then looking back at me. The eyes floated silently and smoothly, like a ghost. I quickly decided to leave. I hiked out with a flashlight in one hand and my knife in the other. I knew from my first cougar encounter and from what I've heard other people say, that cats like to sneak up behind you. I was checking behind me every 10 seconds it seemed like. Good thing too, because it was following me. I hiked faster. For probably half a mile. I walked down a hill and then up a hill and stopped to grab something out of my bag, I can't remember what. I looked back and those same eyes (I saw many animals' eyes that night, but those big cougar eyes were unmistakable.) were crouched behind a tree at the top of the first hill I just came down from. He was looking right at me, curious, deciding what to do next. He thought he was invisible (and he was, even to my 1000 lumen flashlight, except his eyes). I decided to shout at it. The first time I shouted at an animal, I timidly shouted "shoo, go away deer". So I thought I would try to sound more confident this time. I shouted, with as much genuine anger as I could muster, "If you try anything cat, I will **** you up! That's right! Your eyes glow in the night dumb ***!" The eyes disappeared and I didn't see that cat again that night. Later I googled the area (Huron National Forest in Michigan) and it turns out all the cougar sightings around here have been black cougars. So I guess that explains why both times I could only see their eyes.My future plans:So I guess seeing cougars is going to be a common occurrence when I go camping. Maybe lots of people get stalked by cougars at night and just don't even know it. Camping alone seems to increase your chances of seeing one. Going camping in a group seems to be the best defense you can have. When I googled the topic, a lot of people mention carrying out a gun. I personally just don't want to do that. It's expensive, heavy, and honestly scares me more than cougars. Maybe I should bring out bear spray, but I hear many hikers say they don't carry it, or used to but don't anymore. And those experienced hikers are coming from areas with lots of black bears.After the second encounter, I'm pretty sure the "I feel like I'm being watched" is a real thing. Both times I just knew something was out these before I saw it. I did hear them at first both times, but most of the time I hear a twig snap or something move and it doesn't bother me.I think next time I'm just going to stand my ground and shout at it if i need to. That seemed to work as long as I sound confident. I should probably also specify that I'm shouting at a cougar in case any nearby campers are wondering what or who I'm shouting at. I don't want any nearby campers to think there's some angry drunk guy in the woods trying to start a fight with someone haha. I really think the cat only came near me because he thought he was invisible. Maybe he was stalking me because he was bored and thought it was fun. House cats do the same thing. He also seemed to know to stay out of the range of the light. Maybe he was looking down at his paw and thinking "yeah it's dark enough he can't see me." but he didn't know I could see his eyes. So I don't think he would ever come near my fire.I'm also thinking about getting a growly/barky dog. Like a pitt bull or something (people think these dogs are scary, but are actually very loving and loyal). But the downside is then the dog would scare away all wildlife, and I like seeing wild animals. But I also want a dog to bring camping with me for company. idk.Should I get bear spray? Would one of those small keychain size pepper sprays work?Well anyways, this is nature. There are animals out there. I guess you gotta take the scary with the beautiful. http://ift.tt/2gsUoPT
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