Back in the early 80's, I got lost on public land in Fannin County. Now don't get me wrong, I was a Life Boyscout. I tried everything. Nothing worked. It was a cloudy evening, wind swirling. I tried marking trees with TP, I wound up back where my "paper" trail started. Luckily, (I smoked back then) I had 2 packs of cigs, 3 beers, and a emergency blanket. (one of those silver fold up things someone gave me) I had to spend the night in the woods. One of the things me and my Buds always said is, if your in trouble fire 3 times real fast. I only had 3 shells. I wasn't gonna waste 'em. Besides, I was there by myself. The area I was lost in was only about 100 acres bordered by a creek, a big clearing, (where my truck was) and a well beaten path. During the night I woke up to find a Coyote inching towards me. Man, a 30-30 is loud at 2 in the morning. I missed. Couldn't hardly sleep. I had to keep putting wood on the fire so I could see. My flashlight went dead. The next morning at 1st light, I found the East (had no compass) and was out of there in in 10 minutes. I was only about 150 yards from my truck. That was the single most miserable night in my life. I learned several lessons that night. The things I didn't have was things I needed to be lost in the woods. Or ready to spend the night there. Right now in my backpack I have a compass, a spare lighter, and an extra flashlight. I wasn't prepared. Some Boyscout. LOL

I never been lost but I can see happening out here I can only imagine how you felt good thing you got out safe

I got lost in a 500,000 sq. ft. ice cream freezer once. I'm serious. I honestly thought I was going to freeze to death. -40 is COLD!

Dude, It was near freezing that night, I only had my lightly insulated Blaze Orange vest on. If it wasn't for the fire, things might have gotten worse.


So, tell the truth, did you eat any ice cream? LOL

dont let dan see this

-40?

I got turned around one evening last year while bowhunting. I was walking out along the trail and spotted a pack of pigs and the stalk was on. Before I knew it got dark and I had no idea which way was where as I had been paying all my attention to the pigs . I hunt deep in the creek bottom and everything looks the same. I honestly had no idea which way to go. I calmed down and realized I could make out a little light left from the sun and knew that was west and put it in my head and headed toward what should have been the trail and it was only 50-75 yds. It has made me pay alot more attention as I could have had to spend a dark night in the woods.

LMAO!!

Fire always helps. Either as a comfort, warmth or both.

LOL I was a lot more concerned with finding one of warm up rooms, though it did cross my mind. Got a little scary when my hands and feet went numb and my nose and ears felt like chunks of rock.

Ya cbump. When you walked in the main door there was a thermometer right in front of you.

I've never been lost in the woods, I grew up hunting in the Trans Pecos area and it's kinda hard to get lost there. Now I hunt 1000 ac near Strawn, been there nearly 10 years so I pretty much know every rock and bush on the place...

I got lost on Toledo Bend Res. once, we went out before dark, I thought I was smart and lit a lantern and put it out on a point. When we got back EVERYONE had lanterns sitting on EVERY point....

That is effin cold, lol.

Thankfully not in the woods, but I did get lost on Cedar Creek the first time at night. Storm blew in and I spent six hours trying to find the boat ramp. Never been so nervous in my life.

Yes, some idiot took my "bread crumbs" once!



Seriously though. I have never really been lost. May not know where I was, but not lost. Your only lost if you want to get out.

I was working for the first time in Gordon Texas on a 6,000 acre hunt ranch. Thought I'd just cut loose and go for a ride.Left about 8 a.m It was misty and overcast. I rode about 2.5 hours going inbetween section of the property. Just enjoying the hills and terrain. Could go through any fence that wasn't locked. Must have gone through 4 gates. Then when I started back I got lost. I mean Lost! I could barely hear I- 20 in one direction, so I headed that way. But by the time you head one direction and you have to around or down canyons it gets you off the original direction you were going. Any way to make a long story longer...LOL I rode the fence line the closest to I-20 sound as I could get and found my way. It was 10.pm before I got back to the bunkhouse. I had my rain slicker and .45 strapped to my hip. That was my only comfort. Everytime during the night I would stir up some game animal and it would scare the Sheeit out of me and the horse I was on,..Talk about stressful,.. If the moon wasn't full and the clods didn't clear by evening I'm sure I would have been lost till moning or latter in the afternoon the next day. 6,000 acres is a lot of land. I might add at night, you hear ever creak of the saddle every rock kicked every branch being broke and all sounds like your about to be attacked....LOL

SHane

I've never been lost hunting, but I've sure questioned myself a few times when I was in new areas for the first time in the dark.

DUDE? Where were your pants?

I have had the pleasure of finding and helping several lost hunters over the years working for the sheriff's dept there.

Some of the is pretty darn thick.

A compass and a 12 hour light stick are cheap...

went on an elk hunt out of Nucla Colorado several years ago.. I had my Garmin GPS 12 in my pack.. I took off on my ATV and went about 6 or 8 miles from base camp.. Parked the ATV and took off walking towards some elk I had seen earlier that afternoon..
I marked my spot with the GPS and took off walking.. I walked for hours, spotting the elk, stalking them, walking some more...
I had walked about 2 miles total when the sun started to set. I decided to call it a day and work my way back towards to ATV.
I couldn't "backtrack" with the GPS, as I'd have been walking many more miles than necessary. So I told it to take me straight to my ATV.. As it got darker, I got more and more nervous..
DAYUM it was dark.. And my flashlight seemed to be the only lifeline I had.. I had the feeling that there were critters just out of light range stalking me. LOL
I followed the GPS for what seemed like several more hours.. Then it showed that I had arrived. It took me about 20 more minutes to find the ATV about 25 yards away from me..
When I got on the ATV I was so relieved..
So have I ever been lost??? NAH
But I have been temporarily unaware of my location and of the direction I was going.

I have been turned around in the woods but never really lost. One day my Dad and I argued about which way the truck was and he finally listened to me and we got back.

Looking back on that I am not so sure he wasn't testing me to see if I knew what I was doing in the woods. He tried like heck to convince me I was wrong. I finally said lets walk a straight line for 15 minutes and if we don't hit the truck I will buy lunch. We did and he smiled and said "I guess you were right".

Judd you'd get lost playing Dear hunter on the computer?

Don't you hunt without pants? LOL

I was in the Coffee Mill Lake area. U familiar with that area?

I was hunting on a friends family farm/ranch of about 150 acres with two friends. The farm was in Nueces Canyon near Barksdale. The farm owner and myself made it back to camp and the 3rd friend named Mike Speed from Kermit got lost. He came out on the woods close to Campwood 5 miles away about midnight all scratched up and scared as heck.It was funny to us but he didn't think it was too funny.

DO NOT ASK THE LORD TO GUIDE YOUR FOOTSTEPS IF YOU ARE UNWILLING TO MOVE YOUR FEET

Nope. Never been lost.


It's taken me several hours more than
planned to get back to the truck but nope,
was not lost and will never admit that I was.

Never.

I was hunting out there last week. It's not all that hard to get lost out there, lol.

the question is who hasnt gotten lost in the wood while hunting?

He tells it better but here goes:

My uncle grew up without a pot to piss in and through some hard work made it big.

What I like about him the most is that he used his good fortune to go all around the world hunting. I imagine most of us would do the same.

He's got the big five, elephant, rhinos, you name it, he's buried a solid in it.

He was on a safari in Tanzania with a PH that he had never hunted with before. They end up getting lost for eight days. A few of the hunters split off on the fifth day and found some remote village. They were dying of starvation, malaria had set in, and the only water they could find was in holes in the ground. Apparently, monkeys like to chit in the holes and they were all sick and near death. Finally, the villagers were able to mount a search party and they were rescued.

He spent the next two weeks in a London hospital bed fighting for his life. Pretty crazy story.

It's much better when he tells it after a few scotches.

I haven't, but I still laugh when I think about the defeated look on my buddies faces when the game warden dropped them off back at our truck. They had got lost in Davy Crockett on their 4 wheelers.

I know Dan In Spring hasn't because he spends his time critisizing the rest of us for not being expert woodsmen!!!!!

ive gotten turned around while running after a bay through my neighbors pasture that i wasnt familiar with, but i found my way back. took a long time though.

I have while walking into the lake in the dark. Had to sit down and wait for the sun to come up

You do any good? After I finally figured out how to hunt that place, I got a decent Buck. You gotta get on your hands and knees. LOL Sounds funny. You'd be surprised how far you can see when you get down low.

I got lost out hunting public land on caddo lake. The same things happened to that happened to you. Cloudy skies, swirling winds and damn everything look the same after dark. I had nothing with me. Not enough clothes, it was about 35 that night and I was in a long sleave shirt and jeans, no matches or light of any kind and a rifle with 2 shells. I was out on a peninsula that was about 400 acres and knew the lake was on 3 sides and a highline on the other but somehow I walked past the same old deerstand 4 times before I found my way out of there about 4am. I immediantly left there and went to walmart and bought me a backpack with a compass, flashlight, spare batteries, lighter, matches, toilet paper and so on. I was never scared that night as I knew I could not get lost bad but its still not a good feeling. Dont think it cant happen to you because it can. Even if you are just going out for a "short" hunt.

Never been lost while hunting, but have been lost on Possum Kingdom and Lake Stamford after dark in some nasty storms.

Went out to check some jug lines at Stamford Lake one night with my boss and a friend in a little POS excuse for a boat. We got to the other side of the lake and the spot light died, then the boat brokedown, then a storm hit, and then a tornado warning. The wind was blowing so hard I couldn't hear anyone speak, water was splashing over the little Jon boat, and with every lightning strike I could see the clouds looking all tore up and fast moving. This was all at 10pm, and we didn't even make it back to our camp till 4am that morning.

The cold bud light I drank when I got back to camp that morning was the best beer I ever drank, and I'll never forget it.

thats for the birds right there

You cant be lost if you don't care where your are.

Hell I get lost walking to the fridge for a beer every now and then !

Didn't get anything but saw quite a few. Found out exactly where to go for next time though. Which isn't until Dec.14

I never have been lost since I went to the same school as Dan. Really, I never have been lost hunting, but I got lost in a extremely large wheat field in Kansas while we were cutting. It was right at dusk and I lost the horizon and couldnt find my butt with both hands.

I know it well. Grew up hunting there in High School and College... was a combat zone before drawings, haven't been back hunting since APH started...

I used to love to lead city kids into a corn field in the dark.... then get away and leave them there....

I grew up in the country except for 6th/7th grade moved to Lewisville, had some friends there that would come out and visit druing HS and College.... lots of fun....

I was parked inside the gate at the clearing by Coffee mill Creek when I got lost.

U ever remember seeing a green and yellow circus side show looking tent there in the mid 80's?
Yep, that was me. LOL

I've been lost out on the water. Thats a damn scary feeling, sitting in the middle of an enormus bay thinking...where the hell am i.

I've been turned around too while driving through ranches at night..ya know when everything turns 2 dimensional. Never lost though.

I TAUGHT land navigation in the Army. I would consider myself an expert at it. Put a compass, map and protracter in my hand and I can go anywhere in the world and know where I am. I finished the land nav course at the Sgt. school at Ft. Bliss in record time. I was accused of cheating!


However, if I take two steps into the woods without a compass or anything, I am as lost as I can be. I get lost at Walmart.

This JUST happened to me and my buddy about 3 weeks ago. also on public land. it's the second time it happened to me. we were in thick woods and parked my mule on a dirt road and walked about 100 yds in the woods to where i thought my feeder was. couldn't find it. turned around to walk back to the feeder and never hit the road. it was 430 AM. ended up having to wait till the sun came up to find direction. i learned my lesson this time and i carry a GPS now.

I know this is an old thread but oh well....

When I was about 13 got turned around in the dark trying to make it to an old pond up in the woods. After wondering around in the dark got scared(er) after a deer blew at me and just sat down by a tree to wait for light. The crack of my uncles .270 right at daybreak scared the crap out of me. Turns out I was only about 50 yards behind where he was he killed a nice buck that morning. I walked to him and got there as he was climbing down he said dang you got here quick.

IVe been turned around in thick fog while on the lake before. After bumping into 2 other groups who had no idea where they were we decided to park, drink coffee, and wait for the sun. Then we found our spot and killed some ducks.

People can panic as bad and fear death when lost just as they do about drowning. I've heard reports of grown men being found clinging to trees and totally unaware of their surroundings. It has also been known to make people see people and things that aren't really there.

I got lost once as teenager with a friend and remember well the panic feelings it can give you.

I remember the story shared here by someone who found a guy who had been lost on a hunting trip. It messed the guy up so much that he purposely left his rifle in the guy's truck with no intention of ever needing it again.