Vanishing in the wilderness

[Santa]

Two different neighbors of mine just recently had a couple cats and three goats killed by coyotes.
I've been hearing them howl and yip at night for years but they always kept their distance.
Not sure what made the difference in attitude. It's not like there's been any environmental disturbances and the weather's been normal. A bit of a dry spell? I don't know
Oh, and a bear got into the garbage about a week ago. Something must be disrupting predator habitat around here.

[hoarder]

Around here (Western Montana) the coyotes don't howl. I'm told they did before the wolves were introduced. Makes sense. The elk don't bugle anymore either. Why ring the dinner bell?

I've heard of a couple bear attacks in which the rear person was pulled out of line. In one of those cases the people were riding horseback.

The cases in which a child was nearby and the parents looked away, then turned back to find the child gone sound like Mountain Lions. Lions are very good at hiding in the brush motionless and watching their victims eyes for opportunity to advance, then freezing in crouched position just before being seen.

I'm trying to speculate on the "missing shoes" victims. In many of these cases it seems the person lost all sense or reason. Also noticed many of those cases were at high elevation. I haven't found any information indicating that elevation sickness causes people to go completely stupid, though.

[TroyOz]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017...raining-maine/

Professional runner from Kenya outruns two black bears while training in Maine woods

7 July 2017 • 1:45am

A professional runner from Kenya has described how he escaped two black bears in Maine by outpacing them.

Moninda Marube was out training on a nature trail in the woods near his home when he encountered the two charging bears

When he saw the bears early on Wednesday, he said his instincts kicked in and he did what he does best: run.

He told the Sun Journal that the bears were 20 yards (18 meters) away from him and a vacant house was 20 yards away in the opposite direction.



So he made a run for the house near Auburn Lake, with the bears closing to within 10 yards (9 meters) by the time he found safety on the house's screened porch.

The bears stopped, not realising they could've easily crashed through the flimsy porch screens, Marube said. They sniffed around for a while before wandering away.

Wardens advise people who encounter black bears to make themselves appear big, make noise and back away slowly. But they recommend people stand their ground if a black bear charges and say if the bear attacks, then fight back.



But Marube said that's easier said than done.

He said he knew that black bears can climb trees, so he couldn't climb to safety. He said he considered jumping in a nearby lake, but he can't swim.

He said he initially engaged in a stare-down with the bears but the bears charged the moment he turned his back on them.

Marube, a student at the University of Maine at Farmington who finished third in the 2012 Maine Marathon and won the 2013 half-marathon, said he'd once encountered a leopard perched in a tree while alone in Africa - but the bears were scarier.

He said he learned an important lesson from his close encounter with Maine's wildlife: "Just make peace with people. You never know when your day comes."

[Tumbleweed]

I'm trying to speculate on the "missing shoes" victims. In many of these cases it seems the person lost all sense or reason. Also noticed many of those cases were at high elevation. I haven't found any information indicating that elevation sickness causes people to go completely stupid, though.

I listened to an interview a while back of a guy named Tim Baker that did research for the government on infra sound. It can cause disorientation, anxiety, extreme fear, blurred vision, vomiting and loss of control of your bowels among other things. It may be part of an animals growl or roar that has a paralyzing affect on the intended victim. It can come from a lot of different sources and I wonder if this may have some thing to do with people wandering off and taking off their shoes or other pieces of clothing. Infra sound seems to affect some people and animals more than others. It also may be a tool of some animals to paralyze their prey.

There's a short article at this link that gives a little more information about it and sources of it. http://www.strangerdimensions.com/20...ear-frequency/


Below is a video where infra sound is discussed and the possibility of tigers using it to paralyze their prey.

[hoarder]

I never thought about it that way. It does make sense because predators do things for a reason. If they're in a confrontation with an adversary , they're not going to waste any energy on anything that isn't necessary. But do they actually roar at prey when there is no reason other than intimidation?

[Tumbleweed]

do they actually roar at prey when there is no reason other than intimidation?

Good question and I don't know the answer and haven't heard any answer to that. Dogs hear sounds that we don't and it's interesting in a lot of missing person searches the tracking or cadaver dogs won't hunt or track. They just sit down and refuse to do anything. I wonder if they're hearing infra sound.

I've listened to stories hunters tell of feeling anxiety or extreme fear for no obvious reason when nothing dangerous was in sight but sometimes appeared after they had those feelings. Were they picking up on infra sound and were they receiving a level of it that was causing those feelings of fear?

Tim Baker said the sound you hear in the spring when turkeys are strutting and dragging their wings on the ground is infra sound. I hear that a lot in the spring because I have a lot of turkeys around. I can be in the house and will hear a low rumble and also feel it in my chest. From what I recall of what he said there are different levels of infra sound and the different levels have different effects. What the turkeys are doing is a mating call.

Some animals do seem to communicate with infra sound and may also use it for other things such as paralyzing their prey with extreme fear.

[Hitch]

From what I gather after listening to a lot of these stories here that I"v posted and others that you should never go off in the wilderness alone and if you do a 44 magnum, 357 magnum or 45-70 rifle seem to be the minimum requirements if you don't want to disappear or have some one find only your shoes after you've turned up missing.

I've got a 45-70 rifle, but I like to fly fish, so I take a small concealable 38 special +P revolver with some hot loads with me. It fits nicely in my right front pocket, and I keep it loaded while fly fishing with a couple of speed loaders ready. I wonder what you all think if that is sufficient enough for self defense while out in the woods alone. I tend to fish and hike alone.

This is an eye opening thread, and I've watched about 5 videos already. Some of the disappearances just seem to make no sense.

Regarding the shoes. A theory about that comes to mind. Sometimes folks take off their shoes while taking a break from hiking, to air out their feet, move their toes, check for blisters, adjust socks, etc. Whatever. At that time, they are not moving, sitting down usually (which makes them look small and indefensible). Plus, they are focused on their feet, looking down at them, not aware of their surroundings. That's the perfect time for a predator to attack.

[Tumbleweed]

I've got a 45-70 rifle, but I like to fly fish, so I take a small concealable 38 special +P revolver with some hot loads with me. It fits nicely in my right front pocket, and I keep it loaded while fly fishing with a couple of speed loaders ready. I wonder what you all think if that is sufficient enough for self defense while out in the woods alone. I tend to fish and hike alone.

I guess it would depend on what was stalking you or what you might encounter. The gun and ammo in this video below I'll post should be sufficient to deal with any threat you might encounter.

[Tumbleweed]

The top five explanations for disappearances in the wilderness.

[monty]

Guy wakes up with his head in a bears mouth and lives to tell about it

https://twitter.com/ITNPNews/status/884395977192464386

ITN Productions News @ITNPNews·5h




Teenager in Colorado amazingly fights off a bear with his head in it's mouth and lives to tell the tale: (link: http://bit.ly/2tZFK8A) bit.ly/2tZFK8A





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Amanda del Castillo
@AmandaDTV·Jul 9




Replying to @AmandaDTV and 2 others
WARNING: Graphic pic of #bearattack survivor, Dylan. Back of his head, before staples. Is recovering. Took some time to speak with #Denver7










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Amanda del Castillo
@AmandaDTV·Jul 9




Replying to @AmandaDTV and 2 others
Marks left by bear. Dylan tells us he teaches wilderness survival at #GlacierViewRanch camp-- clearly, no one more qualified! Story at 5p.