No. I will say this though. After my neighbor told me about the methheads down the hwy castrating, chaining to a tree and lighting this fellow on fire a couple of years ago, I do lock my doors at night.

Once when I first started hunting by myself..prolly 14 yrs old, I was walking to the stand and I had that feeling like something was following me. I turned around with my light and shined my path and there was a bobcat standing in about 50 yds behind me. I know it was a fluke but it scared me.

Once in Kansas...hunting public. I saw a pheasant when I was in my stand. Saw where he flew off too just before dark so I should have known but as I was walking out, I stepped on him. That will make a grown man scream like a little girl really quick. The hair on my neck is standing up thinking about it.

Other than that, Im ok for the most part unless Im on a new property or a property with pigs. And it always seems that uneasy feelin goes away once I get in my stand.

My mind wonders more about bigfeet and aliens

A wolf in East Texas?

I admit I get spooked at night in the woods. I dont like the thought of getting lost out there since I dont carry a GPS. As long as I am back on some type of trail on my way back when it is completely dark I am OK but in the SAM HOU NAT it is spooky at night. Daytime not at all. I love it out there especially by myself when I know nobody is around for miles. Except when I found this funky tree structure that looked like a bigfoot made. That spooked me and I never went back to that area again. I didnt stay till dark or press on either. That place gave me the creeps!

Traditionally, I'm not worried about the darkness at all. After stepping on a rattlesnake and kicking a skunk, I should probably be more cautious. I have started using the flashlight on my iPhone to shine on my feet for the above referenced events on those really dark nights.

I will admit I was a little hesitant one morning. Opening morning in northern Mills county. Hadn't been there in the dark since the season before. The entire southern horizon was blinking in red lights. Not quite evenly spaced blinking lights, but more than 10 of them. Shrugged it off once since it was so far away. Walked in and looked back...nothing. I couldn't imagine what in the world I was seeing. Turns out....danged ol wind turbines. I was at just the right elevation that they appeared to be right on the horizon. After I walked on, they were just below the tree line. The turbines had been installed that summer. They are part of the wind farm south and east of Goldthwaite. Never expected to see those from Caradan!

The woods don't really bother me at all. I enjoy going hog and coyote hunting at night by myself.But going to Walmart after dark is a different story

Not at all, I enjoy being solitary. I generally sit out on the deck and have a cocktail while I listen to the wildlife in the area.

My family has a place in Dimmit county, not too far from the border, and there have been some interesting moments that have made me uneasy. Walking towards the blind in the dark alone and coming across a smoldering campfire fire that looks like it was JUST put out, with clothes thrown all around and backpacks that had just been ditched can be a little unsettling...especially after the previous week when our ranch manager had a run in with 6 Mexican guys in their 20's carrying very large square shaped duffle bags on their backs. Don't think they were selling magazines door to door. They walked up to him while he was in the field working on a dozer, and they just asked for some water and which direction the town was, and went about their way...with a call to the Border Patrol shortly thereafter. That kind of situation could be scary if those fellas were not just looking for water and directions. We have a LOT of traffic on our place from illegals. Just feels unsettling knowing there could be (or rather, there are) people in the woods that know you are there and you don't know they are. I'm not scared of the families that are coming through. They want to be left alone and stay hidden. It's the guys with money and drugs on their backs that can cause you to be a little unsettled.

I've been the only one hunting on the entire ranch and driving towards my stand at 4:30 am only to see a truck's brake lights turn on a couple hundred yards in front of me and then haul [censored] down the road. I followed while loading my .45 in my slightly shaking hands. The truck turned around and threw their high beams at me (so I did the same) and they started creeping towards me. That was a very unsettling 15 seconds, until I was able to identify them as a Border Patrol agent. That has happened multiple times. They were after a group of 15-18 "bodies" as they identify illegals as. Always gets your heart pumping with an encounter like that....and those are the morning you don't get a blind nap in before the sunrise!!! Adrenaline rush for sure! Plus you know there are illegals on the property at THAT time. Heard a story from a local guy out there - he fell asleep in his blind while it was drizzling rain one afternoon....only to be woken up as an illegal opened the door to the blind, trying to get in the blind and out of the rain. They both scared the crap out of each other! guy says he can't sleep in a blind after that! LOL!

They've (Border Patrol) also come screeching down the road on our ranch towards the blind one evening, with their lights flashing, and popped out of their trucks, surrounding the blind, and started asking question...the first was: what are you wearing? I was like, "what the hell, am I Jake from State Farm? I'm wearing camo, buddy! What the hell are you doing here??" Apparently I set off a video sensor along with my brother in laws that were with me. They thought we were illegals. That one didn't scare me, but it could have made for a very strange encounter, as I had just taken the safety off my rifle to pop a pig in the road that they ended up coming down. I heard their trucks coming towards us just before I was about to squeeze the trigger...so, I put the rifle on safety and brought it back into the blind right as they turned down the road I was aiming down...and of course, the hog ran off. If I had taken the shot, they could have thought I was shooting at them and that would not have been a fun situation to deal with. Told them they better run over a pig on the way out to make up for the one I didn't get to shoot! That hunt was ruined, to say the least!

The next morning, while glassing just before daybreak, I spotted two people walking towards my blind very slowly about 350 yards out. They had their flashlights aimed at the ground in front of them. I finally shined my flashlight at them, when they were about 150 yards out (and directly under the deer feeder!!! Not smart!), and one of them immediately looked up and shined his flashlight on his badge...which I thought was a smart move. BP guys again. The other agent just kept walking around and didn't pay me any attention. He just kept on looking around under the deer feeder. They made their way over to the area where I parked my truck, 300 yards downwind of the blind, in the woods and looked around there for a bit. They finally came over to the blind 20+ minutes later as it was just getting light enough to see well (perfect time to see the big buck, right?) and they apologized. I kind of ripped them a new one as one of the agents was there the night before and heard me give out my cell to the other agents to notify us when they were coming. Apparently I set off another video sensor. We had a long chat with the supervisor afterwards...not fun ruining 2 of my 4 hunts that weekend. I'm all for supporting them and what they do, but to travel many hours to have them jack up your hunt is no fun. And to not be notified and see people walking around unidentified can be unsettling.

Overall, I usually feel relaxed when I'm in the woods. I just keep a keen eye out and make sure I stay safe and uninjured. It's those rare situations like above that just unsettle me for a bit.

One day I was deep in the corp of Engineers property on north lavon. It was setting dark and I hear the unmistakable lion roar over and over again. My dog bolted and I was right behind him all the way to the truck. Come to find out one of the landowners has a adult lion caged up there. Other than that not much comes to mind.

It was either Hemingway or Robert Ruark (I think it was Ruark) that wrote you feel that sound first in your scrotum.

George - I admire you for being able to tolerate that. 'Not sure that I could. I got off one lease mainly because of the constant BP and GW traffic. All nice guys, but just really takes away from the peace and quiet. Not to mention the worry about los narcos. The LO of my current lease described that line he has to walk between not being too accommodating to the BP and painting a target on his ranch and not being too friendly to the illegals and having the BP hassle him. We haven't had BP or illegals in our pasture, so we're staying on it for now. I don't envy what you guys go through though.

Creekrunner - it can definitely be a challenge, to say the least. My family helped settle the area many generations back, and my great grandmother was the first teacher in Carrizo Springs, in a 3 walled shack, for the most part. We have a lot of history with that area of Texas and with that ranch, and it has been my favorite place to go throughout my life. It definitely isn't the same these days with the constant barrage of illegals and the frequent visits from the BP (thought they have my full support, when not interrupting hunts! lol!). We don't have the same "peace" of the peace and quiet we had grown to enjoy there over the many generations, but it is still my favorite place to be during hunting season!!!

I got over being scared/anxious/creeped out in the woods when I was in the BP and working with Customs down in Starr County. We'd lay in at night, on the river or close to it, after having walked in for several miles and wait for the illegals or dopers. The one thing I absolutely hated was walking along the river and walking into a cobweb. Those things would stick to your skin and I always thought the spider was swinging on the, now loose end, like Tarzan, and gonna crawl up and bite me or something. Got to where I'd carry my long gun at a modified present arms to break the web before my face got to it. Hear lots of strange sounds down there, especially in some places where you literally cannot see your hand in front of your face, that make you suck in your breath and wonder WTF was that.

Nothing like the thrill of ambushing them and trying to catch as many as possible when the scatter.

Alone in the woods at night is prime time to attract all the night critters. They live at night, and we don't, so it's like walking into their living room. They know we're there and we can't see 'em. The panthers are the worst.........no sound, just one minute you're there, and the next you're not. You'll be lucky if you can feel them breathing on your neck before they get you. The sounder of hogs will eat what's left.

And how many hunters in Texas were stalked and killed by panthers last year? Oh, we'll never know because the hogs ate them.

I was stalking in fog so thick I could't see more than 20-30 yards a long time ago when hogs were a new thing in Llano county and 3 piglets crossed in front of me directly in my path. I stayed in one place for a long time to give the sow time to clear the area. I never saw her

I have to admit I was uneasy after getting this pic off of my TC a couple hundred yards from camp! I was locked and loaded in the cabin by myself that night! And the rancher never saw one of his cows again!

I'm not uncomfortable in the dark unless there is a lion sharing it with me.

Many years ago I was sitting in a bow stand along the brazos river. About an hour before sunrise something started groaning and bellowing up and down bank. The sound, in the dark, was horrifying and paralyzing as it echoed through the river bottom. Every hair on my body was on end and a cold chill ran down my spine.

It was a deep, low tone growling bellow that became a high pitched scream as it tapered off. Sitting alone in the woods I was sure it was some kind of demon. I've never heard an animal vocalization before or since that sounded quite like it. I've convinced myself it was an old boar bellowing for a mate or challenging another to a fight.

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You never really know who or what is roaming your property. My neighbor got this image on a trail cam recently. This is an "end of the road" property. No neighbors in reasonable walking distance.

I didn't read every post on this thread, so I don't if Fat Tire said what or who it was between the campers. I took it in to Photoshop and played with the image to bring it out. Looks a little weird to me.

I couldn't do much with the other one.

I'm surprised he still had a camera after that one.

I get my easy on at the lease. Never uneasy about anything.

Growing up on the East coast I had never heard an Elk during the rut, until one night camping in Northern Arizona by myself 20 miles into a reservation. Needless to say I abandoned the tent and slept in my locked car.

as a kid (7-10 years old) back in the '60s, my uncle used to take me out varmint hunting, mainly racoons, ringtail and fox. One night we drove over into eastern Llano county, parked beside hwy 29 where one of the railroad bridges went over a creek so we could access the Llano river basin and hunt the pecan bottoms. We had a single shot 22 and a old school carbide headlight. We had gone probably a mile or so up the river when we heard this horrendous loud squalling noise I said what was that??? He said I don't want to know and we took off running in the dark back down the river to get to the car. I had never seen my uncle scared but whatever that was sure did it. We suspected it was a bobcat but to this day I don't know if it was a mountain lion, panther, bobcat in heat, Sasquatch or a hill-side-gouger. We never went back to that location hunting again is all I do know.