Still uncomfortable walking around in the woods an hour or two before light. Besides the occasional snake has anyone encountered anything dangerous wild life wise in East Texas woods?

I’m not fond of the a. m. walk either. Never had a problem with critters, but light went out once and I ended up falling in the middle of a big cactus. Lucking I had enough clothes on because it was cold to to keep me from getting too many thorns. I mow or shred all the roads that lead to blinds to help from stepping on a snake.

The list of things I’ve encountered in the dark I would consider dangerous:

1. Skunk (not so much dangerous as unpleasant)
2. Feral hog
3. Other hunters

That’s pretty much it. That encompasses about 40 years of stomping around in wild places. Did have a sketchy encounter in Colorado a few years back in the early morning. Hunting open range country and ran across a pretty pissed off Brahma bull. He was not happy I was there, and I wasn’t thrilled about it either. My .270 Win felt very inadequate in the event he decided to do something besides throw dirt around and growl at me. Fortunately he elected to leave after a bit.

Yes, big covey of large mean quail.

Do large spiderwebs count?

One of our neighbors spotted a mountain lion and another found a bunch of carcasses lying around in that same time period. Made morning and evening walks a little more spooky when I was on that side of the ranch

Pigs are about it. A dog as well. Regardless of what some people say the pigs don’t always run from you. A Glock with a TLR1 light will bring you peace of mind. Shooting while holding a flash light in one hand and a pistol in the other only works in the movies unless you are extremely lucky.

We don't have any snakes to worry about up here, especially during hunting seasons when it is cold. You will run into skunks a lot in Sept, when they are moving. Porcupines are always on the trails in the dark, but before you get to them they are grunting and rattling their quills! That's a spooky sound.

I always wear clear safety glasses on the walk in the woods in the dark, to prevent getting poked in the eye by a branch. My wife worked for an eye surgeon for 25 years, and you would be surprised how common it is. I almost lost an eye in Africa with a bad injury.

I have a friend in S. Texas who was run over by a buck in the dark, during the rut. We usually walk in about 400 yards, about a half hour before daylight, and the feeders went off to cover our noise walking in. Bad idea; now they are always set to go off at daylight, when we are settled in.

I'm actually more afraid of spiders and webs, or stepping on a big fire ant mound!!!!!

Yep a poke in the eye is no joke. Most painful injury I have ever had. That was in 2007 and I still have issues with that eye to this day. Happened while tacking a deer and was even using a flashlight.

I hit one of those walking in one morning in Bannister WMA near Sam Rayburn while wearing a headlamp. I just saw a blur of feathers in my face and after I caught my breath again, I had to walk back to the truck to change my shorts.

I dont consider myself overly brave at all but Ive never been scared at all walking in the dark to a stand and I dont ever use a light.

Spiderwebs are one of the most dangerous things on our property. Headed out one morning I hit 5 or six of them in a span of about 50 yards. I just about came out of my skin. Most of them hit me right in the face. I always have a red or green head lamp now.
On another note, my son had a mountain lion walk within 10 yards of him on an evening hunt last week. Scared him enough that he came back home 30 mins before last light. Lol. East Texas does have mountain lions. Not many, but they are there. Navarro county. Is that considered east Texas or Central Texas?

I Always walk with a stick held out in front of me to catch the spider webs. Navarro County is considered North Central (almost East though).

I believe there are more mountain lions (sighted/reported) than 'confirmed' throughout all of Texas. Many of those in error....but yes there are Mountain Lions in East Texas from time to time. Very rare however.

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/685a0ee58ca140c9a8e1a1939f725f94?item=4

PVS-14 night vision solved any of my walking through the woods at night problems.

The only danger I’m concerned about is stepping in a hole

YES THEY COUNT!!

I can deal with most anything I run across in the woods but a great big ole sticky spider web with a long legged banana spider on my face.. then once I've found what I was carrying before I walked I to the web, regain my composure and continue to the blind or squirrel hunting spot. I'd rather have a coon run up my leg!!

The .last time I walked in before daylight I disturbed a rattlesnake. That was a bunch of years ago.

A couple of years ago I walked into the middle of a bunch of hogs heading back to the house, on the road,
in the dark. Didn’t have a flashlight. They went every which direction squealing but all missed me.

I now take a light.

The most memorable happened in Arizona. Just before dawn was breaking, 4 of us were walking in to hunt elk. We had lights. We walked into a herd of bedded elk. They erupted, running into trees and squealing or making all sort of sounds. When it finished somebody said “Sound off”. We did and nobody had been hit.

I drive to my blind early...then unload everything and put it in the blind..gun, hunting box, coffee, and a bucket of corn, then, take my truck about 150 yards and park it. Then I walk back to my blind with a flashlight. Get to my blind and grab a bucket of corn and attempt to spread it out. ... as I was spreading corn all of sudden, very close, a cat, of sorts, let out a horrible loud scream. Well.... I couldn't believe it so I kept waking slowly thinking it was only my imagination, then!! ....another loud scream twice!!!..NOW I believe it ..I went straight to my blind at a faster rate..got to my blind and was glad I mad it there.LOL

Maybe 15 years ago, I was hunting public land and when I arrived that morning there were spider webs covering every tree/bush in the area. It was like something out of a sci-fi movie. I waited until first light to make my way in... with a long stick leading the way. Never seen anything like it since.

I corn my senderos, park the truck then have to walk back down the corned sendero. Have encountered pigs many times. Twice I have walked in behind them and kicked them. But, both times they were smaller pigs.

No snakes, just spider webs mostly and a few times a fresh cow patty. That safety glasses suggestion from Blank is a good one to remember.

One of our guys ran across him one morning.

This is right. Those old rotted out pine stumps leave a deep hole that gets covered with grass and pine needles. Very dangerous, even in the light if it is covered over well. A broken leg alone in the woods ain't good.

Always use a flash light. My BIL got shot and killed in the morning darkness because 1. he didn't have a flash light, 2. he wasn't where he was supposed to be. He was at the feeder of his other BIL (who he taught to spotlight and hunt at night). The other BIL just shot at the sound. This would have never happened if he had a flash light. I miss my BIL, but he was careless with guns and hunting.

Dang. Sorry for your loss, Red.