Afraid of the dark??

[Nuts]

I listen/watch a podcast. On that navy seals were discussing how everyone is afraid of the dark naturally in the wilderness. It got me thinking what I am afraid of. The dark no (unless its going up the basement steps). Hiking, camping, hunting in grizzly bear country is a no. Driving or walking in any city. Yes. 100%. I would rather camp by myself next to a meatpole in grizzly country then walk in a big city. Walking in the dark by myself I don't even think about it. Even in grizzly country.
We had a visitor in camp on a remote moose hunt. I woke from a branch breaking fairly loud with in 20yds of the tent. I sat straight up. There was already 3 guys sitting up with guns in their hands. I then heard that unmistakable sound of a hoof clipping a log as it stepped over it. Back to sleep I went and slept like a baby. I know it was a moose. I also know a 4th guy with a gun in a tent wouldn't do anything that 3 guys with guns couldn't do.
Does everyone have some fear of the dark?

 

[Big Sky Guy]

Guess I’m the only one. I’m not sure if fear is the correct term I would use, more like dislike and uncomfortable. I’m 37 and have been doing it since I was 9 hunting with my father and probably since around 17 or 18 solo and I still don’t like it lol.

 

[Nuts]

Guess I’m the only one. I’m not sure if fear is the correct term I would use, more like dislike and uncomfortable. I’m 37 and have been doing it since I was 9 hunting with my father and probably since around 17 or 18 solo and I still don’t like it lol.

Nothing wrong with uncomfortable. And being man enough to admit it.

 

[elkhuntinfool78]

In the woods no, just bring a good Headlamp. In a sketchy part of some big city then hell yes...lol

 

[Nuts]

For me doesent even have to be a sketchy part. I start puckering the moment I get close. In broad daylight.

 

[appmtnhntr]

I used to be "uncomfortable" in the dark when I was a kid. Always checking my backtrail with headlamp and getting that weird feeling something was following me.
Then when I was 10 or 11, had a bear break out of the laurels between my dad and I who were 5' apart. It was grunting and huffing up a storm as it came by.

Since that day I've never had that "uncomfortable" feeling again. IDK. I guess once I actually had something real happen, the spooky feeling didn't make sense anymore in my brain.

 

[rtraverdavis]

Seems like anyone with a decent imagination and a bit of self honesty would naturally get spooked-out by the imagined unknown lurking in the dark. A headlamp or little fire completely changes the equation—with those it’s no longer dark and questions of ‘what’s out there?’ can be answered.

We have a long, somewhat wooded driveway and I’ll admit that there are times when it is cloudy and true-dark outside when I am dragging the trash barrel down the gravel to the street with no headlamp on Sunday nights that I swear I can hear the soft padding of a mountain lion creeping behind me in the trees…

 

[Stocker]

I’m not “scared” of the dark. 99% of the time I’m totally fine. But just like @rtraverdavis said, I’ve heard things or seen things that have stopped me in my tracks. Then all of the sudden my imagination runs wild. I get up every morning at 3:45-4 and run in the dark, no headlamp on backroads. I’d say 2/100 mornings I’m convinced that I’m being followed by a mountain lion or a random hobo that has jumped off a train 5 miles away and decided to stalk me in the wee hours of the morning. Most likely a raccoon fight in a tube under the road or a paper bag someone threw out blowing around, but trying to convince myself of that at that time is not gonna happen.

 

[Threedognight]

I grew up watching The Night Stalker. You don’t want to start thinking about that crap in a dark swamp.

 

[Hem]

Darkness in the woods never unnerved me. I kinda like solitude.
I did get rattled once heading in to bowhunt one morning. Couple miles in on a really dark, calm night a tree just decided to fall over. I heard it start to go...really close by, violently. No idea what to do. Pretty disruptive incident in an otherwise peaceful trek to bugling ground.

 

[Steiny77]

Spent a lot of nights around here raccoon hunting and predator calling which are night time activities. Although we always have headlamps you spend a lot of your time standing and listening in the dark. Once your eyes adjust a headlamp is often not even needed just to walk around. There is nothing out there at night that isn't out there in the day too.

 

[cwitherow]

Like anything, I'm sure experience can ease those feeling. I'm sure many would also agree that the feeling of being "afraid" is significantly lessened when you're with someone vs solo.

 

[Mallardsx2]

Dad told me at a young age that "there aint nothing there in the dark that isn't there in the day".

 

[gouch]

It used to be standard operating procedure for me to leave camp or the truck before light to get to where I wanted to hunt. Then hunt until dark before walking back to the truck or camp. I was never uncomfortable doing that. I did get lost one night but even then, I wasn't scared just very annoyed and irritated with myself.

I went out and bought a GPS unit right after that night.

 

[LuketheDog]

My best friend and I actually had a pack of coyotes come after us when we were about 8. It was dusk, there had been a long drought so they were getting pretty desperate and hungry I think, they followed us right into the horse barn where we closed ourselves in the office area. They eventually left and we had to walk 1/4 mile back up the hill in the true dark, that pucker factor took a few years to get over. Funny thing was his mom was pissed that we were late for dinner and didn't believe our story, then the coyotes harassed her while she was out for a run on the ranch a couple weeks later. We were vindicated.

I definitely still "hear" things behind me when I'm in the woods at night, especially with the lion population around where I live...

 

[TheBenHoyle]

I got into hunting late in life, so I was in my mid thirties when I was walking into some public ground in the dark about an hours and a half before legal shooting light. I was 1/4 mile from the truck when I hear a whole pack of coyotes sound of directly ahead of me.

They were probably 1/2 mile away, but I needed to go another half mile before I could head south a mile to where I wanted to be. It stopped me in my tracks. It is a very unnerving sound and I wasn't sure what I should do. I considered walking back to me truck and waiting until sunrise to hike in, but then another pack of coyotes lit off from directly behind me, back towards the truck.

And that was when I decided that I should just keep on trucking because the promise of my hunt was greater than the potential of harm. Having put that thought to bed right there, I don't find that I am fearful of the dark.

However, I do fear bumping game when I am moving around in the dark pre-dawn. And I do dislike the evening darkness, because it makes me feel like I need to be home getting ready for bed, and I am usually a couple of hours drive away from home.

As far as lights, I don't use them much. I have pretty good night vision and I can usually get into place and set up without any light. Especially since turning on a light even for a second burns out my night vision for way too long.

 

[pabearhunter]

The one thing that does concern me is when the batteries die and still have a ways to go. Walking into stick and loosing an eye .

 

[Wheatgrass]

I have spent a fair amount of time in the dark woods by myself. It usually doesn't bother me too much, but sometimes I get spooked. I can remember one time when I was lost and getting quite worried that I was not going to make it out before it got dark.

 

[jimh406]

I don't disagree that people are naturally afraid of the dark in the wilderness. I grew up playing all kinds of games in the dark back when kids did that. We regularly night fished without lights. I also possum and raccoon hunted with friends and uncles. That might be why I'm not afraid of the dark, but maybe it will change in the future. I also carry lights while out with a backup and backup batteries.

My grandkids. love to play tag etc in the dark. Sometimes, they use flashlights. Note: we have a large fenced in yard. Curiously, they like having a light in their room at night.

 

[Fire_9]

In high school I used to walk through a stand of timber on my way to meet a buddy at a duck hunting spot that always reminded me of the Blair Witch Project and it always freaked me out. When I was 18 I was finally getting over my fear of being out in the dark on my own. One day while archery elk hunting I was stalked by two young mountain lions and had them at sub 10'. For several years after that, the fear of the dark was with me again