# Ever get lost or turned around in the woods?



## Lukikus2 (Feb 25, 2011)

Went hunting on evening by my lonesome on our 2500 acre tract and left word I would be up on top of the mountain and wouldn’t be far from the truck if anything happened. I was going to hunt the knoll. It was a raised area on the mountain that dropped off on all sides and just as thick as it gets with head high saplings, vines and small oaks. Probably a 10 acre round tract on the top.
I had it all figured out, I would walk three hundred yards down the side of it from the truck and turn due north, go to the top and find a good tree to climb. Found the tree, made my mark to where I would head straight out and back down to the truck soon as I packed up. Unfortunately no deer were seen so right at dark I got down, strapped my stand together, strapped my daypack to the stand, got out my trusty mini mag light, turned around and headed out with the fog rolling in. About ten paces from the tree my stand hung on some vines so I shined my light over my shoulder to see if I could wiggle the stand loose. HUGE spider right in my face! I did the boot scoot boogey and threw my light at the same time. When I recovered myself and the light I had no idea which way was out. No moon, fog rolling in, Uh Oh.
I never carried a compass (till then) because the layout of the property you could go up or down and find your way out. This time any which way I walked I knew it was going to go down but to where I didn’t know. This was around six o’clock. Well I had to give her a whirl. The fog got thicker and could only see maybe 15 feet in any direction. The more I walked the less I had any idea where in relation to the truck I was. I sat down at 11:30. The main thing going thru my head was how my wife would be worried to death. I had a full cola and a couple of oatmeal bars so I wasn’t going to go hungry. I’ll be fine by morning I kept thinking. 12:30 rolls around and the fog lifts a little. I shined my light one way then the other and HA! I’m sitting on an old dim road in the woods that heads straight to the truck. Yippee!
Momma wasn’t too happy. And I always carry a compass now.
Let’s hear yours.


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## vol man (Feb 25, 2011)

planned to trout fish the conasauga river one morning in 1994.  headed in before day light and hiked 3 miles in.  got to the river and it was a wash from rains the night before.  i started heading back out and decided to save some time by hiking straight up the mountain to avoid the numerous switch backs on the main trail.  10 hours later i finally find the trail again and made it back to the truck just as it is getting dark.  i learned a big lesson that day about staying on the main trail if you don't know what you are doing in the cohutta wilderness.


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## 762hunter (Feb 25, 2011)

couple years back was duck hunting in the Coldwater River bottoms in Mississippi.

me and a buddy that "had hunted here since he was a kid" 

well you park off the highway and take the 4wheeler in as far as you can go and wade in from there.

well we hunted till dark and tried to get back to the 4wheeler.

after circiling a couple times I finally said TOM you dont know where your going,  he reluctantly agreed.

Well we gave it our one last best effort in the dark with no flashlight (dummies) to find the 4wheeler.

We got real close and but decided we better just call his uncle.

he called and I started a fire.

his uncle walked ALL the way back there, We were expecting to hear him ride in on his 4wheeler and took a shot to infor us he was there and where were we.

Yeah we were so close he peppered us and the shot fell through the trees.

We were 30 yards from the 4wheeler.


when we walked up to him he asked where's ya'll's bike?

he could have stuck out his arm and leaned on the back rack he was so close.

No moon and no flashlight made it about impossible for us 2 dummies to get out of them bottoms.


His uncle said that he can't count the times he has had to go find somebody back in there that have gotten lost over the years.

Its funny now!


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## fredw (Feb 25, 2011)

I did once (several years ago).  It wasn't any fun.  I decided not to do it again.


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## 7Mag Hunter (Feb 25, 2011)

Yep turned around for sure....
Was on Cedar creek and walked a creek1/2 mile or so, turned
away from the creek for another 200 yds or so and found
a tree for the next days hunt....So far so good...Next AM, right to
the tree and on the noon break decided to do some extra "scouting/still hunt and then return to the "tree" for the afternoon hunt....At noon I went thru the woods away from my tree and made a 2hr still hunt/ swing back in the direction of the creek, and planned when I hit the creek, I would backtrack to the "tree"....
I did not realize there was another creek that ran close the original
creek I had walked down...Well, you guessed it, when I found the  2nd creek I started down it and after 15 mins or so, I realized I was
going the wrong direction, and quickly had to regroup and dig out
the compass and topo map to find actually where I was..... 
I ended about 1/4 mile from my tree !!!!!!


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## Dead Eye Eddy (Feb 25, 2011)

Spent over 12 hours searching for my car on Cedar Creek in May 2009 before I finally came out on a paved road and flagged down an old man and his grandson to take me back to it.  I bet I walked 10 miles that day.  I covered and recovered every square inch of a road that wasn't even on the map and led to a private hunting club.  I now have a GPS and extra batteries that goes with me everytime I leave the car/truck.


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## Lukikus2 (Feb 26, 2011)

fredw said:


> I did once (several years ago).  It wasn't any fun.  I decided not to do it again.



Well let's hear it! I'm all about telling about my mistakes to get that "one" that might listen, and save their self a little trouble.

Another one.
This one is actually after the first post by about six years. Mistake #2. Okay, I'm searching new hunting ground closer to the house for bow season where I can have more stand time. The nearest and best place exploding with large deer is the wheeler national wildlife refuge off of the tennessee river. Naturally this is river bottom. All flat land bordering the river. No mountains to cut off the angle of the sun. So I go exploring and as I've read in Field and Stream the bigger bucks hole up in the swamps. So off in the swamp I go. Everything is fine until cloud cover moves in. Head to toe in mud I came out on a road right before dark after six hours or so. Not a place I would have wanted to spend the night.


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## CowtownHunter (Feb 27, 2011)

Had two incidents of which one just happened last November.  Still learning the layout of the new lease, I went to a stand I'd never gone to before but was told of it from another member.  I parked about 1/2 mile from where I was to hunt.  I marked way in with glow tacks every now and then knowing I was going to stay until the sun went down.

I saw several deer but nothing I wanted to shoot at so I stayed hoping a shooter buck would show himself.  It got past the shooting hours but I had to wait until a doe and her fawn left the area so it was totally dark when I started back out.  Took my flash light and found one of the glow tacks I'd placed on the way in and started walking towards it.  Followed the tacks and soon I was back on the main trail.  

I didn't know at the time that the tacks I was following weren't the ones I'd placed but those put out by another member (who took the longest way into the stand).  This left me about 200yds away from where I thought I was including putting me on a different trail than the one I walked in on.  I must have walked for 1/4 mile before realizing that this trail didn't look familiar at all.  That's when that cold sinking feeling of "man I'm lost" set in.

Luckily I had studied the layout of the place on Google Earth earlier in the week and knew that sooner or later all the trails leads back to the main road in.  So I walked for what seemed like for hours, but was more like 30 minutes, and eventually ended back on the main trail.  I was so tired and drenched with sweat that I barely crawled into my truck.  Instead of having an easy 1/2 mile stroll back to the truck, I ended up taking a long 1.5 mile hike in total darkness in unfamiliar territory.


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## grunt0331 (Feb 28, 2011)

Had a Lieutenant get our whole platoon lost about 1 mile out the gate of Camp Fuji. That was horrible terrain to be lost in.  Felt like I walked 100 miles up and down those foothills.

The worst I have ever been lost was as a boot in a swamp in Camp Lejeune.  Me and my partner got so turned around in during night land navigation that we sat down and ate an MRE.  Figure we would sit there until the safety vehicle made the rounds and we could follow the sound of the horn back to the road.  That was before a snake crawled across his lap and my legs.  Once that thing cleared out, so did we.

I can honestly say that once I became a platoon commander, I never got my platoon lost.  We did get a little 'turned around' at BIAP (big base in Baghdad).  Most confusing place on earth when you show up there in a 20 vehicle convoy for the 1st time at night.

Haven't gotten lost hunting yet(knock on wood).  I always have my trusty compass with me and I know how to use it.  Good thing about our lease is, if you are on the camp side of the road, just head north and if you're on the other side, head south.  Eventually you will hit the hardball road.


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## barracuda7199 (Mar 1, 2011)

got turned around in griffin ridge wma a good many years ago in the back swamp. there was three of us huntin a brand new spot deer winded 2 of us and circled to the last man in line he drops three of them. get down go to him and start dragging one wrong turn and we were doin circles! finally stumbled our way to the trail an hour or two later. river swamps truely look the same at night!


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## 308-MIKE (Mar 3, 2011)

the first year i started hunting, about 12 years ago. i got lost a portion of an 8,000 acre lease. i was lucky though, the sun was out. i remembered the day before that the sun ran east to west along the main road by the camp. i just looked at the shadows to see which way the sun was going. when i figured north and south, i headed south towards the main road. found it about an hour later.


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## DS7418 (Mar 3, 2011)

My worst Lost-time was on Cohutta WMA.. I came out 12mi from my truck finally. Its a very bad feeling for sure.. I now carry a GPS and a Compass.


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## Win1917 (Mar 8, 2011)

I had a funny thing happen to me in December. I was hunting a WMA that I'd only been to a few times and didn't have very many spots scouted out. At 0430 there were trucks parked where my first two trails were so I hit the third place I had scouted but had only been to once before. 

The woods are thick and my night eyes started about 100 yrds in. So I start in and sure enough I couldn't find where my trail started. Everything looked right and next thing I know I had missed the trail. I turned around to go back and quickly realized I was lost. Pulled out the machete and bushwhacked a trail back to the road to start over again. I came out on the road 150yrds down from my truck. 

Second time I did the same thing again but missed the trail to the other side. Chopped my way back to the road and came out 100 yards on the other side of the truck.

I did that two more times and I was about ready to go postal. Sweatin like crazy. Every deer in the area is long gone. Sun's starting to come up. On the fifth try I decided to leave the climber and all my gear at the truck and just find the trail however long it took. 

I took off the little green headlamp I normally use and put on the big spotlight headlamp I keep in my bag. I hiked 50 yards in and my trail was lit up like a christmas tree! The tiny green light wasn't reflecting enough from the night eyes and I was walking right past them.


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## Nicodemus (Mar 8, 2011)

Yep, a time or two.


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## flyfisher76544 (Mar 8, 2011)

Oh I can't resist....

Henry Frapp: I thought you got lost again.
Nathan Wyeth: Havent you ever been lost?
Henry Frapp: Hmmm... been fearsome confused for a month or two, but I aint never been lost!


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## weekender (Mar 8, 2011)

been "turned around" a few times. 30 years ago I used to coonhunt 6 nights a week, mostly by myself. No fancy electronics, just me a one dog. I would navigate by the stars on clear nights. Look at the big and little dipper and orient which way I was going in so I could reverse coming out. One night started out clear but a heavy fog rolled in. Couldn't see dippers and I got turned around. Came out just before daylight 8 miles from my truck by the road. I had went completely away from my truck. I had to walk back after having walked all night toteing 3 large coons. Within a few days I had bought a compass. The only time I have been turned around since was when I thought the compass was wrong and went my way. That only happened a couple times till I found out that the compass don't lie. I never question the compass now.


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## BowArrow (Mar 8, 2011)

I was bowhunting Blackbeard Island in the 70's and was on the beach side. I missed the trail coming out at dark because of a dim flashlight. Blackbeard can be nasty and I did not have any idea the direction I should walk. I finally heard the waves on the beach and headed in that direction. I got on the beach and walked until I found a trail hitting the beach. When hunting in the evening, I carry two flashlights, a compass and a whistle.


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## Son (Mar 9, 2011)

Never lost, but I missed camp in the dark one night in the Florida Everglades. Back in the old days, 1950's, my Dad and I were somewhere in the Corkscrew Swamp. Were no roads back then, and we had camped on a small pine island with palmettos higher than your head. Our rule was, when one got to camp in the evening, they were to light a coleman lantern and put it as high as possible if anybody was still out. Next step was to chop some lightard. A light for some reason can be seen for miles down there, even in big Cypress. And an axe can be heard for miles too. I had roosted some gobblers, but when it got dark, it was so dark I couldn't find em in the trees. The old way was to roost, then go under em and shot out of the tree. Well, couldn't see anything, no flashlight, but I struck out in the direction I thought camp was in. Jeans and sneakers didn't give much protection from cypress knees and stumps. I walked and waded cypress until I knew camp should have been reached. Decided to stop and build a fire and wait it out for some signal.  Had a nice fire with dry palmetto fans and lightard knots going when I heard the axe. Got away from my fire and finally spoted a dim flicker of light through the trees, a long way off. I had actually gone past camp in the dark. I waded in water up to my chest in oshmundi ferns, and heard things bigger than me moving out of my way. Finally got to camp and ask Dad, why didn't you light the lantern sooner. And he said. I had been lost and didn't run across our buggy trail until about ten oclock. Walked it to camp and lit the light. Where were you? And I said, I was sitting on a log with a nice fire waiting for you to signal. For some reason, we both had left our cowhorns home that trip.

We never forgot our cowhorns again after that.


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## Son (Mar 9, 2011)

Back in the late fortys, a Seminole came into our camp in 
Collier Co. Fl, and ask. "Where mulepen". My Great Uncle pointed a direction, and the Seminole turned and started off. Uncle Mann, ask,  "Are you lost?", And the Seminole said, "Me no lost, camp been lost three days".  It was unusual to see an Indian lost down there. Most of what we knew was learned from them. I remember a time or two, we gave the heart and livers to Seminoles. They would take em, and not utter a word. Just turn around and walk off. E..cho was their word for deer.


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## Dr. Strangelove (Mar 9, 2011)

No crazy lost, but yeah, I've had to walk to the nearest road or stream, then go from there a couple or three times in my life.  Not fun, I carry a compass, map and GPS these days in the woods. (and I be sure to reference my starting point with all three before I head out...)


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## shakey gizzard (Mar 9, 2011)

Only once! Back in the 80s on the old Cherokee county powerlines. Iwalked in circles for 11hrs lookin at bear tracks before I found my way out. Scared the exit bad word outta me!


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## Capt Quirk (Mar 9, 2011)

Never really gotten lost in the woods, as long as the sun is out. Hiways are a different story though, and the wife will gladly bring up "Punta Gorda" every chance she gets... I blame it on the shifting polar caps.


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## Redbow (Mar 9, 2011)

Been turned around a couple of time Coon hunting in the Great Pee Dee Swamp of SC. Back in the seventies I used to Coon hunt with friends a couple nights each week during the hunting season. We usually parked along the edge of a field and when we turned the Dogs loose we would look up at the stars before going in the swamp when the Dogs treed. One night after going into the woods it became cloudy, we had no compass and we got turned around , no stars out to help guide us back to the truck. After stumbling around in thick briars we heard a train then the noise the train makes crossing the trestle over the Great Pee Dee river. That train noise let us right back to the field where our vehicle was parked.


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## Son (Mar 9, 2011)

If ya'll really want something to worry ya. Be out on a large lake when fog rolls in. Especially one where you better stay in the channels to keep from hitting stumps.


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## jmerrell (Mar 27, 2011)

First time being on Lake Seminole when the fog rolled in.  Talk about nerves on edge.  With all the stumps and visibilty of 5-10 feet in front of you, it was not a good time.  Didn't have a exact place we were going, just going to pick a spot.  We hunted a few hours and then made our way back to the cabin.  We were so turned around.  Never going out there again without a GPS.  Which that will turn u around a time or two.


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## win280 (Mar 29, 2011)

Didn't get lost, I got left in the bush in Ontario Canada back in the eighties.
Guide read a road race road closure wrong. Left me @ 12;00 p.m. and was going to pick me up at dark 30.
Road was closed from 2;00 pm till 12;00am. I started walking out on the logging roads. Flashlight gave out around 8;00 p.m..6 hours later I arrived at the main road only to have racing cars fly over the hill @ 80 mph and never slowed down. The safety vehicle stopped and wouldn't give me a lift. So I waited until the Guide finally was able to get in and picked me up @2;00 a.m. I was not happy.


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## kyle86 (May 9, 2011)

Happened to me once when I was 10. Kinda scary.


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## stev (May 9, 2011)

My woodsmanship is real good .i have been twisted around a few times but never lost ,just confused.most people dont look back when they go into a strange area .walking forward looks like the same ,but look back and see what it looks like .looks different .


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## dwhee87 (May 9, 2011)

stev said:


> .walking forward looks like the same ,but look back and see what it looks like .looks different .



Now that is a good piece of advice! I grew up hunting in the river bottoms of southern Indiana. I've been confused for several hours at a time, but never lost.

I do carry a map and compass with me now-a-days when I hunt.


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## Son (May 9, 2011)

Well, timber companies had fixed the problem by planting trees in rows. You either go in across the rows, or down a row. No way to walk in circles when the trees are in rows.


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## Cottontail (May 9, 2011)

Not really lost but turned around a time or two in swamps full of privet hedges!!


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## HALOJmpr (May 9, 2011)

If I hunt an unfamiliar area I mark the truck on my gps then throw it back in my vest.  I haven't needed it yet but it has saved me some time getting back to the truck


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## Nastytater (May 9, 2011)

Me and a buddy of mine went and hunted a moutain with his dad that they have hunted nearly all their lives...First time for me,but we walked for what seemed like a year or so up this mountain to the toip of the ridge...His dad telling us not too cross over the ridge,but too stray on the side we was on...After a couple hours,my buddy got the bright idea to just see what was on top of the ridge that his dad didn't want us too see...Well,both of us was curious teenagers that knew it all at the time,so we went together like teen kids do...Crossed over the ridge and got turned around from looking at the view...
    When we decided to head back to the camp,I said we come from this direction and he said "NOPE" we came from this direction...Being a newbee on this mountain I took his word for it and decided to follow him down the mountain....After a long slide down the hillside on a slope that I could have swore wasn't as steep,I knew we should have went my way...But he kept insistanting he knew were we was...Reaching the bottom and finding the creek FINALLY....We decided to follow the creek upstream to where we hoped our camp would be...Did you know there is alot of Creeks on that mountain?...Yep,it's true...And guess what,This wasn't the same creek our camp was on...But we kept following it for what seemed like another year...After reaching a bridge where the creek run under the road..My buddy says"You know what?"  "I think we are lost!" If it hadn't been for my only way home with my friends Dad,He would still be in those mountains...Standing up feet first where I would have gladly planted him head first into that creek bottom..
      We finally found our way to the paved road from listening to the sounds of a diesel truck Humming on the road side...From there,we kinda knew how far away we was from the twisting dirt road that leads way back in those hills...Turns out,I remember the mile marker where I came out on the paved road,and gathering from how long the dirt road is,we came out 6 1/2 miles away from camp by just crossing over a ridge and getting turned around....
    Lesson to the Young...If the elder tell you to do something,then do it...If they tell you NOT to do something..."By all means,Go Ahead and see what it gets you!


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## Nastytater (May 9, 2011)

Dead Eye Eddy said:


> Spent over 12 hours searching for my car on Cedar Creek in May 2009



    Cedar Creek is another fine place to get lost at....All those bushes and rolling timber look the same when you get in the thick of things....


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## creekrocket (May 10, 2011)

I lived an hour north if the South Rim of the Grand Canyon for about 4yrs. Every second week in May, the elk would drop their antlers and the shed hunting would begin. My first trip up with my buddies that were from that area, started off pretty good. We spred out and followed a big valley going to the top of the South Rim. I got LOST!! I had a monster shed in one hand and a cow bone in the other by night fall. Ifinally decided to go back in the direction that I had been walking all day. I noticed headlights on the next ridge and I new it was my buddies! I finally got to a road and just sat there and waited. I figured they would make it down this road sometime. Arizona's Buggie Man is much more nastier than ours, so you kinda have an idea of the hightend awareness that I was going through. They finally came down the road(two track) and scooped me up. It was around 22:00, and they had already gone to Flagstaff to re-fuel and back. They told me that they were firing gunshots off all day to try and alert me to thier position. Honestly...it was pretty terrifying. Thats a big place out there, but, getting lost is getting lost I guess. It never happend after that.


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## miles58 (May 10, 2011)

Been so disoriented a few times it took some sitting and figuring to get me home.

Being out on big water when fog rolls over you is not good, especially when there are reefs.  Being out on big water in the dark is not good especially when there are reefs.  Being in a Tamarack swamp that it in a big chunk of land in the fog without a compass is not good.  Being turned around in a blizzard is not good.  

I have managed all of them at one time or another.  Sometimes alone, sometimes with others.  I find that having others lost with you makes it harder.  Once one of you figures it out, it takes some powerful convincing to get the others straight.  Got lost out on Lake Nipigon in the fog once with four other people.  The other guy like me in the boat refused to believe me when I figured out where we were from looking at the rocks on the bottom and the shore line of an island.  It took cruising the shore for a mile or so and driving him into an unmistakable bay before I could get his head right again.

Dave


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## Lukikus2 (May 10, 2011)

Nastytater said:


> Me and a buddy of mine went and hunted a moutain with his dad that they have hunted nearly all their lives...First time for me,but we walked for what seemed like a year or so up this mountain to the toip of the ridge...His dad telling us not too cross over the ridge,but too stray on the side we was on...After a couple hours,my buddy got the bright idea to just see what was on top of the ridge that his dad didn't want us too see...Well,both of us was curious teenagers that knew it all at the time,so we went together like teen kids do...Crossed over the ridge and got turned around from looking at the view...



Spot on. The mountains I hunted you could go to the top turn 5 degress to the either way, go straight down and end up miles from where you came in. And swamps are even worse.


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## multihunter (May 10, 2011)

Managed to get turned around a couple of weeks ago on my new club.  Spent about a half hour trying to figure out where I came from when it dawned on me I had my phone in my pocket.  In under a minute I had downloaded a navigation app & had an overhead view of where I was & where I needed to be, isn't technology great!!


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## Lukikus2 (May 10, 2011)

Assuming you have service, assuming you have credit on your phone to download app, and assuming you have battery life. Yes, tech is great.
But without that, how long do you think you would be wandering around?
Half the places I go I can barely ever get any service.


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## multihunter (May 10, 2011)

Lukikus2 said:


> Assuming you have service, assuming you have credit on your phone to download app, and assuming you have battery life. Yes, tech is great.
> But without that, how long do you think you would be wandering around?
> Half the places I go I can barely ever get any service.



Actually, I didn't have cell service to make a call, I turned on my phones GPS location settings & was able to do it that way, obviously the idea is not to get lost but it will certainly help in a pinch.  As it turned out & is usually the case I wasn't too far away from where I needed to be, just didn't know it.


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## huntfish (May 12, 2011)

I wasn't lost but found somebody.   I was hunting in White River National Forest in Colorado.   While watching a meadow one afternoon when a person stepped out about 100 yards away.   I whistled and he started running towards me.    Seems he went over the hill like posted above and got disoriented.   This was his 3rd day in the woods lost.  He ended up dropping all his gear along the way.   Took him back to camp for food and then drove 20 miles into town.   They had Search and Rescue looking for him on the north slope while he was on the south slope.   Ended up 30 air miles from where he "thought" he was.


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## Gentleman4561 (May 15, 2011)

Went out hog hunting with some buddys in the middle of no where at night.  Closest gravel road is 4 miles in a straight line from his shack.  We got turned around in the swamp.  Took us 4 hours to get back.  Not a fun experience.


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## king killer delete (May 21, 2011)

*X2x2*



lukikus2 said:


> went hunting on evening by my lonesome on our 2500 acre tract and left word i would be up on top of the mountain and wouldn’t be far from the truck if anything happened. I was going to hunt the knoll. It was a raised area on the mountain that dropped off on all sides and just as thick as it gets with head high saplings, vines and small oaks. Probably a 10 acre round tract on the top.
> I had it all figured out, i would walk three hundred yards down the side of it from the truck and turn due north, go to the top and find a good tree to climb. Found the tree, made my mark to where i would head straight out and back down to the truck soon as i packed up. Unfortunately no deer were seen so right at dark i got down, strapped my stand together, strapped my daypack to the stand, got out my trusty mini mag light, turned around and headed out with the fog rolling in. About ten paces from the tree my stand hung on some vines so i shined my light over my shoulder to see if i could wiggle the stand loose. Huge spider right in my face! I did the boot scoot boogey and threw my light at the same time. When i recovered myself and the light i had no idea which way was out. No moon, fog rolling in, uh oh.
> I never carried a compass (till then) because the layout of the property you could go up or down and find your way out. This time any which way i walked i knew it was going to go down but to where i didn’t know. This was around six o’clock. Well i had to give her a whirl. The fog got thicker and could only see maybe 15 feet in any direction. The more i walked the less i had any idea where in relation to the truck i was. I sat down at 11:30. The main thing going thru my head was how my wife would be worried to death. I had a full cola and a couple of oatmeal bars so i wasn’t going to go hungry. I’ll be fine by morning i kept thinking. 12:30 rolls around and the fog lifts a little. I shined my light one way then the other and ha! I’m sitting on an old dim road in the woods that heads straight to the truck. Yippee!
> Momma wasn’t too happy. And i always carry a compass now.
> Let’s hear yours.


x2x2


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## BobKat (Jun 7, 2011)

i got lost on Bullard i was trailing a deer for my daddy, and i got extremly turned around, it was scary, he couldnt find me, all i had was my dog and it terrified me the dog trailed us out and after that i bought a GPS and i never go anywhere without it in the woods, even on places i know by heart.


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## RipperIII (Jun 7, 2011)

Son said:


> Well, timber companies had fixed the problem by planting trees in rows. You either go in across the rows, or down a row. No way to walk in circles when the trees are in rows.



I beg to differ
A couple of years ago, my first attempt at scouting, I went out into a large tract of mature pine, sun was up, bright HOT day in July.
I followed an over grown road bed about 800 yds til it petered out into a series of dips and rises.
The understory was fairly thick but I found a beautiful hub of trails, decided to take one in a ways, came to a deep gorge and followed it till I ran into a transition area of 10ft high pines, worked that edge and found some beds and more trails.
Took a trail from the bedding out toward what I thought would be food plot.
Crawled through some thick nasty area and emerged in a mix of pines which eventually became a thick cut over.
Checked my watch and it was about 5:00 and ...overcast.
I looked for the mature pines, made my way to them and realized that every thing looked exactly the same, dips and rises and pretty thick.
I could not distinguish east -west from north south.
I got a little jumpy, no one knew that I was down, anyway started following a "lane", it turned, picked out another "lane" it ended in a brush pile.
Finally decided to hack my way through as best I could, some how managed to find a small trail which led me winding back to the hub that i'd found earlier, question now was which trail to take out, I guessed right.
I came out about 300 yds north of where I went in...jsut shy of our main gate
gps and compass go with me now.


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## THREEJAYS (Jun 16, 2011)

Also was really confused twice.For awhile I wasn't sure which way was up.Sittin and thinkin and listening for a vehicle can help.


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## ted_BSR (Jul 1, 2011)

I thought I was lost once looking for my stand before daylight. Decided to sit and wait for the sunrise. I was leaning against a tree, and when the sun came up, I looked up, and I was leaning against the tree my stand was in. So I wasn't really lost!

Lost my Pop's last year for about 2 hours after dark. That was scary, I found him turned around and ornery, but none the worse for wear!


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## troy001 (Jul 27, 2011)

Yes i remember last year i lost. we  are four friends and we lost our way. After three days we get back to our home.. Those three days were horrible we do not have any thing to eat and sleep we just left with our riffles only..


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## Buckeye1 (Jul 29, 2011)

multihunter said:


> Managed to get turned around a couple of weeks ago on my new club.  Spent about a half hour trying to figure out where I came from when it dawned on me I had my phone in my pocket.  In under a minute I had downloaded a navigation app & had an overhead view of where I was & where I needed to be, isn't technology great!!




those apps are awesome!!..i like the google earth one that tracks you it has helped me A LOT with scouting this year! but still carry a old school gps just in case!...with all these people getting lost im supprised you are the only one that mentioned a cell phone...after walking all those hours you will get a signal sooner or later...2 things are a must have while hunting a cell phone and a gun never leave home without them!


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## ted_BSR (Jul 29, 2011)

Got bewildered the other day trying to hang a stand. Not lost since we never got off the property. Found the truck annoyed and wore out. I am hoping for a compass in the old Christmas stocking.


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## ripplerider (Aug 2, 2011)

Got turned around pretty bad on Cooper's Creek W.M.A. yrs. ago. Hunted a mtn. I'd never been on, parked at a food plot and climbed way up near the top of mtn. Saw 5 deer and a flock of turkeys, was watching does till nearly plumb dark, stood up and fished in my daypack for flashlight... no flashlight. Headed off of there wide open trying to beat the dark and apparently took the wrong ridge down. There was cloud cover and no moon and it soon got pitch dark. I kept expecting to hit the rd. I was parked on but it deadended not far past the foodplot and I missed the end of it. I knew Coopers Creek was at the bottom of the mtn. and that there was a rd. on the other side of it so I just kept stumbling downhill. Got all scratched up going through briars got blown at by deer and finally found an electric fence the hard way on the bank of the creek. Waded the creek (have I mentioned it was very cold?) waist deep, walked up an old fied rd. to the main rd. and knocked on someones door 2 hrs. after dark. He was kind enough to take me back to my truck but my wool britches froze solid while I waited on him to get dressed. You better believe I always make sure I have a flashlight with good batteries before I hunt in the evenings now.


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## Lukikus2 (Aug 2, 2011)

ripplerider said:


> Got turned around pretty bad on Cooper's Creek W.M.A. yrs. ago. Hunted a mtn. I'd never been on, parked at a food plot and climbed way up near the top of mtn. Saw 5 deer and a flock of turkeys, was watching does till nearly plumb dark, stood up and fished in my daypack for flashlight... no flashlight. Headed off of there wide open trying to beat the dark and apparently took the wrong ridge down. There was cloud cover and no moon and it soon got pitch dark. I kept expecting to hit the rd. I was parked on but it deadended not far past the foodplot and I missed the end of it. I knew Coopers Creek was at the bottom of the mtn. and that there was a rd. on the other side of it so I just kept stumbling downhill. Got all scratched up going through briars got blown at by deer and finally found an electric fence the hard way on the bank of the creek. Waded the creek (have I mentioned it was very cold?) waist deep, walked up an old fied rd. to the main rd. and knocked on someones door 2 hrs. after dark. He was kind enough to take me back to my truck but my wool britches froze solid while I waited on him to get dressed. You better believe I always make sure I have a flashlight with good batteries before I hunt in the evenings now.



The mountains can be very misleading and treacherous. I for one would have not wanted to be in your britches that evening, literally. I like your Bio. Good luck to you this year and safe hunting.


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## GA CHEROKEE (Aug 3, 2011)

it happens


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## donald-f (Aug 4, 2011)

Never been lost. GPS, I don't leave home without it!


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## SouthrnPride (Aug 4, 2011)

*I feel you brother*

Last year I got lost in a pine thicket onTuckahoe wma really bad at dark because I was relying on my gps, but it couldnt get a signal. You learn lessons real quick in those kinda situations.


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## mountainarcher (Aug 5, 2011)

LOST.ME?? NEVER!!!!! Been fearsome confused for a day or two though....


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## tbrown913 (Aug 9, 2011)

I got lost in the ogeechee river swamp once.  I was on a stand at our 5000 plus acre hunt club on opening weekend.  we have a big buck contest, so, i let a half dozen does walk.  well, at about ten, i was tired of sitting, and had seen a doe about a half hour earlier, and a pig about ten minutes earlier.  they both went in the same direction, so i figured id take a quick look.  I went down the trail they were on, which was fairly well used.  after about 500 yards, i didnt see or hear anything, so i turned around.  I never noticed how many other fairly well used trails met up with the one i was on.  I took what i thought was the right trail, and found the river.  I knew i was hunting about 200 yards north of the river, so, i got my bearings by the sun, and walked.  well, nothing.  the stand i was on was at the end of the road.  i figured i missed the stand and road by being too far to the right, past where it ended.  I walked about 400 yards to my left, then turned left again, headed to the river.  I figured i would find the road, and walk towards the end of it where my four wheeler was and head out.  well, when i hit the river again, i called my dad who was back at camp.  he thought i had shot something because he knows i never stay on stand that long.  i had him come down to my stand and fire a shot from the 22 pistol on my four wheeler.  turns out, i was on an oxbow, and not the river.  i was walking away from my stand parallel to the river, then turned away from it, then back to the oxbow.  i was only about 150 yards in the woods from the four wheeler when i hit the oxbow.  it was just behind me and to the left!


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