Creepy experiences in the backcountry

[bayangler]

This was in The Southern Appalachia’s. My girlfriend and I packed in just a couple miles up a creek we wanted to fish the next day. It started snowing as we were getting in the tent for the night. Go for a little after coffee stroll in the morning and find boot tracks about 80 yards from our camp, even found where the guy had been sitting on a five gallon bucket on a little hill over looking our camp.

This scares me more than anything. There are some really strange people out there.

 

[BeastOfTheTrees]

Ain't that the truth. They are indeed a special kind of people. From some of these stories, it sounds like they have spread out quite a bit. :^)

One thing is for sure; when people come here after watching or hearing about the White's of Boone County, they'll look until they find the dumbest, most ignorant person they can. to validate the stereotype those documentaries created.

I know all about the hill folk, my whole family is from forest county PA. Everything sounds crazy until you start talking to lots of people who have had experiences of things they don’t understand. Or you yourself get damn near scared out the forest.

 

[BeastOfTheTrees]

Since this thread has devolved into some folks acting tough, here's my fede

Since this thread has devolved into some folks acting tough, here's my Federal Marshall story. This took place in 2012.

I took a gal I was dating out shooting in the Oregon coastal range. We took logging roads about an hour and a half into the hills, found a spur road with a good backstop and spent about an hour shooting.

Now we had just started dating, and I wanted to be polite so as we finished loading up the truck, I told her I was going to head behind some bushes to take a leak.

I was probably 100 ft from the truck, beyond the end of the spur road, down a hill.

I head a truck pull up to the head of the spur road. Like many spur roads, you can see the whole damn thing from the main road, so they could see my truck and her standing by it.

I couldn't see them due to the bushes and my 3/4 finished piss, but I heard the vehicle turn down the spur road towards us.

I figured it may have been a logging company truck there to tell us we were on private land, but as I rounded the bushes and headed back up the hill towards my truck I saw an early 2000's purple Mazda pickup.

I didn't think they'd seen me, so I approached my truck in a way that let me stay concealed. I had a 12ga loaded with slugs that I hadn't put away yet (I used to love getting girls to shoot slugs), and I made my way for it just in case.

I got to my shotgun right as they pulled up, she was standing between them and my truck.

Two grungy dudes got out with ARs.

Let me repeat that.

Two dudes see a chick alone out in the woods and they decide to pull up on her with ARs drawn.

I pumped the shotgun and put one through their windshield. Then pumped it again and pointed it at the guy nearest to her. "Try it" I said.

Slowly they got back in their truck, and backed out. Slowly. They took their damn ******* time.

The chick I was with was freaking out and bawling her eyes out. I told her to get in the truck, but she wouldn't hear it.

When they were out of sight, I lowered my shotgun, tossed her ass in the truck, and hightailed it out of there.

"Why the **** would you do that!"
"You tried to kill them!"
"My friend said you were crazy, he was right"

I didn't have much to say.

About 10 mins later a blacked out Chevy Tahoe coming the other way just about ran us off the road. Then another one. Then another one. The 4th one stopped in the middle of the road blocking us.

Out stepped a clean cut guy with a bullet proof vest on, and he approached my window

On his vest was a badge that read "Federal Marshall".

"You two see a purple pickup truck?"

"Mazda?"

"That's the one."

"Yeah."

That chick never spoke to me again. I found out later that I was the 'other guy', so sounds like I dodged a bullet.

There ya go fellas.

always nice to hear about people that still defend their own, goodshit man.

 

[slick]

I don’t have anything unexplainable.. just weird people. I haven’t felt the need to protect myself more than any place I’ve been than Oregon.

First time I ever hiked around out here I went toward the Rogue Wild and Scenic stretch.

Was new to the area and wanted to scout for some elk. Wasn’t able to make it where I wanted, so pulled off and randomly hiked up a ridge. I was with a new roommate and we had my dog with us. We bushwhacked for awhile, maybe 2mi or so from car. Sit down to overlook the Rogue from above and my dog starts barking behind us 30yds or so.
I stand up to see a grungy ass dude standing on top of a huge old stump 6ft off the ground. Dog can’t get to him. I call my dog off, and suspiciously he asks me what I’m doing.. I said “hiking, what are you doing?” He replies “hiking”. Bull this dude was not out for a stroll. He adds “why are you hiking here?” I started to put distance between us and just said “exploring a new area, bye”

I grabbed my female companion who was freaked out and we walked down an old logging road and periodically would turn to look, as my 6th sense was on high alert. Here on my quick turn around I spot this guy following us, but keeping his distance. I don’t believe he saw me turn and see him. There was lots of downfall and thick brush, so we would periodically be covered. We dipped behind thick young madrone and made a scramble for it off the ridge towards the road, moving quietly but hastily. I thought for sure he was going to confront us at the truck. I told her to take my keys and I would deal with him, but for her to get into the car and lock the doors as soon as she could.

Never saw the tweaking scumbag again. But have had 2-3more weird instances out here. Not saying it doesn’t happen elsewhere, but to go from 0 between MT,ND, SD, AZ, and UT to 3-4 weird encounters in OR in 9mos has certainly shaped my view of this place.

Edit to add: I did see some odd lights in the sky one night in ND.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Carr5vols]

In the fall of 1994 some high school buddies and I were driving around on some backroads of Standing Stone State Forest in Tennessee. It had been raining hard and was now sprinkling, and we went down this dead end gravel road that is a few miles from closest house. This road climbs up to the top of a hill, as we got closer there was a glow we could see, when we crested the top were the circle turn around was there was a campfire going. Setting back from the campfire was a guy in a black trench coat, all black clothes, big black flat brimmed cowboy type hat. (No tent, camping gear, etc.) He had a black dog with him, and never let us see his face. We had no choice but to circle the campfire to get out of there. As we did he stood up and again never let us see his face. To this day when I am in that area I still get that creepy feeling in my gut. My buddies still believe it was the grim reaper.

 

[Miboy86]

In 2001 I was deer hunting in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan about 11 miles from the town of Watersmeet. My uncle decided he should take me, and my 2 cousin's to go see the Paulding Lights. We drove down this 2 track and parked at the end of the clearing waiting for it to get dark. About 30 mins after it got dark all of a sudden a bright light in the distance appeared and just seemed to dance all thru the air not really in the sky.

 

[hammerguy]

When I was young my dad and I hunted whitetails in northern Minnesota.
It was remote, and dense, with cold cold weather, and frequently enough snow that made trudging through the woods a real chore.
Well before first light we'd walk from a small "cabin" his buddy owned on five acres to my tree stand - a precarious climb up an oak tree to a big limb I could sit or stand on. My dad would walk further on to his stand which was on state land.
Mid-morning, in reverse, I'd be half frozen trying to get out of that tree and would welcome a hot stew at lunch before doing it again in the afternoon. That was our thing, day in and day out until we tagged out.
One morning I was standing in that tree, trying to hide from the wind, praying a big buck would be standing in range the second it got light, when I heard the unmistakable sound of a bolt action.
"Dad?" I whispered.
I almost chalked it up to the wind when I heard,
"Get down!"
It was not my dad's voice.
I was so taken back I barely choked out,
"Why?"
I heard nothing for as long and as hard as I listened and when it finally got light all I seen were tracks, the opposite side of where I knew my dad had walked away earlier.
When my dad finally came back and I got down I remember asking him, in one of our first "man-to-man" conversations - because now I was as angry as I had been terrified, "Did you try to play a joke on me this morning?"
When he said no I explained what happened and we followed the foot tracks to a truck track on a logging road.
Never got to the bottom of that and never seen another soul the years we hunted there, but I'll never forget it.

 

[menhaden_man]

Yep, this. I’ll have to watch this one without the wife

I’ve got a stacked life insurance policy - I may make my wife watch this so she lets me hunt more often

 

[menhaden_man]

In 2001 I was deer hunting in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan about 11 miles from the town of Watersmeet. My uncle decided he should take me, and my 2 cousin's to go see the Paulding Lights. We drove down this 2 track and parked at the end of the clearing waiting for it to get dark. About 30 mins after it got dark all of a sudden a bright light in the distance appeared and just seemed to dance all thru the air not really in the sky.

I spent 4 years up there driving fish trucks in the late ‘90s - always heard of the Paulding lights being creepy as hell but never went. Some real backwoods on the UP!

 

[String&stick]

Note very remote or backwoods but both creeped the hell out of me at the time. . .

1. When I was 14 and my brother 16 we would go out to a local reservoir and do things like go mudding or spin cookies. Just general kids screwing off type things. One night instead of the usual blazer that my brother drove we were in his friends p.o.s car. We went out to the lake and started spinning cookies in a dirt parking area with no one around. About the third or fourth time through as the guy cranks the wheel and pulls the e-brake the headlights flash across a guy standing in the middle of the parking lot. Everyone described the exact same thing. Middle aged guy, beard but no mustache, bitting the antenna of his cell phone with his other hand across his body. He didn't move, or look like he even noticed the car and we had to come within a foot of hitting him.
After spinning out of the cookie and turning the lights back across all of the parking lot to make sure we didn't kill someone. . . Nothing! Freaked out we got out and yelled and looked around still scared we hit the guy and he stumbled off. No sign of anybody. Check the the camp ground near by, no body there. Met a game warden on our way out, self reported our mayhem and explained everything, go back with him and look around, nothing to be seen. As we are getting ready to leave the warden tells us to knock off the cookies and screwing around and then tells us a guy matching that description was reported watching a family's camp site and watching the only bathroom on the lake within the last week but they couldn't find anyone both times they went to investigate.

Can still see the dudes face plain as day 19 years later. No clue what possessed him to walk out into that lot but I know he wasn't there when we started!

2. Same lake 3 years later. Buddy and I and a girl from our class decide to boat out to an island and camp and fish for the night. (She was like one of the guys, always hung out with us). We get out there about an hour before dark and set up camp on the beach about 20 yards from the trees, then go light a fire by the water (50yrds away) and fish till two In the morning or so, Always looking out at the water or to close to the fire to see much outside the fire light. Go to call it a night, douse the fire, and turn on a flash light to walk to the tents and catch eyes just behind them, first though is coyote but that quickly is dismissed as it stays put while we are walking toward it. Girl starts calling to it as we get closer and see it is a skinny German Shepard. We get to the tents with the dog still standing about 3 yards from the trees and someone back in the trees makes a click sound and the dog instantly obeys and heads into the trees toward the sound.

We yell and ask who's there, shine a light and can't see anything as it's too thick. Pretty soon the dog is back in sight about 50 yard down the beach. We yell to cut it out and step out. No response. We backed up slowly to the boat and got the hell out of there.

Go back in daylight and see tracks where someone with a dog walked out of the trees and up to both tent, then came partway down the beach toward where we were fishing before heading back to the trees. Scared the hell out of us and I still have no clue who would be out there and do weird shit like that.

Animals don't bother me much. . . People scare me, especially when they act sketchy and you are out away from other people!

 

[MuleDeerMike]

In the fall of 1994 some high school buddies and I were driving around on some backroads of Standing Stone State Forest in Tennessee. It had been raining hard and was now sprinkling, and we went down this dead end gravel road that is a few miles from closest house. This road climbs up to the top of a hill, as we got closer there was a glow we could see, when we crested the top were the circle turn around was there was a campfire going. Setting back from the campfire was a guy in a black trench coat, all black clothes, big black flat brimmed cowboy type hat. (No tent, camping gear, etc.) He had a black dog with him, and never let us see his face. We had no choice but to circle the campfire to get out of there. As we did he stood up and again never let us see his face. To this day when I am in that area I still get that creepy feeling in my gut. My buddies still believe it was the grim reaper.

Have you ever seen the movie Jeepers Creepers?

 

[Carr5vols]

Have you ever seen the movie Jeepers Creepers?

I have never seen that movie but just looked it up and that is exactly what the guy was dressed like. That is crazy...

 

[MuleDeerMike]

I have never seen that movie but just looked it up and that is exactly what the guy was dressed like. That is crazy...

Don't watch it lol.

 

[Rs3003]

They deny lions being here in PA too

I saw a loin in McKean county about 15-20 years ago. Stood broadside about 60 yds away on a dirt road. 70lb. I know what I saw

 

[Ryan.kemp14]

Recently watched a movie available on Amazon Prime Video called Missing 411-The Hunted. It is about a series of unexplained missing hunter stories from different areas in the US. It was actually pretty good...and a little creepy. Based on a book from a series of missing person stories by investigative author Dave Paulides. He is a former police detective and has researched hundreds and hundreds of missing person cases in depth. I was googling each of the missing hunter stories as I was watching the movie and they are all bona fide unsolved cases. If you’re a twitchy person when it comes to stuff like this, I don’t recommend watching it until after your upcoming solo hunt...

I just ain't going to watch it at all cause I'm afraid it will leak onto the next hunting season.

 

[Ryan.kemp14]

My first hunt in grizzly country, I was pretty nervous and on edge. Still hunting through some dark timber, and one of those damn birds about made me crap myself

Haha, the grouse were I hunt do that all the time and we have mountian lions and wolves

 

[Jacack]

Not really creepy but back around 1990 o guess I was out with high school buddies (we were maybe 16-17) late at night in a fairly remote for where I grew up area doing a little drinking and it happened to be extremely foggy that night. We where probably 4 -6 miles from the local airport on a high spot for the area when a plane passes overhead but obviously lower than normal but in the fog all we could see where lights reflecting in the fog. About 30 seconds later he breaks out of the fog and goes right into the ground and explodes about 1/4 mile from us. Killed everyone onboard. three people if memory serves me a grandfather who was the pilot and son and grandson.

We where there in minutes but it was just debris and flames. Never forget that smell.

 

[BeastOfTheTrees]

Don't watch it lol.

I second that notion watch it and it’ll screw with you. That movie is the best horror movie if you live on backroads like ever.

 

[BeastOfTheTrees]

I saw a loin in McKean county about 15-20 years ago. Stood broadside about 60 yds away on a dirt road. 70lb. I know what I saw

One of my most trusted friends and role models worked at FCI Mckean off Lewis Run. He’s extremely no nonsense type of dude, he has seen a lion twice here in Warren County. Once in Grunderville area and once near Bear Lake area right before you hit Erie county line along the New York Border. He also told me another interesting lion story about this part of the state if your interested.

 

[MuleDeerMike]

I second that notion watch it and it’ll screw with you. That movie is the best horror movie if you live on backroads like ever.

The way the thing moves in the movie is exactly as described in the story. Head down and shields its face and eyes as they pass by. F*** that!