Bumps in the night

[ChuckT]

Nothing weird ever happens to me

[rocketsocks]

Bull frog.

[Dogwood]

Here's what I've seen and thought were fisher cats. Am I wrong?

[Dogwood]

I've seen larger ones with this coloring too.

\

But never this large or with this large a face.





They are feisty and sometimes vocal.

[Wise Old Owl]

Nothing I could not fix with a couple of talons...

[NY HIKER 50]

Ok, here goes and I don’t think anyone can match these. As for safety I would not worry. I don’t go looking for these they just happen.

One night I was set up and it seemed kind of ready to storm. It seemed very humid and oppressive. I either fell asleep or was dreaming or was I awake? I know there was a small cemetery below and who knows, maybe she was not from there. I suddenly heard a woman’s voice say “you know it’s raining heavy down in _____. Be careful! I woke up and nothing was happening for about a half hour. Then a heavy thunderstorm rolled in. I was stealth camping and no one else was around.Was I being warned?

Another time in New Jersey I saw what looked like a black and white picture of another backpacker coming at me. I just stood aside and he passed me by and disappeared. Nothing was said. Ghost? Imagination?

I also have camped twice in a place that’s considered the most haunted place in America but nothing happened. I also camped at a shelter but Little Ottie never showed himself so I guess I’m safe there.

I’ve had a lot more encounters over the years and I think these two are more than enough to reveal. I never freaked like most people, I just kept my composure.
I already have an idea of what the comments will be.

[NY HIKER 50]

Oh, and one time there's a cemetery that had a water spigot near the road as yo pass on the trail. As I was going to it I heard a voice say"the waters off". There was no one around. I should have listened since I tried the faucet, and indeed it was off. I just went into town and got water in a park.

[Dadburnet]

Owls have butts? Panther screams are really scary!

[Pedaling Fool]

This reminds me of an encounter I had in Maine.

When I was 16 I did a SOBO thru-hike of Maine starting June/July ‘81. This encounter happened on the first day of the hike, we (father, uncle & me) were going up Katahdin from the north to Knife-edge, starting from Roaring Brook Campground, going up the Helon Taylor trail (IIRC).

I’m not sure how long into the hike we were, but I know we were still a good way from tree-line, in the dense foliage. All I remember was hearing this deep sounding roar, sort of like hearing an African lion in the zoo. It caused us all to stop dead in our tracks. Never saw anything, but heard some rustling in the brush and a second growl, then it was gone. It was scary as hell, now when I hear the term, "freeze in your tracks" I think of that moment. I was – we all were – stopped in our tracks with great concern for whatever that was.

At the time we just assumed it was a black bear. However, now I'm not too sure. I’ve read a lot about bears and the sound they make and from what I gather they don’t make the sound we heard, at best they make a weak roar/growl, this was no weak roar/growl, it was a very powerful roar. I’ve heard recordings of mountain lions and this was no mountain lion, too deep of a sound, that’s why I say it reminds me more of an African lion, but not quite.

I even saw a video of two male bears fighting (I think it was on Bear.org) and they were making weird sounds, but nothing coming close to the sound of a roar, much less the roaring sound we heard that day.

Apparently there's a little bit of a history of these things in Maine. New book out, but as I understand it, there's nothing new in the book, but for those that don't know about this obscure history of Maine, it is new. http://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Woods-.../dp/1616462841

And more on Maine here... http://www.amazon.com/Strange-Maine-.../dp/1596299363

[BirdBrain]

Two stories from me. Neither spectacular.

1) Climbing down Moody in Maine going SoBo, I could not shake the feeling that someone was inches behind me. Asked my brother-in-law if he had the same sensation when I caught up to him. He said no. I have searched the net many times and can find nothing about that spot. I stealth alone in the middle of nowhere often. I am never nervous about it. That hill freaked me out.

2) Bump in the night story. A bear went tent to tent waking people up when I stayed at Garfield Campsite. It bumped my tent a couple times too.

By the way, Fisher's are not small. They are one of the larger weasels. The female is larger than the male. I caught a few as a trapper as a young man that did not love animals as I do today. Think of an animal fast enough to catch a squirrel and tough enough to kill a porcupine. Don't be afraid though. They are ghosts of the woods. You will walk by many in Maine and never see them. They have zero interest in us ever seeing them.

[fastfoxengineering]

Two stories from me. Neither spectacular.

1) Climbing down Moody in Maine going SoBo, I could not shake the feeling that someone was inches behind me. Asked my brother-in-law if he had the same sensation when I caught up to him. He said no. I have searched the net many times and can find nothing about that spot. I stealth alone in the middle of nowhere often. I am never nervous about it. That hill freaked me out.

2) Bump in the night story. A bear went tent to tent waking people up when I stayed at Garfield Campsite. It bumped my tent a couple times too.

By the way, Fisher's are not small. They are one of the larger weasels. The female is larger than the male. I caught a few as a trapper as a young man that did not love animals as I do today. Think of an animal fast enough to catch a squirrel and tough enough to kill a porcupine. Don't be afraid though. They are ghosts of the woods. You will walk by many in Maine and never see them. They have zero interest in us ever seeing them.

Fisher males are larger than their female counterparts. Everything else I agree with. They are a pretty serious predator. However, a non-threat to humans... but there's always one lol! They like their solitude and will avoid humans.

http://www.defenders.org/fisher/basi...-about-fishers

http://www.nationaltrappers.com/fisher.html

[BirdBrain]

I stand corrected. All I know is the females I caught were larger than the males. I got $180 on average for the females and $150 for the males on average. I was told the females were preferred. I put one and one together and got three. Never read anything on them. What I knew was from trapping them. I did not know it was the hair that made the price difference. Learn something old every day.

[rickb]

Here's what I've seen and thought were fisher cats. Am I wrong?

Beautiful shot.

I think that is a Weasel -- probably a long-tail weasel if that is black at the tip of his tail. I wouldn't be t my house on that, however.

The most fun weasel experience we had was one that was tame as city park chipmunk which was hanging around well-traveled path around a small lake in RMNP that every tourist visits.

He was cool, but what made it magical was that my wife and I had spent a few nights prior torturing each other with plastic recorders-- and Pop Goes the Weasel was my weapon of choice. Naturally I read more into his appearance than a rational man should.

[Deer Hunter]

Beautiful shot.

I think that is a Weasel -- probably a long-tail weasel if that is black at the tip of his tail. I wouldn't be t my house on that, however.

The most fun weasel experience we had was one that was tame as city park chipmunk which was hanging around well-traveled path around a small lake in RMNP that every tourist visits.

He was cool, but what made it magical was that my wife and I had spent a few nights prior torturing each other with plastic recorders-- and Pop Goes the Weasel was my weapon of choice. Naturally I read more into his appearance than a rational man should.

I agree. That's a weasel.

[Jake2c]

Nothing really interesting but once I was bedded down and someone else was bedded down about 50 yards away. He and his buddy had been drinking so when he got up to pee, he tripped over his cooking gear making a ton of noise. Scared the hell out of something big that ran past my site, within a few feet of me. Not sure what it was but I was awake for about an hour.

[Woodturner]

Here's what I've seen and thought were fisher cats. Am I wrong?

Looks like a regular weasel to me

[Sarcasm the elf]

Looks like a regular weasel to me

How can you tell that it's not constipated?

[BirdBrain]

How can you tell that it's not constipated?

Close examination.

[Capt Nat]

I truly believe this, If you feel like you are being watched, you are...

[Woodturner]

How can you tell that it's not constipated?

The eyes are clear and he isn't squinting.