View Full Version : Hammock hanging - ever had animal approach?
everyman
04-07-2009, 15:03
Have any of you "hammock hangers" ever been inside the hammock and had an animal approach the hammock? Can imagine that would scare the cra* out of you - even if only a whitetail deer...
JaxHiker
04-07-2009, 15:18
Nope
Bootstrap
04-07-2009, 15:18
Have any of you "hammock hangers" ever been inside the hammock and had an animal approach the hammock? Can imagine that would scare the cra* out of you - even if only a whitetail deer...
Yes, but it was a golden retriever / shar pei mix that belongs to me.
In grizzly country, hammocks are often not recommended. Philmont doesn't allow them. White tail deer ... not such a problem.
Jonathan
Valentine
04-07-2009, 15:20
Why are hammocks not recommended in Grizzly country? Just roll right out.
I can see an issue if it is an enclosed hammock however even then how is that different from an enclosed tent?
Cannibal
04-07-2009, 15:32
Lots of little stuff making big noises and a couple of big critters making very little noise. All it takes is a clearing of your throat to sending them scurrying back to the woods.
chiefduffy
04-07-2009, 15:34
I hung my hammock on the slope near Walnut Mtn shelter one night. The next morning the shelter people said they bet I was terrified by the bear crashing around near my hammock all night. I slept right through it - never heard a thing. Saw a big bear not 50 yds down the trail as I hiked out that morning, tho
Bootstrap
04-07-2009, 15:52
Why are hammocks not recommended in Grizzly country? Just roll right out.
I can see an issue if it is an enclosed hammock however even then how is that different from an enclosed tent?
I can't say whether their fear is justified or not, not the expert here. But at Philmont, they say that when you're sleeping in a hammock, you look like a burrito to a grizzly.
Jonathan
Valentine
04-07-2009, 16:03
I can't say whether their fear is justified or not, not the expert here. But at Philmont, they say that when you're sleeping in a hammock, you look like a burrito to a grizzly.
Jonathan
Their just jealous about how comfortable we sleep.
They dont call em Bear Pinatas for nothing. happy hanging
Bootstrap
04-07-2009, 16:15
Their just jealous about how comfortable we sleep.
Why should they be? I've seen a lot of bears sleeping in hammocks lately.
Hmmm, on second thought, I wonder where they are *getting* those hammocks ...
Jonathan
Yep! And it was a bear, a black bear in the adirondacks. I awoke when I felt and heard him sniffing at my shoulder. He left when I mumbled a few expletives. He spent more time sniffing and poking around the tent in the neighboring site than at mine. Hammock vs tent vs bear? A hammock system is a tent that just happens to be suspended a few feet from the ground. If you are scared of animals by being in a hammock, I hate to break it to you, but a tent isn't going to protect you any better.
sylvia_claire
04-07-2009, 16:42
Once I was Hammocking up near Kirkridge in PA during the night became aware of the fact that my neck was awfully warm on one side. It was bugging me that it was close to 30 degrees out and my neck was ridiculously warm, then I noticed that the warmth came and went like something breathing. A bear stood by my hammock for 15 minutes just to look through my mosquito netting before moving on to the center of the camp to move our packs around for a bit (I was out with five friends, they had tents and were a lot nearer to the fire fire ring) he then comes back over to me for another 10 or 15 minutes just to breath on me again before leaving. It was a little scary before I knew what it was, then it was just annoying for a while (I mean how interesting can a human in a hammock be to a black bear) eventually it was pretty nice though as the warmth was really helping with my mood (I did not have an underquilt at this time and was freezing my butt off)
Valentine
04-07-2009, 16:45
Pinantas, burritos, calzones, eggrolls, twinkies......
everyman
04-07-2009, 16:49
That was my point - hammock may be more comfortable for sleeping than shelter but one tradeoff is that you are more exposed to bears, skunks, other critters.
That was my point - hammock may be more comfortable for sleeping than shelter but one tradeoff is that you are more exposed to bears, skunks, other critters.
I disagree as I said in my previous post. Exposure is the same whether one accepts that reality or not. Hammock = suspended tent.
That was my point - hammock may be more comfortable for sleeping than shelter but one tradeoff is that you are more exposed to bears, skunks, other critters.
I really don't see how this is true... how is being 2 feet off the ground any different than being on the ground?
And in terms of exiting a shelter, I can get out of a Hennessey a *lot* faster than I can get out of any of my tents.
Silly unfounded fear, if you ask me.
JTCruiser
04-07-2009, 16:57
That was my point - hammock may be more comfortable for sleeping than shelter but one tradeoff is that you are more exposed to bears, skunks, other critters.
I am perhaps missing the point, but any critter from mouse-size up that wants to bother you in a tent, hammock, or shelter will have an easy time of it. I say hang your food bag, sleep comfortably and stop worrying about the wildlife.
i've had "something" bump me from the bottom... i still don't know what it was. hit me right in the middle of the back, not hard, but enough to move me and the hammock. the footsteps sounded like a dog does when it trots along... i'm guessing it was probably a fox, maybe a stray dog or a coyote... either way, i went back to sleep. no biggie.
i've had lots of things come up, stop and sniff my hiking staff and whatever else was on the ground next to me (not much) and just amble on... skunks, racccons, armadillos... deer generally freak out when they smell you, and go around. the only things that i have any real fear of (respect, not phobia) are boars. black bears generally don't like people. boars, on the other hand, are just plain mean. and other critters like mice, spiders and snakes generally don't bother trying to get into something hanging 2' off the ground.
i agree with russb... a hammock is nothing but a suspended tent. if anything, i feel i'm better protected... i'm just a step away from being on my feet with my hiking staff in my hands... were i in a tent, i'd have to sit up, unzip, get up, and then i'd be 'ready'. in my hammock, i need only stick my feet out through the slit and i'm ready... i don't know, maybe it just seems easier because i'm creaky...
never had a problem while in my hammock, but have had a mouse pester me while in a tent once
sasquatch2014
04-07-2009, 22:33
I had what I expect was a black bear nudge me this past fall in SNP. One I made a bit of noise it ran off. I have never had any issues if I have the rain fly pitched. I guess it looks more like a tent?
4eyedbuzzard
04-07-2009, 23:00
As long as you don't mind sharing the hammock... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB-vQivWd-c&NR=1
JaxHiker
04-07-2009, 23:09
I find that if you put food near your buddy's tent the critters are less likely to bother you in your hammock. :D
chiefduffy
04-18-2009, 06:14
I told my partner for our May section that I was going to trip him if a bear started chasing us - he told me he was packing bacon to hang on my hammock....:eek:
The next morning the shelter people said they bet I was terrified by the bear crashing around near my hammock all night
Shelter people! hahaha