Uninvited Guests in Camp......

[WapitiTalk1]

Chipmunks, camp robbers (grey jays), mule deer are the most common for me. The chipmunks really get bold especially if you've fed them a handful of crumbs and the camp robbers can be brutal (landing on your head begging for snacks, and on occasion, they can get into tents and crap all over everything trying to fly out). The mule deer like to come around camp after dark and ruin my beauty rest and I've even had a couple of cow elk swing in to sniff and rustle around a tarp covered quad trailer (thought we had a bear in camp that night). I haven't really had any issues (knock on wood) with bears in camp for some reason.

What kind of uninvited forest guests have you had at your camps?

[jrebel]

One of my favorite pics....grey jay / camp robber visitor. 

[WapitiTalk1]

WHOA, that bird is "SERIOUS" about getting a snack 

[kentrek]

Let's see....

Elk
Deer
Bear
Coyotes
Wolves, very cool experience...
Cougar, the worst thing you can ever hear while spiked out
Mice, the wildernesses live soup opera
Frogs,the funniest intruder
Ants.....always a losing battle....just gotta get used to them

[Curly]

The 2-legged variety that decided they wanted our ice chest and all of its contents more than we did. 

[Mfowl]

I'll take the fury ones over the 8 legged variety. Once in elk camp we realized that the ground was crawling with Daddy Longlegs all around our campfire. I don't know if it was the heat or light but they were converging on the fire pit. It was unsettling.

[denali]

wallowa Lake,  Daughters stern mommy voice was little help

[Timberstalker]

That's a great picture Denali.

[WapitiTalk1]

Once in elk camp we realized that the ground was crawling with Daddy Longlegs all around our campfire. I don't know if it was the heat or light but they were converging on the fire pit. It was unsettling.

No kidding!  I think that it's year dependent.  I remember one year on a WA hunt (using a wall tent with a wood stove that year) if you got up at night and turned on your headlamp, there was hundred and hundreds of them nasty little creatures crawling everywhere inside the tent!  I guess they're attracted to the warmth?   

[Woodchuck]

We had a bobcat duel outside at the meatpole, about 15ft from the tent. That was, shall we say un nerving.

[kentrek]

Once in elk camp we realized that the ground was crawling with Daddy Longlegs all around our campfire. I don't know if it was the heat or light but they were converging on the fire pit. It was unsettling.

No kidding!  I think that it's year dependent.  I remember one year on a WA hunt (using a wall tent with a wood stove that year) if you got up at night and turned on your headlamp, there was hundred and hundreds of them nasty little creatures crawling everywhere inside the tent!  I guess they're attracted to the warmth?

Seems like all bugs are attracted to the warmth.....crickets are by far worse then daddy long legs !! Nothing like a Symphony inside your tent

[WapitiTalk1]

Let's see....

Elk
Deer
Bear
Coyotes
Wolves, very cool experience...
Cougar, the worst thing you can ever hear while spiked out
Mice, the wildernesses live soup opera
Frogs,the funniest intruder
Ants.....always a losing battle....just gotta get used to them

That's because you spend about half the days out of the year sleeping in the backcountry 

[pianoman9701]

During a solo scouting trip one year, I had a bear hanging around the tent from about 2 AM until I got up. We also had Doe-reen in elk camp a couple years ago. Blacktail doe which came into camp mid-afternoon everyday looking for peanuts and mini cinnamon rolls. Lots of mice, coyotes, camp robbers. Here's a picture of Doe-reen.

[kentrek]

Let's see....

Elk
Deer
Bear
Coyotes
Wolves, very cool experience...
Cougar, the worst thing you can ever hear while spiked out
Mice, the wildernesses live soup opera
Frogs,the funniest intruder
Ants.....always a losing battle....just gotta get used to them

That's because you spend about half the days out of the year sleeping in the backcountry 

"Used" to spend half the year....I'm stuck in town now 

 I had a bob cat one morning come streaking through camp, full throttle in and even more gas on the way out.....figured he lost a bet with his buddies 

[kselkhunter]

Probably a tie for me:

1) Two young forked horn bucks practice fighting in the meadow next to our camp site.  Made their way into our camp while we watched, tripping over tie out cords for the tent almost bringing it down.  The doe's with them just wandered right past.  Happened multiple evenings.  Was amusing, but got annoying by the third night. 

2) Bear decided to sniff my head through the tent wall one night....then walked away, and I hear the tent next to me unzip the zipper and yell to my cousin: "what are you doing, that was a bear?".  His reply: "I know, but I've never seen a bear up close before".  http://hunting-washington.com/smf/Smileys/default/badidea.gif