Post by: Pacific Ghost on September 26, 2019, 01:15:23 PM
We were just winding down for the evening on Saturday, sitting and talking by the fire, when a single rifle shot rang out around dusk. 5 to 10 minutes went by, then another shot, some more time and then another. By now we thought we had started hearing a voice in the distance as well. :oWe came to the conclusion someone was either hurt, lost or both, and desperately in need of help. From what we knew of camp and trail locations in the vicinity, we assumed other people around the area would have heard the shooting, but most likely not the cries for help. It is dark by now, and there have been 5 periodic shots. We spent a little time trying to pinpoint the direction of the commotion which seemed to be coming from somewhere between 1/3 to 1/2 mile northwest and above us on the mountainside. We activated SOS on one of the two Garmin InReach satellite communication devices we had in our possession, and started preparing everything we needed (first aid, water, space blanket etc) to start hiking in the direction of this person. I reminded my buddies to hope for the best, but plan for the worst, because you never know for sure what you might be getting yourself into. One of the others stayed below with one of the radios, while I and the other set out. This guy was screaming, pleading and begging for his life and any help he could get. On and on it went. Halfway up the steep and heavily treed and brushy rock-strewn terrain, we are finally able to somewhat more clearly communicate with this person, and things begin to take a turn. We are able to hear him say that what’s happening is a bear attack/standoff, that there are 5 bears and that he has already shot several, and also that he was running out of headlamp light and ammunition(we've heard an additional shot or two since we’ve been in the woods). :yike: At this point, we hit the brakes because we are not adequately prepared to deal with the situation. So, I stayed where we were and sent my buddy back down the hill. During this time, the person was imploring me to help, as we would want the same if we were in his situation, he mentioned his family and repeated numerous times that he was going to die. After some time, both friends were back with me now, and I’ll just say that we are now much more heavily prepared. We began to slowly (and super intensely)close in on this guy, and we are in self-defense mode from him now as much as anything, as by this time we begin to question the validity of his claims. While we are still discussing the final approach, we huddle behind some available cover and switch off our own headlamps so as to be unidentifiable to him. One of us decides to cut the final distance, requesting that he shoulder his weapon, in which he does comply. He is standing/balancing about 4 or 5 feet off the ground on a fallen snag that is diagonally protruding over the top of a knoll. We were all then able to move in and attain his weapon and ultimately defuse the situation. We did not ever hear any noises from any animals or anything moving through the brush. :dunno: He mentioned the bears tearing through his pack, and kept directing us to look in and around a bush that was about 10 feet away. We poked around quite a bit and didn’t find any dead bears, tracks, blood or any sign of anything at all accept him and his stuff, etc. There was some untouched food in a ziploc bag that was on the ground outside his pack, and there was not a mark on the bag. He made sure to tell us a few times that a very similar thing in this same location had happened to him several years back. We slowly escorted him down to the valley below to a waiting sheriff, who called off the medics at that point. He also told the sheriff that we had looked at the bear when we were up there.
As if there isn’t already enough things to focus on while out in the field, this was very sad and disturbing, and really put a damper on things. I'm really glad none of my family was with me on this trip, and I wish I could say this event wasn’t true. Hopefully though, something in here will be useful for someone on this site someday.
Post by: hunterednate on September 26, 2019, 01:23:36 PM
Post by: bulldogs40 on September 26, 2019, 01:26:15 PM
Post by: Pacific Ghost on September 26, 2019, 01:28:39 PM
Post by: jackelope on September 26, 2019, 01:35:05 PM
Post by: Platensek-po on September 26, 2019, 01:37:12 PM
Post by: JimmyHoffa on September 26, 2019, 01:38:19 PM
Post by: Platensek-po on September 26, 2019, 01:42:35 PM
Hypothermia? Dehydration?
Ate the wrong shrooms?
Post by: ffbowhunter on September 26, 2019, 01:43:21 PM
Post by: ganghis on September 26, 2019, 01:44:29 PM
Post by: pianoman9701 on September 26, 2019, 01:58:04 PM
Post by: Pacific Ghost on September 26, 2019, 01:59:23 PM
Post by: bigdub257 on September 26, 2019, 02:03:45 PM
Post by: ctwiggs1 on September 26, 2019, 02:21:28 PM
Glad you guys are all ok... Hope he gets the help that he needs. I really do.
Post by: Bushcraft on September 26, 2019, 02:28:18 PM
I know a lot of interesting things happen during the general rifle season, or any season for that matter, but the early High Buck? A lot of time, money and energy is invested preparing for these adventures. Was really starting to become quite familiar with a significant amount of a particular area that I had been learning over the last 5 years. Had already logged 7 days and 38 miles this season. This person was on a day hunt in a lower portion, and will probably be back in the area again when things quiet down. I don't really care to ever see them again.
You would be surprised at how many people - who have absolutely no business doing so, take a flier and try High Buck unprepared. Quite frankly, I'm surprised more people don't die every year from exposure, fall off cliffs, or whatever.
Good on you and your friends for helping out this person who had apparently become emotionally/mentally hijacked.
Post by: jackelope on September 26, 2019, 02:41:01 PM
Post by: Watimberghost on September 26, 2019, 02:43:50 PM
Post by: Pacific Ghost on September 26, 2019, 03:19:07 PM
Man, you have had some crappy luck lately. That sounds really scary - but sounds like you guys did the best you could given the situation. Hope the guy is okay and the rest of your hunting season goes smoother.It has to get better from here, right?
Post by: h20hunter on September 26, 2019, 03:21:01 PM
Post by: Bango skank on September 26, 2019, 03:25:07 PM
Hypothermia? Dehydration?
Ate the wrong shrooms?
Or the right ones. Its a matter of perspective i guess. :chuckle:
Post by: Platensek-po on September 26, 2019, 03:28:54 PM
Hypothermia? Dehydration?
Ate the wrong shrooms?
Or the right ones. Its a matter of perspective i guess. :chuckle:
Lol. I mean any shrooms that make you believe you are being attacked by 5 bears have to be the wrong ones. Add firearms to the mix and that gets downright scary. Good job OP on doing the right thing and hope the hunting gods reward your good deed.
Post by: pianoman9701 on September 26, 2019, 03:41:52 PM
Hypothermia? Dehydration?
Ate the wrong shrooms?
Or the right ones. Its a matter of perspective i guess. :chuckle:
:chuckle:
Post by: fishngamereaper on September 26, 2019, 04:01:46 PM
This type of behavior is all to common these days..I mean like all the time.. multiple times a day. Just not in the high mountain setting. Good job to you and your buddies handling it well.
Post by: HikerHunter on September 26, 2019, 05:01:53 PM
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on September 26, 2019, 05:07:10 PM
Post by: MADMAX on September 26, 2019, 05:09:04 PM
Freakin crazies
Post by: ian_padron on September 26, 2019, 05:10:21 PM
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Post by: OutHouse on September 26, 2019, 05:24:04 PM
Post by: fishngamereaper on September 26, 2019, 05:54:59 PM
I stumble across something last weekend in elk country I wouldn't wish on anyone..glad I found it solo and not with kid in tow...not really happy I found it but also kind of glad I did since it's not something new to me.. Not going to discuss the details, this isn't the place. But in 30 plus years of hunting I never expected it..but with my luck I'm not surprised I found it.
Always be prepared, expect the unexpected.
Post by: HillHound on September 26, 2019, 06:39:58 PM
Post by: JimmyHoffa on September 26, 2019, 06:48:27 PM
Man you can’t leave us hanging now. Sounds like you found a dead body or something .The movie Deliverance comes to mind
Post by: archerykraze on September 26, 2019, 07:04:07 PM
Post by: fishngamereaper on September 26, 2019, 07:10:29 PM
Man you can’t leave us hanging now. Sounds like you found a dead body or something .
Yes and I'll leave it at that.
Post by: KFhunter on September 26, 2019, 07:13:06 PM
I wonder if he was suffering from hypoximia, low oxygen can make some intense delusions!
Post by: HillHound on September 26, 2019, 07:16:37 PM
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on September 26, 2019, 07:46:12 PM
That right there is the weirdest Backcountry story I've ever heard!
Sent from my LG-H872 using Tapatalk
:yeah:
Post by: jackelope on September 26, 2019, 08:15:55 PM
What was your elevation? How was his physical conditioning? Short of breath?
I wonder if he was suffering from hypoximia, low oxygen can make some intense delusions!
Not too many places in WA that will cause that.
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on September 26, 2019, 08:37:48 PM
What was your elevation? How was his physical conditioning? Short of breath?
I wonder if he was suffering from hypoximia, low oxygen can make some intense delusions!
Not too many places in WA that will cause that.
That really depends on the person in the shape they’re in( and I was in good shape). I experienced in my early 30s is not a very high elevation because I went from zero elevation to eight thousand feet plus in less than four hours.😉
Post by: KFhunter on September 26, 2019, 08:37:50 PM
but I can see how atomized oil would accumulate in the lungs, I mean you cook bacon and the grease gets up in your stove exhaust vents
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on September 26, 2019, 08:40:05 PM
Ya, was just thinking about his physios and wondering what could cause it at a moderate elevation, maybe some other contributing factor like vape oil in the lungs, hypoxia and eventually physios. I'm not a doc, obviously :chuckle:
but I can see how atomized oil would accumulate in the lungs, I mean you cook bacon and the grease gets up in your stove exhaust vents
🤣
Post by: KFhunter on September 26, 2019, 08:44:23 PM
do some vaping and hit the mountains out of shape, lungs full of vape juice oil and perhaps...if the conditions were just right, you could get hypoxia and see bears everywhere!
Post by: RB on September 26, 2019, 08:57:17 PM
What was your elevation? How was his physical conditioning? Short of breath?
I wonder if he was suffering from hypoximia, low oxygen can make some intense delusions!
Yes hypoxemia can cause delusions, but this sounds more like either a mental breakdown, possibly a condition he already had and his medication was off; if that was the case he should not have had a firearm, nor been that far from civilization. It does really sound like he had ingested some hallucinogen and was off his rocker from that. Like State farm I have seen a thing or two with people like this. Glad it worked out ok. To the original person that posted this, if you want to talk more about it privately PM me I will listen, it is very traumatic if you have not dealt with this before.
Post by: Bigshooter on September 26, 2019, 11:40:28 PM
Post by: Skyvalhunter on September 27, 2019, 05:44:11 AM
Post by: OltHunter on September 27, 2019, 07:16:29 AM
This sounds similar when a meth head wandering onto our property yelling and screaming at 4am that they were coming to get her and kept yelling for help and to help her. It's quite creepy and unnerving.
Post by: Rob on September 27, 2019, 07:37:18 AM
Very possible he did have a scary bear encounter and then hit the panic button
Post by: Pacific Ghost on September 27, 2019, 07:52:40 AM
This is just crazy, not something I'd expect on the high hunt. Did the Sheriff show up from the SOS button of the Garmin? I've had an inreach for a few years now and kind of curious of the response you would get using that feature. Good Job handling this situation.When the SOS feature is activated, the GEOS 24/7 emergency response team receives the message. You have the ability to communicate information(and updates) to them, not just a distress signal. They usually get the message pretty fast, and take whatever info is shared along with the location, and decide the appropriate responders to notify. It is good to give as much info as you can if possible, because they will most likely notify your emergency contacts about what is going on, and you don't want to give your own loved ones unnecessary anxiety. I'm not sure how fast the sheriff got there, but just the fact that he did at all, since we learned that he came from the opposite extreme far end of the county.
Post by: ctwiggs1 on September 27, 2019, 08:52:35 AM
No trail cam pics dragging a chain around naked I hope ?
Freakin crazies
Thanks, I had forgotten about that pic. And now it's back :bash: :chuckle:
Post by: HikerHunter on September 27, 2019, 09:13:08 AM
You know what it was? It was that damn sasquatch.
Yes! Actually sounds like it was 5 of them! Must have been a family reunion or something...
Post by: TriggerMike on September 27, 2019, 10:15:11 AM
Post by: CaNINE on September 27, 2019, 10:50:04 AM
In all serious though...glad it worked out and no gun play was required.
Post by: Jpmiller on September 27, 2019, 11:12:41 AM
Sounds like a panic attack. When you haven't spent much time alone in the woods and the sun starts going down, and you hear a branch snap, a guy could lose it like this and when the panic takes hold you can really snowball if you don't know how to clear your head and calm yourself. He's probably a city guy with little to no mountain experience if I had to guess :dunno:
I've known some folks who can barely walk down a gravel driveway for fear of bears and cougars. Had a family member who wouldn't buy a house in enumclaw because they were worried about bears (although who could blame not wanting to live in enumclaw). I wouldn't be surprised to find out he was someone either not used to the Backcountry or not used to being alone and nerves just got the best of him and he freaked. Bummer no matter what the reason though, thanks for helping the guy out.
Post by: Pacific Ghost on September 27, 2019, 11:39:26 AM
What was your elevation? How was his physical conditioning? Short of breath?
I wonder if he was suffering from hypoximia, low oxygen can make some intense delusions!
Yes hypoxemia can cause delusions, but this sounds more like either a mental breakdown, possibly a condition he already had and his medication was off; if that was the case he should not have had a firearm, nor been that far from civilization. It does really sound like he had ingested some hallucinogen and was off his rocker from that. Like State farm I have seen a thing or two with people like this. Glad it worked out ok. To the original person that posted this, if you want to talk more about it privately PM me I will listen, it is very traumatic if you have not dealt with this before.
Thanks RB. I am good, but do understand what you are saying. I've been through some tense ordeals before, and for whatever reason, I am usually calm and clear thinking throughout. It is later on in the hours and days to follow, as the events get re-lived and worked through, that I have to take a little extra care in making sure I've addressed any impact the situation might have had on me.
Post by: bigmacc on September 27, 2019, 11:58:08 AM
I told the story in detail on here in another thread, the talk of panic, darkness and possibly "meds"(prescription or otherwise) can wreak havoc when one is alone in the wilderness. Had a new uncle(he had just married my moms sister) back in the 60,s that got lost way back into some dark corner of the Methow, long story short, single digit temps, hypothermia, frostbite and prescription diet pills led to about a 36 hour ordeal that ended up with him being found walking down a logging road with nothing but his long johns on with frostbite and telling stories of him fighting off aliens from outer space, my dad and a couple others found his rifle a few days later, busted into pieces from hitting a big boulder that was..........yep, the spaceship the aliens were pouring out of, not a shot was fired, he used his rifle like a club.
Post by: ctwiggs1 on September 27, 2019, 12:01:47 PM
Sounds like a panic attack. When you haven't spent much time alone in the woods and the sun starts going down, and you hear a branch snap, a guy could lose it like this and when the panic takes hold you can really snowball if you don't know how to clear your head and calm yourself. He's probably a city guy with little to no mountain experience if I had to guess :dunno:
I've known some folks who can barely walk down a gravel driveway for fear of bears and cougars. Had a family member who wouldn't buy a house in enumclaw because they were worried about bears (although who could blame not wanting to live in enumclaw). I wouldn't be surprised to find out he was someone either not used to the Backcountry or not used to being alone and nerves just got the best of him and he freaked. Bummer no matter what the reason though, thanks for helping the guy out.
How is it that of all the posts on this site, this is the one that actually catches my eye?
I don't know how you do it... but nicely done @jpmiller
:chuckle:
Post by: Rob on September 27, 2019, 01:09:15 PM
Having a guy screaming that he was under attack by a bear and shooing would have me by instinct trying to get to him as soon as possible. I admire the calm and cautious approach used when coming up on a panicked, armed person. Very wise call...
Post by: WSU on September 27, 2019, 01:14:17 PM
No trail cam pics dragging a chain around naked I hope ?
Freakin crazies
Thanks, I had forgotten about that pic. And now it's back :bash: :chuckle:
Sound like I missed something interesting?
Post by: h20hunter on September 27, 2019, 01:15:22 PM
Post by: elkrack on September 27, 2019, 01:26:29 PM
Oh that...meh...not really....just pm me and I'll text it to yah. Easy peasy.
I wouldn’t take h2o up on that offer :chuckle: I didn’t see the pick but about lost it when “dude with a chain” was posted😂
Post by: Bango skank on September 27, 2019, 01:33:07 PM
So my biggest takeaway from this was the extreme caution that was used to approach the victim.
Having a guy screaming that he was under attack by a bear and shooing would have me by instinct trying to get to him as soon as possible. I admire the calm and cautious approach used when coming up on a panicked, armed person. Very wise call...
Not under attack by a bear, under attack by 5 bears, in a long lasting standoff. Obviously something screwy there. That would tell me right away something is off. Absolutely not a realistic scenario. There are crazies out there, one more good arguement for a sidearm over bear spray. Crazies carrying guns.
Post by: ctwiggs1 on September 27, 2019, 01:41:48 PM
Oh that...meh...not really....just pm me and I'll text it to yah. Easy peasy.
:yike: You saved that?!
Post by: jackelope on September 27, 2019, 01:47:42 PM
Oh that...meh...not really....just pm me and I'll text it to yah. Easy peasy.
:yike: You saved that?!
He's got a special file for those.
Post by: MADMAX on September 27, 2019, 01:56:37 PM
I’m sorry to have brought it up
Something you can’t unsee
Never know what you see in the sticks
People are strange
Post by: kselkhunter on September 27, 2019, 02:01:24 PM
I've witnessed some scary panic attacks in people where reality is chucked out the window by otherwise normal people with no past history. I've also witnessed some guys out in the woods realize they're lost, from my distant vantage point, and start to panic it was interesting to watch the initial reaction (of course we went and helped them get out of the area). Have a guy I know get lost in a thick area 200 yards from a road (granted it was so thick no GPS was working in there), and fire off 3 shots and we went in and got him....he'll never live that day down. But we also had to pack into the wilderness in steep country in the dark before to go find that same guy that missed his cut off to check in (found him hours later walking down a logging road on the other side of the area). Stuff happens in the brain when one is lost, disoriented, scared, etc. If there is an underlying mental health issue that is either known or unkown, it can be triggered with disastrous results during such stresses.
To the Op, I admire how you handled it. Great story.
Post by: Jpmiller on September 27, 2019, 02:20:12 PM
Sounds like a panic attack. When you haven't spent much time alone in the woods and the sun starts going down, and you hear a branch snap, a guy could lose it like this and when the panic takes hold you can really snowball if you don't know how to clear your head and calm yourself. He's probably a city guy with little to no mountain experience if I had to guess :dunno:
I've known some folks who can barely walk down a gravel driveway for fear of bears and cougars. Had a family member who wouldn't buy a house in enumclaw because they were worried about bears (although who could blame not wanting to live in enumclaw). I wouldn't be surprised to find out he was someone either not used to the Backcountry or not used to being alone and nerves just got the best of him and he freaked. Bummer no matter what the reason though, thanks for helping the guy out.
How is it that of all the posts on this site, this is the one that actually catches my eye?
I don't know how you do it... but nicely done @jpmiller
:chuckle:
:chuckle:
Post by: savagehunter on September 28, 2019, 11:50:00 AM
Post by: millerwheeler on September 28, 2019, 08:26:45 PM
I was attacked by six beers once
I'm under attack by number 7 now :IBCOOL:
Post by: Smokepole on September 28, 2019, 09:39:13 PM
Btw... you're narrative made me feel like I was on the scene. Gave me goose bumps! :tup:
Post by: GHETTO GUIDE on September 28, 2019, 10:56:29 PM
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