Wildlife while hammocking

**HamMike** · 01-04-2010, 01:02

So I was sitting here reminiscing about my last overnighter and wondered what others have experianced. On the morning after our first night out my cousin said he saw a small animal tooling around near the other guy sleeping on the ground. He is a Bear Gryls fan and really wanted to rough it.As it turned out it rained all night and his leanto wasn't very water resistant and he ended up under my tarp. Anyways, have any of you guys ever had any wildlife snoop around your rig, maybe bump into your hammock? Lets get a thread goin an enjoy all the tales.

**vitamaltz** · 01-04-2010, 06:48

I had an opossum walk right under my Hennessy years ago. That really made me smile. Not the sort of thing that can happen to a tenter.

**MacEntyre** · 01-04-2010, 07:39

Folks that report critters in camp are usually in an established camp site.

**millarky** · 01-04-2010, 07:54

There was a similar thread here http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...light=wildlife

**iggy** · 01-04-2010, 08:58

No wildlife encounters while in my hammock. A few when I was in a tent, but that's another life. I have noticed MORE wild life now that I'm hanging because of the better views. Definitely more birds......and clouds shaped like birds.

**vitamaltz** · 01-04-2010, 09:05

Originally Posted by MacEntyre

Folks that report critters in camp are usually in an established camp site.

Actually, all of my critter encounters in camp (the opossum, a bobcat, two bears, and a million deer and chipmunks) have been in the backcountry, and often not even near a trail. Only the bears were interested in my food, and that's why the food is now hung out of earshot. I agree that you're likely to see obnoxious wildlife in established sites, but I also think that if you pick a spot in the trackless woods you're more likely to plop yourself into the middle of the routines of other wildlife. The bobcat acted like she had a den very near my hammock. I was in her territory, but not aware of her territorial markers.

**rigidpsycho** · 01-04-2010, 09:25

I had something come by my camp back in August on my first solo trip. I still don't know what it was, but it was snorting, grunting and sneezing by my hammock at 3 in the morning.

**Bearpaw** · 01-04-2010, 09:33

On the ground, my wife has had skunks wander up to her under a tarp or in a tent on at least 4 occasions, hence her trail name, Sleeps With Skunks.

I've had a possum curl up at my feet under an overhang at Mammoth Cave NP.

I've known deer to wonder around camp frequently at night. Last month on the Pinhoti Trail, a coyote came sniffing around my camp kitchen as well.

**Cannibal** · 01-04-2010, 09:46

Here's my favorite story:

Originally Posted by Cannibal

Wasn't the wilderness and it wasn't very scary, but it certainly fits the "What was that?!" portion:

Sleeping outside my house in Florida one night I had my Hennessy hanging under my SG 9x9 (neo tarp) when I awake to an odd sound. Can't really type the sound, but similar to a rustling. It was quite rhythmic and made me wonder what it was. I opened my eyes (because that somehow will help me hear better

) and my tarp is 'breathing'. It is going up and down in rhythm to the sound I hear. Being a little more awake, I can tell it's coming from the left side of my hammock. I raise my head to look over and what do I see? There is a rather large raccoon hanging from the ground connection point of my tarp. My tarp is being molested! He was making rather rude motions against the tarp and causing it to 'bounce'. I yelled at him, but he had no time to be bothered with the likes of me. I finally put me feet through the entry slit and when that very non-stealth sound of velcro was made, he dropped and ran.

The varmint was having the time of his life at the expense of my tarp's dignity. Once I inspected the tarp for damage or bodily fluids and had assured myself that neither were present, I did allow myself a little chuckle. Slept the rest of the night with one eye open.

**Hawk-eye** · 01-04-2010, 09:52

This past summer I went on a trail work/overnighter with Ken and Jim in Linville Gorge.

Hung my ENO from a set of Slapstraps I was stupid enough to buy off the guy I bought the hammock from. All was well and I enjoyed the evening's sounds and the roar of the river ... till around 1 or 2 am ... when I felt something gently scratching at the bottom of my hammock right dead center of my hinny and I don't mean my heiny pot! Well that got my attention and rolling over the edge with my flash light ... there .... right against my butt was the largest .... ok ... not so large twig from a laural bush.

Critter mystery solved!

Yeah another case of Slapstrap sag! Right down to where I made contact.

Did I mention I hate Slapstraps?