Night sounds

[AaronAlso]

Once on a solo weekend at a privately owned wild life presserve (Homewoods, Bloomington, IN) I awoken in the middle of the night to some loud growling almost cat like and weird screeching sounds. It was somewhat concerning as it sounded close; maybe 100'. Quickly the sounds stopped and I heard quite a bit of rustling in the under brush for the next few minutes. I went back to sleep thinking I check it out in the morning.

I suspected it was a bird becoming prey to someother animal, but bobcat are not common in the area and have never been reported to my knowledge. The next morning I scouted all around the campsite and couldn't find any sign of the disturbance. I know I wasn't dreaming, it must have been farther away than I thought. It was probably the wierdest sounds I've heard.

[SilvrSurfr]

Scout camping in the deep woods of Alabama as a 12-year-old, we heard a bobcat scream. It was so loud and blood-curdling it sounded like it was in my tent with me. Nobody slept much that night.

I already knew what a bobcat sounded like because one of my cousins caught a bobcat cub and tried to raise it as a pet (bright idea). If you even came near his cage he would make some pretty scary noises and teeth-baring. Eventually, my cousin just let him go since he wasn't too keen on being domesticated.

The Scout leader tried to convince us it was a cougar or a Florida panther, but he was just trying to scare us. Florida panthers or cougars were last seen in Alabama in the 1940s.

[easyriver]

a second one which makes it sound like you're being bracketed.

No doubt if you could hear the other one you would find you had been
"bracketed' many times. Its not unusual to be in the "middle" of a crow, owl or loon "conversation", likely others as well. Just because you can't hear the other's response, doesn't mean they can't.

[AKA Pete]

I like to get out in the Uwharrie Forest to unwind every now and again.

Lots of dead fall around on the ground - and lots of it still standing.

On almost any given night out there something is going to fall. Depending on how close and how big it is says how much you'll jump when it hits.

No big deal - you know what it is - but it's kinda' like somebody sneaking up behind you and clapping their hands real loud.

The big Acorns were dropping a couple of weeks ago. Little breeze and a number of pat pat pats. All through the night they were dropping.

[onepaddlejunkie]

Foxes barking and calling. By a long shot. If you don't know what it is, it'll make you hurt yourself.

[Old River Rat]

At our fall hang a buck came in close and snorted at us. I had no idea what it was until I was told. I have very little deer experience. I also can say that one armadillo can seem like an army marching up to your campsite.

[easyriver]

At our fall hang a buck came in close and snorted at us. I had no idea what it was until I was told.

Does will do that as well.

I personally believe that the older bucks tend not to do that. They are more apt to just sneek away.

[Greg Dunlap]

Camping with the boy scouts before hammocks, although one of the scoutmasters slept in one, we were in the Philippines. Dad was in the Air Force and we went where he got stationed to. This time it was Clark AFB and I was in the Scouts. We did a two week camping trip to Subic Bay where we were in the jungle on the outskirts of the base. We'd wake up in the morning and most of us would have monkey prints across our sleeping bags.

[easyriver]

monkey prints

Now there is a term you don't hear every day!

Good thing monkeys are vegetarians!!!

[Doctari]

Day 5 of my first section hike on the AT, a widow maker landed about 5' from the tent I was in. Oh Yea, it woke me up, took about 5 seconds to realize I wasn't dead.

Incident #2: a few years later, a days hike from the NOC, a barred owl SCREECHED in my ear from 2' away. He was actually about 15' above in a tree about 12' away, but I sat straight up, no transition, I went from laying down to sitting up. Again, it took about 5 seconds to realize I wasn't being eaten by something big & fierce.

#3: In my back yard, Possums mating. OK, that noise is as pleasant to hear as a possum is to look at. And they had at it for HOURS! About 10' from my hammock.