My dog Roscoe sleeps under me so any other critter that visits doesn't stay long
My dog Roscoe sleeps under me so any other critter that visits doesn't stay long
I was hanging without a tarp in the mountains in California, early morning, woke up to a curious hummingbird buzzing my head from below. It took a few seconds to figure out what it was, then I just laid back and enjoyed it. They have a habit of just flying right up in your face to check you out, then zipping away. I'm hoping it's because their curiosity is satisfied, and not because I'm ugh-ly.
... or have morning breath.Originally Posted by gospidey
I'm hoping it's because their curiosity is satisfied, and not because I'm ugh-ly.
Like BigSig, my dog always sleeps under my hammock so I've never had another critter join me. There have been a few times when deer and racoons have come up on my camp but the dog always alerts me well before they get close to the hammock. Some of these stories make me glad I bring the dog.
Here Ya go, post #9:
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...ighlight=skunk
Hit the hammock about 9PM. I woke up about two hours later needing a drink of water. I had left a water bottle on the ground next to me. So I just reached down to grab it. To my surprise, I ended up grabbing alot more than I wanted!
One word....SKUNK!
I reached down and grabbed a handful of that critters rear end. It scared me, I scared it, but he won. I got a hand full of spray. It went everywhere. Got it on the hammock, underquilt, topquilt, shirts, tarp, shoes. Everything!
Last edited by BillyBob58; 03-24-2015 at 13:41.
I'm new to Hammocking, but this actually brings up a point.... I actually have a puppy (less then 3mo)....
Normally, in a tent, I would bring the dog into the tent with me....what do others do with hammocks?....jamaulwall and Bigsig say they have dogs sleep under the hammock...anyone have the dog in the hammock?
Anyone take dogs hammock camping in colder weather?
I'm worried with the puppy that she might not do well sleeping on the ground below
Thanks!
Quantumcomo
I don't have a dog at present (hopefully soon) but I've seen some great threads on here of what folks have done with their dogs. Depending on the size/smelliness of the dog, people have them sleep in the hammock with them, or others have ground tarps with a blanket from home (so the dog feels comfy with something from home to sleep on). There's even a trip video on here somewhere of a couple who's dog has it's own hammock that hangs beneath their owners hammock. That was really cool.
I haven't got any animal stories but my first night hammocking last summer I had a wasp buzz around for what seemed like forever. The sun comes up pretty early in Sweden during the summer, this was around 4 am and bright as midday. I really didn't want to get up at that point.
Anyways as I was lying there awaiting the impending death by wasp, I had neglected to use the bug net since there were no mosquitoes around, I heard the buzz change to a much lower pitch. I realised that the wasp had flown into an empty bottle of beer and most likely would never be interested in leaving his new found Valhalla. I could finally doze off and get at least two more hours of sleep.
This topic reminds me a Dave Hadfield (brother of famed Canadian Astronaut Chris) song called Bushwhacker. A story of young boy who hears a big monster outside his tent, trying to get in and it turns out it is just a mouse. Tried to find it on youtube but no luck, if you like nature and folky songs about nature I suggest looking for one of his albums. Very Canadian, sorry.
As far as my experiences go, I've yet to sleep in a hammock but imagine it to be like a Bear Piñata lol. One time back in 2006 I was canoeing through Temagami a few days after ice out, I am sure I was the only one in the park. Weather was fantastic up until day five then the winds picked up. I took the portage out of Diamond int Sharp Rock Inlet and for the life of me could not make any headway out of that bay. Get a few hundred meters and the wind would blow me around and I was back where I started. So I gave up an headed to shore to wait it out. And I waited, and waited, and napped, and ate, and napped again and still the wind did not abate. So off to bed I went but it was a terribly light sleep considering all the napping I did. Well about 2 in the morning the tent above my head pushed inwards with something the size of about my fist until it touched my head then receded just a slowly and deliberately as it pushed in. Instant alert mode. Think I may have yelled (or screamed but I was alone so there is nobody to dispute the manliness of my yelling), grabbed my knife and listened intently, and I mean super intently. I heard no footsteps, no rustling leaves, no twigs snapping, nothing. I waited and listened for about 15 minutes, then went back to sleep. I don't know if it was a bear or a moose or a wolf but I know it wasn't a squirrel. When I woke in the morning i checked for fallen branches and for foot prints but did not see either so I just packed up and moved the heck out of there.
Bears don't bother me, wolves scare the crapola out of me. They are silent, sneaky and always have a friend nearby. The Grey Wolves of the north are huge as well, some call them Timber Wolves but that is just a nick name and not a particular breed.
About 2 years ago I was in Sweden with 3 friends. We got at a spot where they could setup there tents and I was able to hang my brand new Dreamhammock roaming gnome right at the waterfront 250ft away from the tents with an amazing view. That night I get under my quilt and I was nearly asleep when 2 ducks decided to have an argument 10ft from the waterfront. That woke me up instantly with my adrenaline up. I tried to get back to sleep when I hear something walking on the tarp. It walked from the head end to the feet end, and when it walked down the tree I see a little mouse walk away. No worries there, just a mouse. But this is still within a one hour timeframe, and I'm starting to feel exposed in my hammock so by now getting back to sleep again is bit of a challenge. I think I slept for 2 hours when a sound wakes me up. I hear heavy steps en breathing and a moose stops for a minute and then walks on. I didn't sleep anymore that night, and the next morning I hear the moose woke up one of the ground dwellers also
Another time in Holland I got awake with a dozen of cows staring at me in the morning, that was kinda funny.
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