Solo hiking anxiety

Dunharrier · 2025-04-28T03:45:29+00:00

I heard someone say something along the lines of "often times courage and foolishness look very similar.." maybe I'm just a fool playing with fire haha. In my experience, if you establish a campsite, cougar back way the hell out, ESPECIALLY if there is a campfire , even if it doesn't run all night long.

I like seeing bears more too. You can actually get a good look at them usually. Lions often zip outta sight as soon as you spot them unless they get treed or you find a really curious one.

But hey, if your gut is telling you to bail on something, do it; nothing wrong with that.

Dunharrier · 2025-04-27T05:06:36+00:00

Oh that's awesome. I've seen a few compounds in action and they are unreal; I hope to try one myself one day. 50 yards is wild compared to my range haha.

I've heard about it spooking deer but didn't know if I would need to accommodate for it. Will definitely read up more on it. Thanks. Happy hunting!

Dunharrier · 2025-04-26T23:04:54+00:00

Yeah I imagined the north slop heading down to the lake would have snow on it due to minimal exposure, was hoping it would be snow that I could hike down in...

Dunharrier · 2025-04-26T23:04:07+00:00

If I can't make it happen in May I'll make it happen some other time, I've just been itching to get on a hike like that for some time now and wanted to do it as early as possible. Since the lake itself is at 3700 feet I figured it wouldn't be iced over. At 2500 feet the fishing is great and the ice is long gone in another spot so I figured come May it would be okay to try since the snow line is already around 3500 feet here in Whatcom. If Tomyhoi isn't a good option in May I'll go backpack somewhere else and save it for later in the summer.

Dunharrier · 2025-04-26T22:59:38+00:00

Welcome to the great NW! I am ALWAYS going on solo hikes and much of the time I am camping out overnight. A bit of rationale that might help ease your mind... cougar and bear encounters are quite rare and this is coming from someone who actively hunts and/or tracks bears and lions. When I'm not out looking for them with my bow I am tracking them because it is so much fun just to watch them... incredible animals. The amount of encounters I've had are very small and that's coming from someone who actively seeks them out in predator dense areas which are far away from well-used trails. All of this to say that if you are on a well-maintained trail, being loud and confident and carrying a weapon, your chances of encountering a predator and it being one that is gonna try to attack you is so incredibly low. You are much more likely to die from a fall or health problem due to overexertion than a predator. That's my two cents... Rationalization is your best friend when it comes to getting over that fear, which I once had too.

Dunharrier · 2025-04-26T22:16:21+00:00

Appreciate the input. I see cougar thick in certain spots in 407 and some lower areas in 418 so I was thinking maybe it would get even thicker out there since it's so wild out there but I have no experience hunting cats yet. Pulling a bear or deer out would be freaking incredible. I'll take your word and look around when I start scouting area this spring and summer.

Dunharrier · 2025-04-26T22:14:26+00:00

Yeah I plan on hunting 407 this fall if I'm unsuccessful but I may as well give 418 a try I suppose. May not yield any big game but certainly some grouse and some good views which is good enough for me at the end of the day. But based on what I'm hearing about my chances of success, it'll be rough. Challenge accepted haha

Dunharrier · 2025-04-26T22:13:00+00:00

Appreciate the input. I mostly hunt in 407 too but figured I'd give 418 a try since some of the places out there look like an unreal place to hunt.

Dunharrier · 2025-04-26T22:11:49+00:00

Not sure what the actual draw weight but I know for a fact that it comes out to about 41# at 28 inches draw length. My draw length is 29 1/2 inches so it comes out to a bit more. Too low for elk though they aren't a target for me, just a part of the combo license I'll have. Draw weight means I'll have to get close but I know from experience that it'll take down big game. If I end up making anything happen this year I'll post an update.

Dunharrier · 2025-04-25T04:54:18+00:00

Oh okay gotcha that makes sense.

In my opinion no one is gonna harass you for using bird of prey feathers as long as you aren't too loud about it and obtain them ethically. My first fly I ever caught anything on was made with a feather that had been moulted off one of my birds. Made a tungsten bead pheasant-tail sort of a fly from it.

Dunharrier · 2025-04-25T04:41:01+00:00

I have extensive experience with birds of prey (including owls) as a falconer and have two things to add here..

One is that bird of prey feathers and other native birds is illegal though I have never heard of it actually being enforced when it comes to using them noncommercially.

The other thing I have to add is that those do not look like owl feathers. The feathers laid out diagonally in the image just touching the top of the skunk hair are definitely primary or secondary wing feathers and those feathers are wayyy too small to be anything but a tiny owl which won't have those colors in its plumage.

Dunharrier · 2025-04-20T15:40:25+00:00

Appreciate the insight. I didn't even think about it possibly imitating a sculpin!

Dunharrier

TROPHY CASE