Security & Camping alone

This is where the gals can have their very own discussions...

Postby hiker chick » Wed Oct 08, 2008 9:35 am

More info on skunks and how to deter them can be found at these links:

http://www.nativeanimalrescue.org/index ... &Itemid=13

Skunks are normally very predictable and easily manipulated. Hereʼs how to convince them to leave:

Place a light source such as a lamp, drop light or flashlight where you suspect the skunks are staying, so their home is well lit at night. Skunks are nocturnal and donʼt like light. At the same time, play a radio as loud as is comfortable for you and place several ammonia soaked rags in the general vicinity of the suspected den. Basically, what you are doing is making the skunks den unappealing to the skunk and they will readily move to more a more friendly home.



http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Get-Ri ... id=1262389

Skunk repellents

* Bright light - Skunks are nocturnal and prefer to stay hidden, flooding an area with light can be an effective deterrent. Use flood lights in combination with motion sensors.

* Automated sprinklers - Contech manufactures a device called 'The Scarecrow' which is essentially a sprinkler attached to a motion sensor that will spray any animals that wander into your yard.

* Spicy pepper solutions - Pepper sprays are reported to work well but must be reapplied every few days to remain effective.

* Commercial repellents - There are many available types, people have also reported success with commercial dog and cat repellents.
[i]
[/i]
Image
Image
Hot Stuff Today, Dog Stuff Tomorrow

www.thegidg.com
User avatar
hiker chick
1000 Club
1000 Club
 
Posts: 1501
Images: 621
Joined: Sat Aug 18, 2007 6:26 pm
Location: Washington, D.C.

Postby Arne » Wed Oct 08, 2008 10:47 am

I was camping last month in VT and saw the cutest little skunk. must have been from this years breeding... it was cute because it was not in my camp site....

Wonder how they stay so clean?
www.freewebs.com/aero-1
---
.
I hope I never get too old to play (Arne, Sept 11, 2010)
.
User avatar
Arne
Mr. Subject Line
 
Posts: 5383
Images: 96
Joined: Fri Aug 13, 2004 12:25 pm
Location: Middletown, CT

Postby Arne » Wed Oct 08, 2008 10:55 am

I travel alone once in a while. With dog. If I am concerned about someone coming up to me (extremely rare), I tell them to stay back as the dog is vicious and has bitten people (the one wagging it's tail)..... I talked to a k9 state trooper once about his dog. My take was, a person might give the trooper a hard time... that same person will rarely give the dog a hard time. He agreed. Teeth hurt.... a lot.

Also, I bought some pepper spray from a gun shop. It is not the little wimpy squirt type. It is a bit taller and about 3 times the diameter, and it sprays a fog about 3 feet in diameter (I've tested it).

In a moment of potential danger, this one is much more likely to hit the target.

This is the closest one I could find to mine. It is a 'fogger', not a 'squirter'.

http://mace.com/index.php/product/index/id/22
Last edited by Arne on Wed Oct 08, 2008 11:42 am, edited 2 times in total.
www.freewebs.com/aero-1
---
.
I hope I never get too old to play (Arne, Sept 11, 2010)
.
User avatar
Arne
Mr. Subject Line
 
Posts: 5383
Images: 96
Joined: Fri Aug 13, 2004 12:25 pm
Location: Middletown, CT
Top

Postby CAJUN LADY » Wed Oct 08, 2008 10:57 am

Uh, Hiker Chick...why do you have bear spray on your nightstand?
Becca
~Cajun Lady~
User avatar
CAJUN LADY
Donating Member
 
Posts: 3822
Images: 74
Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2007 12:52 pm
Location: Cajun girl stuck in Florida
Top

Postby hiker chick » Wed Oct 08, 2008 11:12 am

CAJUN LADY wrote:Uh, Hiker Chick...why do you have bear spray on your nightstand?


I live in Washington, D.C.

Until recently, self-defense with a gun was illegal.


;)
Last edited by hiker chick on Wed Oct 08, 2008 11:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Hot Stuff Today, Dog Stuff Tomorrow

www.thegidg.com
User avatar
hiker chick
1000 Club
1000 Club
 
Posts: 1501
Images: 621
Joined: Sat Aug 18, 2007 6:26 pm
Location: Washington, D.C.
Top

Postby Mary K » Wed Oct 08, 2008 11:15 am

Great Subject. :thumbsup: Lets not forget Ladies, we do have other options. Although I have not camped by myself, I do have one of these.

Image

This one does not shoot out wires and you have to be up close to use it.

But here are some that do "shoot" AND make a fashion statement.

Image

Here is a link Tasers for Ladies

Food for Thought if you are not comfortable with a gun.

Mk
Mary K

I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve. Bilbo Baggins
User avatar
Mary K
6000 Club
6000 Club
 
Posts: 6425
Images: 44
Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2006 3:07 pm
Location: Florida, Pensacola
Top

Postby CAJUN LADY » Wed Oct 08, 2008 11:39 am

hiker chick wrote:
CAJUN LADY wrote:Uh, Hiker Chick...why do you have bear spray on your nightstand?


I live in Washington, D.C.

Until recently, self-defense with a gun was illegal.

;)


Ahhh....wasn't thinking about the 2 legged creatures.
Becca
~Cajun Lady~
User avatar
CAJUN LADY
Donating Member
 
Posts: 3822
Images: 74
Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2007 12:52 pm
Location: Cajun girl stuck in Florida
Top

Postby kayaklover » Wed Oct 08, 2008 9:18 pm

I love traveling and camping alone. I can read a book all day if I want , eat when I want ,and sleep when I want to. It's a great way to relax. Or if I feel like spending the day at a farm auction I don't have to get back to camp to feed the kids. It makes for some nice "me time" to recharge for the week ahead.
I only had trouble one time when I was skiing up near Ely Mn. and went to a casino and won some money. A guy followed me out to my van and was peeking in the windows. Security saw him on the cameras and came out to check on me and asked if I knew the guy. I told them "no" and they hauled him away.

Casinos, rest stops , and other places that have good security cameras can be a girls best friend when traveling alone. I like sleeping cheap or free when I'm not setting up camp and just on the move. I have also found truck stops to be OK for a little boondocking. If a place feels creepy I won't stay there and will find a motel parking lot . They also tend to have pretty good security.

Camping in state park campgrounds up north here seems to be pretty safe and I have never had any trouble. I do like the bear spray idea though as I have had trouble with animals taking food. I just hid in my tent ( back b4 I discovered the wonderful world of teardropping) and let them eat.
Lori
Co-Director
St. Croix Tearjerkers
User avatar
kayaklover
Teardrop Master
 
Posts: 156
Images: 18
Joined: Mon Nov 26, 2007 11:51 am
Location: St. Paul, Minnesota
Top

Postby Miriam C. » Thu Oct 09, 2008 9:14 am

Good morning ladies. I have split and made Galen's list a sticky. Feel free to add to it.
“Forgiveness means giving up all hope for a better past.â€
User avatar
Miriam C.
our Aunti M
 
Posts: 19675
Images: 148
Joined: Wed Feb 15, 2006 3:14 pm
Location: Southwest MO
Top

Postby Ivar the Red » Thu Oct 09, 2008 9:28 am

kayaklover wrote: I have also found truck stops to be OK for a little boondocking.


Be careful doing that, I drove a 18 wheeler coast to coast and there were some of those I wouldn't stay in. And I carried a .357 Mag under my truck seat.
Johnny
BUILD THREAD
Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all time thing. You don't win once in a while, you don't do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. - Vince Lombardi
ImageImageImage
User avatar
Ivar the Red
HOME RUN TILT
 
Posts: 19376
Images: 373
Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2007 2:32 pm
Location: Duncan,OK(The dark side of the moon)
Top

Postby Laredo » Thu Oct 09, 2008 9:44 am

There are a few additions I'd make to the comments above.

Keep a good first aid kit with you at all times. It need not be large or bulky; I have two. One fits in an altoids tin, and the other (which includes an ace bandage against sprains) fits in a $4 camera case that slips over my belt. Both include things like Neosporin, band-aids, alcohol pads, tweezers and needle (for splinters), moleskin, and sun-block (I squeeze it into a hotel-shampoo bottle, and I have a similar small bottle of hand sanitizer). In the small one I taped a needle to a dental-floss lid and stuck a small safety pin inside the container as well. I also have an inexpensive LED push-button flashlight in the small one.

Never go anywhere without a knife. If you can, try to take a multi-tool; Leatherman tools, which are wonderful, can be had inexpensively by buying them from NTSA salvage sales -- there are dealers at the oddest places, like gem and mineral shows, county fairs, or even on E-bay. A Ka-bar knife is not necessary; a pocketknife (with a blade that locks, please, lest you pinch/cut your fingers) can be as small as 1 1/4'' inches and still be extremely useful.

Wear sturdy shoes (support and protection for your feet is way more important than looks).

There is a wonderful website for outdoor gear at www.equipped.com.

Finally, if you're carrying a weapon, that's fine. Be absolutely certain you're not only trained in how to use it but confident that you can and will use it without hesitating should the need arise. Otherwise it can be taken from you and used against you. People who will commit burglary and/or assault will NOT hesitate. You must understand that, and be prepared to act. I would recommend that if you can do so you should take a basic self-defense course (no, you don't have to be a black belt. Yes, you do have to understand the importance of your mindset in defending yourself)!
Mopar's what my busted knuckles bleed, working on my 318s...
User avatar
Laredo
Donating Member
 
Posts: 2017
Images: 0
Joined: Mon Jul 05, 2004 10:42 pm
Location: West Texas
Top

Postby CAJUN LADY » Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:08 am

Ivar the Red wrote:
kayaklover wrote: I have also found truck stops to be OK for a little boondocking.


Be careful doing that, I drove a 18 wheeler coast to coast and there were some of those I wouldn't stay in. And I carried a .357 Mag under my truck seat.


I agree with Johnny. Even Casino parking lots are not as safe as they look.

Here's a story, about a lady from my home town, that ended sadly, but it is not a camping story. Mrs. Distefano and her husband had been to the Casino in Marksville, LA and her husband decided to play awhile longer while she decided to take a break and run to Wal-Mart just down the street. Well, they had parked in the Parking Garage (it was 10:30 a.m.) and she walked to her car, got her keys out and a young man either approached her from the side or back with a tire iron, hit her repeatedly until she was unconsious, put her in the trunk of her car and had the nerve to use her credit card at Wal-Mart while she was dying in the trunk of her own car. This was broad daylight! They caught this scum bag on camera at Wal-Mart and was able to identify him on the local news. They found her body 2 days later. This was a brand new parking garage with security cameras sitting there but not hooked up yet and no Security Patrol. This piece of crap person had been playing in the casino at the same time as Mrs. Distefano. The police don't think he singled out her due to other facts but feel she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Another piece of info...this scum bag just got back from a tour of Iraq and had told him mother that very same day, "I FEEL LIKE TODAY IS GONNA BE THE DAY SOMEONE DIES". Sad -- so very sad.

This is why I can't say this enough - - BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS AT ALL TIMES. I always anticipate a situation before a situation occurs. This is something I have always done because of playing tournament softball almost my entire life. Some of you will understand what I mean by this, some won't.

Another bit of info...I'm not a paranoid person, just a very cautious one.

Keep those good bits of safety advice coming. I love hearing what others do.
Becca
~Cajun Lady~
User avatar
CAJUN LADY
Donating Member
 
Posts: 3822
Images: 74
Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2007 12:52 pm
Location: Cajun girl stuck in Florida
Top

Postby madjack » Thu Oct 09, 2008 11:02 am

...this one needs to be a sticky...I can sum up the entire "camping safely alone" subject in two words...SITUATIONAL AWARENESS...much as Becca stated above........
madjack 8)
...I have come to believe that, conflict resolution, through violence, is never acceptable.....................mj
User avatar
madjack
Site Admin
 
Posts: 15128
Images: 177
Joined: Thu Dec 02, 2004 5:27 pm
Location: Central Louisiana
Top

Postby Mark & Andrea Jones » Thu Oct 09, 2008 2:48 pm

OK, back to the camping subject.

This past weekend, we (no, I wasn't camping alone) were camping at Breaks Interstate Park on the border of VA and KY (yes, there really is such a place!). We have been camping there for years and really enjoy the place.

On Friday night, my hubby and I were eating dinner in the lodge at the park and commenting on the rather large raccoon that was peering thru the window, when the waitress says "Oh, have you seen the bears yet?" It turns out that there were a mama bear and several cubs and yearlings (is that what the previous year's cubs are called??) wandering about the lodge - frequently showing up on the outside deck of the restaurant.

When we went back to the campground (about a mile away) and went to bed, all I could think about was "when are the bears going to show up?". I didn't sleep too well that night and on the 2 am trip to the bathhouse, the dog went with me! Caitie (my dog) is probably the best bear repellent that I could have! AND she'd wake up all our camping neighbors in the process, so very few would actually sleep thru the visit.

Image

Funny thing was that none of the trash cans were bear-proofed, so this was obviously a new problem. However, we didn't see any evidence of bears getting into the cans either.

A dog is probably the best supplement to a person's situational awareness that you could have. Their sense of hearing, smell, etc is so much greater than ours. Even a dog that would lick someone to death is much better to have around than none at all. At least no one would be able to sneak up on you unawares. AND a friendly dog tends to make friends with the other campers nearby, so you'd be more likely to get a response from the other nearby campers, if someone decided to mess with your person or your stuff.

Andrea.
Quality Water Treatment Solutions in the New River Valley! www.clearcreekwaterworks.com
User avatar
Mark & Andrea Jones
The 300 Club
 
Posts: 300
Images: 31
Joined: Mon May 23, 2005 5:54 am
Location: Virginia, Christiansburg
Top

Postby MOKI SEAKER » Thu Oct 09, 2008 5:19 pm

Beautiful puppy, is she a Healer dog, looks like the dogs they use in Montana for cattle...Jim G ;)
If you don’t read the newspaper, you are uninformed.. If you do read the newspaper. You are misinformed.
Mark Twain
User avatar
MOKI SEAKER
The 300 Club
 
Posts: 465
Images: 41
Joined: Thu Oct 12, 2006 5:50 pm
Location: UTAH, Kearns
Top

PreviousNext

Return to Lady Teardroppers

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests