What lurks in those hills?

[Sun195]

I was reading an <broken link removed> about economic troubles in Central Oregon. One of the paragraphs reminded me of this thread:

Some homeless have found a place to stay with friends or relatives. But many others, including numerous families, have staked out campsites along back roads or secluded stretches of rivers and streams. There, they spend their nights in trailer homes, cars or tents.

How many families are living out in the woods (because they don't have any other choice) unaware that there are other "interesting" people (crazies, meth heads, criminals) already living there? I can imagine these original inhabitants may take an unhealthy interest in the newcomers - not a good scenario.

 

[gallogiro]

I agree with that statement. Always try to have someone with you and not just for safety but in case something happens as well. The worst I have heard and seen here in the woods of the St. Helens area are mushroom pickers and the Cambodia type. You come across there camps and they all have AK's and are very serious about what they think is their land. I do know someone who has a run in with them and guns were drawn but know shots fired. Sometimes it looks likes the pics of Nam. I would rather face an animal than 10 Cambodians armed.

Scott

What?? You mean actual cambodians out in the woods? Are you serious, I've never heard of this. Do they just live out there or something? :huh:

 

[elsullo]

I don't know exactly what the previous poster was speaking of, but in Autumn and Spring there are lots of legal mushroom hunters on federal lands who are of SE Asian origin. The Hmong people from Laos who have immigrated to the Portland Metro area are especially good at the hard work of hunting commercial mushrooms. The whole family sets up camp during the harvest. They buy their permits, and as I understand it they are allowed a certain territory to gather mushrooms.

If you are a news-junkie like me, you would have noticed many news stories over the years of the mushroom hunters being robbed and harrassed out in the woods, sometimes by Redneck morons, sometimes by Asian gangsters and rival clans. These are tough people who work hard, who fought for the USA during the Vietnam War era, and they immigrated here to live free or die. They are proud US citizens now, and have learned to defend themselves from both redneck resentments and Asian gangsters of their own. The Second Amendment is THEIRS too..........................elsullo

 

[PDXGS]

I don't know exactly what the previous poster was speaking of, but in Autumn and Spring there are lots of legal mushroom hunters on federal lands who are of SE Asian origin. The Hmong people from Laos who have immigrated to the Portland Metro area are especially good at the hard work of hunting commercial mushrooms. The whole family sets up camp during the harvest. They buy their permits, and as I understand it they are allowed a certain territory to gather mushrooms.

If you are a news-junkie like me, you would have noticed many news stories over the years of the mushroom hunters being robbed and harrassed out in the woods, sometimes by Redneck morons, sometimes by Asian gangsters and rival clans. These are tough people who work hard, who fought for the USA during the Vietnam War era, and they immigrated here to live free or die. They are proud US citizens now, and have learned to defend themselves from both redneck resentments and Asian gangsters of their own. The Second Amendment is THEIRS too..........................elsullo

What he said...the Hmong have sacrificed a great deal for this country. Treat them with the respect they deserve.

 

[perdurabo]

Always carry a loaded weapon when you're out in the woods. If you're out shooting, keep one in the holster always. I've run into a number of shady people in the woods near Eugene and down Hwy 58. Had two or three "ok, this is it, the SHTF" moments. Luckily, they turned out ok.

Seems to me, chances are you're going to run into BGs at some point or few.

 

[finch6013]

Is it just me or has the outdoors just gotten dangerous in the last few years. I remember just a few years ago I never heard of things happening but a few times once in a while and you never had to worry very much about property getting broken into or stolen when in the forest. Its too bad that things have come to this and the tweeker types and so on have come out into the forest

 

[ZeroRing]

It's almost as if you need to post an armed guard on your gear when your out hunting, riding, fishing, hiking, whatever. Not enough BG's in jail/prison it seems to me.

 

[Buddhalux]

What he said...the Hmong have sacrificed a great deal for this country. Treat them with the respect they deserve.

I don't particularly care for this line of reasoning. I've heard it before from black people claiming that the US government owes them for slavery yet they did not spend one day in chains or aboard a ship packed as cargo. I was all for shipping them back the way they came here. Needless to say I got some nasty looks and comments. Now we hear it from the mexicans, not hispanics, that Altazan was theirs before we took it from them. I'm a US citizen and I fought and bled for our rights yet I don't feel the need to cry for respect from people I don't know. Either you respect me for who I am and what I stand for or you don't. I'm not going to try and change your mind nor cry about it.

 

[Dresden]

when i lived in washington it was considered unwise to venture into the woods during shroom season as the asian shroom hunters would defend their claims from all comers in a shoot first ask questions later kind of way. it did not matter if you were hunting shrooms or just taking a walk they were equal opprotunity offenders they shot at everyone equaly.

 

[gallogiro]

wow, all this is news to me. I'm just curious, what kind of mushrooms are they harvesting? Are the mushrooms really that valuable to shoot someone no questions asked?

 

[parallax]

I had a little incident last summer in the shotgun creek recreation area east of eugene oregon. it is a destignated rec area. I was on my dirt bike ,on a high ground ridgetop, logging road over looking the valley below. stopped to take a break and have a drink of water admire the scenery,. down below i could hear some rapid shooting, for several minutes off and on.figured it was just people out target practicing.. then the shooting started up again,, except this time i could hear the bullets wizzing araound me!.. a few kickups of dust about 20 yards to my north.. as well as hearing a few hits on some of the trees around me..I just backed my bike, to the inside of the road were the berm of the edge of the road would block any line of site from the shooters. from the sound of the shots, and tree lines down below,, whoever they were they were probably more than 600 yards away,, i could not see anyone down there nor did i see any vehicles,, so they must have been in a tree line down in the valley somewhere..at that point ,i just got on my bike and stayed to the inside of the road and went somewhere else to play. figured a moving target would be harder to hit than a stationary one.

 

[buyamonkey]

How many families are living out in the woods (because they don't have any other choice) unaware that there are other "interesting" people (crazies, meth heads, criminals) already living there? I can imagine these original inhabitants may take an unhealthy interest in the newcomers - not a good scenario.

I certainly agree with this. That's why I think a lot of the SHTF "head for the hills" is not really that great of an idea unless you already have property or a plan staked out. Imagine you're all setup and ready and then strangers start heading into your zone...same thing. Lots of weirdos in town and out of town, just be aware of your surroundings and have a plan.

Be safe out there everybody

 

[RallySoob]

If you have an extra trail cam to point at your camp when you leave for a hunt, do it. atelast you can see who stole you shtuff

 

[jordanvraptor]

Claymores are a more effective defense...

 

[parallax]

you got some?

 

[RallySoob]

I wonder if you put a mil surplus dudds around your shtuff if it would work/be legal? put a little sign up "camp protectected by claymores"

 

[ZeroRing]

I wonder if you put a mil surplus dudds around your shtuff if it would work/be legal? put a little sign up "camp protectected by claymores"

Or how about a sign that says... "camp protected by hidden sniper team, you can't see them but rest assured that they see you"

 

[RVTECH]

Given the current state of the economy this summer may be interesting out in the woods. Normally I see a few people who appear to be exceeding the 14 day stay limit in the areas near where I live (Wickiup Reservoir, Crane Prarie and the Deschutes River) with nothing too permanent - but who knows about this year.

 

[elsullo]

The scariest warning sign I have ever seen was in rural Hawaii on a fence around a private banana patch: "Don't Get Caught." No exclamation point needed.........................elsullo

 

[Doc In UPlace]

Not enough BG's in jail/prison it seems to me.

sorry to pick on my friend's quote here but it's handy.

Good grief, there are more people in prison in the USA than any other nation on earth.

Maybe if more people had a meaningful education and a profitable job we could reverse this decline-

A definition of insanity is to keep repeating the same thing and expecting a different result... throwing billions at maintaining an Empire year after year has it's consequences.

As to what's in the woods, this reminds me of the time an older lady asked pianist Fats Waller, "What is jazz?"

His reply: "If you don't know by now, don't mess with it."