RhinoInAToga

that's right! Nothing screams "I taste too much like nerd" to a bear like a leaky inky in the shirt pocket!

I was in the vehicle at the time. I'm sorry if you don't understand what I am trying to get across: the possible circumstance of having not seen him ahead of time, driving the very little distance up the road to the cache, us splitting up in the dark in the woods (again, not knowing he was there) & one of us encountering him while alone. The very fact that he was even out there in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night, in the middle of the woods, acting so very strangely, just further cemented the fact that I need to be a little wiser sometimes because strange people can be anywhere.

Its people like you that I cant stand. The nose in the air, hippy, niche type, iv been geocaching longer than you brats. You think I cant have my own ideas cuz im new here? The fact that you think I have the time or the desire to make a nother profile to post this thread already speaks of the quality of person you are. I know this game is too family friendly for me to say what I really want but if you want to flame soemone for an idea than go ahead. Your probably some fat ugly nerd whos opinion I could care less about. The kind that flame someone for the slightest grammatical error. But Im going to defend my thread here. I like some of ya'lls opinions and ideas. Sure I could keep a pen and paper score sheet of my caches for myself. But I guess groing up with interfaces and mediums to show off and and compete for awards (xbox 360) (yelp) etc I would like to see an actual interface for this. At least among iphone 4 uesers. Oh and Bain, u really are retarded, albeit creative. I had genuine interest in your idea. I am, however, completely turned off by your use of the word "retarded". You are new here, & they should not be accusing you of having a sock puppet account when all you are doing is pitching an idea, true. VERY true. However, maybe you need to be reminded that respect flows both ways in these forums, & your use of the word "retarded" is highly offensive to many. To some of us, it is ESPECIALLY offensive because we have close family members with mental handicaps. So please choose your words more carefully in the future.

I don't get it. To me the whole purpose of any self defence tool is to be assit you in getting out of an unexpected situation safely, not to win avoidable fights. What kind of circumstances could it be that you didn't just drive away and call 911? The circumstance where you are in the middle of the woods, a mile (or three) from the vehicle, with no phone service & an encounter with a surprised animal or a human with bad intentions happens quickly. Say we didn't happen to see the full grown man belly crawling through the bushes? Say we happily pile out of the truck & trek into the woods in seperate directions looking for the cache. Say I stooped down to look underneath some brush for the cache & all of a sudden somebody that I never knew was there is on top of me, overpowering me before I even know what's going on. In that circumstance, I don't think flipping open the cell phone as I hop into the truck is going to happen.

We talk we bring it up during any conversation about the outdoors, or what we do for fun. Sometimes, in response to the "what are ya'll doing this weekend?" Not all that are interested wish to go with us at first. That's something you need to keep in mind. Sometimes they need to go out on their own & give it a shot to see if they like it. If they do, then eventually at some point down the road, you either get a phone call or run into them again, & all of a sudden they're caching buddies.

It's very simple. We love Rhinos..in togas. But no..it was a situation a long time ago, actually years ago, trying to set up an email account. At first I wanted it to be "professional" & tried to come up with combinations of words & numbers that I would have half a shot at remembering. Of course all these combos came back to me as "already in use", & there would be suggestions with a myriad of numbers that I would never remember. After about a half an hour of this it gets a bit frustrating. So, I simply thought of something that nobody else would be likely to use, and RhinoInAToga was born. To this day I can't even find a picture of a rhino in a toga (which would be useful for a coin) so, I suppose I did well. Any time I needed to use technical support, they always got a laugh out of it. A representative at Groundspeak actually got a kick out of it too, when I needed to contact them at one point. Not just the username, but our email address behind it as well-because, of course, I did it again with the new email address. I'm not going to put it out in the open forum, though.

It's not intended to be strictly guns.. It was originally intended to be a thread about what others carry to give me & others like me ideas on what would be reasonable to carry ourselves. Of course, guns seem to be a weapon of choice. That being a hot button topic for many people has kind of led this thread deeper into "what you should & should not do" & "this is how I feel about guns" than the original idea warranted. For me, that's ok, but I know some like to adhere to the topic. I know. Really, I do. But hide and watch. It will be a gun thread. probably.

Thanks..but like I said, there's a fine line between bravery & stupidity, and I believe you and I both have done more than our fair share of toeing that line. During my single days I used to hike alone with nothing but some water & my dog, camping & fishing & kayaking alone as well, & never thought twice about it. Now that I have a family, I'm beginning to think quite a bit differently. I think many people have a different line of thought when it comes to personal safety once they have children. I don't wish for this new preference for safety to keep me from doing the things I love, because that would be changing the very core of who I am. I just wish to do these things smarter.

Bahahaha! :D

No worries, Brother. I suspect it's a matter of misdirection on the salesman's part, combined with misinformation from the media. Many stun gun dealers like to toss the term "taser" out as if it were a generic term for any shock producing device. The media does the same thing. There is very little in common between a Taser and a stun gun. A Taser utilizes a very specific electronic signature that matches the electronic pulse our brain sends to our muscles. Because the pulse from the Taser is stronger than the pulse sent from the brain, it over rides it, effectively shutting down the central nervous system. Stun guns, on the other hand, use various degrees of current/amperage to create a pain compliance device. The two things which make pain compliance devices ineffective are; 1 ) There are situations where they have no effect. Certain drugs, large quantities of alcohol, and mental outlooks can all impede the effectiveness of a pain compliance device. 2 ) You have to be in close proximity to use them. If you are close enough to touch the bad guy with your stun gun, he is close enough to take it away from you. Thank you for this information. You have effectively ruled out stun guns for me. As I stated earlier, I do know someone who can take one to the gut & keep going-& he is not a large person. That, coupled with what you have to say, leads to me saying "no" on this one.

Is that how I'm supposed to explain it to the LEOs that often pull over to inquire what we're doing?

It's not intended to be strictly guns.. It was originally intended to be a thread about what others carry to give me & others like me ideas on what would be reasonable to carry ourselves. Of course, guns seem to be a weapon of choice. That being a hot button topic for many people has kind of led this thread deeper into "what you should & should not do" & "this is how I feel about guns" than the original idea warranted. For me, that's ok, but I know some like to adhere to the topic.

Ok, after tonight's caching experiences I believe at the very least bear mace is going to be purchased & I'm definitely thinking more seriously about the concealed license. We were lucky tonight, & had a sitter & another cacher to accompany us. We still had to go at night, but we could all hunt together-not a bad deal. So the 3 of us are going for this cache in the woods, & we near a cache. Right up the road from the cache (but not so near that the cache could be the excuse) our headlights fall upon a man belly crawling through the bushes. I'm not kidding. Middle of nowhere, 1 am. Full grown dude crawling through some bushes.. I'm not sure what the craziest part was. That it happened, or that we got the cache anyways.. Fast forward to later in the night (or earlier this morning, however you wish to look at it) I step in fresh bear poop while searching for a night cache. We hear a lot of popping & cracking of sticks & hear something big moving around very near to us. Too close for comfort. That cache we did NOT stick around to get. Yup. Definitely need to be smarter about this, & prepare ourselves against a bad situation. Some nights just pour on the crazy.

Difference is I know how to use one, but obviously you don't. SS Now, now..it was just a funny observation. If surprised, they aren't sure of themselves with a gun. Not an argumentative point, just a point to consider. One that we should all consider for ourselves before being put in that position. That's all BD was saying.. RT not BD. Not that I disagree. Oops, sorry about that.

I don't think it's bravery on my part. More like stupidity. But there's a fine line between the two.

Difference is I know how to use one, but obviously you don't. SS Now, now..it was just a funny observation. If surprised, they aren't sure of themselves with a gun. Not an argumentative point, just a point to consider. One that we should all consider for ourselves before being put in that position. That's all BD was saying.. Yes I know, There are Many times especially at night that I find myself alone after a FTF, I have been legally carrying for a few years now. I am happy to report that there has never been a time that I have considered drawing my weapon because as mentioned it is truly, only as a LAST resort in a life and death situation. SS I hope that is always the case, that you never have to use it. At the same time, I'm glad you have it if you need it. As will be the case if I decide to do the same.

Haha that way I can blow us both up when I end up plowing headfirst into that tree! Excellent. Kind of like a "If I don't win, nobody wins!" situation. I like it.

Difference is I know how to use one, but obviously you don't. SS Now, now..it was just a funny observation. If surprised, they aren't sure of themselves with a gun. Not an argumentative point, just a point to consider. One that we should all consider for ourselves before being put in that position. That's all BD was saying..

That's why I'm considering a concealed license. I'm a dang good shot, and enjoy shooting. I'm not so sure about a walking stick..unless I did get some training. Honestly, with my family, I don't have the time for formal training. It would end up with me trying to swing the stick like a ball bat & racking it up against trees in mid swing, as the trees are dense in the forests around here. Also, with me being of the smaller variety, & (yes, I'll say it) a woman, it would probably be stripped from my grasp in the event of a struggle with another human being. Woman have a disadvantage when it comes to upper body & arm strength; that's just the way it is. (Unless, of course, they have a lot of the aforementioned training.). The chances of "the psycho serial killer" (dun dun duuuun) being another woman? Slim to none. I do like the idea of a taser...although I have known someone that took multiple taser shots to his body & kept right on going..I'm still fond of the idea. The tasers that law enforcement carry are severely underpowered compared to what is on the market these days. You can get a taser that will do much more damage. Also if you plan on carrying a gun I suggest you get into some IDPA competitions. They will help you react quicker under pressure if you did need to use the gun. Both good points

<snip> I'd rather get beaten with my own stick than shot with my own gun. <snip> haha not only is it funny, it's a good point

Haha! actually, we rarely participate in FTF hunts..only on the rare occasion that we get the notification while we're already out. No, there's another reason we mostly go at night, & we have to take turns so we always go one person at a time.

That's exactly what I was saying.

That's why I'm considering a concealed license. I'm a dang good shot, and enjoy shooting. I'm not so sure about a walking stick..unless I did get some training. Honestly, with my family, I don't have the time for formal training. It would end up with me trying to swing the stick like a ball bat & racking it up against trees in mid swing, as the trees are dense in the forests around here. Also, with me being of the smaller variety, & (yes, I'll say it) a woman, it would probably be stripped from my grasp in the event of a struggle with another human being. Woman have a disadvantage when it comes to upper body & arm strength; that's just the way it is. (Unless, of course, they have a lot of the aforementioned training.). The chances of "the psycho serial killer" (dun dun duuuun) being another woman? Slim to none. I do like the idea of a taser...although I have known someone that took multiple taser shots to his body & kept right on going..I'm still fond of the idea.

So, for reasons that cannot be changed, I often cache at night. This usually lands me in the middle of the woods by myself at some point, if not often, during the night. During these times, while listening to various noises in the brush & imagining Bigfoot or a psychotic serial killer, I always wonder at the stupid decision I have just made to do this. Then (and it never fails) I do it again. So, I have thought about it, & instead of wandering into the woods by myself with a pen & a flashlight, I'm going to acquire some things to make sure I have at least minimal protection from either wild animals or other people..instead of a half-***ed plan to blind whatever it is with my weak flashlight, throw my pen in the general direction of eyeballs, & then make a run for it. (Which would inevitably involve me running headlong into a tree at some point during my flight. & really, let's face it, I don't run that fast. It would be a pathetic attempt at a getaway.) So, what are some things that ya'll bring along with you to protect yourselves if needed? I've heard of bear mace, & thought about getting my concealed license, even though there's some areas you can't carry a concealed weapon. Give me some ideas! Thanks in advance.