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Fieldcraft Be aware of who is around you and what they are doing

308pirate

Gunny Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
  • Apr 25, 2017
    23,839
    37,521
    Situational awareness is paramount these days. A few things have happened around here at some local public an private ranges both, that have instilled some to not play nice anymore.

    After that thing some years back, some of us tend to prefer to go to the range in groups of well trusted friends, and if anybody else but us is on the range, have someone standing back and watching things. Also having our loaded CC pistols on us regardless of being prone or not.
     
    Signals were there if someone would read them


    When I moved to Utah and told people I go out in the middle of nowhere BLM land, the first thing everyone thought was holy shit, theres all sorts of crazy stuff that goes on out there and that I'd be dead lol. While Utah is relatively quiet, an episode of 'Breaking Bad' is happening in the vast areas of BLM land that people generally don't go to.

    The good news is I'm aways aware of whats going on around me, especially when I'm alone or with just 1 friend out in the middle of the night. Didn't take me long to run into a few old shacks hidden away against cliff walls and bushes that were 100% used at some point to cook meth or whatever as well as random people walking around in literally the middle of nowhere at night; it was funny because I have nightvision and they'd walk past me 25-50 yards away while I'd watched them. They had no clue some guy with a Mk12, PEQ15, suppressor and a bunch of mags is sitting there staring at them.

    Always be aware of who is around you, especially if they take an interest in you being there.
     
    German,
    What type activities are these folks up to out there at night?
     
    When I moved to Utah and told people I go out in the middle of nowhere BLM land, the first thing everyone thought was holy shit, theres all sorts of crazy stuff that goes on out there and that I'd be dead lol. While Utah is relatively quiet, an episode of 'Breaking Bad' is happening in the vast areas of BLM land that people generally don't go to.

    The good news is I'm aways aware of whats going on around me, especially when I'm alone or with just 1 friend out in the middle of the night. Didn't take me long to run into a few old shacks hidden away against cliff walls and bushes that were 100% used at some point to cook meth or whatever as well as random people walking around in literally the middle of nowhere at night; it was funny because I have nightvision and they'd walk past me 25-50 yards away while I'd watched them. They had no clue some guy with a Mk12, PEQ15, suppressor and a bunch of mags is sitting there staring at them.

    Always be aware of who is around you, especially if they take an interest in you being there.

    This is why I never go to the outdoors unarmed.

    When my daughter was maybe 5 or 6 I took her tent camping to one of the local state parks/state wildlife area. I invited her bestie and her dad to come along for the weekend. We set up in a campsite kinda away from everyone and had a good old time. As night fell and we went to bed I made sure my pistol (which the other dad didn't know about) was inside the sleeping bag. Sure enough about an hour and a half after sunset I hear a redneck truck and see headlights through the tent fabric. They keep getting closer till they're right outside the tent. The other dad was kinda freaked out (he's a nice guy but your average middle class guy who's kind of a wuss) when I get up. Unzip and walk out pistol at low ready, look right at the driver and just stand there. They got the fuck out of there and I got no sleep that night but the girls were safe.

    I think the other guy with us told his wife that I had a gun because she's a flaming libtard and they kinda ghosted us after that weekend. I don't give a fuck. I will protect mine regardless of the cost.
     
    Paranoia anyone?
    ...and they're coming to take you away, ha ha, ho ho, hee hee; to the funny farm you see...
    BE ALERT, YOU WON'T GET HURT!
     
    German,
    What type activities are these folks up to out there at night?

    I 15 is the only corridor from SLC to Vegas and further to southern California. Most of the land in the Utah area near it is wide open BLM land with some areas fairly hard to get to/terrain locked. There is zero patrolling of anything, and except the first mile or two at the front where 95% of people go to shoot, hang out, bike, etc, not many are further in. It's honestly the wild west.

    It's common knowledge that there are people cooking meth/drugs/whatever out there and using the the land to bypass the highway for transportation of whatever they don't want to get pulled over for. Like I said above, I've come across sheds that were built in between fingers of cliffs and covered with bushes to hide them; this is MILES away from anything.

    I've also seen small groups of 3-4 mexicans wearing jeans and tshirts/flannels with rucksacks moving around there at night, while its 95+ degrees out with no equipment, lights, etc. I'm assuming from the cache of daisey chained 1 gallon water jugs stashed in a dugout in the middle of the desert I've come across out there, illegals also use the land.

    The wild card out there are the people who take advantage of being allowed to 'live' on BLM land for I think 3 weeks at a time, but set up shop out there for 6+ months. Usually the BLM/wildlife/whoever people come around towards August and you'll see the notices to vacate stuck on all of their trailers/RVs, but at that point they've been out there since March. Most are there just to live the 'RV life' and basically live for free, but theres a lot that goes on out there at night by people who don't want to be found and/or are using this as a mobile base.

    If I go hunting at night, for the reasons above, I have way more on me than just the single mag people take hunting. Besides having a giant advantage with having nightvision, I have either a Mk12 or a carbine with PEQ15 and suppressor, my hunting rounds, hydration, IFAK, comms and then 3-4 mags of M193/262 on a chest rig along the entire time.

    I also take precautions that we did when patrolling overseas like not returning to the vehicle the same route you left, and having a short halt a few 100 yards before going back to it to check out whats going on at it, instead of just walking back to it and being surprised by people who were using it as a ambush point they knew you'd eventually return to.

    To date, other than having people pass by me and not know I was there, I haven't had any weird night time interactions but it only takes once. The stories people have locally of finding new places to shoot and people coming out of nowhere and constantly watching them or telling them some bullshit as to why they need to leave the area are common. If something were to ever happen, especially at night, I do like my chances though lol
     
    the stories people have locally of finding new places to shoot and people coming out of nowhere and constantly watching them or telling them some bullshit as to why they need to leave the area are common.
    Very interesting
     
    I once spent a couple of weeks in remote Arizona south of Grand Canyon.
    Lot of off grid types wondering around. Some amazing anti Obama stuff painted on plywood. Things I though would get you a visit.

    Funniest thing was a guy packing four full sized Colt SAA’s. Two tied down on his hips and two in a double shoulder rig. All nickel plated. Must of had 100 extra cartridges in loops. No kidding.

    He had a flat tire, no spare, no tools. I took him to town. When he got out I ask if he was going to trade in a pistol on tools and a spare. 😂
     
    I 15 is the only corridor from SLC to Vegas and further to southern California. Most of the land in the Utah area near it is wide open BLM land with some areas fairly hard to get to/terrain locked. There is zero patrolling of anything, and except the first mile or two at the front where 95% of people go to shoot, hang out, bike, etc, not many are further in. It's honestly the wild west.

    It's common knowledge that there are people cooking meth/drugs/whatever out there and using the the land to bypass the highway for transportation of whatever they don't want to get pulled over for. Like I said above, I've come across sheds that were built in between fingers of cliffs and covered with bushes to hide them; this is MILES away from anything.

    I've also seen small groups of 3-4 mexicans wearing jeans and tshirts/flannels with rucksacks moving around there at night, while its 95+ degrees out with no equipment, lights, etc. I'm assuming from the cache of daisey chained 1 gallon water jugs stashed in a dugout in the middle of the desert I've come across out there, illegals also use the land.

    The wild card out there are the people who take advantage of being allowed to 'live' on BLM land for I think 3 weeks at a time, but set up shop out there for 6+ months. Usually the BLM/wildlife/whoever people come around towards August and you'll see the notices to vacate stuck on all of their trailers/RVs, but at that point they've been out there since March. Most are there just to live the 'RV life' and basically live for free, but theres a lot that goes on out there at night by people who don't want to be found and/or are using this as a mobile base.

    If I go hunting at night, for the reasons above, I have way more on me than just the single mag people take hunting. Besides having a giant advantage with having nightvision, I have either a Mk12 or a carbine with PEQ15 and suppressor, my hunting rounds, hydration, IFAK, comms and then 3-4 mags of M193/262 on a chest rig along the entire time.

    I also take precautions that we did when patrolling overseas like not returning to the vehicle the same route you left, and having a short halt a few 100 yards before going back to it to check out whats going on at it, instead of just walking back to it and being surprised by people who were using it as a ambush point they knew you'd eventually return to.

    To date, other than having people pass by me and not know I was there, I haven't had any weird night time interactions but it only takes once. The stories people have locally of finding new places to shoot and people coming out of nowhere and constantly watching them or telling them some bullshit as to why they need to leave the area are common. If something were to ever happen, especially at night, I do like my chances though lol


    I also shoot on BLM land here in southern NV (I hate public shooting ranges), the same spot all the time and have been going there for the past 12 years. I sometimes camp out there, on top of a rocky hill that’s somewhat strenuous to climb and allows me to see 360 in all directions from about 400 feet up. Every time I’m there I have a similar load out as you have: load bearing belt with IFAK, g19 pistol, two spare mags, camelback hydration plus three additional gallons of water in a cooler and a cook set with MRE type food, etc. I also always have my SR25 ACC and four mags along with whatever other rifle I’m working with that day. My buddies that often come with me are similarly equipped.

    Fortunately I haven’t seen or experienced anything sketchy (yet) but, like you say, all it takes is one time. If it happens I want to be as prepared as possible. I don’t understand people who hike or backpack in the deep woods/back country/middle of nowhere and carry nothing to defend themselves with, other than maybe pepper spray or a pocket knife.
     
    Last edited:
    I 15 is the only corridor from SLC to Vegas and further to southern California. Most of the land in the Utah area near it is wide open BLM land with some areas fairly hard to get to/terrain locked. There is zero patrolling of anything, and except the first mile or two at the front where 95% of people go to shoot, hang out, bike, etc, not many are further in. It's honestly the wild west.

    It's common knowledge that there are people cooking meth/drugs/whatever out there and using the the land to bypass the highway for transportation of whatever they don't want to get pulled over for. Like I said above, I've come across sheds that were built in between fingers of cliffs and covered with bushes to hide them; this is MILES away from anything.

    I've also seen small groups of 3-4 mexicans wearing jeans and tshirts/flannels with rucksacks moving around there at night, while its 95+ degrees out with no equipment, lights, etc. I'm assuming from the cache of daisey chained 1 gallon water jugs stashed in a dugout in the middle of the desert I've come across out there, illegals also use the land.

    The wild card out there are the people who take advantage of being allowed to 'live' on BLM land for I think 3 weeks at a time, but set up shop out there for 6+ months. Usually the BLM/wildlife/whoever people come around towards August and you'll see the notices to vacate stuck on all of their trailers/RVs, but at that point they've been out there since March. Most are there just to live the 'RV life' and basically live for free, but theres a lot that goes on out there at night by people who don't want to be found and/or are using this as a mobile base.

    If I go hunting at night, for the reasons above, I have way more on me than just the single mag people take hunting. Besides having a giant advantage with having nightvision, I have either a Mk12 or a carbine with PEQ15 and suppressor, my hunting rounds, hydration, IFAK, comms and then 3-4 mags of M193/262 on a chest rig along the entire time.

    I also take precautions that we did when patrolling overseas like not returning to the vehicle the same route you left, and having a short halt a few 100 yards before going back to it to check out whats going on at it, instead of just walking back to it and being surprised by people who were using it as a ambush point they knew you'd eventually return to.

    To date, other than having people pass by me and not know I was there, I haven't had any weird night time interactions but it only takes once. The stories people have locally of finding new places to shoot and people coming out of nowhere and constantly watching them or telling them some bullshit as to why they need to leave the area are common. If something were to ever happen, especially at night, I do like my chances though lol
    Similar situation here in AZ, down near Tucson. One area I hunt is a barren wasteland, Mad-Max-looking place that's 400 square miles with no roads, only paths through the desert, all State land. Thankfully, I've never encountered any illegals/sketchy activity, but here's a tip- if you see a white t-shirt hanging from a tree in a wash...gtfo. That's a sign and not a good one, according to my buddy in the Border Patrol. You also need to be aware that they LOVE to sit on hills and glass a wide area for smuggling routes/observation. They also often have comms to spot and report Border Patrol locations. The German is right, though, in that it only takes one encounter to ruin someone's day. I have enough gear with me to hopefully ensure that the bad day is theirs to enjoy, not mine.
     
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    Leaving gun stores or shooting ranges, I will make a few u-turns at a random point to make sure I’m not being tailed back to my residence.
    I'm always scanning my mirrors. A habit I built up driving in the northeast in the late 80s when every highway was 55 mph and cops were everywhere.

    It's hard for someone to tail me and me not see it unless they are really good and switching cars every couple of miles.

    But I like your idea. Gonna start making it a habit.
     
    German,
    What type activities are these folks up to out there at night?

    Like the German I too have shot alone in the woods (day and night) for @ 20 yrs. The woods (outdoors) is cheap entertainment for 'the poors'.

    Although given his war on the Poors, they could be stalking him o_O

    More seriously, if a person has a map the only time wheels need to touch pavement is for gas and groceries. One can pretty much travel wherever they want to go on the West Coast via dirt roads. That has a certain appeal to it for some.

    Over the years I've met a few questionable folks out and about, but in general I am FAR more concerned about taking a bad fall while setting up steel on steep hillsides at night.

    Let's be 1000% honest - any of us rolling around with some gear, esp if you driving an old ratty brush rig, or better yet 'just appearing' from the brush - you're the freaky one to 99.9% of the world. Bad guys may not know what you are, but they know what you're not.

    ps - coolest thing I have seen at night is crews fighting fire on the next ridge line over.
     
    Probably not a very interesting story , and I'm not a writer, but....

    About 15 years ago I used to take my son rucking in the boonies around my AO. We have a National Forest a few miles away as the crow flies and tons of state land in between.
    My terrain is extremely hilly and thick woods. Over the years I've stretched out our distances as he got stronger.
    Typically I would pack 60 lbs. Of gear, carbine and pistol. He was a little fella so he had a camelback , ka-bar and snake stick. His term.
    We'd start by laying out a map and lining up my lensatic for him to pick an azimuth.
    Teaching basic 11b skills was easier if it was made fun.
    So one evening we were at our bivouac site, fire was in a Dakota hole and nearly burned out. He was passed out under the bivy and I was just sitting there relaxing and I heard the sound of someone walking in a creek bed in the holler below us.
    I flipped on my pvs7 and ended up watching some dude walking down the dry creek bed without a light, nods or anything. Apparently he was very familiar with the path as he wasn't just strolling through.
    Luckily the fire didn't show our camp, and we were quiet since the boy was sleeping.
    I've often wondered what that was all about. Considering how many miles and miles we were from civilization. I'm talking deep woods here. And this guy didn't have a long rifle, ruck, lbe or anything on his person and was moving with purpose in BFE late at night.
    Had we been noticed we probably wouldn't have know he was ever there.
    That's a lesson I learned that evening.

    Okay, that's my weird little story.
     
    I spent nearly all of 2018 in Utah working.
    I bought a used four wheeler and would go out into the west desert, half way between Salt lake and the Nevada border.
    It was 50 + miles out of town and off an exit with nothing except a BLM entrance road.
    I would drive my truck in 4-5 miles then unload my four wheeler and take off back through the mountain range.
    It was scrub cedar trees and lost of rocks and steep canyon type terrain. I would go 30 miles from my truck and would turn around, small fuel tank.
    I always carried my Hk expert in a shoulder rig and my Ar varmint gun. I was on the look out for meth heads being so remote, and doing some coyote calling as well as just exploring the area. I was told about the crazy stuff out there so I was paying attention.
    In all the day trips I took out there , I never saw another person. I was also wandering if I was being watched from a distance. At this point I'm 80 miles from civilization and alone.
    One weekend I took a lady friend over to the casinos in Nevada, 110 mile drive across the west desert. On our way back about 1:00 am she wanted to go off roading. The half way point is my riding spot so take her off that exit, not a car in site for miles on the hwy, supper dark night
    We got about 2 miles back in and I saw a light of some sort a mile or so ahead of me. Like I said, I'd never seen anybody there before.
    I stopped and cut my lights and seen another flicker, then I decided I needed to get her out of there, all I had on me was a 380 acp. There was a good chance of a hijacking or some sort of problem in my mind.
    We did have a good laugh for the last 50 miles home.
    Desert at night is creepy.
     
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    When you live on the outskirts of Portland and have multiple customers that tell you they live on the same street as some black-masks, and you have to drive by active riots five times a week, it’s not too hard to stay in condition safety-orange.
     
    Situational awareness

    This is something I try to instill in my GF and her children. Just yesterday, I stopped at a local truck stop for fuel and to use the pisser. Noticed a guy wandering around near the restroom eyeballing everyone entering, he suddenly decided to follow me into the restroom. I made it known I was carrying, he bailed, didn't see him in the store or lot when I left.
     
    Myself and three buddies decided to go camping in the Francis Marion National Forrest one weekend the campsite is on the Santee River about 10 miles from the closest paved road and even that road is pretty rural. We were going Friday to Sunday two of the guys couldn't get off till late Friday so they decided to come Saturday mourning instead. Anyway about 1am we hear and see a truck coming up the road we thought are other two buddies must have decided to come on up so we weren't that concerned at first, but then the truck just sat their with the headlights on pointed right at our campsite we knew at that point it wasn't our friends so we started to get a little nervous I had my 45 in my pocket and a AR15 ready to go in the tent. This guy finally gets out and comes up to us and just acts like its a random meeting any where. He was like "hey guys whats going on?" I was like we are camping what hell does it look like and what the hell are you doing at 1am coming up here in the middle of nowhere. He was like "oh I just like coming out here to see if anyone is camping" I made it clear that I was carrying and we weren't to be fucked with he finally left, but I didn't sleep at all that night.
     
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    Here is CA we have stumbled on grows, meth labs that are usually burned up, illegals, you name it. I've been shot at a few times while camping in the desert. Probably drunk idiots but one group continued to fire after we turned on vehicle lights and set off the car alarms. We grabbed our AR's and returned fire at the base of the hill and called the police. They checked the area and whoever it was left the camp fire burning and took off. The grow operation stand offs were interesting situations that thankfully did not escalate. Needless to say we never went back to those areas again. Illegals for the most part we have seen just walking in small groups carrying water and trying to hide from CBP.

    I've been shot at while quail hunting but that appeared to be deer hunters with an improper zero. Several yells and some 45 ACP at the base of the tree line stopped that.

    BLM land can be the wild west for sure. Be careful and pay attention to what is going on at all times.
     
    Heck, I've been shot at on my own property. It only happened once, so maybe when I advanced and returned fire, I came closer to hitting them than they did hitting me.

    As a landowner, I've encountered people many times that were trespassing. There are people who do nothing but drive around looking for signs marking oil/gas well sites. They think that oil companies own those sites, and it's OK to hunt/shoot/camp there. I always have the sheriff explain the error of their ways to them from jail whenever I catch them. I once caught two guys at midnight down on the platform that drove over 200 miles from Houston to get there. I don't know how they even found the place. They drove through a gate, right down my road, and right by my house past two big "No Trespassing" signs. They argued with me about it because one guy's cousin used to work for Chevron and told him it was OK to hunt on oil/gas well platforms. They were lucky it only took the deputies about 6 minutes to get there. I told them they were lucky it was me and not my wife because the instant she saw that rifle in their hands she would have just shot them and then called the sheriff. They paid some hefty fines and they never got their guns back.

    But, the thing I hear quite often is "I found this place to hunt that nobody goes.." Don't bet on it. I have friends that occasionally hunt public lands. I always tell them that you have to pack many miles in to even start to get away from the crowds. The funniest story I heard was from someone who told me about hunting some nearby public lands. He hiked a few miles in and found a good area, and made sure he could come back to it on opening day. He said there was no sign of ANYONE ever being in the area. The day before opening day, he sat up a blind, a small feed pile, and some attractant. He hiked in early the next morning, and got in his blind. After daylight, it didn't take more than an hour for four different hunters to walk right through his shooting area.
     
    Last edited:
    Myself and three buddies decided to go camping in the Francis Marion National Forrest one weekend the campsite is on the Santee River about 10 miles from the closest paved road and even that road is pretty rural. We were going Friday to Sunday two of the guys couldn't get off till late Friday so they decided to come Saturday mourning instead. Anyway about 1am we hear and see a truck coming up the road we thought are other two buddies must have decided to come on up so we weren't that concerned at first, but then the truck just sat their with the headlights on pointed right at our campsite we knew at that point it wasn't our friends so we started to get a little nervous I had my 45 in my pocket and a AR15 ready to go in the tent. This guy finally gets out and comes up to us and just acts like its a random meeting any where. He was like "hey guys whats going on?" I was like we are camping what hell does it look like and what the hell are you doing at 1am coming up here in the middle of nowhere. He was like "oh I just like coming out here to see if anyone is camping" I made it clear that I was carrying and we weren't to be fucked with he finally left, but I didn't sleep at all that night.

    Yep, just like that
     
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    I 15 is the only corridor from SLC to Vegas and further to southern California. Most of the land in the Utah area near it is wide open BLM land with some areas fairly hard to get to/terrain locked. There is zero patrolling of anything, and except the first mile or two at the front where 95% of people go to shoot, hang out, bike, etc, not many are further in. It's honestly the wild west.

    It's common knowledge that there are people cooking meth/drugs/whatever out there and using the the land to bypass the highway for transportation of whatever they don't want to get pulled over for. Like I said above, I've come across sheds that were built in between fingers of cliffs and covered with bushes to hide them; this is MILES away from anything.

    I've also seen small groups of 3-4 mexicans wearing jeans and tshirts/flannels with rucksacks moving around there at night, while its 95+ degrees out with no equipment, lights, etc. I'm assuming from the cache of daisey chained 1 gallon water jugs stashed in a dugout in the middle of the desert I've come across out there, illegals also use the land.

    The wild card out there are the people who take advantage of being allowed to 'live' on BLM land for I think 3 weeks at a time, but set up shop out there for 6+ months. Usually the BLM/wildlife/whoever people come around towards August and you'll see the notices to vacate stuck on all of their trailers/RVs, but at that point they've been out there since March. Most are there just to live the 'RV life' and basically live for free, but theres a lot that goes on out there at night by people who don't want to be found and/or are using this as a mobile base.

    If I go hunting at night, for the reasons above, I have way more on me than just the single mag people take hunting. Besides having a giant advantage with having nightvision, I have either a Mk12 or a carbine with PEQ15 and suppressor, my hunting rounds, hydration, IFAK, comms and then 3-4 mags of M193/262 on a chest rig along the entire time.

    I also take precautions that we did when patrolling overseas like not returning to the vehicle the same route you left, and having a short halt a few 100 yards before going back to it to check out whats going on at it, instead of just walking back to it and being surprised by people who were using it as a ambush point they knew you'd eventually return to.

    To date, other than having people pass by me and not know I was there, I haven't had any weird night time interactions but it only takes once. The stories people have locally of finding new places to shoot and people coming out of nowhere and constantly watching them or telling them some bullshit as to why they need to leave the area are common. If something were to ever happen, especially at night, I do like my chances though lol


    can a couple of us come out and play?
     
     
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    Another,
    Truck driver from the northern plains stops at a seedy truck stop or so it was told in Nevada. In the can and two guys come in, one with a knife, tell him to give them his money. He builds to them, they are beaten senseless. He then takes knife used to attempt felony. Cuts the ears off of that person and flushes them down the toilet. He gets stopped on his way north and questioned. that is the end of it. Gentleman was in his 70's at the time.
     
    .... of someone walking in a creek bed in the holler below us........
    I flipped on my pvs7 and ended up watching some dude walking down the dry creek bed without a light, nods or anything. Apparently he was very familiar with the path as he wasn't just strolling through.
    Luckily the fire didn't show our camp, and we were quiet since the boy was sleeping.
    I've often wondered what that was all about. Considering how many miles and miles we were from civilization. I'm talking deep woods here. And this guy didn't have a long rifle, ruck, lbe or anything on his person and was moving with purpose in BFE late at night.
    He lives there