A plea to outdoor growers

Early in the year, while the ground was still frozen, my partner Joshua and I were out hiking, I saw a bald eagle fly over and following it's path I saw a huge nest. I did't want to bother anyone, or the bird, I just wanted to get pictures of that nest and maybe even find a feather.
We were across the lake that day, so we came back the next weekend and parked in an area we thought we could reach the nest. After hours of walking in fields and through wild woods I saw the nest about 100 foot ahead and about 75 ft. high. We realized we would have to make our way through a thick bamboo forrest to get to the clearing under the tree, bamboo is not as forgiving as one may think. Coming out of the bamboo, with my eyes on the nest walking towards the tree, and then something I didn't expect. Pain seared through my foot all the way up my leg, I was scared to look down because I thought my foot may be gone and because of all my water training the first thought was' shark!' silly me, I was on land so the second thought was bear trap. It wasn't a trap, thank- goodness, it was a punji stick. A homemade booby trap that found it's birth in Vietnam, the vietnamese would sharpen a piece of cut bamboo, then heat it to make it very strong like steele, then smear it with yak shit. The purpose was so soldiers would step on them and get terrible infextions and off the battle field they go, 1000's of men and women have lost thier lower limbs to punji stick through out Asia.
So just what the hell was a punji stick doing here, under an eagles nest in Middle Tennessee? It wasn't the only one, there were at least 30 of them, sticking up from the ground about 6 inches, looking like huge needles all covered in eagle shit. At the time I thought' I didn't know bamboo broke off like this, this is dangerous". My partner looked at my foot, the punji stick had punctured to a little over 2 inches, I thought it was broken at the time and still think there was a small fracture, we had almost 6 miles of rough terrain to get over til we got back to the car. I put my head down and said I can do this and as we were moving through open fields we thought the small airplane that kept flying over was strange, then the dirt bike that kept coming and circling the field gave me a bad feeling- It didn't take a psychic.
It took almost 5 months before I could hike again, no insurance and terrrifed of infection that would cost me my foot, it's a good thing I have a strong medical background. I did alot of internet research while I couldn't walk, I found about punji sticks and why we see them in this country. I couldn't believe it, it made a little sense, but not much, most people out in the woods aren't there to harm others.
I also read an article where a man in NY also decapitated himself with his own booby trap of piano wire around his outdoor grow. This is not smart.
I don't want to start a shit storm and I am in favor of growing outdoors, wherever you can, please just take your booby traps out with the harvest, re-think your booby traps and stay safe out there - hikers and growers alike!
Toke-on!

You don't mention if you were on private land or public, here some of the illegal growers use fish hooks about eye level, watch your step and know who owns the land where you're going because some of these guys are real bad people.

Your absolutely correct, I didn't- it is Federal Land, not state land.

I hiked back that way this past weekend, I could smell it and it smelled good ya know....then a truck was blocking the path....so I turned around and the next thing I know a freaking plane is circling over....I'm gonna stay away...

Fish hooks huh? that sucks....I wish that there was a way for the growers to not feel that they need to be so protective, I do get it that there is a lot at stake...but ...I still want to be out in the woods...

I don't want to steal anybodies grow, or report it- I just want to be in the woods, nothing better than taking a walk in the woods after taking a little hit..

I would love to hear a growers view on this, I want to understand not stir shit, I have kids that play in the woods and I don't want them to get hurt either..

Your absolutely correct, I didn't- it is Federal Land, not state land.

I hiked back that way this past weekend, I could smell it and it smelled good ya know....then a truck was blocking the path....so I turned around and the next thing I know a freaking plane is circling over....I'm gonna stay away...

Fish hooks huh? that sucks....I wish that there was a way for the growers to not feel that they need to be so protective, I do get it that there is a lot at stake...but ...I still want to be out in the woods...

I don't want to steal anybodies grow, or report it- I just want to be in the woods, nothing better than taking a walk in the woods after taking a little hit..

I would love to hear a growers view on this, I want to understand not stir shit, I have kids that play in the woods and I don't want them to get hurt either..

Before getting into the subject.....Eagle feathers are illegal to own, so be very, very careful if you find one....it's a hefty fine.

I too wish people could trust others, and not have to turn to such tactics, however for those that have trusted in the past only to have a seasons work lost to some d*** tweeker, or loser, with nothing better to do then take something that isn't theirs, I do sympathize!
Until we can come up with a deterrent that is peaceful and works, we will just have to keep our eyes open a little wider to the facts, life is unfair.

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Originally Posted by Schrodingers Cat

Before getting into the subject.....Eagle feathers are illegal to own, so be very, very careful if you find one....it's a hefty fine.

I too wish people could trust others, and not have to turn to such tactics, however for those that have trusted in the past only to have a seasons work lost to some d*** tweeker, or loser, with nothing better to do then take something that isn't theirs, I do sympathize!
Until we can come up with a deterrent that is peaceful and works, we will just have to keep our eyes open a little wider to the facts, life is unfair.

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If you're at least 1/32 american Indian you can own an eagle feather. But otherwise yeah grow traps are sketchy lol

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lipps

You don't mention if you were on private land or public, here some of the illegal growers use fish hooks about eye level, watch your step and know who owns the land where you're going because some of these guys are real bad people.

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yea ok, if I was out anywhere and that fish hook trick happened to me best believe I'm coming back and completely shutting down that land from anybody who thinks they are doing an outdoor grow. Booby traps are for war vets and sickos.. stop with all that shit just to protect a few plants. Talk about desperate!

They must have lost lots from their experience to think of putting those traps. also, the only reason they know how to put those kind of traps must be because they or at least one of them was a war veteran. So not really a junkie or even a Security detail? Just thinking. Must be elaborate grow out there.

Nobody hates a thief more than me! I hate them with every fiber of my being. Yet what about my fellow nature lovers who may be simply enjoying the outdoors, looking for beauty in areas unmolested by those disrespectful of Mother Nature? These are the people most likely to be harmed, because thieves are more aware of traps & therefore more alert. Its hard to remember this when you walk out & find you've just been robbed, yet this is a fact. More innocents are harmed this way than thieves. Sad, but true. :(

Yeah, as they always say in some war movies..collateral damage. Hard to accept but part of reality. Also the same problem here. But locals are smart enough not to venture in large private properties even though no signs of securities around. Out here police use helicopters and gadgets to boot in detecting plantations.