Recreating Outdoors: Planning, Hiking, Hunting, Fishing, Equestrian

Before heading out tell someone where you are going and when you plan to be back. This will help rescuers know where to start looking if you become lost or have an injury. The number one tool needed for survival when you are lost or injured in the wilds is a positive mental attitude. You should continually tell yourself that you have to get home. When you panic or lose hope, the situation becomes fatal.

If You Get Lost ... Don't Panic!

Stay calm if you get lost. Panic is your greatest enemy. Your best bet is simply to stay where you are, especially if it is nightfall, if you are injured, or if you are near exhaustion. While waiting for assistance, keep yourself hydrated and nourished, adapt to weather conditions by keeping yourself warm or cool.
Try to remember how you got to your present location. Pay close attention to your surroundings and land-marks, and relate this to your location on a map.
Trust your map and compass, and do not walk aimlessly. If you are on a trail, don’t leave it. GPS users: find your latitude and longitude and carry spare batteries.
Most trails are marked with signs (where intersections meet) and diamond blazes or markers. However, signs are sometimes vandalized or stolen.
Call for help if you can! Remember, before you leave plan your trip, tell someone your plans, and carry a fully charged cell phone. Cell phone coverage in remote areas may be limited.

Backpacking/Hiking

Plan Your Trip

Before you hike, study maps of the area and learn the terrain. Be familiar with all options; time, alternate routes and weather. Be sure to tell someone where you are going.

Help Preserve Natures Ground Cover

Limit your grip to a small size. Wilderness Areas have group size limitations. Bring tent poles and a ground pad. Pick a camping site where you won't need to clear vegetation or dig a ditch around your tent.

Pack It In - Pack It Out

If you can carry it in, you can carry it out. Go one step further and carry out trash that less thoughtful people have left behind. Leave your National Forest better than you found it.

Campfires

Fire permits are not normally required. However fires in Wilderness Areas are discourages and lightweight gas stoves are suggested. If you must have a campfire in a Wilderness Area, please keep it safe and small. Shelter your fire from high winds and keep away from logs, brush and tree trunks and clear the ground to mineral soil to prevent an accidental wildfire. Make sure fire is dead out before leaving. Be aware if there are any fire restrictions. If you have any questions call your local Forest Service Office.

Keep the Water Supply Clean

Please do not wash dishes or clothes in natural water sources. Do all necessary washing away from and below all sources of drinking water. Dispose of water waste away from streams and springs.

Giardia

Persons who must use streams as a water source should boil the water for 3 to 5 minutes before drinking or using in food preparation. After someone has ingested contaminated water the incubation period of the disease is 6 to 15 days. Common symptoms include nausea, abdominal cramps, flatulence, lethargy, diarrhea and weight loss. Giardia can be readily transmitted between humans and animals. Feces (human or animal waste) should be buried six to eight inches (16 to 20 centimeters) deep and at least 100 feet (30 meters) away from natural waters.

Insurance Items

Travel with a first aid kit, map, compass, whistle and guidebook. Carry extra warm clothing and gloves. Keep high-energy foods like hard candies, chocolate, dried fruit, energy bars or liquids accessible. Don't overload yourself so you can be prepared for emergencies.

Getting Lost

Stay calm and try to remember how you got to your present location. Look for familiar landmarks, trails or streams. If you are injured, near exhaustion or it is dark, it is best to stay where you are; someone may be looking for you. If you decide to go on, do it slowly and carefully. Try to find a high point with a good view and then plan your route of travel. When you find a trail, stay on it. A good tip, if you are still lost, is to follow a drainage or stream downstream.
When backpacking with children, be sure they stay with you or near camp. Discuss what they should do if they become separated. Children should also know the international distress signals and when to use them.

In Case of Injuries

Prevention of injury is the best first aid. Have adequate first aid knowledge and equipment. If you can, treat the injury and make the victim comfortable. Send or signal for help. If you must go for help, leave one person with the injured. If rescue is delayed, seek shelter or make an emergency shelter. Don't move until help arrives unless there is more danger in remaining where you are. Use extreme caution in moving the injured.

Dehydration

Adults require a half gallon (two liters) or water daily, and up to a full gallon (four liters) for strenuous activity at high elevations. To avoid dehydration, drink water as often as you feel thirsty. Higher elevations require more water to be drunk than lower elevations.

Hypothermia

Combinations of cold, wetness and wind cause hypothermia and it is aggravated by exhaustion. It is the number one killer of people who recreate outdoors.

Insects

Mosquitoes, Deer Flies and Horse Flies are plentiful during most of the summer. Insect repellent is a must.

Hunting

National forests are a refuge for wild animals of all kinds, which makes recreational activities, for example hunting and wildlife viewing possible. Hunting is a seasonal activity. State regulations for seasons, dates and licensing apply on national forest land.

Check weather reports before visiting the forest.
Tell someone where you will be hunting and when you will return.
Be familiar with the area you want to hunt.
Dress properly and be prepared for the worst possible weather conditions and changing weather.
If accompanied by a dog, the dog should wear hunter orange or a very visible color on a vest, leash, coat or bandana.
Utilize layering techniques to wick away moisture while retaining body warmth. Always bring rain gear.
Clearly identify your target before shooting. Prevent unfortunate accidents or fatalities.
Be alert when hunting near developed areas and trails. Other recreationists are in the forest as well.
If hunting in bear country, follow these tips at the Be Bear Aware website.

Fishing

Before You Set Off For the Nearest Fishing Hole
Take time to study local regulations. Know the size and creel limits. Also, know what kinds of fish are in season and what kinds are out. Find out who owns the land. If you will be crossing or fishing on private land, get permission from the landowner first. Don't forget your fishing license!
Play it Safe
When baiting hooks, keep a firm grip on the bait. The movements of slippery worms or minnows can cause serious hook injuries. Handle lures having clusters of double or treble hooks with special care. When landing a fish, ease it out of the water into a net or onto the bank. Jerking a fish out of the water can result in wildly flying hooks, especially if the fish comes loose.
On the Bank or Shore
Stay with your rod or pole. Protect curious children and animals from painful injuries by returning loose hooks and lures to your tackle box. Watch your backcasting clearance: avoid trees, bushes and especially people. Help prevent erosion: protect grass and shrubs near the water's edge. If you dig worms, go back away from the water to do so. Be sure to level the soil and replace the sod afterward.
Wading in Lakes or Streams Requires Special Care
Watch your footing. Look out for drop-offs, deep holes, slippery rocks, soft mud and quicksand. Always test the footing ahead and keep most of your weight on the foot already on safe ground. Avoid wading through bank fishermen's lines.
Out on the Lake or River
Wear an approved life jacket. Watch for storm warnings. Don't overload your craft. Small boats and canoes capsize easily. Stay seated when in one. Maintain a safe and courteous distance from other fisherman. If your line becomes tangled with somebody else's, stop and untangle it. This will save both tackle and tempers.
Keep Water Clean
Clean water is the best fishing water. Keep soaps, detergents, garbage and other waste out of lakes and streams. Use toilets where provided. Otherwise, dispose of human waste in accordance with local regulations. Unused bait should be disposed of away from the water.
Pack It In - Pack It Out!
Wads of fishing line, hooks, drink cans and bottles, plastic boxes, paper bags and other items degrade the water and the shore. Pack out what you bring in and, whenever you can, pick up and pack out trash that less thoughtful persons have left behind.
Just in Case
Be prepared for the unexpected. Bring a raincoat or poncho, sunglasses and sunscreen, first aid kit, compass, extra hooks, lures, leaders and other necessities.
Help Make Fishing More Enjoyable For All
Work with your local outdoor recreation club, planning board and conservation department for better sportsmanship, better fishing and better fish habitat. Take no more fish than you can use. Release all undersize fish. Be a pal - teach a kid how to fish.

Equestrian

Use lightweight, compact camp equipment such as sleeping bags, tents, camp stoves, cookware, and utensils can help reduce the number of pack animals, while allowing you to take what you really need.
Use nosebags and mangers to feed your stock hay, pellets or grain. They will help reduce waste and it's easier on the land.
Carry enough water for the area you're in. For longer trips, giardia filtering devices, iodine tablets and boiling all water are highly recommended.
Try prepackaged meals, dehydrated or freeze-dried food, or repackage food to save space and to reduce weight. Use light-weight, reusable plastic containers and plastic bags instead of glass and cans. Avoid packing in needless trash.
A shovel, axe, and water container are useful for fire safety and keeping camp clean. Use these tools to clear brush and trees that fall across trails when you can do so safely.
Take insect repellent and a first-aid kit for both yourself and your stock. Make sure you know how to use first-aid supplies.
Please stay on trails. Cutting across switchbacks tramples plants and creates parallel paths which erode severely.
Keep your stock from skirting shallow puddles, small rocks, and bushes. This helps prevent the creation of wide, deteriorating trails.
Tie your stock off the trail at rest stops. This is courteous to other trail users and helps reduce wear and tear on the trail. Before you move on, scatter the manure.
No smoking while traveling and remember that cigarette butts are litter. Pack them out.
Use trail courtesy. Downhill traffic usually yields to uphill traffic. People with llamas, on foot, or on mountain bikes should yield to stock traffic.
While camping keep stock and gear at least 200 feet from the nearest lake, stream, meadow, trail, and other camps.
To prevent contaminating water sources, dispose of soapy water and human waste at least 200 feet from water, camp, and trails. For short stays, use biodegradable unscented white toilet paper and bury human waste and toilet paper in a small 6-8" hole. For longer stays and larger parties use a latrine and cover it completely.
Use existing campfire rings in heavily used areas. Keep your fires small, attend them while burning, and let them burn down to a fine ash; then stir, scatter or pack out ashes according to local practice for that site.
Get your stock used to all the new feed before you go. Find out if certified weed-see-free feed is required. Help prevent spreading noxious weeds by removing weeds and burrs from animals, tack, trailers, trucks and the tires.

Hazard Trees

Falling trees and branches are an ever-present hazard when traveling or camping in a forest. A hazard tree is one that has a structural defect that makes it likely to fail in whole or in part.
Be aware of your surroundings. Trees can fall without warning. Look up for trees with broken limbs or tops. Do not stand or camp under leaning or dead trees.
Avoid dense patches of dead trees. Limbs and damaged trees may fall at any time. Absence of needles, bark or limbs may also indicate structural defects. The possibility of rot is indicated by broken tops, basal scars, cat faces, numerous down limbs, ants or an abundance of woodpecker holes.
Park close to a main road rather than on a spur or one-way section when driving in remote areas of the forest to avoid being trapped if a hazardous tree falls down.
Be aware of your surroundings. Trees can fall without warning. Look up for trees with broken limbs or tops. Do not stand or camp under leaning or dead trees.
Avoid dense patches of dead trees. Limbs and damaged trees may fall at any time. Absence of needles, bark or limbs may also indicate structural defects. The possibility of rot is indicated by broken tops, basal scars, cat faces, numerous down limbs, ants or an abundance of woodpecker holes.
Park close to a main road rather than on a spur or one-way section when driving in remote areas of the forest to avoid being trapped if a tree falls across the road.
Camp in open spaces. Place tents and camp sites in areas where they will not be hit if a tree falls.
Report hazardous trees. Contact authorities with location and information if you find a tree that presents a likely hazard, such as near a trail or camp site.