Let's be careful out there boys and girls

[Canine]

Six campers were killed at a campsite near Palastine Tx.over the weekend.

 

[storm6398]

Six campers were killed at a campsite near Palastine Tx.over the weekend.

Is this the article you are referring to?
http://www.palestineherald.com/news...cle_5ee40888-8cbd-11e5-a74b-ef19223b70de.html

 

[Almost There]

Six campers were killed at a campsite near Palastine Tx.over the weekend.

Got the body count right but they weren't at a 'campsite' they were camping on land that one of them had just purchased. The alleged murderer lived on the property next door.

Until the motive is released, let's not go wandering off thinking that all of us who stay in campgrounds are at risk.

 

[Canine]

Don't mean to be dis agreeable,but if you are camping you are at a campsite.

 

[GotSmart]

Don't mean to be dis agreeable,but if you are camping you are at a campsite.

Semantics.  This looks like a private feud, not a random targeting of campers or dwellers.

 

[SoulRaven]

This is a good heads up though. Boondockers especially need to be extra aware during hunting season. Hunting accidents happen all the time.

 

[BC Guy]

  Boondockers especially need to be extra aware during hunting season.

I wasn't aware that there is a hunting season for Boondockers.

 

[BigT]

Six campers were killed at a campsite near Palastine Tx.over the weekend.

It's a shame that it takes a tragedy like this to remove a lunatic from society.

 

[akrvbob]

The message to take away from this is to stay off of private property where your neighbor may be a lunatic and get out into the Public land where these things rarely happen.
Bob

 

[mockturtle]

Unfortunately, Bob, there are lunatics even on public lands. 

 

[akrvbob]

Unfortunately, Bob, there are lunatics even on public lands. 

But they are so rare that anytime there is even a single story about lunatics on Public Land it makes the national news. Lunatics in cities is so common no one notices or cares, it's just the murder of the day. There'll be another one tomorrow.

I tried hard to google and find crime statistics on Public Land. I couldn't find any.  It's so rare I don't think anyone keeps any. Search on murder in the national Forest, and you'll find the same very few stories repeated over and over again.

Violent crimes are extremely rare on public, there is no where safer in the country--certainly not inside any home in any city. There are a few petty crimes, but not something to worry about. 
Bob

 

[SoulRaven]

I figured it was more of a local feud and here is the update: http://www.palestineherald.com/news...cle_c7c962f2-8d5e-11e5-8b81-9b85a3d0c742.html The thing is that it only takes one person to lose it and they could come and beat down the heavy door on my house, enter and do whatever they pleased just as easily as if I were camped out at the lake. I'd rather be camped at the lake. Every once in a while you hear a story like this. I looked up for some research I was doing how many murders there are in the US per day, 44. Also, being out in a public campground has always felt safer to me than in an RV park and we have spent quite a bite time in "better" RV parks.

 

[SoulRaven]

I just did a few quick searches:

People shot in the woods: 71,800,000 results

People shot in the desert: 49,900,000 results

People shot while camping: 15,000,000 results

Hunting Accidents: 1,480,000 results

Murdered in the woods: 19,500,000 results

Murdered in the desert: 4,860,000 results

Murdered while camping: 521,000 results

After having 3 bullets go through my van in the woods, I feel safer in the cities. The fact that it was an accident by hunters shooting at a deer, is little consolation if you wind up dead. I was lucky.

My cabin in the woods collects stray bullets from hunters almost every year. During hunting season, I'm in a city where I feel safer.

Sticking your head in the sand doesn't mean these things don't happen, or make them magically disappear. Then there's the dangers of bears and other wild animals, venomous snakes, spiders, scorpions, and many more.

There can also be man made problems like huge snares, covered pits, and other booby traps. Pot growers and poachers are notorious for this kind of stuff.

Then there's problems like getting stuck or going off the road, widow maker branches falling, wild fires, camp stoves or BBQ's blowing up, or even life threatening personal injuries.

Boondockers need to be extra safe, cautious, and vigilant, and most of all be prepared. Glossing over the dangers could cost you your life!

 

[johnny b]

I just searched 'people shot in the woods' and got 8,420,000 results.
I just searched 'people shot in cities' and got 19,700,000 results.

Totally irrelevant numbers when looking for statistics.

 

[SoulRaven]

While it pays to always be cautious, in AZ, we had scorpions and centipedes come in the house, coyotes and wild pigs cross the yard and in our last city, people were going in to rob people with the residents at home. We have a problem with dog bites here, pit bulls came after our dogs on a walk but luckily, I had a stun gun and the dogs had on choke collars with prongs so the dogs couldn't get them by the neck and luckily the owner showed up and the dogs were young so inexperienced. I have never camped where they were hunting but I would think that wouldn't be that advisable.

So one has to be cautious where ever they are. It is just commonsense. I don't know of any place I would consider "safe" from possibilities of danger.

The thing is that this situation that has been brought up was not just a case of someone boondocking. I think there is plenty of info on this website and experiences being shared that most are aware of the normal dangers and know what to look out for.

I wouldn't get in a land dispute with someone in the backwoods and I advise others not to either.

 

[highdesertranger]

you can't garner any info off how many hits you get when you search something. haven't you noticed that when you do a search you get more junk that has nothing to do with the search, and like Bob said you get the same thing repeated over and over. so all those numbers in the above two posts actually mean nothing. highdesertranger

 

[bigsallysmom]

Hunters firing into your home? Dang. I'd be hanging signs on the trees telling them my house is X yards that away from here.

 

[USExplorer]

I always strive to find campsites invisible from any nearby roads, more for privacy than security.

I've had encounters with drunk punks in the woods, but they were more scared by me than I was of them.

AFAIK I don't have any hit men after me, so I am not concerned about being killed while boondocking. If there were, I'm sure I would never see it coming, so why worry?

 

[highdesertranger]

so I just did a search on "how many people have froze to death on the moon" guess what I got 13,200,000 results. now we all know nobody has ever froze to death on the moon but I got over 13 million results. just saying. highdesertranger

 

[GotSmart]

I need to get off the computer.  :s

PEOPLE KILLED WHILE SURFING THE INTERNET

[font=arial, sans-serif]About 1,970,000 results[/font][font=arial, sans-serif] (0.44 seconds) [/font]

[font=arial, sans-serif][font=arial, sans-serif]19% admit Web use while driving - USATODAY.com[/font][/font]

[font=arial, sans-serif][font=arial, sans-serif]Put down that laptop and watch where you are going!  [/font][/font]