# Staying safe in public campgrounds



## maverick9465 (Nov 21, 2016)

I had an interesting experience this morning at High Creek Campground in Cache County. I awoke to the supposed camp host shaking my tent and asking if I was ok. This turned into him telling me there were two robberies overnight. Then he asked if I had a gun in my tent. I said I did (mistake). This set him off.

He starts screaming stuff like "I got him! He's armed! I need back up!" Then he drives off saying he'll be back. At this point I don't know if the guy is the actual camp host or a law enforcement officer. So I stay put.

I spent the next half hour going through multiple scenarios in my mind. I wonder if I'll be detained. I worry about having to spend a night in jail. And through it all, I pray. I pray a lot!

Finally, two sheriff's deputies pull up and tell me the situation. Apparently that guy is neither camp host nor law enforcement. Rather, he's a man having a manic episode who thinks I stole his identity. There were no robberies in the campground. The deputies were super kind and put me at ease. They told me I was welcome to stay. I declined and threw my went tent and belongings in the car and got out of there.

So, what tips do you have for staying safe in public campgrounds? I will never stay at a free campground from here on out. I'll also be asking for ID of anyone who says they're an authority figure!

It's sad that I'm more scared of people than any of the threats nature could throw at me!


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## middlefork (Nov 2, 2008)

Sounds like a bad deal. Sorry it happened.
I personally avoid public established campgrounds as much as possible. Not a fan of neighbors if at all possible. Unfortunately with the great American getaway or what ever you want to call it plus homeless and squatters it gets to be tiresome.
I don't know the answer but it seems like you handled it pretty good. I've always worried more about two legged threats than four.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Utah Castle Doctrine applies to Camp trailers and hotel rooms in Utah now... did they extend it to cover tents as well? I'm curious.

-DallanC


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

That’s enough to make you uneasy, for sure. I have spent the last 20 years now working directly with criminals and criminal situations and have seen a side of society that most fortunately don’t even know exists.

What I can say is there really isn’t anything you can do to fully protect yourself. Not even staying home will do that. If someone is hell-bent on causing you harm, there won’t be a lot you can do to stop it. So what do I do?

I live my life. I take reasonable precautions and try to be observant on what is going on around me, and I live my life. I do the things I want to do and enjoy it as much as possible. This may sound like a “no duh” type comment, but if I allowed myself to think about the darkness all around us all the time, I wouldn’t do anything and life would suck.


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## brisket (Mar 3, 2015)

DallanC said:


> Utah Castle Doctrine applies to Camp trailers and hotel rooms in Utah now... did they extend it to cover tents as well? I'm curious.
> 
> -DallanC


My understanding is that it applies to anything that is your “dwelling”. In this case if your sleeping in a tent, that is your current dwelling.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

brisket said:


> My understanding is that it applies to anything that is your “dwelling”. In this case if your sleeping in a tent, that is your current dwelling.


Thats how I thought it was worded when they last extended it. But I've yet to find the statute.

-DallanC


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

The problem is that even in dispersed area camping you'll have problems.

On a elk hunt we had some folks pull up where we were camping at claiming that we were in their spot and that they had camped there for over 20 years. They were getting quite obstinate when another one of their party showed up and calmed the situation down and suggested to the others that they needed to move elsewhere.

A couple days later I figured out why they liked camping there. They had created a trail going down the ridge for a ATV, I guessed to pack elk out on. The beginning of the trail didn't start until you were around 50 yards inside the trees. After looking at how they got to the start of the trail I could see where they had trees laying across the hidden area that could be moved quite easy to open up the trail.

This was on National Forest land and I reported the trail when we came off of the hill with 2 spiles

Sent from my SM-A426U using Tapatalk


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

Crazy world with crazy people around us for sure. As of the last five years, I have a weapon on my person at all times, even have them scattered around the house in locations if ever needed. I wouldn't hesitate for one second to use it if it came to that. I prey I never have to make that decision. But I think you did everything in your capacity to avoid any issues that may have happened.


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

DallanC said:


> Thats how I thought it was worded when they last extended it. But I've yet to find the statute.
> 
> -DallanC







__





Utah Code Section 76-2-405







le.utah.gov


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## backcountry (May 19, 2016)

I'm sorry that happened to you. Being exposed and vulnerable to an unpredictable threat sucks.

Agreed on biggest threat being people (especially drunk ones) not animals. 

I've experienced human threat in most outdoor environments, though less at designated campgrounds. At paid campgrounds I've seen it get tense but never felt my life was in danger. 

I've had people shooting at our dispersed campsite because they practiced poor firearm safety (no backstop) and just assumed 30 yards out wasn't occupied. I've had people play with fireworks and exploding propane canisters that shot off in uncontrollable directions with no concern of either hitting my tent . I've been harassed by drunk ATV-ers that thought it was funny to drive circles around my solo tent in the middle of the night (roadless area). 

A minority of people are truly clueless and malicious. An even smaller portion actively want to harm others. Not much you can do to predict where or when. I'm willing to protect my home against such possibilities but I don't have the energy or willingness to bring that level of vigilance to the outdoors. From statistics, it doesn't seem like that choice has a meaningful affect on outcomes. I just don't have much control beyond how I choose to act.


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## wyoming2utah (Sep 12, 2007)

Vanilla said:


> That’s enough to make you uneasy, for sure. I have spent the last 20 years now working directly with criminals and criminal situations and have seen a side of society that most fortunately don’t even know exists.
> 
> What I can say is there really isn’t anything you can do to fully protect yourself. Not even staying home will do that. If someone is hell-bent on causing you harm, there won’t be a lot you can do to stop it. So what do I do?
> 
> I live my life. I take reasonable precautions and try to be observant on what is going on around me, and I live my life. I do the things I want to do and enjoy it as much as possible. This may sound like a “no duh” type comment, but if I allowed myself to think about the darkness all around us all the time, I wouldn’t do anything and life would suck.


Agreed. This is also why, despite some negative experiences I have had a public campgrounds, I still stay in them on occasion. I refuse to let the past keep me from doing things that I usually enjoy, and I am not going to live my life in fear.

I hate to even admit it, but I have been on the giving end of harassment as well. I remember while in college some buddies and I were camping in an established campground and we "tipped" a number of boy scout tents over throughout the night and even rolled one poor kid in his tent down a small hill. The boy scouts returned the favor the next morning as we were sleeping in by throwing rocks at us even hitting one guy in my group. We still laugh about that night to this day--the scouts retaliation was perfectly understood and our harassment unwarranted and despicable. I hope those boy scouts weren't so negatively affected by our actions that camping was ruined. Kindness and respect to those around us and the environment we are camping in go a long ways...


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

I camp in established public campgrounds every year. If I was going to be scared about a freak weirdo doing something to me while camping, I think I would I feel more secure in a public campground than I would out in the middle of nowhere by myself.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

The campground we like is generally priced just high enough to keep out the riff-raff without being too much of a hit to the bank account. Its always been pleasurable.

-DallanC


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## colorcountrygunner (Oct 6, 2009)

I was reading up on the unit I hunt Idaho bears in on the gohunt app. A lot of people made comments about the locals in the area being quite territorial and vandalizing vehicles and gear of nonresidents. Last weekend when I went to set my bait up I found a vehicle with Idaho plates already at the trail head. I looked in the back of his truck and could tell by the contents that he was also a bear baiter. I decided against crowding him too much and risking retaliation. Maybe he wasn't that kind of guy at all, but I wasn't gonna risk it.


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## Lone_Hunter (Oct 25, 2017)

Critter said:


> The problem is that even in dispersed area camping you'll have problems.
> 
> On a elk hunt we had some folks pull up where we were camping at claiming that we were in their spot and that they had camped there for over 20 years. They were getting quite obstinate when another one of their party showed up and calmed the situation down and suggested to the others that they needed to move elsewhere.
> 
> ...


Side effect of increased population I think. More people, means more people in the outdoors, which means compeitition when before there wasn't any - which made traditional spots possible. Domino effect.

As for public campgrounds, never been my thing. If i don't have to dig a hole to crap in, it doesn't feel like camping to me.

Honestly, I feel safer hammock camping on a mountain slope, then I do by the road sometimes. At night, I lock the car doors, and sleep with a handgun literally next to my hand. The thing is, most of you probably know I moved here from California back in 2011. I'm seeing things here in Utah now, that I haven't seen since I lived in that god forsaken state. From Graffiti, to vandalism, to drug users, to loud stereos, to trashed campsites, you name it. Covid migrations kicked that trend into overdrive. People don't change their ways simply because they crossed state lines. Per capita, there's a lot more vices, a "me first", and a "anything goes" mentality over there. A strong moral or ethic upbringing isn't as prevalent in the population there as it is here. When they move to a place that isn't a nanny state, they don't know how to conduct themselves. edit: On that note, bad attitudes are contagious. Kids that are "astray" will lead other kids to go "astray". I can think of one flat brimmer on my wifes side of the family who I think has been hanging out with the "cool kids" from the west coast, most likely. Got into drugs and all manner of crap his father (devote LDS) would never approve of.

Never dreamed I'd turn into a grumpy old man, but here I am killing it.


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