Scary night ride

[Custom24]

I've just come back from an mtb night ride. Normally I enjoy them, but tonight;

My brand new cree XML t6 died terminally after about 5 minutes. Boo.
I carried on with backup lights, and about 20 minutes later, came up behind a land rover being driven along the trail with its lights off. There was a powerful red spotlight on the roof sweeping around. I didn't know what it was. Then they scared the bejesus out of me by firing a couple of rifle shots, not in my direction. I realised they were lamping, but I didn't feel safe trying to get by them, so turned around and went back the way I'd come. I was paranoid they were coming after me

 

[RWright]

I haven't tried any night trail riding yet. I need to get a little more practice during the day first. It is archery season for deer here now. I am glad you brought up hunting and I checked to see when the season is. I won't be wearing anything white while woods riding for the next few months.. I just read some spotlighting is allowed here but only under certain circumstances and for certain game. From what I have heard, the penalties are pretty severe if you get caught doing it illegally. Such as losing your vehicle and weapons on the spot, and not getting them back.

It would be weird and unsettling to me as well to run up on someone poaching. Sorry to hear about your T6. I burned one out when I mistakenly used a different battery pack, not the one that came with that particular light.

 

[Custom24]

It would be weird and unsettling to me as well to run up on someone poaching

I'm not sure if they were poaching, spotlighting is legal here, I think. I guess if they were poaching, I did the right thing by getting out of there quickly.

 

[Custom24]

So does anyone else on here have experience of dealing with lamping / spotlighting?

 

[fossyant]

What you need next time is a bank of T6's to fire up when you see them again, and scare the be-jesus out of them !

Last year I nipped out for a quick 10 mile off road circuit, and was charging down a 'tarmaced' section of the Trans Pennine, with one Magicshine T6 on full blast (I've got more of them now). Bombed round a corner to be confronted by 4 powerful lights. Two high up but a few feet appart and two lower down. Thought 'ooops some machinery ahead' - turned out to be two other MTB'ers that had stopped, and they were just as surprised as I came round the corner !

 

[Custom24]

The vendor is sending me a new T6. If it lasts properly, I may invest in more of them.
I was really stupid at the time. I turned my lights off in confusion. They could have shot me!

 

[i hate hills]

Nice tale there. When i'm out night riding i try to stick to the town or country tarmac roads. Not brave enough to do the trails in the dark .

 

[Custom24]

Nice tale there. When i'm out night riding i try to stick to the town or country tarmac roads. Not brave enough to do the trails in the dark .

I love it! But I must admit those guys have put me off and I haven't been out since.

 

[RWright]

I love it! But I must admit those guys have put me off and I haven't been out since.

If I enjoyed it I don't think I would let it keep me from doing it. I would like to think they are not out to shoot humans but they may not like you possibly scaring off what they are hunting....but, you can always point out they are out there in an SUV with bright lights too. Talk to a game warden (or ranger or whatever they are called there), ask him what he would do.

 

[Cubist]

Just seen this, and need to calm everybody down. People out lamping in a Landy at night with rifles you can hear are probably out after foxes, although rabbits are also a possibility. Despite a number of claims to the contrary it is important to remember that people who go shooting at night with loud rifles are more than likely to be legitimately there. Firearms certificate holders have to be absolutely squeak clean (normally) in order to get and maintain a certificate. They will do absolutely everything they can to be seen to comply with the law. As for the potential to be shot, well, I go lamping. A lot. There is absolutely no way a human on a bike could ever be mistaken for anything which needs shooting. It sounds like a boast, but the equipment I use for foxing at night will allow me to identify a fox at up to 500 metres away. By the time I am shooting it it will be within a couple of hundred yards, and I am choosing exactly which square inch of the fox is going to be the target. So, next time you see someone out lamping, strike up a conversation with them. They will want to speak with you to reassure you they are all above board and will be flattered if you show an interest in what they are doing. Unless of course you feel it your duty to tell them what nasty blighters they are for wanting to hurt the fluffy things, in which case the conversation is less likely to be friendly.

 

[Custom24]

Hi Cubist
Good to talk to someone who actually lamps.
You don't need to calm anyone down - it's all good.
I'd never seen lamping in the flesh before, although I'd heard of it.
The thing that confused me was that they'd seen my lights, but they didn't wave me through or anything like that. Instead, they fired a couple of shots. Given that they knew I was there, I would have expected them to wait until I'd passed before firing.
And because they'd fired, and I'd not had a look at them, I took off back the way I'd come.
I'm not sure it was a rifle. There were two shots, but they did sound quite sharp. Maybe a specific type of shotgun.
I was also wondering about the red light. Surely this loses the ability to distinguish the colour of the retinal return and hence the species?
Next time, I will keep my lights on and continue to cycle towards them. I will chat to them if they seem to be up for it.

 

[Cubist]

If they had been out after a fox, had just got one within range they're going to take the shot as long as you are safe, otherwise all the hard work they've done to get within range would be undone. They may well have been lamping with a shotgun as you describe two loud bangs.... were they more or less consecutive or was there a pause between them?

Red filters are useful on land where white light has been used extensively. Rabbits are less spooked by red light, and although you can see them acting warily (we think it's because all the shadows and contrast changes around them) they don't bolt like they do under a white lamp. The shooter's eyes will have been accustomed to the red lamp and as they are driving with the lights off and you'll be literally amazed how much detail the human eye can see in those circumstances.

All the guidelines and codes of practice published by the various shooting organisations make it very clear that lampers MUST BE 100% CERTAIN of the quarry before firing. To shoot at a pair of eyes without seeing their owner would be a incredibly irresponsible thing to do. I cannot stress how well you can see all of the animal under a lamp. We shoot rabbits at 40 to 75 yards and under a red lamp you can get a good estimate of the rabbit's age and size, and especially with older adults, a good guess at their sex based on the shape of their head and ears. Again, without boasting, Cubester and I can be more or less guaranteed to shoot a rabbit, not just in the head, but in a specific part of the head with the rifle we use. It's a rested shot, off the door of a stationary vehicle, with a high quality sight set to between 4 times and 12 time magnification. On setting up the rifle we aren't happy until we can group five shots into a five pence piece target at 50 yards.

 

[Nigeyy]

I go night riding. It can be a very weird experience.

First of all, I admit I don't go very often -usually when normal hours prevent me from getting out on the bike, and I figure night riding is the only option left open to me. I have 2 MagicShines @1000 lumens each (bar and helmet mounted), so I am well lit up.

I usually go to places close to suburbs that aren't hunting areas, but are still very woodsy off road, and if you didn't know where you were, you'd think you could be out in the middle of nowhere. However, what can be weird is when you are by your own, it's just you and a cone of light in front of you. All the sounds get magnified -and sometimes I just can;'t help but feel someone or something is following me -a little bit of paranoia comes in. I don't mind admitting there have been times when I've stopped suddenly and turned my head to see if there's anything behind me! I've also heard crashing sounds at night -probably deer -though with all the sounds seemingly magnified I wouldn't surprize me if it was a squirrel either...... But it doesn't happen very often (maybe 1 on 10 rides?), but when it does, it's a bit creepy. Mind you, motivates me to pedal faster and complete the circuit......

 

[LimeBurn]

I go night riding. It can be a very weird experience.

First of all, I admit I don't go very often -usually when normal hours prevent me from getting out on the bike, and I figure night riding is the only option left open to me. I have 2 MagicShines @1000 lumens each (bar and helmet mounted), so I am well lit up.

I usually go to places close to suburbs that aren't hunting areas, but are still very woodsy off road, and if you didn't know where you were, you'd think you could be out in the middle of nowhere. However, what can be weird is when you are by your own, it's just you and a cone of light in front of you. All the sounds get magnified -and sometimes I just can;'t help but feel someone or something is following me -a little bit of paranoia comes in. I don't mind admitting there have been times when I've stopped suddenly and turned my head to see if there's anything behind me! I've also heard crashing sounds at night -probably deer -though with all the sounds seemingly magnified I wouldn't surprize me if it was a squirrel either...... But it doesn't happen very often (maybe 1 on 10 rides?), but when it does, it's a bit creepy. Mind you, motivates me to pedal faster and complete the circuit......

Haha I get spooked too and know exactly what you mean - I tend to just ride faster though rather than stopping and turning around to see whats there!!

 

[Nigeyy]

Oh good, glad it's not just me then. I was a little apprehensive posting that as I thought people might think I'm really paranoid or something! Without a doubt, it's much more comfortable when you are riding with at least one other person (not least from a safety point of view). The funny thing is I'm not a person who believes in ghosts or supernatural stuff, or thinks mass murderers lurk in the underbrush -but no matter what I try to tell myself and even when I attempt to think logically, I still get spooked now and again! For me at least, it shows how when it's just you alone in the dark, your mind really can play tricks on you.

Haha I get spooked too and know exactly what you mean - I tend to just ride faster though rather than stopping and turning around to see whats there!!