Ever found anything interest while hunting/fishing or snagged anything cool while fishing? Reason I ask in first comment below.

[Okwaho]

Most of the stuff I snag while fishing is decidedly uncool, such as rocks, logs, and myself. Lol
I have found some interesting stuff while hunting and hiking. I've picked up a lot of fossils over the years, because I've always been interested in geology, so I keep my eyes open for that kind of thing. I found a couple of near-perfect specimens of fossilized coral last year while turkey hunting. Interestingly, they were on top of a 300-foot bluff. Not the kind of place you'd expect to find something like that.
One time while shed hunting in the spring, I came the remains of an old trash heap. I'm guessing it was from the mid-20th century. There were all kinds of antique blue and green glass bottles and stuff, and I picked up one of the better-looking ones and took it home. After I cleaned it up, it looks pretty nice. Might even be worth a few bucks to the right person.

Seems like every old trash-pile I find has at least one bottle that contained "Wild Root Creme Oil." I find a lot of old trash piles because most of my area's state forests are old farms and homesteads that the state bought during the Great Depression. A lot of the building remnants are still out there, too -- some of the best grouse covers are old grown-up house foundations. You just have to keep an eye out for the well; most of them have been covered over but a couple times I've found ones that weren't, and half-hidden by weeds and briars. That'd be a hell of a way to end your hunting days.

[bowhunter75richard]

No. I do have one irrational thing I always have half an eye out for.

The Jaryd Atadero (http://www.canammissing.com/jaryd-atadero.html)case has always haunted me. After his disappearance two fisherman admitted to meeting the 3 year old in the woods. He asked them if there were bears around. When they said no, they let him walk off. They were the last people to see him alive. I've been on trails and streams fairly out in it a few times where people have let small children wander so far you couldn't tell if they were alone, couldn't even hear anyone else in the area. I've developed the (possibly unnerving to parents) habit of engaging the kid in conversation by asking if they've done any fishing or seen any animals until someone comes along. I've cautioned parents, but you know how people are. And frankly, I'd look at me with suspicion too, if I was the kind of nitwit to let my 4 year old get a half mile ahead of me on a trail.

The idea of being in the position of those two fishermen is unbearable. Case impacts the marching order on my family hikes too.

Jcarlin, I had no knowledge of this incident until I read the report of the CanAm people. That is a truely
unimaginable happening under the circumstances given. However, what is even more disturbing is the
number of holes in the investigation by the authorities ! There appears to be a large coverup in this
entire affair, but why ? What could possibly be a reason for some of the oddities in the way this was
handled ? There are just too many unanswered questions in this situation. I can certainly understand
why you have been haunted by this !

[Okwaho]

Couple summers ago I found an old metal tacklebox on the shoreline of a state-land pond that gets fished pretty hard. It was full of rusted homemade spinners and old spoons. I think it was probably in the pond, maybe someone dropped it out of a boat years ago, and someone had found it when they were swimming or snagged it while fishing. When I was a teenager I found a weird-looking single-blade sheepsfoot Swiss Army knife on the bank of the river near my house. I still have that and use it all the time.

[Okwaho]

No. I do have one irrational thing I always have half an eye out for.

The Jaryd Atadero (http://www.canammissing.com/jaryd-atadero.html)case has always haunted me. After his disappearance two fisherman admitted to meeting the 3 year old in the woods. He asked them if there were bears around. When they said no, they let him walk off. They were the last people to see him alive. I've been on trails and streams fairly out in it a few times where people have let small children wander so far you couldn't tell if they were alone, couldn't even hear anyone else in the area. I've developed the (possibly unnerving to parents) habit of engaging the kid in conversation by asking if they've done any fishing or seen any animals until someone comes along. I've cautioned parents, but you know how people are. And frankly, I'd look at me with suspicion too, if I was the kind of nitwit to let my 4 year old get a half mile ahead of me on a trail.

The idea of being in the position of those two fishermen is unbearable. Case impacts the marching order on my family hikes too.

Very disturbing. The only reason I can think of for a cover-up is that maybe a person of power/influence/wealth committed the crime? I feel like a wack-a-doo conspiracy buff for thinking that, but what else could it be?

[jcarlin]

Couple summers ago I found an old metal tacklebox on the shoreline of a state-land pond that gets fished pretty hard. It was full of rusted homemade spinners and old spoons. I think it was probably in the pond, maybe someone dropped it out of a boat years ago, and someone had found it when they were swimming or snagged it while fishing. When I was a teenager I found a weird-looking single-blade sheepsfoot Swiss Army knife on the bank of the river near my house. I still have that and use it all the time.

That's an awesome find.

[jcarlin]

No. I do have one irrational thing I always have half an eye out for.

The Jaryd Atadero (http://www.canammissing.com/jaryd-atadero.html)case has always haunted me. After his disappearance two fisherman admitted to meeting the 3 year old in the woods. He asked them if there were bears around. When they said no, they let him walk off. They were the last people to see him alive. I've been on trails and streams fairly out in it a few times where people have let small children wander so far you couldn't tell if they were alone, couldn't even hear anyone else in the area. I've developed the (possibly unnerving to parents) habit of engaging the kid in conversation by asking if they've done any fishing or seen any animals until someone comes along. I've cautioned parents, but you know how people are. And frankly, I'd look at me with suspicion too, if I was the kind of nitwit to let my 4 year old get a half mile ahead of me on a trail.

The idea of being in the position of those two fishermen is unbearable. Case impacts the marching order on my family hikes too.

Honestly, I think a lot of the early confusion with that was dancing around the dad. If you're a cop on the scene, the family member is the first and just about only possible suspect in that case. It being far fetched to the mind of most that you're in the woods with your 3 (3!)year old and come back without him, I suspect talking to the father isn't easy. You get an 8 year old boy and suddenly it's a whole different picture. Again, with me, it's the fishermen that always haunt me. Living with that would be difficult. We've probably all run into someone who seemed flustered or lost, young or old, male or female out there. I always politely ask how their doing. A few times the response was a request for directions. Sometimes a quick point is sufficient. Once I walked someone to a junction that wasn't far off, but the state they were in I wasn't sure they'd hit it. Never cost me more than 20 minutes. They probably wouldn't have wandered the wilderness lost in any case, but it's always worth at least a nod and hello.

[huntfishtrap]

No. I do have one irrational thing I always have half an eye out for.

The Jaryd Atadero (http://www.canammissing.com/jaryd-atadero.html)case has always haunted me. After his disappearance two fisherman admitted to meeting the 3 year old in the woods. He asked them if there were bears around. When they said no, they let him walk off. They were the last people to see him alive. I've been on trails and streams fairly out in it a few times where people have let small children wander so far you couldn't tell if they were alone, couldn't even hear anyone else in the area. I've developed the (possibly unnerving to parents) habit of engaging the kid in conversation by asking if they've done any fishing or seen any animals until someone comes along. I've cautioned parents, but you know how people are. And frankly, I'd look at me with suspicion too, if I was the kind of nitwit to let my 4 year old get a half mile ahead of me on a trail.

The idea of being in the position of those two fishermen is unbearable. Case impacts the marching order on my family hikes too.

Wow, I didn't know anything about that. Very troubling, especially because I have close family living in that area. In fact, I drove right through there a couple years ago while visiting them. I absolutely hate conspiracy theories, but there are really only two conclusions to be drawn from that story. One, the dad is lying, for reasons only he could explain. Two, there was some kind of large-scale coverup perpetrated by the authorities at all levels. There really aren't any other explanations that I can think of. The really suspicious part is the one about the fishermen. I have to wonder how closely they were investigated. Because no rational, honest person I know would let an unsupervised 3 year old wander off into the woods by themselves.

[huntfishtrap]

Couple summers ago I found an old metal tacklebox on the shoreline of a state-land pond that gets fished pretty hard. It was full of rusted homemade spinners and old spoons. I think it was probably in the pond, maybe someone dropped it out of a boat years ago, and someone had found it when they were swimming or snagged it while fishing. When I was a teenager I found a weird-looking single-blade sheepsfoot Swiss Army knife on the bank of the river near my house. I still have that and use it all the time.

I found an old 2-blade pocketknife in the woods one time when I was a little kid. I don't have any idea what brand it was, but it was from the era when they were still made completely of metal - handle scales and everything. The blades were rusted shut, but a liberal application of WD-40 and elbow grease got them open and loosened up. It actually wasn't in bad shape overall - the handles must've been some kind of nickel, because they weren't rusted. Still have it.

[jcarlin]

Couple summers ago I found an old metal tacklebox on the shoreline of a state-land pond that gets fished pretty hard. It was full of rusted homemade spinners and old spoons. I think it was probably in the pond, maybe someone dropped it out of a boat years ago, and someone had found it when they were swimming or snagged it while fishing. When I was a teenager I found a weird-looking single-blade sheepsfoot Swiss Army knife on the bank of the river near my house. I still have that and use it all the time.

When I was about 10 I found a 9" butcher knife tossed in the bushes in my local city park. It's history was probably not as fun. Didn't even occur to me to bring it home.

[jcarlin]

No. I do have one irrational thing I always have half an eye out for.

The Jaryd Atadero (http://www.canammissing.com/jaryd-atadero.html)case has always haunted me. After his disappearance two fisherman admitted to meeting the 3 year old in the woods. He asked them if there were bears around. When they said no, they let him walk off. They were the last people to see him alive. I've been on trails and streams fairly out in it a few times where people have let small children wander so far you couldn't tell if they were alone, couldn't even hear anyone else in the area. I've developed the (possibly unnerving to parents) habit of engaging the kid in conversation by asking if they've done any fishing or seen any animals until someone comes along. I've cautioned parents, but you know how people are. And frankly, I'd look at me with suspicion too, if I was the kind of nitwit to let my 4 year old get a half mile ahead of me on a trail.

The idea of being in the position of those two fishermen is unbearable. Case impacts the marching order on my family hikes too.

I can see how you see the kid, say hello, assume someone's behind him, go about your business, and later wonder. My kids at about 3... they're just past toddlers, but you'd really wonder at a parent who wasn't within 10' in the woods. But pushing 4, they're suddenly small kids if you get the difference.
I happen to think the story is likely what it appears to be, a small child wandered off in a wilderness area and nature took him, but the after part was a tragedy of miscommunications.

[jcarlin]

No. I do have one irrational thing I always have half an eye out for.

The Jaryd Atadero (http://www.canammissing.com/jaryd-atadero.html)case has always haunted me. After his disappearance two fisherman admitted to meeting the 3 year old in the woods. He asked them if there were bears around. When they said no, they let him walk off. They were the last people to see him alive. I've been on trails and streams fairly out in it a few times where people have let small children wander so far you couldn't tell if they were alone, couldn't even hear anyone else in the area. I've developed the (possibly unnerving to parents) habit of engaging the kid in conversation by asking if they've done any fishing or seen any animals until someone comes along. I've cautioned parents, but you know how people are. And frankly, I'd look at me with suspicion too, if I was the kind of nitwit to let my 4 year old get a half mile ahead of me on a trail.

The idea of being in the position of those two fishermen is unbearable. Case impacts the marching order on my family hikes too.

Here's me sheepishly admitting I didn't read the full article I posted. I remember the news stories at the time, but never read this particular account, which seems to be based solely on the father's telling. I don't have time for more research at the moment. I'm having to keep in mind that the author, who supposedly was very well informed on the case, was surprised at the information the father relayed years later.

[JM]

Unfortunately I have never found any material things, but there have
been a few times I was pretty excited just to "find" my way back to
where I started. I have "found" that can relieve a lot of stress and in
it's own way be quite a "find".

@jcarlin,
I always use the terms "turned around" as well....I may be temporarily unsure of where I am, but I've always easily found my way out of it. I also always know that in the back of my head you can pretty much walk straight where I live and find a road within a mile no matter what, lol.

[JM]

My Sister was deer hunting and found a rifle in a case leaning up against a tree. The case fell apart, but inside was a beautiful Marlin lever action rifle.

@hft,
I never found one in the woods, but I did "find" the one I purchased a few years ago in the possession of an elderly man who hadn't used it in ages. Was sitting on his concrete basement floor. The stock was cracked and water damaged, but the metal itself somehow didn't have any rust on it.

[JM]

Today while fishing a public pond I snagged a broken St Croix rod with a Shimano Curado still on it. My guess is that someone broke their rod and threw it in the water out of frustration....soaked the reel and cleaned it up and works pretty darn well for something that was underwater...don't think it was down there very long though. Obviously rod was no good, but I actually salvaged the rod seat and handle for another rod of mine.

@hft,
I would've. Would've been easy to sell, lol. I didn't know until I saw the video of it happening. I wasn't there, but let's just say a bit of alcohol was involved.

[JM]

Most of the stuff I snag while fishing is decidedly uncool, such as rocks, logs, and myself. Lol
I have found some interesting stuff while hunting and hiking. I've picked up a lot of fossils over the years, because I've always been interested in geology, so I keep my eyes open for that kind of thing. I found a couple of near-perfect specimens of fossilized coral last year while turkey hunting. Interestingly, they were on top of a 300-foot bluff. Not the kind of place you'd expect to find something like that.
One time while shed hunting in the spring, I came the remains of an old trash heap. I'm guessing it was from the mid-20th century. There were all kinds of antique blue and green glass bottles and stuff, and I picked up one of the better-looking ones and took it home. After I cleaned it up, it looks pretty nice. Might even be worth a few bucks to the right person.

@hft,
You should look online at what some similar fossils from the midwest sell for. Not saying those in that area are worth anything, but the cooler looking ones are easy to sell online or craigslist, etc. People like them for display items.