What NOT to do in the outdoors

We asked what NOT to do in the outdoors across our social platforms and Forum community, and here’s what folks had to say.

  • Never make out in the woods assuming no hunters are watching.
  • Take a leak in a mosquito-infested swamp while looking for the trout pond.
  • Never forget to bring toilet paper.
  • If you’re going for a bear poop, make sure the foliage under your butt isn’t poison ivy.
  • Trespass.
  • Forget to bring a compass — it’s awkward when you have to eat your friends.
  • Litter.
  • If you can carry it in, you can carry it out. Respect the outdoors.
  • Never use pine cones as toilet paper. Told my wife once to just use a pine cone, just one of the many reasons she doesn’t go camping with me any more.
  • Leave garbage/recyclables behind. It is a danger to wildlife and just a lazy thing to do.
  • Not tell anyone where you’re going, and when you’ll be back.
  • I always find a lot of garbage at shore fishing spots so I bring a bag with me to clean up what I can. Worm containers, pop cans, old fishing line, etc. Pretty sad that people are like that and lack the respect of our precious outdoors and waterways.
  • Do not wipe with plants that have “leaves of three.”
  • Do not forget to stop and just take in the beauty that is Canada.
  • Don’t be the slowest one in your group in bear country.
  • Get wet in cooler/cold weather.
  • Never eat berries that are unknown to you.
  • Never skip the basic safety gear. You don’t need to bubble wrap yourself but wear the life jacket on a boat or the safety glasses when using a chainsaw. I almost had permanent vision loss a few years ago from a wood chip.
  • Never leave a campfire burning after walking away. Always put it out.
  • Never drink untreated water.
  • Never leave garbage outdoors, whatever you pack in should be packed out.
  • Never forget your first-aid kit.
  • Have any sort of expectations when fishing with small children for the first time.
  • Go gentle into that good night and/or rage, rage against the dying of the light.
  • Bark at the moon…you’ll confuse the locals.
  • Don’t pee on an electric fences.
  • Look around before you drop your pants in the woods – there’s usually a trail cam watching.
  • Turn down an outhouse-using opportunity.
  • Steal your guide’s fishing spot.
  • Don’t underestimate how quickly weather conditions can change. Too many times for me on the water have started out as a beautiful morning, sun shining, light breeze, comfortable temperatures. A few hours later winds are howling, heavy rain and even sleet are blowing sideways, and temperatures have dropped drastically. Spring is notorious for these drastic shifts, but I’ve had bone-chilling drops in the middle of summer too. Usually, not a big deal if you are close to your hunt camp or cottage, but if you are canoeing far off or on a drift boat down a river and didn’t pack clothes to layer and a rain jacket, time in the outdoors can not be fun. Hypothermia in the summer can happen.

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