Postby Duncan Edwards » Sun Jan 15, 2017 6:25 pm
A lot of this is avoided by "doing your homework" so to speak. Proper reconnaissance and knowledge of what you are getting in to and the area around it will prevent a lot of grief. When that isn't practical then you look around for escape routes, exits, hiding places, etc. Have you got your gear stashed out of sight? Can you get your stuff and recover the situation quickly? Got your cover story straight? If there's more than just you in the party then does the other person(s) have it together on all this? Then there's the "What ifs...?" When shooting in the wild I would go so far as to plan for catastrophe by having the name and numbers of the local hospital, EMS, taxi, wrecker service, all that. What if I have to return home quickly? What is the story if I hit a deer? What if (fill in the blank). If you are going to use anyone else as part of the excuse will they know about if they are contacted? It can run to a long list but once you've got your routine sorted out it brings some peace.
Once upon a time years ago a group of us encountered local law enforcement after emerging from a place that we really weren't supposed to be in. First thing I did was turn to my party and told them to let me do all the talking. I already knew to have my hands out of my pockets, put my gear down, told everyone else to sit down and be quiet. Had my line together that we were just taking some pictures. No goofing around, no partying, everybody legal, all that stuff. We had seen some ATV's in the area and presumed it was okay to work there. (Well, sort of) Really sorry to drag him away from important stuff. I was as non-threatening and non-confrontational as I could be and he let us go on our way. In other words make it easy for him to leave you alone by not providing excuses for him to investigate further. Not everyone you encounter will let you be that way but most people aren't looking for trouble any more than you are. Give them a chance first before getting all defensive or pretending not to hide things. That is easier to do when you are prepared.
It's a dirty job but I got to do it for over 20 years. Thank you.