PATROLS & RECON ~ Night movement -v- dawn/dusk

[Rmplstlskn]

So I have been giving patrol and reconnaissance a lot of thought lately, as being the best method for keeping a home base safe in a PAW or WROL event, as one doesn't want a fight at their front door, yet I cannot understand the whole "patrol and travel at NIGHT" mantra I hear and read over and over...

Ok, I have 49 year old eyes with corrective lenses, granted, but even thinking back to camping and hiking trips going back decades, I cannot remember a time, less a full moon, where I could walk in the woods at NIGHT without any light sources and be stealthy and quiet in any way...

Last fall, while getting our final camping trips in before winter, I tried to walk in the woods at NIGHT and couldn't see barely a yard or two in front of my face... I had branches pocking into my shins, scraping them through my pants, I tripped on vines, my ankles teeter and tottered on loose rocks, and stuff pulled at me as I pushed on through a non-path route in these pitch black mountainous woods... I could fall off a cliff and not feel it until gravity took over...

Do my eyes just $uck at night vision, or is moving at night a bad idea?

Seems to me, moving at dawn & dusk, maybe even day, is more effective for "home base patrol & recon" than moving at night. Night might be better for hunkering down and listening... Since your increased vision also means others can see you easier, the role of CAMO comes in, as well as smart path choices.

Am I the only one that feels like a stumbling elephant at night in the woods?

Rmpl

[Benn Gleck]

I hear ya RMPL and know what you're talking about.

At my place I walk the perimeter at night. This is made easy as I use my atv and a homemade drag inside the fence and its pretty much like walking a dirt road. Now on the interior of my property I do have trails in the woods that are uneven with briars and fallen trees that are treacherous at night, not to mention the creek crossings. On these trails I use trip wires and bare earth (for tracking). Usually I walk slowly with frequent stops(like still hunting) and occasionally will use my headlamp with a red filter. The red filter saves my night vision and is not as noticeable at long distance as white light

This is where if I ever have the extra money I'll be calling JRH for some night vision gear.

[Lowdown3]

Working at night isn't easy. It takes a lot of time developing confidence in it.

It's very easy to get freaked out at night (not saying you did) but it's a VERY common occurrence.

Start with just getting out in the yard at night, turning off all outside lights. Sit out for 30-45 minutes, get acclimatized and just look, listen and smell around.

Don't stare directly at things, look just to the side of them or "scan" slowly around the object.

Don't worry about it if you can't read 10 point Times New Roman at 10 yards, no one can. Start small, differentiate between a stump and a crouching man.

Breathe, relax.

As to seeing better at night- don't smoke (I know you don't), wear sunglasses all the time outside, get good exercise and rest (fatigue kills natural night vision also) and don't forget to breathe.

[prc-104]

Mil night flying

I was the same way and then the mil decided we needed to fly low and be able to land at night.
Nothing special there, we'd been doing that forever, but then they said no position lights and no landing lights.
Whoo, that's different.
Well, having gone thru all the training, it worked pretty good.
Then we got the PVS-5's. Life was nice.
But we still trained periodically without the NOD's.

The training stuck with me and like said above,
Wear sunglasses, a lot! Nope, not for the cool factor but let folks think that's what it's for. Not your problem.
Never look straight at something. That's a daylight habit.
Constantly move your head right and left ...... a lot.
That makes up for the fact you're not looking straight ahead.

Stuff like that makes nighttime your's.
Once you get into it, it becomes second nature and you own the night.

Try it again, a lot!
You'll eventually like it and have a skill most folks don't!

/john

[Rmplstlskn]

I will try the above recommendations...

Rmpl

[prc-104]

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised after you get over the initial discomfort.
It opens up a whole new world most folk will never experience.

[Rmplstlskn]

I didn't find it a discomfort (except when I put a nice scrape on my shin from that dead branch I kicked), or fearful, I just couldn't see that well in the few very dark nights I tried this as a test... One was a sliver moon with star light, the other with storm clouds blocking the stars and moon... It was just plain dark, even after acclimation. I will try the SCANNING back and forth, as I was trying to FOCUS directly...

Rmpl

[justanothergunnut]

rmpl the science behind human vision at night is this.. our eyes are made of receptors Rods and Cones.. the cones are in the center and are designed for high definition detail and colors while the rods are out to the perimeter and are better at picking up shades and movement.. When you look directly at something you are forcing the cones to work, your mind with a lack of accurate detail will "fabricate" or create detail that may not be there. That is why you "see things" at night. Look slightly off center from the target and you will shift the use to the rods in your eye which are better at seeing in low light..

[justanothergunnut]

its a great skill to learn but NVG gear is even better. Still mastering eye techniques is to night vision as the compass is to navigation.. Sure GPS is awesome but basic navigation is a base level skill

[Bill Foster]

I have found that in low light situations, I see better without my glasses. I'm farsighted; I don't know if that has anything to do with it. This past summer, going into fall, I did some extensive camping in state parks. After My eyes adjusted to dim light, I took off my glasses and if I needed light, I used a single red LED to keep from falling over logs, etc. I took my time and swept my head from side to side and didn't get into trouble. Of course a state park is better groomed than the wilds, but it was interesting practice.