20 Tips That Might Save Your Life

1. “If you’re walking in a forest and suddenly everything gets dead silent, find shelter. There’s likely a predator nearby.”

2. “Most animals don’t smile. If you see teeth or an open mouth, it’s usually a warning or sign of aggression.”

3. “If you are at swimming at the beach or a coastal inlet and see an unusually calm area of water, get away from it. It could be a rip tide. On that note, if you do get stuck in a rip, don’t swim against it. You will tire and drown. Swim parallel to the coast till you swim out of the rip.”

4. “If you happen upon a moose and aren’t intending to be that close (hunters), regardless of the season, you should leave immediately. Moose are not your friends. You’ll have a window of opportunity to leave. Take it. The cows will straight up murder you, especially if she has calves and the bulls might take down half a forest to murder you.”

5. “If you are in a canyon, slot or otherwise, and you see clouds anywhere in the sky GTFO. It could be raining miles away and cause a flash flood in less than 10 minutes as water rushes through the canyon. Get to higher ground.”

6. “If you’re hiking and suddenly smell something very musky, almost reminiscent of a faint country manure, keep your damn eyes open. I was hiking on the Appalachian Trail today, up in Maryland. The wind shifted and the smell changed to something like I described above. Caught me off guard, but I kept hiking.

About a quarter mile later, I turned around and began to head to my car since I was already 6 miles into a 2.5 mile hike. Right around where the smell changed, I heard a sudden crashing sound and saw a black bear just busting its way away from the trail into the woods. I had walked past it, and then came back upon it when I turned around.”

7. “If the animals gtfo, you should too.”

8. “The taller the cloud, the worse the storm will be, so if the size/height of a cloud seems massive, head for the basement.”

9. “If a bee keeps “head butting” you and annoying you, alter course. They are warning you that you’re getting too close to the nest.”

10. “If you see multiple dead fish in a body of water where people don’t fish, don’t go in the water. It likely has high bacteria or is polluted.”

11. "If you have guard dogs and they bark it means whatever they are barking it as far away and they’re just saying “don’t come over here.” If the dogs start barking and are staying as quiet as possible without moving means whatever it is more than likely is within eyesight or very close.”

12. “During “stormy weather” in the Midwest… If the sky turns greenish and the pressure bottoms out, it’s time to head for the basement.”

13. “If a tree is hot to touch get the hell out. I don’t know if this is common in other countries, but here in Australia we have what’s called “widowmakers”, basically eucalyptus trees are extremely flammable and its possible for the tree to be on fire internally, but not visible on the outside, and can literally explode at any given moment.”

14. “If the tornado isn’t moving it’s coming straight toward you.”

15. “If an animal is brightly colored and/or distinctly patterned and easy to see, that’s a warning not to mess with it.”

16. “You can smell storms in the air before they happen. Storms, rain, etc.”

17. “Squirrels will sometimes watch you from a distance while making alarm calls. The sound varies by species but it’s generally a sort of squawking bark. If you hear them barking, and they aren’t yelling at you, then there may be something else around they think is a predator. It’s worth paying attention.”

18. “After walking miles on a sandy beach, I sat down on a piece of driftwood next to the cliff wall to rest. My dog was having none of it. A rare barker, she barked at me incessantly. I tried to play with her. I offered her water. The only thing that worked was getting up and walking away. As I did, sand crumbled down the wall. Nothing serious. Weeks later, a woman lost her life when the wall collapsed.”

19. “If there are tall clouds nearby, and you get a metallic taste or hear any buzzing, feel static-y, lightning it about to hit pretty much exactly where you are.”

20. “If you see an enormous fireball falling from the sky, just enjoy the view…there’s nothing you can do at that point.”