One i haven't seen posted yet is pretty common around here in upstate south carolina. Old wells that are often time covered up by just a 1/2" sheet of plywood and then by pine needles and leaves. Just takes one of those to give way on you and you start looking at the ground leading to the house in a whole different light.

Just my experience.

Have fun out there.

Yes, beware of old WELLS..! I've seen them covered by a simple sheet of rotted plywood.

This place is slow...

Posted by metalwitch40 This place is slow...

yessir, an thats jus the way we like it out here.

My personal experience is running into a pot farm, but in the western deserts the main thing to look out for is meth labs from what I understand.

Not too worried about the locals. I am always worried about getting my vehicle stuck or wrecking when checking out old places way off the main path. Some ghost towns and abandoned mines are way off the beaten path.

Posted by piplnr65656 Not too worried about the locals. I am always worried about getting my vehicle stuck or wrecking when checking out old places way off the main path. Some ghost towns and abandoned mines are way off the beaten path.

This happened to us last month,my friend had pulled up into the driveway of a farmhouse a little,to turn around,when the snow (which appeared to be not much at all)completely packed underneath her car. Getting it out was a nightmare and the few cars that passed us didn't stop,nor did they appear concerned about why we were there. A lesson we won't have to learn twice!

Another big worry is getting trapped/hurt in a place. I like to explore a lot of old ghost towns in the Western US and rarely am I in a place where I can get a cell phone signal.

Posted by Wiccan This happened to us last month,my friend had pulled up into the driveway of a farmhouse a little,to turn around,when the snow (which appeared to be not much at all)completely packed underneath her car. Getting it out was a nightmare and the few cars that passed us didn't stop,nor did they appear concerned about why we were there. A lesson we won't have to learn twice!

I drive a Jeep. It has to be REALLY bad to get stuck - like I'd have to hang it on an axle....

Wells are the biggest concern here too...

As an Australian Rural Explorer, we have something like 7 or the top 10 most venomous things in the world, and some of them live in my area. That's bad enough. Especially Tiger Snakes, they will often follow you, they're that aggressive.

Around my home town I was always concerned about meth labs. Never found any but I've seen evidence of some. Lots of empty allergy med. boxes and other collections of chemicals.

Also ran into a few badgers, raccoons, and opossums no big deal, but we have seen diamond back rattle snakes too. Those are a little more cause for concern.

Also the occasional building with bad floors and wells or cisterns in the surrounding area.

Mostly the more of the same that everyone else has already listed. Like has already been mentioned just be careful, watch your step, be aware of whats going on around you and you'll avoid most the problems.

It also seems that most people who truly enjoy Rural exploring are from a rural area or grew up in one and know what to expect.

Also they are probably less likely to panic and get hurt running from something dumb like a big spider or possum thats not really going to hurt you.

we have lots of large black bears here but they're more afraid of us.
usually see them running away.Also see lots of mountain lion tracks here,rarely see the cat though,have had the goose flesh raise on the back of my neck a few times,may have been cause a cat was watching , i don't know...
hunters during deer season is a mild concern....

As a explorer in rural PA we have to watch out for the hot make out spots that the Amish teens frequent.

Posted by Uzi- It also seems that most people who truly enjoy Rural exploring are from a rural area or grew up in one and know what to expect. Also they are probably less likely to panic and get hurt running from something dumb like a big spider or possum thats not really going to hurt you.

Quoted for truth.

Posted by metalwitch40 Has anyone ever run from a bull charging after you?

Yes... it hurt... I also got my ass handed to me by a goat once... I don't care to elaborate further *hangs head in shame* lol.

click to view

Posted by metalwitch40 Has anyone ever run from a bull charging after you?

I was once chased by a rabid goose

I have pics somewhere

Posted by Ma'ii Yes... it hurt... I also got my ass handed to me by a goat once... I don't care to elaborate further *hangs head in shame* lol. click to view

I also have had my ass handed to me by a damned goat. You walk past him, and think, aww, cute little goat. Then you turn your back and 3 seconds later your on your face in mud cause the fucker got ya. Sneaky sneaky.

Posted by jeepdave I also have had my ass handed to me by a damned goat. You walk past him, and think, aww, cute little goat. Then you turn your back and 3 seconds later your on your face in mud cause the fucker got ya. Sneaky sneaky.

lol, yup thats how it goes. Glad I'm not the only goat victim

The major difference for me is that when I am doing some "RE" is getting lost. I spend a lot of time hiking in the MI woods and it only really becomes urban exploring when I happen to run across an abandoned house/cabin/shack. My favorite time to go out is sunset... from experience it's very easy to get lost as soon as you get those pitch dark nights (even in woods you know like the back of your hand in the sunlight).

Long story short: don't try to go out in the woods at night unless you are prepared for it or used to it! But it's nice being out in the middle of nowhere exploring and not having to worry about people bugging you, especially cops.

I did get a shotgun shot off in my direction by an angry redneck once because he thought I was stealing cherries from his trees (lol) but that was a one time occurrence in the many many years I've been hiking.

And... there's nothing like feeling like something is following you in the dark, then see eyes looking at you in the pic you take in the direction you feel it is in too lol

Did you figure out what was following you?? Coyotes, mountain lion, bobcat? Those pictures are pretty cool. I've ran into a calf that was eaten by a mountain lion once very strange feeling, game and parks shot it a couple days later eating out of someone's dumpster.

I first got into exploring in general by way of RE. I've found that the majority of risks overlap with UE. I didn't grow up in a rural area, but at least 2 family road trips every year as a kid while avoiding interstate highways piqued my interest. Luckily, my parents were willing to stop when I requested, and we were cool enough to let me explore and even joined me a few times. Maybe it's just from my experiences, but I feel like RE holds more wood deterioration dangers, like falling through rotten floors.

And stinging nettles.