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How to Poop in the Woods: 5 Proven Methods

Here's how to poop in the woods like a pro.

Whether you are backpacking the backcountry or using a cathole at hunting camp, you'll want to do your business and do it safely and successfully.

Sometimes there are no water sources nor toilet paper to use. When the urge happens, it's time to separate ourselves from the inevitable human waste.

It's just that we have to re-learn how to do it when we are off of the beaten path. 

Hikers, campers, and other visitors to our National Parks and wild lands aren't immune to bowel movements and packing it out may not be an option. When an outhouse is nowhere in sight, it's time to look towards the treeline and consider using the great outdoors.

Of course, when you are hunting, it can be an even bigger challenge.

If you're using wilderness areas, a trowel may be as important as a ziplock bag, but your own good sense will be the most important tool.

When it's time for waste disposal and ridding nature of that used toilet paper, six-inches of ground may be all that stands in the way of letting loose and yet leaving no trace.

1. The Hanging Log Assist

This is for the more balance-adaptable outdoor folks. Finding a tree limb, or better yet a large fallen log to use as a way to get yourself off of the ground. Hanging over the target area is one thing, but not falling backwards and ending up on top of what you just left is another.

2. Power Squat

Place your feet apart and widen your stance just a bit to find a good balance. Pull your pants down to about your knees to obtain a low squat position.

Use one hand to pull your pants forward, thus keeping them out of the line of fire. If you feel that your sense of balance requires more, move on to the number three:

3. The Tree Hugger/Tripod Method

Some prefer a tree with a fairly slender yet sturdy trunk, others just need something to grip.

Grab hold, gripping it tightly, and lean back into your squat. Your feet should be near the base of the tree, but not so close as to ruin your balance. You'll definitely need to be aware of where your pants are!

4. Digging a Cathole

Digging a cathole may be the most widely accepted method of backcountry human waste disposal there is.

It is a simple matter of taking the short amount of extra time to make sure that no other outdoors person encounters your waste, and that it has the best chance to biodegrade back into nature.

5. King's Throne

This actually requires a tree on a slight hill. Using the uphill facing side, plant your feet firmly, press your back against the tree letting gravity work by taking everything away from you downhill.

Make sure to be at least 200-feet away from your camp and approximately the same distance from water. 

6. Bonus: Don't Be the Bear (Warning: Graphic language in the video)

While this proves the old adage, "does a bear poop in the woods?" you'll want to stay on solid ground.

Pooping in the woods is something that all outdoor men and women have had to struggle with at one time or another. Packing some hand sanitizer, plastic bags, or some type of wag bags may be the only thing that keeps you from having the kind of accident that no outdoorsmen wants to have, while saving that hunting trip from the jaws of defeat.

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