Bolivar Bill Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 I nearly walked into a black bear last fall. It was crossing the trail from the left and I didn't see it till I was about 30' away due to the thick brush. I froze and it just kept walking, if it even noticed me it didn't care about me at all. A couple of minutes later I looked down to see my camera hanging there- I was too busy being excited about the bear to even think about pics, they would have been good. My closest call was this monster: Quote Link to comment
Clan Riffster Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Male Me + 21 = Dumb from personal experience. Brother, you're preachin' to the choir! Quote Link to comment
+DArR Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 (edited) I would have said a black bear until I ran into Grrretta. Edited May 25, 2011 by DARR Quote Link to comment
Andronicus Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Deer (due to their fear of people, not very dangerous) Rattle Snake (it was hiding under some stuff, so lucky we saw it before stepping on it or something) Coyote and Fox (due to their fear of people, also not very dangerous) Quote Link to comment
+GeoGeeBee Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Deer (due to their fear of people, not very dangerous) I have a 1997 Honda Accord that says otherwise. It was totaled by a deer. Quote Link to comment
+TheLoneGrangers Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Ticks and ran into a gator sunning near the trail Quote Link to comment
+bflentje Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 I too have been stalked by a pack of coyotes.. in the suburbs of the Twin Cities of all places. Other than that, a red fox and a couple of coons hiding out in cache hidey holes. Quote Link to comment
Andronicus Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Deer (due to their fear of people, not very dangerous) I have a 1997 Honda Accord that says otherwise. It was totaled by a deer. Good point. I have hit deer a few times, but always at after managing to slow down, so no real damage. Ticks and ran into a gator sunning near the trail After a long mountain scramble last summer, I found a couple of tickes attached to me. Quote Link to comment
+mountainman38 Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 I haven't found many caches, so for me, it's your garden-variety deer The large bull moose that charged across the road in front of us on a very dark and moonless night (whilst doing a night cache). He did not look like this: Quote Link to comment
+Stargazer22 Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 We've run into coral snakes, rattlesnakes, pygmy rattlers, and gators, like this one that was about 12 feet long.... Quote Link to comment
+GPS Derek Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Most dangerous creature I've spotted while geocaching: "A second to find'r who thought he would be first" Quote Link to comment
Team-Austin Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 My first Cache i saw some snow leopards and a heard of elephants. Quote Link to comment
+Don_J Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Deer (due to their fear of people, not very dangerous) Rattle Snake (it was hiding under some stuff, so lucky we saw it before stepping on it or something) Coyote and Fox (due to their fear of people, also not very dangerous) I've probably ran into about 30 coyotes. All wanted nothing more than to get away from me. I was on a narrow trail when a big buck came running at me from around a curve. He stopped, turned tail and ran. I was camping in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, CA, and had left a bag of peanut on the picnic table behind me when I heard crunching. There was a small fox standing on the table eating my peanuts. Nothing I have run into sends my heart racing as the warning sound of a rattlesnake. I run into several a year. Quote Link to comment
+geodarts Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 (edited) I have met several rattlesnakes - the time that made me the most nervous was when my dog lunged after one, I fell down, but held onto the leash and pulled her back from a coiled rattler (she remained on leash for the rest of the hike). I have seen a mountain lion or two. And a coyote once thought I was dangerous and followed us for a half mile, howling every time I looked back. But a series of caches named for the trailside killer makes me think that human beings may be the most dangerous. When I think about it, no other animal comes close. Edited May 26, 2011 by mulvaney Quote Link to comment
+JL_HSTRE Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 Only animal to attack me besides mosquitoes is one tick bite and three wasp stings (on two different occasions). Seen some snakes in my geocaching (and pre-geocaching hiking & kayaking) but the only poisonous one was a water moccasin that swam across the river close to my kayak. Somehow I have yet to see a rattlesnake in the wild; I'm sure it will happen one day and I hope it's a safe meeting. I've see plenty of gators kayaking, but nearly all of them didn't have the slightest interest in moving. None ever seemed aggressive toward me, though one did leap into the water (as much as a gator can leap with those short legs) after a friend's paddle smacked the water a few times (fortunately, from 50+ feet way). Spotted feral pigs on a few occasions but they always ran away. There's a Florida geocacher named Kleetus who got charged by a gator on Juniper Run in Ocala National Forest; there's now a cache near the site now. He keeps an inventory on his profile: http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?guid=21681843-ac47-46f5-8de1-94cb3a7d97a0 Quote Link to comment
+geodarts Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 There's a Florida geocacher named Kleetus who got charged by a gator on Juniper Run in Ocala National Forest; there's now a cache near the site now. The Twenty Thousand Dollar Cache similarly notes an encounter with a rattlesnake and concludes "nobody told me that caching can be dangerous." Quote Link to comment
jerosk Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 Definitely ticks and mosquito's... Saw a moose once but they are not that dangerous Quote Link to comment
+TheArtisan Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 My children and I were walking along a park trail. I heard the two of them scream ahead of me, followed by, SNAKE! As I approached I was confronted by a three foot copperhead. They had stepped right past it, or rather jumped over it. It was pretty feisty. I took my walking stick and scurried him off the trail down the hill. It's illegal to kill snakes in parks anyway. Had it been anywhere else though, it would have been pushing daisies. Quote Link to comment
+BAMBOOZLE Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 Kind of a toss up between aligator, wild hog, and rattlesnake. Quote Link to comment
+StarkeCCZ Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 We ran across a rattle snake slithering across a cache on a pile of rocks. Later that same week I was reaching for a cache and I noticed just in the nick of time that a big fat black widow spider was right in front of it. Almost stuck my hand right into it. I kind of got the feeling that nature didn't want us geocaching that week. Most annoying animal we have come across is ticks...millions of ticks. Even though I don't think they count as an animal. Quote Link to comment
+OldLog Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 The most dangerous animal on the planet is of the two legged variety Quote Link to comment
+Mitragorz Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 The most dangerous animal on the planet is of the two legged variety Yes... The Ostrich Quote Link to comment
+Don_J Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 The most dangerous animal on the planet is of the two legged variety I have to agree. However, as the OP was not specific, I took the original question to mean "While geocaching". In almost six years, I have never had a dangerous encounter with a two legged animal, while geocaching. Quote Link to comment
Night_Hiker Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 we were going get a few caches out in the national forest here in arkansas. It was dark and we were heading up a steep hill when we stopped so my buddy could adjust his gear. My other friend was shining a light ahead and we saw these eyes up ahead pacing back and forth. We were pretty positive it was a mountain lion so we rolled out. Quote Link to comment
+Azisbest Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 Humans. That. I've had close encounters with black bears, alligators, venomous snakes, feral cattle and all manner of stinging, blood sucking insects, but mankind is certainly the most dangerous. Second this. There are a number of feral/russian hogs locally, but they usually just run off. Agreed. Humans are certainly the most dangerous and repugnant creatures you will likely ever encounter. 100% of the humans I have met while caching have been gracious, humorous, and interesting. Wait, yea I did meet an arrogant idiot (not a cacher) at one hide, lol. Quote Link to comment
+Krejaton's Krew Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 While climbing a tree, I came across a nest with 4 baby sparrows. Vicious little beasts! Quote Link to comment
+happydog67 Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 One time as I was stumbling around in some thick brush, I suddenly felt a sharp pain on my calf. I looked down to see several wasps swarming around my foot which was about 1/2 inch from stepping in a wasp nest. I shudder to think what would have happened had I stepped on it. Quote Link to comment
Hunter275 Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 (edited) I am not scared of snakes by any means (I lived in AZ, my best friend had snakes, big 10 foot snakes too) but I came across a snake. I almost stepped on it and it scared me to death because I heard it before I saw it. Side note: The deadliest animal I have ever come upon was a rattle snake. I came upon it while my father was driving, he took me and put my hand out the window towards the snake. I once went to a place that had a rattlesnake in a cage with chicken wire and we pet it. Edited July 25, 2011 by Hunter275 Quote Link to comment
+E_ZIG_A Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Almost (one step from) stood on a rather large Tiger Snake and on a number of other occasions have come across Red Bellied Black snakes too. Quote Link to comment
+Planet Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 It wasn't always while caching, but I have run into bears, bobcats, coyotes, snakes ticks, spiders, deer, and one mountain lion we never reported. The say mountain lions don't live in CT, but I saw it, up close and for a good long time (we woke it from its nap) and someone hit and kiled one with car recently. Quote Link to comment
GOF and Bacall Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 It wasn't always while caching, but I have run into bears, bobcats, coyotes, snakes ticks, spiders, deer, and one mountain lion we never reported. The say mountain lions don't live in CT, but I saw it, up close and for a good long time (we woke it from its nap) and someone hit and kiled one with car recently. That could not possibly have been a mountain lion. It must have been a cougar. Or perhaps a puma. Quote Link to comment
+GCGAL Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 I saw a rabbit the other day. Reminded me of this one: Luckily it hopped away. OMG! I just laughed outloud!!! Quote Link to comment
+sword fern Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Kangaroo Did it kick you or something? Quote Link to comment
+larryc43230 Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Humans. Yep. Specifically, a security guard hungry for a promotion. --Larry Quote Link to comment
+aurght Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Scanning these posts makes me think I haven't been caching enough! I met a big dog once and I think we both didn't trust the other. He followed me to the cache and back. I have cached in desert and mountains and have not met the expected denizens. In the urban parks we have seen lots of homeless camps, but so far all unoccupied. There is a resident coyote in a park nearby, but I've never met him. Quote Link to comment
+Don_J Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 (edited) It wasn't always while caching, but I have run into bears, bobcats, coyotes, snakes ticks, spiders, deer, and one mountain lion we never reported. The say mountain lions don't live in CT, but I saw it, up close and for a good long time (we woke it from its nap) and someone hit and kiled one with car recently. That could not possibly have been a mountain lion. It must have been a cougar. Or perhaps a puma. All of which are names for the same animal. Edited July 25, 2011 by Don_J Quote Link to comment
+Q10 Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 How do you protect against ticks? Hats & sprays? Remove them as quick as possible. Looking very carefully after them when returned home. Most dangerous animals I have met? Definitely humans. Quote Link to comment
Clan Riffster Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 I met a big dog once and I think we both didn't trust the other. He followed me to the cache and back. I'm thinking he just wanted you to open the cache for him. Without thumbs, opening ammo cans is kinda tough... Quote Link to comment
+Manville Possum Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Humans. That. I've had close encounters with black bears, alligators, venomous snakes, feral cattle and all manner of stinging, blood sucking insects, but mankind is certainly the most dangerous. Humans was my response as well. Come across drug dealers and gang bangers on occasion. From experience, (thankfully not much experience) an equalizer generally renders all but the most suicidal or idiotic humans as gentle as a kitten. Some dogs will even shy from a gun. Also from experience, I've never had a bear or any other wild animal shy from my gun pointed at them in case they got too close. Sidebar: For those that got the reference (by the photo) to the 80's cop show. It was unintended. Also, I own one of those and it has to be the most impractical sidearm EVER invented. It's the most expensive paperweight I ever bought. What the heck were the Israelies thinkin'? I have one of the Baby Eagles in .45 ACP. It's all steel and works great with the hi-cap mag with 10 rounds of +P ammo. It has all the bells and whistles that a defense side arm needs. Those big ones are just for looks, and won't scare a snake, coyote, or bear and more than a smaller sidearm. But I would sure as heck prefer one of the big ones chambered in .50 AE if a bear were attacking me. Quote Link to comment
+SeekerOfTheWay Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Wild hogs always scare me! Have run into bob cats, snakes, alligators. Sorry to say that I was most frightened by a few people I saw out in the wilderness. A hunter creeped me out badly once. Quote Link to comment
+jazzle Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 We're very lucky to live in the 'no dangerous animals unless you count the two legged kind' UK, though I beg to differ today whilst nursing 3 very painful wasp stings from our most recent DNF! Quote Link to comment
+NeverSummer Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Black widows under a LPC skirt. Cottonmouth in a leaf-covered wetland area. Both in North Carolina. Quote Link to comment
+aurght Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 I met a big dog once and I think we both didn't trust the other. He followed me to the cache and back. I'm thinking he just wanted you to open the cache for him. Without thumbs, opening ammo cans is kinda tough... You may be right! It was a former giant peanut butter jar. Quote Link to comment
+NYPaddleCacher Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 At the top of many of "worlds most dangerous animals" lists I've seen is the mosquito, though mosquitoes are far more dangerous in some areas than others. Someone mentioned deer. I just got home a few minutes ago and had to slow down about a block from my house when a mama and papa deer and their two babies ran across the road in front of me. Some of the animals that I've encountered within an hour of finding a cache that some might consider dangerous include warthogs, elephant, water buffalo, hippo, and tsetse flies. Quote Link to comment
+Trail Cachers Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 It has to be the tick that bit my wife and gave her Rocky Mountain Spotted fever. It took a good 3 years to get over that. Quote Link to comment
+Trail Cachers Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 It has to be the tick that bit my wife and gave her Rocky Mountain Spotted fever. It took a good 3 years to get over that. Quote Link to comment
+lamoracke Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 seriously its a human, but you want a non-human answer I bet. Been lucky, nothing really bad. Had some pissed off birds, probably my main ones. Quote Link to comment
+mountainman38 Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 It wasn't always while caching, but I have run into bears, bobcats, coyotes, snakes ticks, spiders, deer, and one mountain lion we never reported. The say mountain lions don't live in CT, but I saw it, up close and for a good long time (we woke it from its nap) and someone hit and kiled one with car recently. That could not possibly have been a mountain lion. It must have been a cougar. Or perhaps a puma. All of which are names for the same animal. Pretty sure he knew that. Quote Link to comment
+humboldt flier Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 (edited) Mini Bears: at a certain ranch in N. E. New Mexico. ( Philmont ) 600# California Brown Bear: S.W. of Redding, Calif. Roosevelt Elk: S.W. of Shelter Cove, Calif. ( Pg. 62 DeLorme Gazetter, N. Calif. ). Rattle Snake: Hwy 375 east of Rachel, Nevada. Edited July 26, 2011 by humboldt flier Quote Link to comment
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