Unusual Animal Encounters

4.5k · June 1, 2004

While setting up a multiple cache on a Pennsylvania backroad, a turkey family was trotting down the middle of the road stopping traffic. Unfortunately, I missed photograping the "babies", five or so one-foot high, ugly grey things, but caught the mom. She was grand. But she hissed at me as she trotted past my window all in her larger than life feathers. What an attitude!

June 1, 2004

Alan2, Thank you for sharing the great picture. I have never seen a turkey in the wild, although I have had people tell me we do have them here in Washington. That was really neat. What a beautifull bird!

June 1, 2004

Just so you know that ain't a mommy!

It's a tom (male) in full strut and most turkey hunters love such a display! It's really neat that you got to see one that close! :rolleyes:

A year ago, we were caching with some friends who never had before and we were crossing a field when their son yelled "DEER". A doe and a fawn slowly trotted away from us in not a big hurry.

I was going back to get the car for everyone and rounded a tree and was 15 feet from the doe. She never moved, so I thought I was between her and the fawn. Not knowing if they defended their young, I looked around slowly and finally spotted the fawn laying down behind her.

She never bolted, totally uncharacteristic of a deer.

Mike

6.4k · June 1, 2004

OK, here's some from the last few months caches (nothing unusual, but still pretty cool):

Orange Spotted Newt

Frog

Burros

Turkeys

Geese, Swan

Deer

Edited June 1, 2004 by Mopar

June 1, 2004

Yeah one of the weirdest encounters I've had was not outdoors, but rather in school. I was in my NJROTC classroom when we heard this really weird cry down the hall. I knew that I had heard it before, but didn't rember what it was. I got permission to poke my head out the doors and saw my assistant principle.......carrying a turkey. I still to this day do not know why he had a turkey, but my guess is that it was an elaborate joke. Also once there was a muskrat in faculty parking.

June 1, 2004

Mopar where did you find Burros in New Jersey? :rolleyes:

Edited June 1, 2004 by Mastifflover

4.5k · June 2, 2004

Just so you know that ain't a mommy!

It's a tom (male) in full strut and most turkey hunters love such a display! It's really neat that you got to see one that close!

OK, so it's a male. What'd'ya 'spect from a guy who grew up in Da Bronx? The only turkey I saw before was dressed in plastic! :lol:

Now that I think of it, maybe they weren't babies I saw. Maybe they were the babes and he wasn't pertectin' but chasin' em. And his hissing was only one of telling me to "stay away", they're mine. Hmmm :rolleyes:

Okay, Mr. Tom. No argument here. They're yours fer the takin'.

Alan

June 2, 2004

While checking on one of my caches this week, I was walking through the woods with my family and came upon a turkey. She was about three feet in front of me and held still while the children and my father came up to take a look. When we backed off and went around her. she took off into the woods. I had a feeling that she was trying to draw us into a chase, so I leaned over a bush to take a look where she had been sitting and found a nest full of eggs. It definitely was the coolest wildlife encounters I have experienced while caching. :rolleyes: I've always enjoyed seeing turkeys in the wild and am glad they have increased in population.

Has anyone else ever seen an Oscillated Turkey in the wild? Quite beautiful and I can see why Ben Franklin wanted it to be the National Bird.

June 2, 2004

cool pics midway

1.5k · June 2, 2004

Oh I'm sorry, I thought this was the, "Unusual Insect Encounter" thread...

June 2, 2004

This past Christmas I was back in my hometown and went caching in a large local park .A woman has been arrested several times for feeding the deer and may serve time now that she was convicted. She is convinced that the deer will starve to death without her feeding them (there are more deer than ever) The deer are very tame because of her. I didn't find the cache, but when I was walking back to the car, I saw a doe and a mature fawn (almost adult size) on the trail in front of me. I made a lot of noise, talking and yelling, to scare them away. The fawn kept on coming and passed about 8 ft away from me. it was so close I could smell it!

June 2, 2004

I wasn't trying to slam you Alan2!

This is love time for turkeys and it's possible that he was chasing them. It's typical for them to strut like that for the ladies. The hiss, I'd say, was definately at you though.

Nice pictures of the hen and eggs too, but if you come into such a situation, be sure to take a quick pic and get out. If that particular hen is bothered too much, those eggs will be abandoned and that will be it.

Take care caching!

Mike

4.5k · June 2, 2004

No offense taken. To think that I confused family life with the singles scene! (Boy the babes were ugly.)

Alan

June 2, 2004

Nice pictures of the hen and eggs too, but if you come into such a situation, be sure to take a quick pic and get out. If that particular hen is bothered too much, those eggs will be abandoned and that will be it.

Thank you for mentioning this! I stressed this to the children that were with me, and we headed out of the area within a minute or so. It all happened VERY quickly.

We also found an egg shell on a trail about 150' away. It had been slurped dry. The kids had an quite a time trying to decide what had eaten it. Their final guess was a bird, as any other scavenger would have probably eaten more than one.

June 2, 2004

As I was writing in a logbook the other day, a small squirrel in a tree next to me was making all sorts of agitated squirrel noises, trying to convince me of his viciousness.

June 2, 2004

On our way back from this cache I came across a gardner snake about 2 feet long with a 4 inch trout caught in its mouth. It looked like it just came out of the lake because it was sunning itself to warm up (that lake was cold). He had the fish by the tail and the fish was still "flapping" around. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me.

June 2, 2004

Thank you for mentioning this! I stressed this to the children that were with me, and we headed out of the area within a minute or so. It all happened VERY quickly.

We also found an egg shell on a trail about 150' away. It had been slurped dry. The kids had an quite a time trying to decide what had eaten it. Their final guess was a bird, as any other scavenger would have probably eaten more than one.

Not a problem at all. It's amazing how many people may be anti-hunting but would cause irreparable damage to this "clutch" just by being curious.

I am a deer hunter (don't hunt turkeys) and hear all about those poor sweet animals. However, new subdivisions are going in all the time and that's when I feel sorry for the animals. They're pushed into smaller areas, roadways and such that food is scarse and dangers are high.

Nice to hear you did the right thing.

As to the shell on the trail, so many things like turkey eggs (fischers, raccoons, birds) that it would really be hard to tell! Let the imagination run free!

Mike

June 2, 2004

Last Saturday, tenacious_dml and I were on our way out from doing the Jefferson Notch Cache - GCH39E. We continued driving out along the road we came in on to see where it connected. The area is heavily wooded, and we saw a quick flash of a medium-sized critter with a lush black/brown coat and a long tail as he headed into the woods. Too big to be a cat, too small to be a dog... I'm sure it was a fisher! Having never seen one in person, and living in Manchester, NH where our new local baseball team is the NH Fisher Cats, I was amused to see one in person. He went by so quickly I didn't have a chance to grab my camera, but he looked like this:

The road we were following ended up at the Mount Washington Cog Railway, where we saw a fox.

It was a good weekend for wildlife! In addition to these guys, we also saw a partridge and several moose.

June 2, 2004

Badger maybe?

June 2, 2004

I saw a porcupine this past weekend while geocaching! When I get home I will try to upload the image!

Bec

June 2, 2004

Beta-test --

No, I'm pretty sure it wasn't a badger. Too tall and wrong color. No stripes, either.

This critter had a good-sized tail, and the coat was sort of tortoise-shell - black with touches of dark brown.

Even with just a brief glimpse, he looked like the picture I posted above.

Nancy

June 2, 2004

Alan2,

The nicest display by a Tom I ever saw was in the Bronx!! I was taking the train to NH for the day, and as we were crusing through the NE Bronx, there was a Tom along side the tracks displaying - very nice

I'll agree that the Hens are kinda ugly

2.3k · June 2, 2004

Some nite cachers visiting one of our "Indiana Spirit Quest" caches spotted a black cat at midnite in the cemetery...

Edited June 2, 2004 by SixDogTeam

June 2, 2004

Turkeys: Try night-caching!

Flushing turkeys out of the tree tops in the pitch black is VERY startling! You have no warning they're about to take off, but suddenly they fly. Such a big bird, weighing as much as a bowling ball is NOT something comfortable to have overhead!

The surround branches break and snap as they try to fly their huge mass through. Similarly, during the day a friend of mine watch one fly across the highway at windshield-level! Would suck to have that happen...

Then there's this gal...

Found her about 1 am near a cache probably wondering what that bright flash was!

See the full-size image where you can actually discern the pupil of her eye!

Lastly, I too have had fawn's come up to me while caching. 'Twas an event cache last year where campers apparently frequently feed the deer. This guy chased me a good distance before I outpaced him...

Sad, reminds me of the key deer in the Florida Keys--the population can't grow 'cause of roadkill. They aren't scared of cars/people 'cause tourists feed them. I actually had several come out of the woods to approach me as I walked on a side road! Shouting and clapping my hands didn't frighten them much at all.

Enjoy,

Randy

June 3, 2004

Then there's this gal...

I had a long day of work and starring at computer screens. I tried turning my head sideways and upside down. I looked at the larger picture. I just don't see "it". Is it a trick picture that is I stare long enough then close my eyes, it will appear? I thought maybe it was the head of a goat, but that can't be right.....A hint, please? I'm old (over 40! Amazing I am still alive to hear my children!) and need help....!

June 3, 2004

Bec

4.5k · June 3, 2004

Alan2,
The nicest display by a Tom I ever saw was in the Bronx!! I was taking the train to NH for the day, and as we were crusing through the NE Bronx, there was a Tom along side the tracks displaying - very nice

I'll agree that the Hens are kinda ugly

The only turkeys I seen when growing up in Da Bronx didn't have no feathers!

Alan

2.3k · June 3, 2004

Here's a cute little guy I came across one day while out in the desert :

And here is a poor coyote who wandered into the city and got hit by a car :

June 3, 2004

Then there's this gal...

I had a long day of work and starring at computer screens. I tried turning my head sideways and upside down. I looked at the larger picture. I just don't see "it". Is it a trick picture that is I stare long enough then close my eyes, it will appear? I thought maybe it was the head of a goat, but that can't be right.....A hint, please? I'm old (over 40! Amazing I am still alive to hear my children!) and need help....!

It's a bird, a little tiny bird. Its tail is at the bottom. Man I hope this wasn't a joke.......

4.5k · June 4, 2004

I was fooled too. It look like a mouse looking to the right. But it's a bird looking to the left. It's beak is right above the white splotch on its neck.

Isn't it? :lol:

Alan

2.3k · June 4, 2004

Then there's this gal...

I had a long day of work and starring at computer screens. I tried turning my head sideways and upside down. I looked at the larger picture. I just don't see "it". Is it a trick picture that is I stare long enough then close my eyes, it will appear? I thought maybe it was the head of a goat, but that can't be right.....A hint, please? I'm old (over 40! Amazing I am still alive to hear my children!) and need help....!

It's a bird, a little tiny bird. Its tail is at the bottom. Man I hope this wasn't a joke.......

Could be they had a crappy monitor with bad mid-tones or the color adjusted poorly. That'd certainly make it blend into the background!

June 4, 2004

Yeah I circled the parts and labeled them in the picture, but the site wont let me upload them. So if anybody who cant see the image Email me and I will send it to you.

June 4, 2004

I saw a porcupine this past weekend while geocaching!

I saw one, too, while searching for a cache this past fall. We scared the heck out of each other, but I think he was more upset than me as he ran (shuffled) off through the Fall leaves making quite a ruckus, with quills all raised. Very unusual to run into him as porcupines aren't too common in my neck of the woods (Western Pennsylavania; they're usually more to the East and North). Several people had commented in the cache's logs about a tiny cave right nearby and animal droppings in front of it; I think I found out who the resident of the cave was.

Also, seems like almost every time I go out hiking or caching, I run into one or more turkeys. And they seem to be much tamer than in the past; they could care less about my presence. Makes me wonder if hunters really need that camo clothing and turkey callers and whatnot anymore.

Also saw a gray fox last year. Never saw a wild fox before. Very cool. "Come here puppy!" Yeah, right.

June 5, 2004

yesterday we came across a fox in Delaware

DrDee thought ,at first thought it was a dog.

June 6, 2004

Does this count:

Just kidding! :unsure:

Edited June 6, 2004 by chemfed

June 6, 2004

Well i just leanred about this "animal encounter" thing and theres some prety cool pics here!!! Anyways i wasent caching but hunting deer in centeral west coast (where i cannot tell you :unsure: its too good a spot) but i was taking a 4 or so mile hike to my blind at about 3 or so in the morning and yes we do hike at nite (cant help it it's too hot in cali. ) and i saw two glowing redish-almost blaze-orange eyes they were the size of a large locust would have. but here is the wierd part...no one had any flashlights on (eyes can adjust to alot more than you can think) so does anyone know what this bug im guessing could have been???

2.7k · June 6, 2004

Last Saturday, tenacious_dml and I were on our way out from doing the Jefferson Notch Cache - GCH39E. We continued driving out along the road we came in on to see where it connected. The area is heavily wooded, and we saw a quick flash of a medium-sized critter with a lush black/brown coat and a long tail as he headed into the woods. Too big to be a cat, too small to be a dog... I'm sure it was a fisher! Having never seen one in person, and living in Manchester, NH where our new local baseball team is the NH Fisher Cats, I was amused to see one in person. He went by so quickly I didn't have a chance to grab my camera, but he looked like this:

The road we were following ended up at the Mount Washington Cog Railway, where we saw a fox.

It was a good weekend for wildlife! In addition to these guys, we also saw a partridge and several moose.

Wolverine?

I encountered a newborn fawn on one cache hunt last spring. It was lying right smack in the middle of the trail and appeared to be dead. Upon doing a simple "post mortem" I discovered that it was alive. It was gone upon my return from the cache. (no camera- BUmm!)

June 6, 2004

I saw a moose about 8 months ago while visiting "diringo" in ME, of course i left the camera in the car because i knew it was a swampy area i was headed into... now i bring a plastic bag for the camera so as not to miss the photo!

June 8, 2004

Strange Creature Seen in NC!

Anyone seen one of these out in the woods?

2.2k · June 8, 2004

This little guy stopped about 3 feet in front of me and just sat there for a few minutes.

June 9, 2004

Strange Creature Seen in NC!

Anyone seen one of these out in the woods?

Looks like somebody needs a cryptozoologist. Those crazy people who study things like the chupa cabra and bigfoot. Any of you cryptozoologists cache? That could make an interesting cache hunt.

1.4k · June 9, 2004

Never mind.

Edited June 9, 2004 by GeckoGeek

June 9, 2004

Bigfoot in Canada

He lives!!!

2.2k · June 10, 2004

Business end of a snapping turtle.

June 10, 2004

Read the logs on this cache.

1.4k · June 11, 2004

I live near Yellowstone park, so animal encounters are common around here. I am always amazed however at the proximity I often find myself from dangerous animals. Heres a pic from my last trip through the park. These Bison had my car surrounded and I was literally locked in for about 15 mins.

June 12, 2004

Now that's cool!

Mike

June 12, 2004

Holy cow! ....errrr bull (that counts for bison right?)

June 12, 2004

Ummm....Have any of you Texans crossed paths with the "Deranged Attack Lizard from Arlington?"

Killer Lizard

:blink: :huh:

June 13, 2004

Ummm....Have any of you Texans crossed paths with the "Deranged Attack Lizard from Arlington?"

Killer Lizard

HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!

That was too funny!! I'm still laughing :huh:

Unusual Animal Encounters

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