Anyone See Carnivorous Animals?

[+rockey_f_squirrell]

OK So bears may be Omnivores, but I still owuld not like to run into one... After encountering a 'growling rock', I decided to see the 'Animal Encounter' forum, but all of them are only small animals and nothing big like what I have in mind.

 

I am the type of person that I am the onlyone I know that likes getting outdoors, and have a hard time getting friends to go caching with me. Since I cache alone sometimes, I am a bit concerned about beeing 'Stalked' by a wild Animal.

 

Has anyone encountered such an animal that can tear you limb from limb, and what have you done when you seen them? Do they mind thier own business, or do they approach you?

 

Live in Southern IL, and been reports of Mountain Lions new in the area (though the state denies it - many hunters have seen them) So I am looking for tips on what to expect if I should encounter such an animal.

 

please no Snake logs, I know snakes are everywhere, and are probably the most dangerous things out there, but I am talking about something you cant outrun...

Edited March 2, 2005 by rockey_f_squirrell

[JohnX]

If you are going to be torn limb from limb it will likely be dogs that do it. Dog owners, please hold your angy posts. I am talking about packs of dogs, typically pit bulls, german shepherds and other breeds with a reputation for being dangerous. Besides dogs ,I believe mountain lions in California, sharks and aligators are you biggest threats.

 

Here is an interesting link on Mountain Lions

[Stony2008]

Jeeez man the biggest thing I've ever seen was a hawk. I gues that could tear you apart if it wanted to.

[+bthomas]

In 2002 I was west of Lake Tahoe, going for a 5-star peak. Two hours from the trailhead, I had already forded a stream and was at about 8000 elevation. The trail on the map turned out to be unmaintained, and I was cross country, out in the sticks. I was thinking the loop was now going to take longer than 2 Power Bars.

 

Then up the ravine, I catch a glimpse of a big animal with cat-like grace leaping away. The motion was fluid and silent, and after that one framed look of its back, the animal was unseen again. It wasn't that pronghorn springing of mule deer, it wasn't that crashing through the thicket, there wasn't the second sighting of a deer stopping to look back.

 

While I was pondering eating 4 ounces of Power Bar, someone else may have been considering 150 pounds of hiker on the hoof.

 

I puffed up the windbreaker and banged the hiking stick, and continued on unmolested.

[+Klatch]

You have more to fear from other humans than from any wild animal (Especially in the Lower 48 states). Be alert, but relax and enjoy your time in the outdoors. Most importantly, know how to handle emergencies in the wild and have the tools with you to deal with them. I never cache without a daypack containing rain gear, extra clothing, first aid supplies, spare batteries, etc. You are creating a lot of unnecessary anxiety for yourself by worrying about being torn apart by a wild animal in Illinois.

[TahoeJoe]

Then up the ravine, I catch a glimpse of a big animal with cat-like grace leaping away. The motion was fluid and silent, and after that one framed look of its back, the animal was unseen again. It wasn't that pronghorn springing of mule deer, it wasn't that crashing through the thicket, there wasn't the second sighting of a deer stopping to look back.

You probably saw a mountain lion, I live in Lake Tahoe and once while riding our mountain bikes in the backcountry we startled a big mountain lion on the trail. It was quite a treat to see one of these stealthy predators. I have also seen bears, bobcats, and other assorted critters while caching and hiking in the area.

[+Chance Encounter]

I've seen a couple of coyotes around different parts of East Texas, but nothing larger. There is the remote possibility that may change soon: the NPS has re-introduced several sets of Louisiana Black Bears by releasing them in the Jack Gore Baygall Unit of the Big Thicket National Preserve.

[+Couparangus]

I usually cache on my own, and this often involves a mountain bike. I've run across (or nearly over) skunks, groundhogs, foxes, deer, wild turkeys and snakes. No near-death experiences although one buck did stand his ground and was posturing so I stopped for a minute 'til he darted off.

[+ZoomZoom]

Yes I have! I have a thread here somewhere about my encounter with a cougar which I had a chance of firing up the camera to take a picture of it as it sat in front of my truck licking it's chop.

[+The red-haired witch]

Mosquitoes, lots of mosquitoes... but I don`t have any pictures to prove it

 

 

Well, they are carnivorous, and do kill lots of people each year, indirectly, though mainly in tropical countries and rarely in Canada

 

There are backflies too, which are even more carnivorous, but at least can`t kill you.

 

I`ve heard wolves in some areas where I cache, but those guys are not a threat unless starved or rabid.

[+JoesBar]

Just last week I was scouting an area for a cache. I was walking in a wooded area and I saw a coyote. This is a suburban area east of Cleveland, OH. The coyote saw me first and ran away. I was able to watch it for a short time until it ran further. I thought it was great. There are black bears now residing in eastern Ohio and since I cache alone I have to give them consideration when I go out that way. All in all, I'm not very concerned. While a black bear could ruin my day, grizzly bears or cougars would be far more worrisome. (and they don't live in Ohio anymore.) You are far more likely to be injured or killed driving to a cache, than you are by a wild animal. But as someone else pointed out, wild dogs are out there and they run in packs. So, just make sure that the life insurance is paid up.

[+lostdog19]

Not while caching, but while driving in an area of Issaquah, WA where there are lots of trails (and caches), I saw a black bear sit up next to the road, before heading back into the woods. This was on Highway 900 between Squawk and Cougar Mountains.

[Voncachstein]

I found a dead coyote once, about 20 feet from a cache. Another time, I followed mountain lion prints all the way up to and around a cache i was doing. Whenever I cache, I make sure to have a walking stick....or as i like to call it, a "beat down" stick.

[+fishingfools]

Im a huge dog lover, but wild dogs scare the crap outta me!

[+planetrobert]

lets see...

 

2 cyotes stalking me while night caching...

1 cougar stalking me in the wilderness area before we(cachers) got kicked out

1 bear growled at me when i interupted his dinner(i returned fire)

1 badger wanted to tear me limb from limb... i pursuaded him to leave

 

i like wild animals, i swear i do, they make great rugs just kidding(sorta)

[+Wacka]

I live about 100-150 ft away from a rails to trails area (former raill line changed to paved trail). At noon one day I look out of the window and see 3 coyotes sunning themselves on the old railbed watching the joggers go by.

[+headmj]

I have only seen bear and coyote. The coyote hit the road fast. The bear just continued what it was doing. I am not to concerned during the camping season in Allegany State Park because most of the bear are off the trails and in campsites raiding dumpsters. Early spring worries me most and late fail is second. I watch where I go at those times.

[aquarose]

Haven't come across any animals while caching ( but I have only been at it for a week). However, my husband and I have come across a bear while camping in North Georgia. Luckily he was anxious to get away from us and we watched as he ran off into the woods.

[+Greymane]

I ran into a black bear once in Northcentral PA. Hiking out in the woods with my Dad and we heard some rustling. Next thing we knew, a black bear came around from behind a very large tree. We looked at each other for a moment, then he ran one direction and we ran the other! We got a good laugh out of it, though.

[+The Wild Road]

West Central Ohio- Butler/Preble/Darke counties...just far enough north of Cincinnati/Hamilton that corn and bean fields butt up against patches of woods....it's not unusual to see the unmistakeable gait of a coyote running along the tree line. In Farfield-urban area-just north of Cincy-but south of the above mentioned areas- city council discussed setting coyote traps because of citizen complaints...concerns about pet cats and dogs becoming coyote chow.

If you drive along country routes in this area, it is easy to become acquainted with the resident red-tailed hawk in each mile square area. They rest on the same pole/tree at the same time every afternoon. Sometimes if you are lucky-you can catch one during the hunt.

One last group...turkey buzzards...huge, stubborn birds..who will wait until the very last minute before they fly away from their roadkill snack as you approach. They look at you as if you committed the greatest faux pas by driving by their lunch.

Rumors fly about bobcats in this area...never seen tracks. That doesn't mean they're not here.

[+Wacka]

What is cool is seeing turkey vultures in the morning. They all sit in a tree with their wings spread. They are exposing their feathers to the UV light of the sun to kill parasites they may have picked up from the roadkill they eat.

[+Joe Smith]

Never while caching, and I never actually saw it.

 

We have a bit of a problem at the house with wild animals. We have raccoons living under the house, groundhawge digging unter the barn, and squirrels up in the attic. So whenever we shoot something we just toss it into the woods. Well the last raccoon I shot (and a big one too) was gone the next morning. When I checked it out I saw the tracks of either a dog or a coyote. Don't know, dont want to.

 

 

As for caching, I was doing a cache in Moraine State Park and was heading back in the dark when I saw what i thought was a cat. Well, it was not a cat but actually a skunk who wanted to get real close to me and I was not going to let it, but at the same time didn't want to piss it off. So just backing away slowly did the trick.

 

 

Now if i'm in a park and a dog comes up to me, no matter how friendly it looks I have my knife ready just in case. Never had to use it but better safe than sorry. I know a neighbor got tore up really bad with a dog and his friend had to beat it off with a stick. Not a pleasant situation.

 

 

Joe Smith

 

Edit:

 

Also when we were in Alaska taking a hike (not caching but I had the gps) we hear a crashing through the brush to see a mommy mose running away from us. Thinking everything is okay we round the next corner ony to be ten feet away from the baby. in no mood to see mommy up close again we RAN out of there. Not really a predator, but a moose can be deadly.

Edited March 5, 2005 by Joe Smith

[+Harry Dolphin]

I live in North Jersey. We've got over three thousand bear. I only ever needed to see one of them... I've seen seven or eight in Jersey, two in Maine, and four in Virginia. (The ones in Maine and Virginia were while I was section hiking the AT.) I only have pictures of two of them. The rest ran away faster than I could. I've only seen one while geocaching. Oct 16, I did GC5 (GC6E68), Climbed up Bearfort Ridge to log the benchmark (and highest point in Passaic County) and over to Terrace Pond cache to leave a very large Travel Bug. On the way back down TPN, I rounded a bend and scared a bear about three or four feet away. He took off quickly and noisily, and I almost had a heart attack!

In general, the rural bears run when they see or hear you. The two I have pictures of are people-friendly bears. Both were near campgrounds. They both sat and watched me before wandering off.

I see lots of vultures. There are a number of them near one of my caches. There are also mute swns on a pond near another. We spotted a red-tailed hawk while caching on the Palisades.

Perhaps one of the worst encounters was very large rats at Riverview (GCEC5B). A homeless person had camped nearby, and I guess the rats were marauding. Nope, I ain't sticking my hand in any holes looking for a cache when there are rats that big nearby! (I suspect that that cache was muggled anyway.)

[+eaglespirit0]

Wild carnivorous animals are more than familiar with me. I worked at a Boy Scout camp over the last three summers. We had a bear and her three Cubs who lived at the camp. Unfortunately, she got a little bit too comfortable with humans and after a sever injury, she was shot and her Cubs were displaced elsewhere. I had many chance encounters with her, including a couple times when she was within 20 feet of me. Considering part of my Native American spirituality requires me to respect the sanctity of animals, I never really felt in danger.

 

Another wild animal that I saw was a coyote, and again at the Boy Scout camp. Three of us decided to sleep in the woods on the other side of the camp. There seems to always be coyote howls throughout the night, because, well, there are coyotes. We would have a fire to scare them away. One night, we forgot about the fire, and I found one about 20 yards away from us at sun rise.

 

I have also seen more coyotes where I live.

[+ChinCache]

Walking back to the car after many caches in the ocala national forest I would find bear prints in side my own footprints. also there a few caches where you have to watch out for gators. They are the caches where if you're not comtforable with wildlife,dont seek them. Now I'm in PA I have seen a mountain lion prints and scat, it just made me keep the camera handy.

[+Team Tecmage]

We were in Missouri searching for Jesse James Hideout Cache. We were on the trail that led to the area when we spotted a Bobcat moving through the brush.

[+C&C+COMPANY]

Before moving back to Nova Scotia,I lived in the Canadian Rockies. I wasn't a geocacher @ the time but on many hikes I've seen grizzly and black bears. Bear bells and spray was nesscary @ the times.

[+GlockGuy]

Does this count? I found these remains here in Utah at the "Hola Cunstruction Truck" cache

 

[+rpecot]

Lots of gators around here. This is actually a small one. I've seen much bigger ones in the swamp.

 

Also, while hiding this one with my daughter and niece, we heard a huge splash as we rounded a bend. I don't know how big it was, 'cause we didn't see it, but it sure sounded big

[+miles58]

Bears and wolves are common in the area where I live. They won't bother you. The bears tear up my bird feeders every spring though. There's they odd cougar, but I've never heard of one of them bothering anyone in Minnesota. I've had to convince both mink and coyotes that the bird I just shot was mine and I *would* keep it, but they were never a threat to me. Have seen both bobcats and lynx out while out bird hunting.

 

FWIW the two legged mammals are about a zillion times more likely to be trouble than any four legged carnivore. Holstein bulls out in the pasture are a different story

[+DocW]

See my log here. This happened in PA. You may lough on me but it was really scary; I from Europe, I am not used being not the top of the food chain.

[+Mr. Fantastic]

In the suburbs of Chicago, I have see owls and hawks, though they are not terribly frightening. I did see this

 

at GCABA6.

 

I wanted a picture of this, so I tried to approach it stealthily. When it started to trot away, I started to run. I know humans occupy the top spot on the food chain, but chasing a coyote might have been taking that a little to literally.

[+Morgan's Marauders]

I guess the rats were marauding.

So that's where our pet rats went!

[+RockyRaab]

Well, let's see..there was the time I droped a five-man Special Forces team literally ONTO a tiger in Cambodia, but that was long before geocaching, LOL!

 

Here in Utah, we have mountain lions, bears, big nasty moose, and (recently) wolves, plus the usual assortment of feral dogs and cats, bobcats and rabid skunks. We're up to our gahooties in coyotes, but they've never been known to attack people - unlike packs of feral dogs, which sure do. Our badgers can be umbracious little boogers, too.

[sbEro]

I live in alaska, and run into alot of moose in town, and i have run into coyote' and porcupine elsewhere in town.

 

i just started caching recently, and havent been to some of the more remote areas that i'm slightly afraid of. best way to conquer fear is to face it eh? (with my friends hehe )

i've heard stories of cats being eaten by wolves in backyards, and old men killing brown bears with pistols on the edge of town... cachers have reported seeing black bears in that area, but thats it as far as i know.

 

i've never had to deal with packs of wild dogs, or snakes, or poisonous bugs/anything. every day i come across runners with dogs though, usually not on leash. i let the dogs sniff my fist, not an open hand. then the runner always apologizes and grabs the dog and pulls it away. hundreds of dogs now, havent had a bad one yet . if i dont see an owner, its hands in the pockets. imposing dog size is also an issue.

i have had to fight off 2 dogs at once before, they were seemingly wild and looked really emaciated. they were circling close and licking their lips, i figured it was time to shake a stick.

 

./sbEro

Edited April 27, 2005 by sbEro

[+DMflyer]

Black bear. While out on the trail towards a cache in North Carolina, I saw plenty of signs of flattened grass. Grass was knee high or higher. Quietly I went down the trail. Then I heard the brush crashing and stopped dead in my tracks. Thats when I saw the bear cub scamper up a tree. The other one, making alot of noise headed up the hill, along with momma. She snorted, liked "come on, cub, lets get moving" and the one I snapped the picture of up the tree came down and followed momma. Never saw momma, never saw the 2nd cub.

[tiber]

I've run across bears before way out in the PA sticks. Then there's snakes... In my own humble opinions, the smaller it is, the worse it is. The bigger animals you can usually detect without trying and avoid. It's things that get underfoot that are bad. I've also run across a few rabid animals (in the late stages), and while unfortunate, they also pose a danger if they bite you or you otherwise share fluids with them.

 

I would be less concerned about being mauled and more concerned about lyme disease or poisoning.

[+Renegade Knight]

In my range there are Moose, Grizzlies, Blackbears, Wolves, Mountain Lions, and Badgers, and Skunks. While I don't much like bears it's the Badgers that worry me the most and the Skunk I'm most likely to be sprayed by.

 

All the others I've never seen or encountered while geocaching. But then I'm making noise, talking with friends, and otherwise not paying attention to them.

[CacheNCarryMA]

There are occassional coyote sightings in my area (Eastern MA). That's about the only encounters around here, if you don't count trying to get other drivers to yield in a rotary ("traffic circle" to you non-Mass people)

[+Hunt]

I was hunting in Lasen county, CA and in one day ran into a huge cat(Mt. Lion) and two cyotes who were following us, we also have cats that live around us in Murrieta, CA (southern cal.)in the hills. Here they are becoming a problem, chasing people, mauling people, and yes sometimes eating. Cats are something to fear becaus of their stealth, speed, inteligence, and strength. Especially when you are alone, you make a perfect walking meal that can't run very fast. The only thing is that most have an instinctual fear of mankind. Also they are cautious when they decide wether to attack. So making yoruself large and making intimidating noises will help you in an encounter. Also I would cary some pepper spray and a good kniff or pistol (dependign on the place you are caching) Encounters with cats are often rare but just remember those things when you are out caching and whatever you do do not run or scream, when you do that they will instinctually attack you (the same goes with bears and cyotes)

 

If you keep your cool in an encounter and play it smart you will usually make it out of such encounters unscathed. and theres my two bits worth

[+snowfrog]

Well, let's see..there was the time I droped a five-man Special Forces team literally ONTO a tiger in Cambodia, but that was long before geocaching,  LOL!

 

Here in Utah, we have mountain lions, bears, big nasty moose, and (recently) wolves, plus the usual assortment of feral dogs and cats, bobcats and rabid skunks.  We're up to our gahooties in coyotes, but they've never been known to attack people - unlike packs of feral dogs, which sure do.  Our badgers can be umbracious little boogers, too.

Was a member of a Special Forces A-team from 83-88 and on one field exercise my team loaded up at Fort Bragg, N.C. and proceeded to fly into Northern Penn.We parachuted in to a privately owned cornfield after dark(without detection or permission) and moved on foot for two weeks, all the time trespassing on privately owned civilian farmland.One one cold night we slept in a farmers barn, unknown to him.After patrolling for the two week period and placing fake demolition charges on a public highway bridge, we were picked up by helicopters which touched down again on a private farm.We flew away and watched as the lights in his log cabin came on because of him hearing the choppers!

Edited May 15, 2005 by snowfrog

[+Team Rampant Lion]

Here's my log from FEARGUS 1 from last Saturday (June 4). This cache is located in Kinnelon, New Jersey. Just finished signing log, replaced cache only to find a good sized balck bear sitting about 10' away from me - just watching me. Check out the log and the pictures for the rest of the story.

[+RJFerret]

Having cached many times at night, I was only fearful once--in a state forest I heard something approaching through the brush...

 

It wasn't the rustling leaves of something small... It wasn't the slow steps of something large... Having seen MANY reflecting eyes turn and flee in my headlamp, this time I was turned toward the sound waiting for it's arrival.

 

It was moving FAST and getting closer. It wasn't coming in straight, but apparently following my trail...

 

I don't carry a staff, so was hoping my boots would be enough.

 

It's sounds of movement were now much louder--or my adrenelin was heightening my senses...probably both...

 

Suddenly it burst into sight, eyes a-glowing, nose to the ground, the domestic dog came right up my track and halted a few feet from me.

 

Now I've come across many dogs off-leash (illegally), roaming free, etc. I've always won them over...

 

This guy was not having any of it: body language didn't help, commands didn't help.

 

He started circling me at that same distance--I turned to not let him behind me. Then he started howling like he had me treed! I'm just glad he didn't have any buddies.

 

Finally I got bored and proceeded to head toward the coords, never letting him behind me more than my flank. He never got closer than those few feet and seemed unaffected by any behaviour on my part. Ultimately he got bored and probably headed off after the scent of a deer trail.

 

That was NOTHING compared to numerous attacks from 3,000 lb. automobilious carniverous on the way to caches...

 

Fortunately no homo sapien, the most vicious carnivore I see daily has ever bothered me outside of urban areas.

 

Enjoy,

 

Randy

[+Kordite]

In almost 30 years ove being out in the woods for one reason or another, I had never seen a bear. That is, until this weekend.

 

I was hiking with some members of the Sierra Club along the Whitetail Trail (Chestnut Ridge near Unuiontown, PA) and it was decided to take a bit of a bypass to White Rocks. On the way down an abandoned logging road we cam,e across a black bear.

 

He wandered off the trail to a hillside and proceeded to sit down and watch us as we watched him. He did not seem alarmed, sitting there occasionally scratching himself. After a while he seemed to become bored and wandered off.

 

Later on, we had run out of water and a group of us had pressed on ahead. One of our numbers was in a bad way and the plan was that he would not takle the trail but continue down the road tro meet us at the a gate. When he and those with nhim weren't at the gate I hiked up the hill with a couple of bottles to effect a "rescue" if necessary.

 

At the top of that hill the dirt road split, one way going to an overlook. I didn't want the paerty to pass me as I checked to make sure they didn't go to the overlook so I left one of the water bottles as a marker in the middle of the intersection.

 

When I came back from not finding them at the overlook (this was just at nightfall) I found another bear investigating the water bottle. He heard me coming and ambled off into the woods. It would have been interesting to tell the water bottle owner that it had been stollen by a bear. She would not have believed me.

 

After 30 years on never seeing a bear in the wild, I saw two in one day.

 

You can read the full logs here:

Log by Kordite for Polly Takes the Plunge

Log by Kordite for Pine Knob CITO

Edited June 16, 2005 by Kordite

[+ReyTheBear]

ive seen rabbits before. now your probably saying "rabbits are harmless", not true my friend. HAVE YOU SEEN MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL??

 

 

i was fearful for my life

[nick_02]

That's why I alaways carry a holy hand granade cachin (: