What You See In The Woods Caching

[+Derb522002]

I thought I would share what happen today. I had hidden a cache about a month ago. I went to check on it today because we have had a lot of rain. I had my dog (he is blue tick) with me. We came up on the beaver pond and I heard a loud splash. I started to look in the pond expecting to see a couple of beavers swimming. Blue (who was on leash) stood on an old stone wall because he heard the noise to. I then heard sticks breaking and looked where the dog was looking there were 2 moose coming from the beaver pond. They were about 50 to 75 feet from us. I think what surprised me was the dog did not start to bark. If you know anything about the coon hound breed they can be very loud and they let everyone and everything know they are around when they get wind of a scent. But he stayed quiet while they passed. After continuing onto the cache Blue wanted to go check out where the moose were but we went back to the car. Now if it had not been for geocaching I would not have been in the woods late this morning and I would not have seen the moose. I did post this on my cache site but I thought I would share it with the other geocachers.

[+Miragee]

Cool!

[+Mario and Princess Peach]

Pretty cool. Can't moose be dangerous? I've started taking a little pocket camera with me for such sightings.

[+Miragee]

Years ago when I was in Grand Teton National Park, a ranger told me moose were the most dangerous animals in the park, as far as actual encounters with visitors were concerned.

 

He said you NEVER wanted to be caught on a narrow backpacking trail face-to-face with a moose.

[+geekster]

got chased across the madison river in montana by a big bull moose once, he was not a happy camper

[+Hoppingcrow]

Bull elk is not exactly the friendliest chap in the forest, either. I was plowing along hunting a tiny tarn about ten miles from the nearest trail and entered a heavily shaded area. When I looked up, I went eyeball-to-eyeball with the boss about 25 feet away. His harem was bedded down all around him. Not quite certain what to do since I'd already affronted him, I just spoke in a normal tone of voice and said, "Uh, s'cuse me...just passin' through," but my mind was considering a course of action more like, "If I dodge behind that tree, do you s'pose he'll cold-conk himself if he charges?" Fortunately, I was granted passage, but I consider myself lucky.

[+Derb522002]

There was plenty of room between me and the moose. I am sure they heard me coming because I was talking to the dog. I was just hoping the dog would not start to bark because I did not want them to charge. I stood still and they passed. There was plenty of room and lots of trees between us. I will admit I did get a little nervous because you hear about them charging at you. But I figured they just wanted to get out of the way as much as I was hoping the dog would not let his voice go. Coon Hounds like to bark at what moves. I think Blue has learned to keep a little quiet with all the walks he goes for with the hubby. I just thought it was neat. I am sure I startle them as much as they startle me. I was looking for beaver when I heard the noise not moose the dog seemed to know what was going on because he was looking in the right direction not me. I have never encountered a moose in the woods before. Blue did what to go and check out where they were but I figure after checking the cache I would get out. When I got back on the trail they were gone.

[+Tidalflame]

Yeah, moose can be pretty dangerous. I saw one once while caching. It was sitting in a clearing just off the path. It was very docile, though. It just sat there and chewed grass while I walked by snapping photos of it. Here is the cache log.

[+Tagamet]

I haven't even bought a GPS unit yet, and I'm ALREADY stoked about my first "hunt".

Thanks,

Tagamet

[+Raptor & Rex]

A moose once bit my sister. Mynd you, moose bites kan be pretty nasti.

 

 

(I'm sorry . . . I couldn't resist. No, a moose never really bit my sister. It's just a bit of VERY old Monty Python humour, for those who can remember back that far).

[+Tagamet]

A moose once bit my sister. Mynd you, moose bites kan be pretty nasti.

 

 

(I'm sorry . . . I couldn't resist. No, a moose never really bit my sister. It's just a bit of VERY old Monty Python humour, for those who can remember back that far).

Believe it or not, I DID remember that one. I'm still partial to the limbless knight...

Tagamet

[+lpyankeefan]

It's just a flesh wound. Come back here and I'll bite your legs off!

[nobby.nobbs]

a shrubbery!

[+hukilaulau]

Your lupins or your life! (That may be even older.)

[+Tagamet]

(At the bridge)

"What's your favorite color"

[+Greymane]

red.......no..no....BLUE!......Aaaaahhhhh!!

 

Ok, back on subject. My wife and I went out to survey our new property and saw five whitetails right in the back yard. Then, as we wandered about, a coyote ran through the field next to the house. There are also two peacocks in the yard, but the current/previous owner (closing is this week) is taking those along. I am surprised the coyotes haven't killed the birds.

[+Hoppingcrow]

Coyotes are as common as dogs around here. A week or so back, I had an elk make amorous advances to my car in the middle of the night. I look both ways for cougar when I step out on the porch ever since a neighbor surprised one bedded down behind his woodpile.

[+Tagamet]

Coyotes are as common as dogs around here. A week or so back, I had an elk make amorous advances to my car in the middle of the night. I look both ways for cougar when I step out on the porch ever since a neighbor surprised one bedded down behind his woodpile.

You must have one of those sexy foreign cars....

Tagamet

PS I hope you don't (or didn't) have too many pets.

[+WARedBear]

I was down in S. Georgia this past weekend for a family reunion. I slipped away to "buy film" and to pick-up a cache. I followed the arrow into a Botanical Garden and the trails to the "secret spot". The cache hint stated the container was in a knot hole so I checked out the nearest pine tree and found no knot holes. Next came a large cedar tree that had knot holes all around the trunk. I started peering into all of them looking for the micro when all of a sudden I see eyes looking back at me. I was startled to find a snake coiled up in the cool shaded hole. I told him that he could have that hole and the cache if it was there. See picture here.

[+Hoppingcrow]

I'm glad to say I survived, and I found the cache that was planted in a mossy stump in a group of mossy stumps, some of which were inhabited by yellowjackets.

[+Jeep_Dog]

Pretty cool. Can't moose be dangerous? I've started taking a little pocket camera with me for such sightings.

Yup. I was chased by one when I lived in Alaska.

 

He came charging up my street, I was planting flowers or something. He saw me, turned toward me, I sprinted for the garage and slammed it shut.

 

A big, wooden, heavy door. He tore it up. Glad that was not me.

 

Beware the bull moose.

 

Edit: I told you, I told you, but noooo, it's just a wee rabbit you said...

Edited June 1, 2005 by Jeep_Dog

[+Team Snoopy]

I was out 2 weekends ago and was on the egde of a cliff. The gps read it was over the side? So I found a tree with a big hollow part and I leaned over to look into it and found a BIG ball of fur! Luckily it was only a possum (I think) and it was sleeping. But I screamed there's something in there and ran off, lol! That was our big laugh of the day!

[+Greymane]

Funny I should be reading this now. I have just seen what may very well be the first Class 1 confirmation of mountain lions in Western NY. The kitty didn't look happy and the guys taking the photos wasn't happy about this thing walking across the front porch of his cabin!

[+Team Red Oak]

So far the worst we've seen are a few tree frogs on a suicide mission. My husband was walking off the paved path in the grass to my left and he startled a frog who jumped onto the paved path and almost under my boot! I yelled a little because the frog almost made me twist my ankle in trying to avoid making it a spot on the ground. A few feet later another frog did the same thing. Altogether he must have sent 5 frogs my way in about 30 feet of walking.

 

What's on your telley? I don't know. It looks like a penguin.

[+halffast]

I live in the north east end of washington state.30 miles from the canadian border.I have seen Deer, Moose, Elk,Bear,snakes,beaver,badger,skunk,porkiepine,big horn sheep,mt.goat,and even a buffalo that excaped from ranch near by.If I dont see some wildlife while caching that means Im caching in spokane.Or another city.

Edited June 4, 2005 by halffast

[+Night Stalker]

Interesting that you should bring this up. Last weekend my wife and I were geocaching near Grand Teton National park. As we were driving out of the area we found ourselves in the midst of a traffic jam. At first we couldn't figure out what was holding up traffic. Looking ahead we saw a female moose on the road. She would cross the road, turn around and go back to the other side. She did this over and over again for no apparant reason. Finally we noticed that there was a newborn moose calf along the side of the road that she was trying to get up to cross the road with her. Eventually a police car came along and blocked the road from one end and asked me to block the road from the other direction so she would have a clear path across the road. Finally the moose and calf crossed the road. I was lucky enough to have my digital camera along and got a neat picture of them both. Great end to a fun caching day.

[+tls11823]

I was lucky enough to have my digital camera along and got a neat picture of them both.

No fair, teasing us like that. You need to post the pic.

 

My family and I were in Teton and Yellowstone a couple of years ago, and were determined to spot some moose. We saw everything else that the area has to offer, including coyotes, but no moose. Well, we were taking a raft trip down the Snake River, and the guide pointed out a moose to us. But we think it was a wooden cutout to make people think they saw wildlife.

[atroxatrox]

Here in Sweden we have elks in such numbers (hundred thousands) that we once a year we kill them off.

Sweden grinds into a mere halt when people leave for the woods, climb into small towers and awaits to kill an elk.

We do this for three days in october.

Hitting an elk with the car is one of the most feared accidents while driving at dawn and dusk in Sweden because that is when these animals are active and move around.

 

We often see elk while we are out caching, fishing, hiking.

They are harmless if you know that you NEVER should approach them nor end up between a female elk and her kids. That's certain and severe injury.

[+ParrotRobAndCeCe]

Moose can be very dangerous when you hit them at around 50 mph in a rental car. Take my word for it.

[+BilboB]

I was caching in Oklahoma last month and came upon a freshly killed deer carcasse. The blood had not even dried yet. and something had ripped into it VERY recently. I looked for tracks but it was too grassy. I figured what the hey and moved on to the cache (it was only about 50 meters away).

[Team Yankee Kiwi]

Moose can be very dangerous when you hit them at around 50 mph in a rental car. Take my word for it.

Kangaroos make a helluva mess of a rental car at 50mph too, although I guess they're pretty thin on the ground here in the US. Luckily we hit it at the bottom of it's leap, otherwise it would have come through the windscreen.

[nobby.nobbs]

in new forest we've deer, ponies and cattle. amazing how much damage a small deer can cause.

 

have to say that the thing i mainly see when walking through the woods is trees!

yeah they say we've got wild catss loose but when i see one i'll believe it...right about when i believe in the loch ness monster.

[CrafterCat]

Hubby and I were on the road on our way out caching last Sunday about noon (which is not when you usually see deer here in NW lower Michigan) when a big doe (white tail deer) jumped out and ran across the road in front of us, with her little fawn right behind her. We always toot the horn at deer...it seems to keep them going away from the car, but doing that spooked the little fella, and he folded up and laid right down in the middle of our lane in the road!!! he just collapsed like someone folding up a tent! there was someone in the oncoming lane, also, and we both just stopped and waited for the little guy to get up the nerve to follow his mama. He finally did, and we shrugged at each other and drove on. Afterward, we were kicking ourselves for not having the camera with us to take the picture, but then, we probably would have just sat there, watching, facinated with the little guy, and forgot to snap any pics! Sheesh!

Edited June 8, 2005 by CrafterCat