Animals gotta eat, too

[corndog-44]

Here we are the top dog on the food chain...we shoot, snare and trap animals for food while surviving in the wilderness. BUT....How long do you think you could live in the wilderness before YOU became food for another animal?

[wareagle69]

there are some arrogant fu**s around here that don't thik thats possible but i know of stories of coyotes and bears attacking ppl i can hardly wait for some post on this

[Tony uk]

Not any animals where i go that have been documented on attacking people. I still try and keep away from the larger wildlife but i dont think they would like me lean, mean and tough flesh

besides, Anything attacking me i consider edible so it would be counter-eatin

[canid]

i'm not afraid of coyote in the least. my concerns in north america would be mostly aimed at bear, with which i have a good amountof experience and mountain lion, which i'd hate to meet alone.

[Sourdough]

I have a small wolf pack that comes by the cabin every 7 to 10 days. At this time it is only three, one male and two female. But they have never been a problem. The Bears are in the yard and eat the oats and barley seed as it is cast on the ground. They chew on building, snowmachine seats, fuel and oil cans, they will bite and chew on anything not steel, or concrete. They eat the oat and barley plants, like a herd of elk. We use mothballs to control the bears.

But the mosquito's and whitesock's, and moose flies; They will eat you alive. The hornets, wasps, and yellowjackets can make you wish you were dead.

But the most dangerous to your health is your own mistakes. Stupid choices in the wilderness is where real danger lurks, the failure to think befor acting. You are your own worse enemy. That and the damn mosquitos.

And this is from a guy who carries a firearm to and from the outhouse.

[canid]

i almost forgot about the flyin' buggers. most voracious and least fearful predators of the north for that matter.

[RBB]

Locally we have black bear. There have been a few (very few) instances of black bears killing people. I can think of only two instances in many many years, and very few other instances of black bear attacking people.

In a survival situation, black bear would be more likely to be a danger to you by attacking your food supply than by attacking you. Black bear can be divided into three categories, those which are too used to humans, those which are somewhat used to humans, and those who have no familiarity with humans. The first and third categories are more dangerous than the middle category.

As humans spend more and more time in bear country, the first category increases and the third category decreases. Bears in this category identify humans with food and have had little or no negative feedback (i.e. getting shot or shot at).

Wolves (timber wolves). I am aware of one wolf attack, non fatal, which appears to have occurred because the wolf was chasing a deer which ran toward the person attacked. Domestic dogs often disappear, due to wolves.

Coyotes or brush wolves: Not a concern locally, very timid. Fairly easy to call in with a wounded rabbit call and shoot with a varmint rifle.

Cougar: Cougar concern me, because of their power, speed and stealth, though I'm not aware of any attacks locally on humans. Dogs have disappeared which might be from cougar attack, and horses regularly show up with claw marks on neck and flanks - which are definitely not wolf attacks.

Lynx: Very few lynx anymore locally, though there are some. They avoid humans and may more often show sign through their tracks - which are easily identified by the fact that they walk the length of any log they come across.

Bobcat: Smaller than lynx, very fast, but only dangerous if cornered. Claw you up good in the wrong situation, but their only thought is escape. Had this happen once while deer hunting. They can shoot off the ground to head height and claw the be-jesus out of you before you can make a move.

Wolverine: Only ever seen two locally, but past tales of this terror caution as to their predations on traplines and caches. A woods that has a wolverine on the prowl is a silent woods.

The most dangerous animal in our local woods are moose, not because they will eat you, but because they are huge and, at times, unpredictable. Getting stomped by a 1/2 ton of angry moose would put you in a hurting way - if it didn't kill you. Cows with calf are dangerous, but the most dangerous is a bull moose in rut. Been treed three times by cows with calf. Have yet to have the misfortune of getting too close to a bull in rut.

Problems with bugs can be lessened by wearing light colored clothing and eating lots of onions - especially strong onions like wild ramps.

[canid]

RBB: you've hit the nail on the head regarding black bears and humanization.

good point on moose aswell. on an attack statistic basis, easily the most dangerous non-domestic animal in north america, though all wild ruminants are potentialy dangerous during rut and calving.

something a lot of people don't know about antlered ruminants is that their annual production of testosterone goes into accumulation in their antler velvet and is released into their bloodstream in more or less one shot during the rubbing they do when their velvet is shed. that would put you into an unreasonably agitated state aswell

[Sourdough]

Moose do not attack with there antlers. They use their front hoves. They have killed a few people in the city (Anchorage). But still more people die in moose vs. car/truck encounter.

[canid]

i never suggested that they did.

[Smok]

Here in Northern Calf. Black Bears can be real trouble, there are a lot of them here ,the wild dog can be trouble too I was puled down by three dog will out on the ranch once thank God they did not have rabies

[RBB]

Moose do not attack with there antlers. They use their front hoves. They have killed a few people in the city (Anchorage). But still more people die in moose vs. car/truck encounter.

Good point. They stomp you, and their hooves are sharp and the moose are heavy.

As to vehicle encounters, moose stand so high, they are quite likely to come through the windshield and end up in the car with you. This has happened to to some of the troopers and deputies I work with. Our current Chief Deputy hit three different moose in one month (and not with the same car - he was put on desk duty for a while). They are also so dark that you don't see them at night - the way you see deer. One trooper hit one, and didn't even know what had happened.

The trooper said he was driving, and suddenly "something happened." He came to, was all wet, and couldn't move. When he was finally able to get to his flashlight he found that the big "thing" that was squashing him against the door was the moose's head.

We also had an instance, years ago, where the moose ended up in the car, still alive, and kicked the occupants to death.

The most recent moose/vehicle death we had involved a large cow and a Harley Davidson. The two people on the MC were dead on impact. Not a pretty sight. We didn't find the moose, just some of its hide.

[corndog-44]

Here we are the top dog on the food chain...we shoot, snare and trap animals for food while surviving in the wilderness. BUT....How long do you think you could live in the wilderness before YOU became food for another animal?

I eat only freshly killed animals and have never eaten any animal that I found dead. Some people may have, but not me..no sir. But with an animal it's a different story. Some animals on rare occasions may attack and kill a person for food and it's becoming more frequent but mostly, you will become their food when they find you already dead or close to death.

[RBB]

Wing (my wife) was just telling me she and my daughter saw a cougar on the road yesterday. We looked up cougars, lynx and bobcats on the web and they are sure it was a cougar. Little closer than I like as our road is only a mile and a half long.

Northern lights out tonight. Beautiful!

[nell67]

I would love to see the northern lights!

[Rick]

We don't have many (any?) predators in the Midwest. I fear nothing. At at least for the first week or ten days. Then the dogs will start forming packs and go out hunting just like their wolf cousins. I would not want to run into a pack of eight or ten dogs that had a couple a rots or any reasonably sized dog(s) in them. Now, a pack of chihuahuas or weiner dogs wouldn't be so bad.

[nell67]

Just had animal control pick up about six weiner mix dogs,because the neighbor wouldnt keep them penned up on his property and they attacked the sons cat,I have seen them many times chasing the amish horses down the road,those amish horses dont let much bother them and its a good thing,but just once I would have loved to see one kick the crap out of one of those dogs

[Rick]

Well I stand corrected. Maybe weiner dog packs are more fearsome than I thought!

[nell67]

LOL,nasty little buggers.

[Beo]

Might not take as long as you think to become the hunted, all you gotta do is get too comfortable and forget your trusty gun and the bear eats you (might happen if you got a gun anyway) and a pack of coyotes can take down a large deer, elk, or cow in a matter of minutes so not worrying about them already shows your too comfortable in the wild. Fact any wild or domestic animal turned loose in the wild can attack you or will attack you if it gets hungry enough. We had a pack of Coyotes running around here that took down a 500 pound calf right in the pen with the farmer on a tractor in the fields, later they got so bold as to hold people off while the rest of the pack took what livestock they wanted. So yes a coyote can come for you.
Other predators are the cougar, wolf (no documented attacks on humans per U.S. Dept. of WIldlife) wolverine, bear, bobcat, and badger that have attacked humans. So you can be attacked by these. Now that being said most of these won't hunt you but if your in their area or around their cubs, kits, babies etc. they will attack to keep you from harming them. The biggest threat in NA is most likely bear or coyote but then theose are provoked.