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I've had 2 run ins with feral dog packs while out deer hunting in Maine. The first time I dropped my rifle and climbed a tree. I was stuck there until they got tired and left. The second time I had my Ruger mkII with me and plunked 10 of them before the rest of the pack (8 more) got the message and left. At least Maine has a law that you can shoot any dog running free during deer season.
We were tent camping at Juniper Springs and while sleeping heard something in the garbage.I figured it was a coon,sat up and shined the light at it.It was a huge black bear.I woke the wife and daughter and they sat up to see it.I unzipped the tent and threw a flipflop at it hollarin,git on out from here!It ran off and I was relieved.
All hail the powers of the mighty flipflop!! (the images going through my head!!:lol:) Seriously though, I am glad the bear took off!
May have been this guy. Seems as though he has taken up residence at the Juniper Springs campgrounds.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stairman
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/i...Springs030.jpg
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/i...Springs033.jpg
Oh Wow!! No, I wouldn't really want to run into him at night. And if he ever got into my stash of coffee we would all be in trouble!! Caffinated bear vs. Caffine craving beetle! Somebody's going down!!:saberbattle: :lol:
Saw this bear on the first N. Florida gathering we had. I was just taking a small bag of trash to the dumpster. It was a quiet night. I had a headlamp on, but didn't have it turned on. As I approached the dumpster there it was. Talking to one of the campers that had been there a few weeks - he said the bear would come in every night, slide open the side door of the dumpster, climb in, throw out a bunch of trash, climb out and rumage through it. As we were watching - he finished his "foraging" and started wandering through the individual campsites.
I've been charged by Badgers while Rabbit hunting, not a wise choice on there part.
Well, maybe I would share the coffee... The biggest predator I have ever encountered would be a bobcat. We came, we saw, we went our seperate ways. Other than a slightly elevated heart rate, no worries.
They caught the bear in a trap the next morning.The ranger told me that when they trap them they tag em and relocate them in a more remote part of the Ocala Nat Forest.This bear already had a tag and traveled almost 40 miles back to the campground.Sadly he was put down.
That's too bad... ::(:
Funny story about the moose Sarky, I think that one would spook me. I've never had anything where I felt really threatened, at least not how I've felt in a strange city in the wrong place, but I've had some encounters. Coming out of the woods one night, with my wife, I ran into a bear. She was behind me and carrying the flashlight. I heard something ahead and told her to turn off the light and we waited. I told her to turn it on again, after a bit, to see what was there, but she didn't see anything. I took the light looked around then down in front of us. It was a big bear five feet away. I gave her the light, dropped to my knees and pulled my bow back aiming for his kill area at point blank range. He didn't do anything more, so I got up, let down my bow, kept my bow ready and blew out of my mouth a little. He just turned around and walked back where he came from, we followed him out of the swamp. I could usually see his red eyes ahead of us off to the side.
I tried to head off a big beaver once as he made his way for the river. I caught up with him, ran in front of him, and tried to make him head back. He didn't like that idea and decided he'd just charge me instead while he made a few grunts. I had a stick and wasn't afraid of him, but decided that if he was that intent on going forward then I'd get out of his way.
Sometimes we'd go after coon in a tree. I have a video of my Dad at 70 years old going up to a tree stand, 30 feet high, made out of a steel door, to get three of them off the platform. I told him to be careful, but he grunted and said they couldn't do anything to him. When he stepped on the platform all three faced him. He kicked the first one off and it fell thirty feet and ran off. I thought the coon was pretty tough because that was a long drop on it's belly. Another tried to go up the tree, but he knocked it back to the platform with a stick. The second coon jumped and ran off too. The third one decided he might fight, but changed his mind when my Dad made a couple threatening moves toward it. He jumped too.
I've been bit by a couple big dogs. I went to a friends house to borrow something, he wasn't home, his wife said that what I wanted was in the garage, but the dog was in there. The dog was part lab and part great Dane, a big dog. I told her that was ok, I'd get it anyhow. When I went up and started opening the door he growled. I just scolded him and started coming in with my right leg. He didn't like my leg in there and I guess he thought he'd warned me so, he latched onto my leg and wouldn't let go. After a couple seconds of smashing the door against his head he turned me loose. I was lucky to have had some overhauls on and all I got was a bruise and a couple drops of blood, but I thought I'd learned a lesson. A couple months later this dog of my friends and my dog got into a fight. They fought now and then and we never held it against each other, but we were getting a little tired of it. When they were fighting and rolling around I decided to quickly, knock them around a little to break it up. I was always taught never to do this, but I had the urge to do it anyhow. I guess I shouldn't have used my hands because my dog chopped down on my wrist and bit hard and didn't let go. It didn't hurt much by I knew it was deep. I decided to move real slow after that and kinda just went with the fight and where ever it took me. After a little of that, my bother-in-law started using his boots on them and he broke it up and I was loose. I left a blood on the walk home about every two or three feet. They were only punctures and didn't bleed as much as a cut or tear. I talked my brother in law into sewing me up, since it was my right wrist, and after it started to turn red and look bad, I put some bag balm on it and it got better. Since then, I treat a bad tempered dog like any other wild animal, I carry a stick.
I've walked down trails unarmed with a timber wolf walking beside me about 20 yards back into the bush off the trail. I've walked right up to black bears who thought drill rod grease made a lovely treat and were eating it right out of the pail. No problem either time. Once I chased a fisher across a lake for about a quarter of a mile just for fun. I ran out of breath before it did, so that was the end of that. When I quit chasing he slowed down but kept going. When I was about 11 I tracked a lynx in the dark from our back yard back into the bush until I totally lost him, but it was dark out. I took a .22 that time. I almost ran over a badger one time, it wandered out in front of my car and I slammed on the brakes. Another badger, it's mate I guess, had waited by the side of the road and when I came to a stop got up and acted like it was going to attack the car. "Now there's an aggressive critter" I said to myself. Being in the car, I wasn't terribly concerned because basic arithmetic says 2400 pound car goes over 40 pound badger one time, nothing left over.
Up north on one of the rez's that I visit quite often there's a serious problem with dogs that have gone wild, but there can be 50 of them wandering around on the roads and as soon as you hear one shot, man they vanish. The band will pay $25/dog if you go out and shoot them, but you have to get them out of town somehow. Mostly they eat garbage but they bother me more than any other animal in terms of the chances of being attacked. A couple of little kids have been killed by a pack of them. The good news is when a pack of those doggies meet up with a pack of wolves. Put your money on the wolves.
i hiked up into the hills below ishi/lower lassen the other day. it's boar, mountain lion and occasional black bear country, but most common are the coyote.
the area is wild enough that they are not too shy, and they will follow behind or along side you at a safe distance and just watch you, as if wondering what you are up to.
'hey kids, come look! that there is the rare an elusive human. the wild ones used to live around here, but they mostly stay around the valey since the dogs and cows started domesticating them and our populations increased. don't get too close. they won't come too near, but i've heard hey can be mean if they feel threatened.'
beautiful animals, and this and last year seem to have been good to them. they're big, look strong and healthy. in the bad years they starve off untill their populations dropp low, they are skinny and stagger around half dead looking.
either way i think they are incredible animals, far more resourceful than wolves, strong survivors, humble and i can't believe people being afraid of them.
black bears make me nervous, but don't give me to much trouble. mountain lions stand my every hair on end, but i rarely even know they are there. i just have the sense that i won't know they are there untill one lands on my back.
canid, I agree and disagree. Coyotes resourcefulness seems to come more from being good scavengers, they generally are willing to live closer to humankind. As far as it goes, if you've got a pack of both around, don't count on the coyotes lasting long. As far as people being afraid, I've seen lots of verified reports of coyotes going after children, never seen any of wolves attacking people. Maybe don't need to be afraid but certainly cautious.Quote:
Originally Posted by canid
Ive had my occasio9nal run ins with a certain wild dog pack on the outskirts of my city when I used to go there very summer. I was on their pack grounds, at first they were very cautious aand aggressive, but after awhile I guess they sorta accepted me or something and I could go up and pet one and it licked me :)
Just tasting you to decide if it wants to eat you:tongue_smilie: later.:lol::lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by Okwaho
The biggest problem we have in this area is wild dogs. People from the city come out and drop them off. Not bad the last few years, but it is getting worse again now, price of food going up and some people can not afford to keep them. They will attack anything when they get hungry enough or they get into a pack. They will kill deer and just leave them lay, not eat anything and keep on to the next. I had several run ins with them a few years ago...those you shoot.
One or two deep coves out of Whitter, Alaska. We are living on a 21' Glasply, and went ashore in a 10' black zodiac dingy, with paddles, no kicker.
The water started boiling with about 8 killer whales, right beside the dingy, they are real big up close. Scared yes, hurt no.....Guess we looked like a sick seal flapping around to them, and LUNCH........
I was scuba diving on the north shore of Oahu. My dive partner and I were exploring a large lava tube. We were in about 25 ft when I hear this noise. It was my partner banging on his air tank with his dive knife. His eyes were like saucers:eek:. He was pointing - I looked - there it was, about 2 feet from my face, staring at me. A large moray eel. At the time I would have sworn it was about 25 feet long (they don't get that big). In reality it was probably about 5 or 6 feet long, but I couldn't see the entire body. Oh yeah.....this was about a week after seeing the movie "The Deep".
Wow that must have got your heart going. Eels must look freaky right up in your face.Quote:
Originally Posted by crashdive123