WhiteBlaze Pages 2024
A Complete Appalachian Trail Guidebook.
AVAILABLE NOW. $4 for interactive PDF(smartphone version)
Read more here WhiteBlaze Pages Store

Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 29
  1. #1
    Registered User Driver8's Avatar
    Join Date
    08-24-2010
    Location
    West Hartford, Connecticut
    Posts
    2,672
    Images
    234

    Default Guessing Game - What Animal Did I Startle?

    Climbed Mount Ascutney in Vermont yesterday, about 20 miles east of the A.T., via the Weathersfield trail from the south. Got a late afternoon start and summitted at about 7:40 pm. Decided to take the Park Road down and catch a cab from the east base of the mtn around to my car, all of which worked out just fine, happy to say.

    So to the guessing game. At about 2500' on the park road, there was a startling rumbling from the left, northward, downhill shoulder of the road. I'd awakened an animal with the noise I, my pack and my TPs made. It was about 9 pm, not yet dark, and walking on the left side of the road, I was about 20 feet from the waking animal.

    Startled, I first stepped toward it and clicked my polls against each other and, of all things, said, firmly but not yelled, "What are you?" - go figure. The animal continued to rumble and attempted to stand. Alone, I quickly thought better to get away and not find out what exactly this animal is. I retreated, continuing downhill and looking back over my shoulder several times. Fortunately, probably sensing my retreat, the animal evidently lay back down to sleep, as I hear no further noise from its direction. It made no "spoken" noise during this encouter - no grunts, groans, etc. It seemed to be of good size.

    Based on its size and what little I saw of its shape, I'd guess it was a moose or a deer - I think I saw its head faintly, in the deepening dusk, but only for a split second. Based on the animal's size, I'd say deer or small moose, based on the size and shape of its head, moose - but that was only a poor, very quick look in very low light.

    So, fellow hikers and animal observers, what do you think? Do deer run and rest in packs, making it unlikely this was a deer resting solo (this almost certainly was one animal)? What about the habits of moose? Could it have been a young solo buck or doe moose? Would their habits in terms of running and sleeping solo vs. in packs make that a likely result here? I'm pretty sure it wasn't a bear - not the right shape or size, this animal seemed to be on tall thin legs, and not, thankfully, some wildcat, which, once roused, might've stalked me - that for a minute or two was a discomfiting thought.

    So did I have my first moose encounter in the, well, mostly wild yesterday? Or was this my 100th deer or so to run across while on a hike?
    The more miles, the merrier!

    NH4K: 21/48; N.E.4K: 25/67; NEHH: 28/100; Northeast 4K: 27/115; AT: 124/2191

  2. #2
    Registered User Driver8's Avatar
    Join Date
    08-24-2010
    Location
    West Hartford, Connecticut
    Posts
    2,672
    Images
    234

    Default

    Approximate GPS coordinates for the place this happenned: 43 deg 26' 07.00' N and 72 deg 26' 45.78' W. Fairly high and dry, not close to a water source. Saw a few examples of moose scat climbing the Weathersfield Trail earlier.
    The more miles, the merrier!

    NH4K: 21/48; N.E.4K: 25/67; NEHH: 28/100; Northeast 4K: 27/115; AT: 124/2191

  3. #3
    Registered User canoe's Avatar
    Join Date
    04-29-2012
    Location
    Tyner, NC
    Age
    67
    Posts
    949

    Default

    With those coordinants it was bigfoot...no doubt

  4. #4

    Default

    Could be one a dees

    http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/show...?i=25329&c=694

    your lucky you got outta there alive.

  5. #5
    Registered User
    Join Date
    10-04-2009
    Location
    West Stockbridge MA
    Age
    71
    Posts
    493
    Images
    3

    Default

    Hey D8

    It's Bull (male) Cow (female) moose, Buck & Doe deer. Both deer and moose are flight animals except during the rut or in the case of moose guarding their young. Deer yard up in winter and moose tend to spend their winters up high, both browse on new tender growth and are active both day and night. With that said, your encounter, could be anything from porcupine or rabbit to bear or moose. Nothing to be frightened of, consider yourself lucky for the experience. At least I'm sure it got your juices flowing.
    Happy trails.
    M. Bird.

  6. #6
    Wanna-be hiker trash
    Join Date
    03-05-2010
    Location
    Connecticut
    Age
    42
    Posts
    6,922
    Images
    78

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by rocketsocks View Post
    Could be one a dees

    http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/show...?i=25329&c=694

    your lucky you got outta there alive.
    Lets never speak of that photo again.
    Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.

  7. #7
    Wanna-be hiker trash
    Join Date
    03-05-2010
    Location
    Connecticut
    Age
    42
    Posts
    6,922
    Images
    78

    Default

    Driver, based on your description I doubt it was a whitetail deer, unless you were in an area where you would expect the deer to be very habituated to humans. Deer are generally very flighty and will usually take off quickly and go at least several strides crashing through the forest in order to get some distance between you and them before they look back to assess the situation (I call this the deer explosion and it will scare the hell out of you at night if you're not expecting it.) The only times I've encountered deer that didn't run from me were bucks during the height of the rut and one highly habituated doe that was used to eating people food at a busy state park.
    Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.

  8. #8
    Registered User
    Join Date
    12-19-2013
    Location
    Upstate, SC
    Age
    59
    Posts
    348

    Default

    :sniff: :sniff:

  9. #9

    Default

    Grrrh Grrrh

  10. #10
    Registered User Driver8's Avatar
    Join Date
    08-24-2010
    Location
    West Hartford, Connecticut
    Posts
    2,672
    Images
    234

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Migrating Bird View Post
    could be anything from porcupine or rabbit to bear or moose. Nothing to be frightened of, consider yourself lucky for the experience. At least I'm sure it got your juices flowing.
    Happy trails.
    M. Bird.
    Hi MB: It was certainly not a smaller mammal - took up too much space. It was most likely a sleeping deer or moose most likely which, hearing a human rumbling nearby its nest for the night, had the flight response of trying to get onto its feet to escape and, momentarily confronted from a distance of a dozen feet and then with its interloper quickly retreating, seems to have settled back down into its nest, best as I can tell. I reckon moose most likely, as it was so high up the mountain - do deer hang out that high? It was pretty well at the top of the transition zone from hardwood to spruce/fir. Also, it would take a moose longer to get to its feet than a deer, and this animal was less quick in that way than what I've seen of deer.

    I believe it was a moose, probably a yearling or other young bull since it was alone, and deer seem to run in packs from my many observations. Would be cool if I'd seen it better, but then again, that would've involved a big risk to me at that time and place - better that I got out unscathed.
    The more miles, the merrier!

    NH4K: 21/48; N.E.4K: 25/67; NEHH: 28/100; Northeast 4K: 27/115; AT: 124/2191

  11. #11
    Registered User Driver8's Avatar
    Join Date
    08-24-2010
    Location
    West Hartford, Connecticut
    Posts
    2,672
    Images
    234

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Sarcasm the elf View Post
    Driver, based on your description I doubt it was a whitetail deer, unless you were in an area where you would expect the deer to be very habituated to humans. Deer are generally very flighty and will usually take off quickly and go at least several strides crashing through the forest in order to get some distance between you and them before they look back to assess the situation (I call this the deer explosion and it will scare the hell out of you at night if you're not expecting it.)
    Hi Elf, how've you been? You sum up pretty well why I'm leaning moose, that and the fact, from what I gather, that young male bull moose are often out on their own.
    The more miles, the merrier!

    NH4K: 21/48; N.E.4K: 25/67; NEHH: 28/100; Northeast 4K: 27/115; AT: 124/2191

  12. #12
    Registered User Driver8's Avatar
    Join Date
    08-24-2010
    Location
    West Hartford, Connecticut
    Posts
    2,672
    Images
    234

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by rocketsocks View Post
    Could be one a dees

    http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/show...?i=25329&c=694

    your lucky you got outta there alive.
    Hey, at least it wasn't a Jersey hiker, or worse yet, driver.
    The more miles, the merrier!

    NH4K: 21/48; N.E.4K: 25/67; NEHH: 28/100; Northeast 4K: 27/115; AT: 124/2191

  13. #13
    Registered User Damn Yankee's Avatar
    Join Date
    01-16-2014
    Location
    Staunton, VA.
    Age
    61
    Posts
    809

    Default

    I'd like to say Deer but, confused about your description of the sounds you heard. I fawn would lay silent and an adult would bolt, stop and look but not settle back in. I though Bear maybe by the description of the rumbling sound but you thought it looked like a Deer so, against my better judgment, I'll say Deer

    "You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands."
    Isaiah 55:12

  14. #14

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Driver8 View Post
    Climbed Mount Ascutney in Vermont yesterday, about 20 miles east of the A.T., via the Weathersfield trail from the south. Got a late afternoon start and summitted at about 7:40 pm. Decided to take the Park Road down and catch a cab from the east base of the mtn around to my car, all of which worked out just fine, happy to say.

    So to the guessing game. At about 2500' on the park road, there was a startling rumbling from the left, northward, downhill shoulder of the road. I'd awakened an animal with the noise I, my pack and my TPs made. It was about 9 pm, not yet dark, and walking on the left side of the road, I was about 20 feet from the waking animal.

    Startled, I first stepped toward it and clicked my polls against each other and, of all things, said, firmly but not yelled, "What are you?" - go figure. The animal continued to rumble and attempted to stand. Alone, I quickly thought better to get away and not find out what exactly this animal is. I retreated, continuing downhill and looking back over my shoulder several times. Fortunately, probably sensing my retreat, the animal evidently lay back down to sleep, as I hear no further noise from its direction. It made no "spoken" noise during this encouter - no grunts, groans, etc. It seemed to be of good size.

    Based on its size and what little I saw of its shape, I'd guess it was a moose or a deer - I think I saw its head faintly, in the deepening dusk, but only for a split second. Based on the animal's size, I'd say deer or small moose, based on the size and shape of its head, moose - but that was only a poor, very quick look in very low light.

    So, fellow hikers and animal observers, what do you think? Do deer run and rest in packs, making it unlikely this was a deer resting solo (this almost certainly was one animal)? What about the habits of moose? Could it have been a young solo buck or doe moose? Would their habits in terms of running and sleeping solo vs. in packs make that a likely result here? I'm pretty sure it wasn't a bear - not the right shape or size, this animal seemed to be on tall thin legs, and not, thankfully, some wildcat, which, once roused, might've stalked me - that for a minute or two was a discomfiting thought.

    So did I have my first moose encounter in the, well, mostly wild yesterday? Or was this my 100th deer or so to run across while on a hike?
    It could have been a moose or a bear. Based on my experience, a moose will make lot of noise as they move away. They go crashing through the woods without being concerned about the noise they are making. One can often hear them for 100 yards or more. They break a lot of branches as they move through the woods.

    In contrast, bears don't usually make as much noise. They slip through the woods without breaking off branches. Bears are amazingly fast when they want to be, but most of the time they don't run at their top speed. They just mosey into the deep woods and disappear. One will seldom hear a bear beyond 20 yards away.

    In the future, when you have a large animal encounter watch the trail for tracks. Moose and bear often walk on trails. You will likely see tracks and scat on the trail near where you see the animal.
    Shutterbug

  15. #15
    Registered User Driver8's Avatar
    Join Date
    08-24-2010
    Location
    West Hartford, Connecticut
    Posts
    2,672
    Images
    234

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by rocketsocks View Post
    Could be one a dees ...
    I'm thinkin' it was one a dees, bacon-free:

    The more miles, the merrier!

    NH4K: 21/48; N.E.4K: 25/67; NEHH: 28/100; Northeast 4K: 27/115; AT: 124/2191

  16. #16
    Registered User Driver8's Avatar
    Join Date
    08-24-2010
    Location
    West Hartford, Connecticut
    Posts
    2,672
    Images
    234
    The more miles, the merrier!

    NH4K: 21/48; N.E.4K: 25/67; NEHH: 28/100; Northeast 4K: 27/115; AT: 124/2191

  17. #17

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Driver8 View Post
    Hey, at least it wasn't a Jersey hiker, or worse yet, driver.
    You got that right, if you can drive in NJ, you can drive anywhere in the world.

  18. #18

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by canoe View Post
    With those coordinants it was bigfoot...no doubt

    Nah, I'm thinking it was a chupacabra.

    Lost Acoustic Blues
    (clickable)

  19. #19
    Registered User Driver8's Avatar
    Join Date
    08-24-2010
    Location
    West Hartford, Connecticut
    Posts
    2,672
    Images
    234

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Shutterbug View Post
    It could have been a moose or a bear. Based on my experience, a moose will make lot of noise as they move away. They go crashing through the woods without being concerned about the noise they are making. One can often hear them for 100 yards or more. They break a lot of branches as they move through the woods.

    In contrast, bears don't usually make as much noise. They slip through the woods without breaking off branches. Bears are amazingly fast when they want to be, but most of the time they don't run at their top speed. They just mosey into the deep woods and disappear. One will seldom hear a bear beyond 20 yards away.

    In the future, when you have a large animal encounter watch the trail for tracks. Moose and bear often walk on trails. You will likely see tracks and scat on the trail near where you see the animal.
    I just saw this response - thanks, Shutterbug. It may have been a bear. All I heard of it was the noise of it evidently waking and standing up from its sleep. No noise of crashing into the woods. I think, upon my retreat, it very likely just laid down and went back to sleep. That scenario, base on my faint visual and distinct auditory perception of its shape and size, fits moose, maybe deer. Possibility that it quietly retreated into the thick woods (I doubt this, b/c there was no noise at all), might fit bear.

    I reckon most likely a groggy moose which, when I got away from it, just laid back down to sleep. It was dark and I was on a road, in a hurry to get to the base to meet my taxicab, so no good opportunity to check for tracks or scat. Did see a couple instances of moose scat on the southwestward reaches near the summit earlier - this animal was eastward maybe 2/3 miles from the summit.
    The more miles, the merrier!

    NH4K: 21/48; N.E.4K: 25/67; NEHH: 28/100; Northeast 4K: 27/115; AT: 124/2191

  20. #20

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Driver8 View Post
    I just saw this response - thanks, Shutterbug. It may have been a bear. All I heard of it was the noise of it evidently waking and standing up from its sleep. No noise of crashing into the woods. I think, upon my retreat, it very likely just laid down and went back to sleep. That scenario, base on my faint visual and distinct auditory perception of its shape and size, fits moose, maybe deer. Possibility that it quietly retreated into the thick woods (I doubt this, b/c there was no noise at all), might fit bear.

    I reckon most likely a groggy moose which, when I got away from it, just laid back down to sleep. It was dark and I was on a road, in a hurry to get to the base to meet my taxicab, so no good opportunity to check for tracks or scat. Did see a couple instances of moose scat on the southwestward reaches near the summit earlier - this animal was eastward maybe 2/3 miles from the summit.
    You are probably right in thinking it was a bear. The bears I encounter often just go on doing what they were doing. The attached picture is one I encountered last summer on Mt Rainier. He just continued to eat for several minutes, then something spooked him. When he ran away, I was amazed at his speed. If he had run toward me that fast, I would not have been able to our run him. For a big animal, he ran really fast
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Shutterbug

Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast
++ New Posts ++

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •